Customer Reviews

Cuisinart MCP-7 MultiClad Pro Stainless-Steel Cookware 7-Piece Cookware Set

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Given the recent reports on the potential health risk from non-stick cookware, my family decided to go stainless. I liked the performance of clad cookware but reckoned that it might not be a wise choice financially to go all out with All-Clad before I have my own cooking show. The candidates came down to 3 product lines, Anolon Advanced Clad, J.A. Henckels International Classic Clad and Cuisinart Multiclad Pro. The best price I could find for them were all under $200 for 7 pieces, with Anolon having 10 pieces. Being all constructed in full clad, they seem to differ mostly in the handle design before I can do a performance comparison.

Henckels has a huge and unconventional handle. My first impression was it might not fit in my kitchen well. However, it was not until recently that I tried one at a local store. The pan balances well and has one of the most comfortable handles that I ever put my hands on. However, my family needs a larger stock pot and the included 6-quart one doesn't really serve our need.

Anolon has a silicon rubber handle. It's said to withstand the high heat in the oven. However, due to aesthetic preference and concerns about putting synthetic materials in high heat along with food, we decided to go with the Cuisinart set. In the meantime, we separately bought an Anolon Advanced Clad 12" stir fry pan.

The Cuisinart set is a very well made traditional tri-ply cookware with all metal handles. The built differences between Cuisinart and All-Clad is so insignificant to me that it makes the several-hundred-dollar saving and having a set of quality stainless steel cookware set truly a joy. The finish of the Cuisinart pans was superior to the Anolon stir fry pan. However, Anolon's silicon rubber handle obviously is more functional and practical than metal handles since it never becomes slippery or hot in your day-to-day use. I guess this would come down to a personal preference.

The pans both brown well and distribute heat quickly and evenly. The cleaning is also a breeze as long as you heat the pans briefly before cooking. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this purchase.

The pan sizes are great for the everyday meals that I usually cook, although most folks will need to add a 10-12 inch saute pan. The rims are great for pouring and the handles actually stay cool stove top. Sticking and clean up have not been a problem. I would say that the pans create too little fond. The skillet is also a little slow to regain temperature after adding thicker cuts of meat. The main concern is an issue with the stainless steel interiors. There are specs of dull metal (exposed aluminum?) developing on the interior of the pots except the skillet. One sauce pan actually has a finger sized spot of exposed aluminum near the lip that I didn't see when I first examined them. The interiors of the pots except the skillet, easily discolor from heat but recuperate a little after consecutive uses. I called Cuisinart about the exposed aluminum. The rep had a scripted answer for my concern so it seems this may be a common problem. The expense of sending the pots to them for repair or replacement and being without pots for that time prohibits any warranty fulfillment. I'm leery about the cooking surfaces of pots and pans so I hope the problem doesn't get worse and food begins to stick or worse the aluminum begins to break down and leech into the food. Also, the exterior that is not "brushed" is easily marred and scratched which might matter to someone interested in exhibiting them. Overall, these are "okay" for the money. Especially since one All-Clad piece can cost as much as I paid for this set.
At under $200 the price was good, but for someone from my socio-economic background it's still a lot to spend on pots and pans. I'd rather not spend that much on fallible materials.

02/23/2010 - Two years later, still going strong. I still can't make an omelet in the fry pan, but an eco-pan non stick should do the trick there. There's no further damage than initially discovered. I'd say these were definitely worth the money. No dents or dings, no permanent burnt on food. Don't know why Cooks Illustrated hasn't included them in testing. I think some of my original thoughts were buyers remorse because I'm very happy with this set now.

09/15/2010 - Still going strong. Love 'em more than ever.

I've been using this stuff almost daily since I got married two and a half years ago. We couldn't bear to ask our friends and family to buy us overpriced cookware, but we wanted high performance, so we registered for this instead. No regrets. Though you'll need more pans than this eventually, I have zero complaints for this as a starter set.

Based on many favorable reviews all over the web, I took the plunge and purchased the 7-piece set of Cuisinart MultiClad Pro + 2 open stock casserole pans. Almost 30 years ago, my mother bought me a beautiful set of Belgique Gourmet cookware (made in Belgium). It's a great set, I'm still using it and it's still going strong, but the present-day Belgique cookware is not nearly the same quality as what I have. So why did I want to purchase another set of cookware? I have 3 daughters still living at home who will soon move out and need cookware. I'd like to pass the Belgique to one of them and have a new set for myself.

