Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent clad cookware set without outrageous price, April 12, 2006
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.
|
|
|
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dubious, February 8, 2008
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.
|
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works great, November 26, 2005
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.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Special Offer:
