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Let me preface this review with the fact that I am Italian and raised 5 children on daily home-cooked meals. The kitchen is the center of my home. So when my daughter got her own apartment out west and asked for a set of pots for Christmas, I wanted to make sure I got her a quality set that would last her for years and years. I knew what I wanted for her, but didn't know which brand to purchase. Non-stick was out (I have never liked it). The pots also had to be both dishwasher/oven safe, and I wanted the pot handles to be riveted into the pot. Off I went to the mall with my "specifications" in hand to look at the different brands and sets available. Boy was I amazed at how many there were! I took my time and examined each set. Not only did I look at the sets, but I also handled the sets. This is VERY important. Many of the quality sets were so heavy that I needed two hands to lift the larger pieces, and although I could lift the smaller saucepans, I had difficulty tilting them to the side to pour. Others had handles that were very uncomfortable to use. Then I came upon the Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 10-piece cookware set. I was very impressed by the quality. They were heavy grade yet easy to handle. They also met my other specifications listed above AND they looked really nice as well. The price of $149 was quite unbelievable. I drove home and ran straight to my computer and ordered the set through Amazon. I got free shipping and had the set delivered directly to my daughter. I also used the holiday bonus coupon for $25 off my order. I was so impressed with the set and the deal Amazon was offering, a few days later I purchased a second set through Amazon for myself. I LOVE them. They cook beautifully on my gas range and clean up well in the dishwasher. The handles DO NOT get hot while cooking, which totally surprised me. Do be careful with the lid handles though. They will get hot if cooking on higher heat. I haven't had a problem with delicate foods burning due to the high thermoconductivity of the pans; however, my stove is a professional grade 6-burner unit. I don't know if that makes any difference or not. All I can say is this set looks great, cooks great, handles great, and sells at a great price. What more can you ask for?

The day after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday" is the official kick off of the Holiday shopping season. I have never participated in this event, however those 20% coupons to shop between 6AM and 11AM enticed me. I needed a new cookware set, since my old pots and pans dated back to before I was born.
I am known as the "Research King" & "The Negotiator", so yes I did my homework. I was going to purchase a non stick set for $300.00, however you have to "feel" the set before buying. Is the weight even, do the covers fit right - you know what I mean. NOTE: I cook every night and have for years. I am not a Chef, but can cook a great meal.

Right next to Anolon at Macy's Dept. store, was the Cuisinart 10 Piece Classic Stainless cookware. It looked good, the weight was even, the lids fit great, but why so inexpensive? I researched Cuisinart and knew it was a good brand, so after playing around with the pots and pans for 20 minutes I bought the set! So this is what I got:

- 8" & 10" Skillet
- 1.5 QT & 3 QT Saucepan with covers
- 3.5 QT Saute with helper handle and cover
- 8 QT Stockpot with cover
FREE Gift with purchase: 2 QT Saucier
Extra Purchase: 5 1/2 QT All purpose pan with cover.

So, all in all, I got a 13 piece set for the grand total of: $130.75

Yes, I took advantage of a 20% coupon and then an additional 10% coupon. All 13 pieces are part of Cusinarts's Cheft's Classic line.

My Experience: (Rate by school grade A through F)

* Appearance: All the pieces looked great. The set looks as if it should be worth $500.00 (Grade A )

* Weight: The weight of each piece is solid and even. An important point because I flip my food and move the pans a lot while cooking. Note: These pieces do not feel cheap. Very good solid feel. (A-)

* Covers: The lids are a little light in weight, however they create a vacum seal when the heat is turned down. They do a better job then I expected. Normally with lighter lids you think they would wiggle and pop off, but these hold tight! (B )

* Handles: Solid Stainless steel, riveted handle. Solid feel and yes they stay cool. Also long enough to get a good grip. (A)

* Heat Distribution - Cuisinart recommends cooking on lower heat. Yes, this is true. The aluminum bottoms heat quickly and there are no hot spots. Trust me, use low heat. (A )

* Sticking - Well, these are not non stick. I used most of these pots and pans already to reheat our Thanksgiving dinner. Some things really stuck to the pots even when using PAM. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, stuck like glue. Next morning: Bacon stuck, but eggs did not. Go figure.... (B-)

* Clean Up: Water and soap in pan right after cooking. Yes this works well, but I have always done this. (B)

* Dishwasher: Yes, they are dishwasher safe, however after one cycle, the inside bottoms of a couple of pans had a purple tint to it. So, I have decided just to hand wash these for now. (Until I get lazy). (C-)

Final grade: B

Guess again!

