Customer Reviews

Cuisinart 77-5A Chef's Classic Stainless 5-Piece Starter Set

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

and thought it was a bargain. Heavy weight? You are getting over 10 lbs of cookware. You will not have any hot spots. Small scratches? (My stock pot even featured a small dent on the base.) However, unlike those reviewers who purchase cookware to look at, I purchase mine to cook with. I have yet to encounter any problems. Cleanup is a breeze. Low heat is the key. Made in China? Yes. (I smile every time I receive a new addition to my Cuisinart Chef's Classic collection. Prominently printed on the package is an American flag and the logo, 'An American Company'. Right below in slightly smaller print are the words 'Content and Packaging Made in China.') All-in-all, if you can afford All-Clad, go for it. All-Clad will likely not make your food taste better, and the first scratch will send you to bed with a migrane, but you can assuage yourself that you have purchased the Rolls Royce of cookware. However, at less than 1/5 the price, I don't think Cuisinart Chef's Classic can be beat.

I attended culinary school for a year and this year transferred to a state college to study philosophy (going for ordaination). I wanted to have quality hardware for my dorm kitchen, but I couldn't afford All-Cladand didn't want to spend a lot. This cookware, in terms of performace, is as good as the All-Clad at the Birmingham Culinard I used. It heats evenly, quickly, sears food beatifully, and has excellent heat retention and fond development. The handle stays cool even on high heat. I throw mine in the dishwasher right after I'm done and they come out looking like brand new.

I have no idea how Cuisinart created such a quality product at such an affordable price. There a few drawbacks . . . mine arrived with some imperfections in the exterior finish near where the handle joined. Also, the interior surface shows scratches quite easily. But, I buy my cookware to cook with not hang up so everyone can know I can afford all-clad.

In terms of performance, there's no need to look any futher.

Ordered this 5-piece Cuisinart cookware set with the Cuisinart 12-Quart stockpot, and the Anolon 16-quart stockpot. Happily surprised with the quality of these Chinese made cookware.

The exterior is mirror like with no distortions from the deep forming of the stockpot. The shine is better than my All Clad Copper Core Buffet casserole that cost $400. The surface is perfectly smooth with no scratches nor any machining marks at all. Cleaning the pot bottom is easy with the stainless steel fully enclosing the aluminum disc. The thermo conductive disc covers the whole bottom of the pot making it most efficient in getting heat to the edge.

Did not have the needed opportunity to scrub burnt food from the surface yet, but I don't think I would likely need this for I while. The thickness of the material is not as heavy gauge as the $200 Demeyere Apollo stock pot, but this set cost me $40.50 delivered with Amazon ran September special, and the cast stainless steel handles are much nicer than the Demeyere!

The workmanship of the large rivets and the forming of these pots are excellent, there are no distortion where the rivets tie the handles to the pot straight surface. The bottom edges are square and the lines are very distinct. The lid is flat and fit square on the pot even with the large rivets installation. Some of my All Clad pot lids would "rock" on top of the pan due to distortion from the large rivet installation.

For the skillet it is not as responsive to the heat change on a gas range in comparison to my clad wok for browning meat in higher heat. It does well in most of the frying we do, when I don't want to tote the 16" clad wok. May be it is not a fair comparison to the 7 layer clad wok that cost me over $250, and this whole 5 pieces set cost me only $40 + change.

Over all I gave this set 5 stars and it deserves every one of it.

This is a great set! I discovered yesterday that the lid for the stockpot can also be used on the skillet! These pans look great and function great. The handles do get a bit hot though!

I just purchased this set and absolutely love it. However, low heat is key. Anything higher than medium is completely unnecessary. My skillet will bear a "bread" mark from my husband's burned grilled cheese. However, the black goop from the burn came right off, following instructions provided with the cookware.

The cookware is sturdy, beautiful, and when using low heat, cleanup is a breeze!

What a perfect set of Cuisinart cookware! Why spend $100 on ONE premium brand pan when you can buy several Cuisinart pans for the same price? I am so glad to replace my teflon coated cookware with this great set. Amazon.com most definitely has the best prices.

As many things as I purchase from Amazon, I don't have time to write a review for everything unless it's absolutely wonderful or dreadful (never happened yet). This Cuisinart Stainless Set is downright wonderful!! But I wouldn't refer to it as a "starter set" because it's all I need.

The construction is heavy, extremely sturdy & withstands my amateur cooking abuse like a champ. And boy is it pretty!

The clean up is a lot easier than I thought it would be. Just soak it for a little while and you're in the clear.

The best thing I've made so far with the set is sauteed green peppers and onions for philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Wow, was that good stuff!

Everyone should have this Cuisinart Stainless Set. Great investment & dirt cheap for the amazing quality.

Positive Points: Price is very good [$59.99 at the time], seem solid, heat transfers well and clean up is better than my experience with the anodized Calphalon [and I DO follow instructions!]...and they can be polished to a luster. Also, the cover for the large pot will work with the fry pan.
Negative: the quality/craftmanship is not top-end...my set exhibited some stamping issues [eg, "rings" are apparent in the metal, the edges are rough in some places] and some scratches...but mine might have been a previous "return"...not sure.
I kept the set...they do perform well and, as long as you're not going over them carefully, their appearance is acceptable...can't beat the price if you want an affordable intro to stainless Cuisinart.

This item doesn't need another positive review, but I'm writing one because I'm crazy about this cookware! It's simply the best stainless steel cookware for the price. It has the beautiful appearance and superior performance of All Clad, but you won't have to take out a home-equity loan to buy it. Amazon has the best prices I've seen for the Cuisinart sets and with free shipping, you can't go wrong.

I've had my Cuisinart set for a month now, and it continues to please me every time I use it. It conducts heat so well that low heat is all that's needed. It's easy to clean. I love that the pieces are oven safe to 550 degrees. A saute pan can be put in the oven; then, you can serve from the same beautiful pan.

The 5 Piece Starter Set includes the most-used pieces, and is a good beginning for your Cuisinart collection. The lid to the stockpot fits the skillet, too. I did order a 2 quart saucepan, because that seemed to be the only essential piece missing. This is "forever cookware", and I'm looking forward to adding pieces over time.

Because Cuisinart pans are oven-safe, the handles and lids are not "cushioned" and can get hot. Just develop the habit of using a pot holder when grabbing a pan or lid.

This set would make a nice wedding or housewarming gift. But buy a set for yourself first - I promise you will love it!

It's definitely cheaper to buy this set then the individual pieces to compose the 10 piece set. I paid $100 for a 10-piece total as opposed to the pre-packaged 10-piece for $149. I was surprised with the pans I received. They are heavy and very nice! Especially for the price.