This set consists of the following:
1.5 Qt. saucepan with lid
3 Qt. saucepan with lid
8 Qt. stockpot with lid (NOT 6 Qt. as incorrectly stated by one reviewer)
10" skillet

I also considered other clad cookware brands, including All-Clad. Cuisinart MultiClad Pro seems to be the way to go. Although made in China, the Cuisinart MultiClad Pro appears to be very well made and it's doubtful to me that the Chinese can really mess up on this type of product... particularly for a big-name company like Cuisinart that has a reputation to uphold. Had the All-Clad not been so high-priced, I probably would have purchased it just to buy a "made in the USA" product. However, I'm not convinced that All-Clad is worth the price, and Cuisinart MultiClad Pro is much more afforable. For this reason, I decided to give Cuisinart a go. I can't wait to try the cookware and see how it compares to my beloved Belgique! I will update this review once I've actually used it.

Update: I'm very happy with this set. It's everything it's advertised to be; love the way it performs (my cooktop is gas) and how easy it is to keep clean. Also, it's attractive. I know this is a subjective personal preference, but isn't everything? IMHO, the All-Clad cookware is overpriced and not as attractive. For the $167.45 price I paid, I'm extremely happy!

Also, FWIW, I own other Cuisinart cookware and appliances, and they are all great. I have no reason to believe that this cookware set will not live up to the quality and performance I've come to expect from Cuisinart. I just ordered the 6-quart stock pot, which I found for under $65 with free shipping. With prices like this, I can't find any justification to buy All-Clad or any other similarly priced high-end cookware. I may be wrong (there's always that possibility), but I think this Cuisinart MultiClad Pro cookware is all I need. I'm not a professional chef or anything; just a wife and mom who loves to cook tasty meals from scratch.

These are great pans. Unlike coated non stick pans they do not scratch nor does the surface chip or peel, If you let the pan heat up before putting in the oil and food and leave alone until it is ready to flip you will find it does not stick. Very easy cleanup and pans continue to look brand new after two years plus of use. No hot spots. Even cooking surface. Love Love Love these pans

I did a lot of research before buying this set and so far have been very pleased. In my opinion it's poor mans All Clad. I started with a 2 qt. saucepan purchased separately at Home Goods and I loved it. The 2 qt. is my go-to pot, but I needed more items. I went back to Home Goods but they didn't have any other pieces of the Multi-Clad for sale so I had to go online.

You definitely want to use wooden or silicon utensils to stir or you'll get scratches on the bottom of your pots. I had read this but got lazy and used a metal spoon and now have some scratches on the bottom of a saucepan, but that's my fault. Overall, I'm very pleased and would recommend these to anyone. I went with the smaller set since I cook for one and I don't think I'd use all of the pans in the larger set. I also use cast iron skillets (one large and one small), a smaller Le Creuset dutch oven and I have one 10 in. non-stick skillet for eggs. Trying to get away from non-stick because of the toxic fumes and the coating wears off fairly quickly, but kept one for eggs. I wish I didn't have to own so many items but they say cookware is like shoes, you need all different types for different purposes and that's so true!

I love this set...it cleans up great, Bar Keepers Friend is perfect for the job, and it is cheap at Walmart. My only complaint about the cookware is...the lids! The handles on top get hot! And because they are so flat the water rolls off when you lift it up and it makes a puddle on the counter. But, other than that, the pots and pans work great, couldn't be happier. They are nice and heavy too. I bought Cuisinart's Steamer to go on top of the 3 qt. pan and love that too!

I purchased this cookware set for my boyfriend as a gift and he was very happy with it. I purchased it sight unseen, based on reviews I read and the the name Cuisinart. I cook alot myself and will say if someone gave a set to me, I would be very pleased. It is heavyweight, but not too heavy and has the appearance of the more expensive cookware, but is not expensive.

I have enjoyed the cookware for about a month now and it has done better than I expected. It is very well made and I really like the lids. I do not like glass lids, I have had too much trouble with glass lids in the past. The cookwear is really heavy and looks nice. It heats faster and more even than anything I have ever had in the past. GOOD STUFF!

I did some research before deciding on this set. I got the 7 pc because I don't need a huge set, just the basics. Boy was I impressed! These sure aren't what I had been used to before. They are gorgeous pieces of equipment, and you don't have to baby them. One thing I had to learn, you MUST use cooking spray, olive oil, etc, especially the skillet, food will stick terribly if you don't. I like to use good wood utensils such as olive wood, works well with these. Also, you will use a much lower heat setting than you are used to. They heat up quickly on our ceramic-top stove, the heat spreads very evenly throughout the pan, no hot spots anywhere. Handles are always cool, lids fit well and keep steam in. Just watch your temps carefully until you are used to them, less is more here! Cleanup is easy. If I do get stuck-on food that's crusty, just soak a bit, then scrub with Barkeeper's Friend, they shine like new again. Would I buy them again.....in a heartbeat! You can't go wrong on these. No non-stick coatings here to contaminate your cooking, just quality stainless wrapped over an aluminum core sealed inside. Cheaper sets have a disc on the bottom, they aren't fully bonded as these are. These will be the last set I'll own!