 Very pleased |
| Review Date: September 15, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Mainiac, Portland, Maine, USA |
I was uncertain about the Chef's Classic line vs. the MultiClad line. For me, I think I got the right thing. (I am an everyday cook, not a gourmet cook. I can appreciate the nicer cookware, but I'm not sure I "need" it.) I had been using hand-me-down RevereWare plus some mismatched Calphalon and had convinced myself that it was all great, but this is so much better. This cleans up easier and the disks at the bottom seem to be very helpful with the even heating.
In looking at the reviews for other sets or individual pieces of this line, some have complained that the metal is very thin, which gave me pause. I thought it was surprisingly thin when I first unpacked the set, but it's just different from what we expect, I think. It's totally fine. And I immediately see a benefit... the pans are not as heavy as other cookware when full. E.g., it's much easier to pour and scrape from these pans than some others.
I also saw a snapshot of someone's pan in this line that was strangely buckled/scored in a very rhythmic way, which was a cause for concern, but now I think that must've been a defective piece that should have just been sent back. There's no sign of anything like that on my pieces.
I do use an "everyday" pan all the time, but have now retired the Calphalon... this one works better! Both for heating and for clean up. The stockpot seems perhaps a bit bigger than I need most of the time, large enough for 2 lbs of pasta, I can now confirm. So I think I will add the 6-quart version of that. I'm also eyeing the 14-inch frying pan.
Definitely get this set over the 12-piece... the everyday pan is the best!
Update (4 months later):
Wow, I am impressed! By rights, the 3.5-quart saute pan should now be ruined. I was doing some holiday cooking, ran out of pans, and used this one to steam vegetables (with an insert). I set a timer that didn't go off, and left the room for way too long, called back by the burning smell of the broccoli (yes, I burned the broccoli in a steamer.. that's how bad it was -- the pan was completely, entirely, you've-never-done-something-this-stupid overheated. The pan should be ruined, but a. it was structurally sound after this misadventure (note: I did let it cool in its own sweet time). And b. although it remained blackened after my best attempts at cleaning my normal ways, BarKeepers Friend has made it shine again. Having had previous supposedly higher end pans that did buckle on the bottom when mistreated, I am seriously impressed that this pan is fine.
(Thanks, folks, for the BarKeepers Friend tip! My other pans were getting a little discolored, and with no effort, are shiny now, too. I did have to do overnight treatments to get the abused pan to be silver again -- once for the inside and once for the bottom -- but for normal use it's really a quick path to shiny pans.)
Update (a year later):
Still completely pleased with these pans. The only one that hasn't aged well is the 6-quart sauce pan (bought separately), which seems to have some impurities on the inside bottom (dark spots that even Barkeepers Friend can't fix). That's also a pan that never really gets put away and that often sits with liquid in it, so the constant use and the constant water might be factors.
I've also added the 14-inch open skillet and the 5-1/2 quart saute. Both of those are Really Big, and both arrived with noticable flaws on the bottom of the pans and I sent the first ones back for replacements. I do advise you to check all the pans you receive... some quality control problems might come with the territory of the less expensive cookware.
Make sure you know that you can put these in the oven! I've found that very handy, especially with the everyday pan. |
Culinary Student Pleased With This Set!
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| Review Date: May 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Kelley, |
I'm currently in culinary school so I needed a new set of cookware in my home to experiment with. I did quite a bit of research and found this set to be the most affordable for the amount of pieces you get and for the quality. I ordered it 3 days ago and was happy to receive it much earlier than they said it would take to get here. It came very neatly packaged in a box, in a box, in a box.
I decided that during my first use of these beautiful shiny pots and pans (which are surprisingly light, but sturdy), I would make a complex dish and test the quality of my new cookware. Before you knew it I was sizzling, frying, boiling, baking, reducing... I wanted to test every method of cooking and used every pan except the stock pot (which is not too big, not too small). Too my surprise nothing burned to them and they were all cooking my food evenly and quickly using a much lower temperature than expected. I'm pleased with the cooking results just based on this first use.
After cooking, it was time to clean up. One by one, I soaped up, rinsed, dried and then promptly inspected each pot, pan and lid. I noticed that two of the inside bottom surfaces (everyday pan and small pot) had a very slight iridescent color to them, which I've seen on other pans after using high heat. These didn't have major discoloration and it EASILY came off with a tiny dash (and I mean tiny dash) of Bar Keepers Friend - which I plan to use often to keep these pans looking their best. The outside bottom of one medium saucepan had some lines on the bottom of the pan from my gas stove burner, but it also wiped away with the use of some Bar keepers Friend.
Overall I give this set a high rating based on the great cooking quality, the super price for the amount of pieces in the set and also for how pretty they look in my kitchen. With very little effort (Bar Keepers Friend) they should be super easy to maintain and keep clean and shiny. I plan to display them on a pot rack very soon. I just ordered the "1 quart pour saucier" pot to add to my collection. I'm also going to order the "14 inch fry pan".
UPDATE: TWO MONTHS LATER
I have used my pots nearly every day and they still look great. I still use bar keepers friend on them when they look cloudy, but otherwise they still clean up petty well. I do not recommend using the bar keepers friend on the lids or on the outside of the pans (except the bottom). The abrasive cleaner leaves swirls on the surface. A few of the pots have a few tiny "spots" or "pits" on the inside bottom surface, but they aren't a big deal.
I received the 1 qt. Cuisinart saucier pan with the pour spout and use it often. It's not a necessary piece for your collection, but it is a nice addition. |
I'm very impressed!
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| Review Date: November 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Jellicle, Puyallup, WA |
| I recieved this set today, ordered it from here about a week ago and chose the free shipping. I have been somewhat aprehensive about ordering these, as another reviewer mentioned they were not very heavy and I worried that I'd get these awful, flimsy junk pots and pans like I've always seemed to have. They've got a nice heft to them, not flimsy at all, and they're gorgeous. The bottoms seem incredibly solid which is wonderful, because I have one of those glass top stoves and my old cookware has over time (some of it nearly 40 years old) warped, especially on the bottom, so I'm really looking forward to even heating from these beauties. The lids fit perfectly, not tight but secure, and there's a lid for every pot and the frying pans both fit a pot lid as well for when you need to cover them. The sizes are just right, I imagine I will be using most of the set at some point while making dinner for Thanksgiving. The only thing I would change at all would be to make the stockpot a little bigger/deeper, but that's mostly so I can just throw spaghetti in, give it a stir and go. I really feel like I have gotten an amazing deal here, the set when I bought it was considerably under two hundred and worth twice what I paid in my opinion. |
Fantastic deal for the price - Great quality
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| Review Date: December 3, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Mariano Iannuzzi, USA |
Outstanding quality (a bit thinner than Caphalon for instance but very sturdy)
Incredibly good heat transference
Easy to clean
The best deal in cookware we found. |
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Posted by Cookware-Expert.
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