The 5-piece starter set includes the 8 qt. covered stockpot, 3 qt. covered pot and 10" open skillet. This set sells (curently on the Amazon site on 10/01/2005)for $59.99. Add the following open stock items currently on the Amazon site:

-1 1/2 qt. covered sauce pan; $13.99
-3 1/2 qt. saute' pan with helper handle and lid; $20.99.
-8" open skillet; $13.99

-TOTAL $108.96 !!!! (If I added correctly)

There are some other good Cuisinart open stock values out there as well.

Not rocket science; just another example of Amazon's sometimes quirky pricing.

(9/24 update): There have been many price changes (mostly trending lower and revised in my example above) for this fine Cuisinart Chef's Classic line. Be a smart shopper and check the openstock (and starter set) item prices first before purchasing a larger multi-item set.

I'll echo what many other reviewers have said: This is very good cookware at a very reasonable price. I don't think you can beat the value.

A few notes: While the handles are metal, the long handles do stay cool, unlike some other metal handled cookware -- I haven't had to grab a towel yet. The lids included also fit both frying pans, which is quite handy. This cookware isn't light, but has a good heft to it. Lids fit well, making simmering and steaming easy. Unlike glass lids which can be hard to clean where the glass joins the metal rim, these all metal lids clean up very easily.

Overall, the set performs very well, providing even heat distribution and making cooking much easier -- no more having to constantly keep attending to the pan just to keep food from sticking on one hot spot.

Highly recommended for the price!

I recently got a new ceramic top stove when our old electric stove's oven caught fire while reheating thanksgiving leftovers.
Since I had the new stove I decided that it was time to buy the new cookware I had been wanting for some time. I looked at a local retail store and liked the Cuisinart best for quality and price. Then I saw this bigger, nicer set on Amazon.com with the free utensil set and ordered it on the spot.

I have had the set for a week now and like using it. This cookware is well designed, has a good solid weight to it but not too heavy, it transfers heat evenly and efficiently. Cooking with it takes some getting used to, if you are used to using cheap pots and pans like me you will find that a lower heat setting is needed than you are used to using. Clean up is easy too. Just put warm water with a drop or two of dish soap in the pan when you are done cooking, leave it until the meal is eaten and the water is cool, then wash and dry by hand or put them in the dishwasher using non lemon detergent, and heated dry. They come out of the dishwasher shining with no spots.

Overall I think this is a excellent value in quality stainless steel cookware. I would recommend it to any one tired of using cheap cookware and cookware with coatings that always peels off in a year or two.

May 16, 2005

I still love this set. I now have them on a pot rack so they can be seen since they still look so good. I have added the steamer insert that works with both sauce pans, it works great for veggies and was around 20 some dollars. I would like to get the larger saute pan. this is the best set I have had ever and guest and family are impresseed when they see it. I was shopping at the local mall a few weeks ago and saw this same set at a fancy department store for $400!!! It's worth that much but thankfully Amazon sells it for way less.

This cookware is well made with rivited handles like what is used in professional kitchens. I recieved my order in less time than was estimated. My order arrived in well packed boxes with no damage.
This cookware heats eavenly and is easy to clean as long as you clean as you go. For the stovetop, the long handles stay cool but you may want to use protection on the small handles. This cookware is also oven safe to 500 degrees. This set should last for years of trouble free service. I highly recomend it as a starter set for those that are newly maried, or new to the kitchen. I would recomend a second 1.5 quart sause pan (for those that cook for 1 or 2.) I also recomend adding the 2 quart sause pan (or 2 for larger families) to round out the set. For those that make scrambled eggs frequently you may want to look at the chef's classic nonstick skillets as well.
Things you have to remember:
1: This is not a nonstick set of cookware... you will have to clean it before residual food drys onto it or you'll be using some elbow grease to get it clean.
2: The disk on the bottom is attached with epoxy and will seperate if you boil it dry and let it sit on a hot burner so don't let that happen.
3: Do not use high heat settings especally with gas cooking the flame will discolor the pan. Medium heat is just right.
4: It's cookware you will use it, and it'll scratch. It's not for decroation if you want pretty pans, get 2 sets the price is right.
Amazon's price with the additon of the 4 pc kitchen tool set (free) the super saver shiping, and the $25.00 may discount (I noticed there's a june discount now as well) made this set much less than was available at the mall and worth the wait for shipping.

Added 12/11/2005
After 6 months of everyday use, the finish on this cookware is still very nice even with a few scratches. I have noticed that I use lower heat on the stove (gas) meaning a lower monthly bill. I have noticed that when using the dishwasher there is some minor discoloration but that is easily removed with barkeepers friend. I am still verry happy with this cookware, and have added other itmes this line.

Ups:
-They are decent pans, looks great when you first take them out.
-They are sturdy and I use metal utensils to cook, I like that.
-The attached aluminum plate in the bottom helps spread and retain heat, if your stove isn't that powerful.

