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.
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I have been using these pots for about a month. I love that they are so easy to clean. They are not kidding when they say to lower the heat when you cook. Barkeepers Friend really does put the shine back into the pots and removes the stains. I find if I don't dry them off they look dingy.Best Deals for Review of Download Cuisinart 77-14A Chef's Classic Stainless Steel
1 star is 1 star too many. Suite of cookware products fail again and again. Purchasing these products was a costly mistake. Examples:1) After about 2-3 uses of one of the pans, it developed pits in the finish that started to rust. Sent it in to customer service, they had it tested. Told us we must have been using too high a heat setting and it wasn't their fault. (Hmmm...I do cook at temperatures high enough to kill bacteria in raw meats.) Didn't see anything on the box about only cooking food that doesn't require more than a low flame. Note, this only happend on 1 of 2 pans. So it was user error on the same one pan but not the other?!
2) Don't want food to stick to the pan? Make sure you use tons of fattening oil to slick up the surface or you food will hold on tight and never let go!
3) I dared to use a pot for boiling water. (Again, nothing on the box stating one should avoid boiling liquids.) Within a few weeks of regular use, the bottom surface of the inside started flaking off. (Guess that flame got too high again!!!)
After the curt, blameless response from customer service, I will never spend another cent on ANY Cuisinart product.
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I just bought these, been using them for 2 weeks daliy, and they are esay to clean and look great. Some of them after washing them with soapy water got small stains in the bottom of the pan. But still very happy with this, I do recomend them and for the price really can't complain about the stains....Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Review of Download Cuisinart 77-14A Chef's Classic Stainless Steel
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.
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