Gerber ComplEAT 16-piece Cookset Review

The Gerber ComplEAT 16-piece Cookset is the perfect choice for those after a comprehensive cookware set that can feed a family of four or a small group at the campsite. The set is heavy and bulky, but with good reason, as its high-quality design features a thick 3-ply stainless steel construction along with full-sized plastic dishes. If you're camping near your car, we think you'll love this feature-rich design that provides ample return on your investment.

Cooking Performance

It didn't take long for us to realize that the Gerber ComplEAT is one of the best cooksets we've ever tested. Some cooksets feature dinky, small-capacity pots barely suited for a box of mac and cheese, but not this set — the large capacity makes cooking for a group easy, while the 3-ply base construction better distributes heat within the pot and pan for a more even cooking surface. The skillet features a deep construction that allows you to prepare enough food for a small group, while the dome-shaped lid helps keep things warm or keep bugs out of the pan while you're eating.

During our boil tests, we measured around 3 minutes to bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and during our scrambled eggs test, we were able to keep the pan pretty clean with the use of a rubber spatula. We broke both yolks when trying to fry our eggs, but hey, that's pretty typical with stainless steel construction. Overall, we appreciated the large capacity and the even heat distribution offered by these top-of-the-line pots and pans.

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Ease of Cleaning

The Gerber ComplEAT cookware has a smooth and rounded stainless steel surface that makes for easy cleanup. As for the plates and bowls, while they are easy to clean on the interior, the patterned bottom can require some soaking if food gets caught between the pattern.

The inside of the pot and sauté pan feature handle attachment points, and this is really the only place for food to get stuck and require a little extra elbow grease. The lids also feature a lip that allows them to rest on top of the pots, and this takes a little extra time to clean out between messy meals. Overall, this set is easy to use and rather easy to clean despite some little nooks and crannies.

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Features

The Gerber ComplEAT is a feature-rich design, including everything you need (except utensils) to easily feed a small group of 4. The set includes 4 Polypropylene plates and bowls, one large 5.6-quart stock pot, one deep-dish sauté pan (with detachable handle), flat lid, dome-shaped lid, hot pad, storage bag, and a large plastic mixing bowl that's perfect for serving a salad or whipping up pancake batter in the morning. And if it's summertime and you're getting swarmed by bugs, you can place a plate on top of the mixing bowl to better protect your food from invasion. Both lids include strainer holes that allow you to dump pasta water, while the silicone grips help protect your hands from the heat of the pot.

The stock pot includes internal measurements, and the bowls also include volumetric markings that allow you to be more precise with your food prep, while the oversized edges on the bowls allow you to keep a better grip on the bowl en route to your favorite camp chair. The bowls and plates are also insulated, featuring a thick and textured bottom to keep your food hot and also provide more stability. Perhaps our only complaint is about the single silicone hot pad; two would be nice for dumping hot liquids or transferring the stock pot and pan from the stove to the picnic table. Otherwise, this is one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly designs that we've tested and our top choice for preparing food for a family of four or a small group.

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Durability

The Gerber ComplEAT features a durable stainless steel pot, lid, frying pan, and removable handle, and the generously sized polypropylene plates and bowls are thick, sturdy, and built to perform nearly as long. Unlike other cooksets that sacrifice quality in exchange for a lighter, more price-conscious construction, the color-coded Gerber bowls and plates feature a thicker, sturdier design along with more generous and realistic sizes for eating an actual meal.

Gerber also offers a limited lifetime warranty should you experience any issues. We didn't experience any issues during testing, minus some cosmetic scratches on the plastic plates and bowls from our utensils. While the higher quality, large sizes, and 3-ply stainless steel construction add to the set's weight and bulk, we think the durability and lasting performance are a worthy tradeoff.

Packability

Although the Gerber ComplEAT is quite intuitive to pack away, there's a helpful diagram located right on the inside of the carry bag in case you need a little direction on how to Tetris everything. The handle of the stainless steel pan is removable, allowing for all the components to fit together, offering more compact storage. It often took us less than a minute to pack it up and be ready for transport.

We love that the carry bag and mesh top are a little oversized, making it easier to pack away all the components with a little wiggle room to store a dish towel or a bag of coffee so it's easy to find in the morning. The set measures 11 x 7.5 inches; not the most compact option; however, when car camping, getting packed into the mountains on horseback, or floating the river for a multi-day trip, weight and bulk aren't as paramount as when you're carrying everything on your back.

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Weight

We measured the entire Gerber ComplEAT cookset at 8.28 pounds, which ain't bad, especially considering it includes so many features along with a 3-ply stainless steel pot and skillet as well as full-sized plates and bowls.

We think the heavyweight and slightly bulky design is worth the tradeoff, especially considering the high-quality materials, excellent cooking performance, and generously portioned serving ware, but it does take some muscle to transport to the picnic table and a little extra storage space inside your rig. Overall, though, when car camping (which is what this set is designed for), we don't consider weight and size to matter too much.

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Should You Buy the Gerber ComplEAT 16-piece Cookset?

If you're shopping for a family of four, or often cook for a group, the Gerber ComplEAT 16-piece Cookset is the comprehensive camp cookset of your dreams. The stainless steel construction is durable, the pots and skillets are large enough to cook full meals, and we love that the set includes thicker plastic bowls and plates that are pretty darn close to full-sized, rather than flimsy plastic that's easily damaged and only allows for tiny portions. If you've got the funds to spend on a full cookset, then yes, we think this is the one you should buy. Remember to BYOU (bring your own utensils!)

What Other Camping Cookware Should You Consider?

If you like the sounds of the Gerber ComplEAT 16-piece Cookset for durability and group capacity, but already have servingware you like to use, the OXO Camp Cookware Set with Travel Bag is a great option. It includes two pots, lids, and a frying pan; our only complaint is the singular handle that rotates between each component. The GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Troop is another great cookset built with groups in mind. It can be used over the campfire or the camp stove, and like the OXO, it doesn't include servingware. If you're on a budget, check out the Stanley Wildfare Core Full Serve 26-Piece. It's another durable stainless steel cookset, but the plasticware isn't as large or high-quality as the Gerber set. It does, however, include utensils.