Downs:
-I like to sear and stir fry a lot with hot pans, so they will discolor a little with heat. Overheated oil will cause black oil spots on the pan that are hard to remove.
-You need the pan to be hot so that it doesn't stick, and you will need to use a little more oil than typical. If you don't do either of these, your non-greasy food WILL stick to the pan.
-The aluminum plate takes some time to heat up.
-The aluminum plate reduces the responsiveness of "lowering the flames" on your stove. Less control.

What this set needs:
Large Pan
Non-stick omlette pan
Wok

We purchased this set to replace our aging Circulon & Analon cookware. Let's face it, even though these others come with a "Life-time" warranty, the teflon coating fatigues in time and there is the growing concern with cooking with platics (ie teflon). We have a lot of cast iron, but these are sometimes just too heavy to be practical all the time. So we decided to give stainless a try.

We are very happy with this set. They have a nice weight and durable feel to them. They heat up quickly and evenly, the lids fit snugly and if you follow the advice that come with the set, they clean up pretty quickly. Like many stainless pieces, there is always the remaining residue that can be tough to remove. This is usually water spots or some minor residue that can be tough to get rid of. Here are two additional steps we take for this. For spots, use vinegar, for residue use baking soda.

Following this we are able to keep thes in "out of the box" shine.

Very nice, high quality and a great price.

The difference between these pots and pans versus the All-Clads is very basic.

The Cuisinart takes a regular thin gauged metal pan and sticks a heavy gauge base on to it. (All-Clad cookware is as thick at the walls as they are on the base) They also rivet high quality handles that actually stay cool while cooking.

You may get worried about the heavy gauged base "stuck" to the bottom of the pot/pan, but you shouldn't be. All of the less expensive sets are made this way. If you want a monolithic piece of steel as cookware, you'll have to pay more than twice the amount this set is costing you.

The best part about this particular set, unlike the set that replaced it, were the pieces. All of them useful! The set that replaces this one tosses in some less useful pieces, in my opinion.

The worst part about the set is that they use aluminum in the core instead of copper like in the set that replaces this one. I can live with that. The other item worth noting is that this is not a non-stick set. Cleaning will require SOS pads and the like when frying, but you should know that.

I was very nervous about buying a cookware set online sight unseen but overall, I'm very relieved about how it turned out. First off, I'm awed about how incredibly 'non-stick' this cookware is! I thought I'd have to use a lot of oil to keep things from sticking but I barely have to add more than a drop or two! And as long as you clean the pots and pans directly after using them they clean really easily. As others have said, there will be occasional staining but so far after seven weeks of continuous use, I've only had one small stain and I'm sure with the bar cleanser's friend, it will come out (I hope!). I haven't put these in the dishwasher in fact; I don't even keep them stacked because the sauté pan did get scratched when I first tried that, in fact, these pans do easily scratch fairly easily, which is why I'm only giving 4 stars. If you don't have an overhang to hang your pots and pans from, you might find it a good investment. The sides of the pots and pans stay clean and shiny no matter what the use, and the bottoms stay clean (though maybe a little dull-looking) as long as you don't have the heat on too high. About the high heat; I wasn't happy about the idea that I couldn't use the highest heat because I'm used to that, but I found that I could have it on very close to the highest temperature without any problems. In fact, if one is used to moving the pan around a lot and a little away from the flame (which I do when sautéing) one can even get away with using the highest heat. Be prepared to wait a long time for water to boil (drag!) but once the temperature gets up there, it stays there, nice and even. My biggest test for the cookware so far was popcorn, which is the acid test in terms of how evenly the heat is dispersed and retained in the pot. Well, I've made popcorn about four times, and each time every kernel popped perfectly with not a single one burnt! As for the lids: they often do heat up after a while so be sure to use potholders when removing them. They hang on real tightly and seal in the heat perfectly though, so I have no complaints overall. And I'm very pleased that the handles of all the pots and pans stay cool no matter what the temperature! I invested in Cuisinart's steamer (a great deal at $20.00) and it fits the 4-quart pot perfectly and is nice and roomy. The lid to that is a dream; not one bit of steam escaped!

I have only one major complaint with this set but it has nothing to do with the quality of the cookware. I am just disappointed that it doesn't include a 12" skillet. It seems pointless to me that I have two relatively small skillets by Cuisinart, but no large one (the sauté pan is only about ½" wider than the skillet). I'll probably break down and buy Cuisinart's 12-inch skillet (only $25.00, wow!), which I'd also recommend for those who like to entertain or who have big families.
Oh yeah... I was also very pleased with the packaging and swift delivery. No problems there at all! Overall, I'd give this set a "9", which is a hearty recommendation for a set in this price range!