Further Update: 3/19/2019 -- updating to 5 stars.
It is now my goto and favorite wok. I used it daily. I hardly ever use my Calphalon 13 inch SS wok or my Calphalon 12 inch hard-anodized wok anymore--every time I reach for one of the others, I change my mind and revert to this Cuisinart.
This wok is big and light, and once gotten used to how it cooks, unbeatable. There certainly is something to be said about size--big is good. And weight--the Calphalons when loaded with food are hard to handle due to their weight. This Cuisinart is easy to maneuver full, or empty for cleaning.
It is also easy to clean; just pre-soak in soapy water, dump and remove residue, and then use Bar Keeper's Friend (BKF) with soft, non-scratch, side of sponge. I tend to wash it once with BKF and then again with dish soap. I always clean it to spotless like new condition. I do not use super high cooking heat on range--on my gas range, I have settings of High-6-5-4-3-2-1; the highest I ever use is the 5 setting for stir frying=a high medium heat.
I am careful with the glass cover so I don't crack it by hitting on something since it is a bit unwieldy.
Overall, this is a great wok. I almost returned it when I first got it, and am so glad I didn't.
Further Update: 2/17/2018
Amazon did couple of exchanges for me. One arrived with the disk on the bottom dented, and the other with the handles not aligned. Poor quality control and bad shipping.
However, this pan is becoming my go to stir fry pan, and so I am upgrading to 5 stars from 4. It is light and that makes a difference when there is a lot of food--it is about one pound lighter than the Calphalon and that makes a big difference when tilting it with one hand to unload the food. And it is big--there's something to be said about size--when I stir-fry a few lbs. of green leafy veggies at one time, this pan is big enough to take it all--just heap it on. The Calphalons, at 12 and 13 inches, although only 2 and 1 inch smaller in top diameter, are more cone-shaped and have smaller bottoms and thus do not hold as much--what I had previously said was a liability for the Cuisinart and a plus for the Calphalon is now the opposite.
I have gotten used to and adapted to the required stir-frying style with this pan--parking the food in the middle rather than the sides--the opposite of the Calphalons.
All in all, have gotten more pleased with this and selecting it over the two Calphalons most of the time, in daily use. (Note: I stir-fry a lot of green leafy Chinese vegetables.)
>>>>
Update:
I asked others if their wok scratched as easily, since my has acquired many scratch marks and I was using a Calphalon nylon spoon to stir-fry. Many indicated that theirs did not scratch easily. Mine also makes a crackling sound as it first heats up. I called Cuisinart and asked if what I experienced was normal, the rep said no, and for me to mail it in and they would give me a new one--however, I have to pay for shipping. If I did a return to Amazon I do not need to pay for shipping. So I am undecided. I do like the pan, but it has its favorable and unfavorable features.
Pros:
It is big but lightweight; many say it is heavy but I think it is light for its size. I weighed it without the cover, it is 2 lbs. and 13 oz.. In comparison, a 13 inch Calphalon Stainless Contemporary is 3 lbs. 9 oz., and a 12 inch Calphalon Hard Anodized is 3 lbs. 5 oz. So relatively speaking this Cuisinart 14 is light.
Because it is so big, the likelihood of spill out on stir-frying is less, and so is the splatter.
Cons:
Because it has the disk on bottom but the sides are not encapsulated, the sides of the pan get hotter than the bottom, making it opposite from a typical stir-fry pan, where the bottom is hotter than the sides, and one can park food on the sides. I am not used to this yet, and my stir-frying comes out uneven.
The flat bottom is too big, and the food does not naturally slide down.
>>>
As mentioned, I have a Calphalon 12 inch Hard Anodized that I use for serious stir-frying, and I was looking for something bigger in SS for daily use that would generate low splatter. I subsequently bought a 13 inch Calphalon Contemporary SS. I like the Calphalon 13 inch 3-ply SS, it stir-fries like the 12 inch Hard Anodized, with a small flat area allowing the food to slide naturally. The only other 14 inch SS out there is the All-Clad, a 5 ply, which is probably real heavy in addition to expensive, although likely a good wok.
I am keeping the Calphalon 13 inch SS, but on thinking about returning this Cuisinart, I am a bit reluctant--it does have its merits--namely the size and lightness. It is not a bad wok even if it stir-fries differently. It is cheap, and worth keeping around--if storage space is not an issue.
>>>>>
I have an Innovation 11 inch deep skillet that I was using as a daily stir-fry pan, and a 12 inch Calphalon Hard Anodized for serious stir-frying. Having moved from an electric stove to a gas stove, the hotter flame and heat of gas caused a lot of splattering with the 11 inch Innovation, requiring much post-cooking cleanup. Thus I looked for a bigger stir-fry pan, of at least 14 inches and in stainless steel for daily use, since I already have the 12 inch Calphalon (which is superb).
I was skeptical about the 7-inch diameter sized flat bottom--too big a flat area--the Calphalon is only about 4 inches @ 12 inch, thus more slopping. The comments about the glass cover exploding was bothersome, and the cheap price was puzzling--cheap is cheap and one gets what one pays for. Some reviewers mentioned that it was light while others said it was heavy. An All-clad 14 inch is like $300--and it is super heavy. At this price, it is worth a try.
When I received it, I was amazed at how light weight it was. My All-clad 8 inch is almost the same weight. The light weight was concerning at first, seemingly indicating it was deficient in materials. Upon using it, I appreciated the light weight because it would be unmanageable with a full load of food otherwise. However, the pan scratches easily even though I have only used Calphalon nylon utensils--don't know why.
I have been stir-frying for years and stir-frying with this pan is really different--not like with my two other pans--I have not figured it out yet--is it due to the use of lower heat (not high), or the larger diameter of the flat bottom, or the slope of the sides, or the heat distribution. I don't feel like I am really stir-frying, more like boiling the food and it takes longer to cook. The Calphalon stir-frys much easier and naturally. I don't know about this pan and have not come to a conclusion about the pan.
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From the manufacturer
Chef's Classic Stainless Saucepan with Cover
The beautiful kitchens of France were the inspiration behind the elegant Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless Cookware Collection. Chef's Classic features stainless steel and pure aluminum encapsulated in the base for fast and even heating, which is also induction ready! We include useful measurement markings to make cooking even easier.
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Excellent smaller pan that is perfect for eggs. My first stainless steel pan and I’m in love. I did the water drop test to make sure it was hot enough, and it worked fine. I put a little butter and sprayed a small amount of avocado oil on the pan when it was ready to use. Nothing stuck!I previously used Rachael Ray, but every time I would cook on the nonstick cookware I could actually smell the chemicals. When I dug in a little deeper and learned more about the toxins in nonstick cookware, I decided to throw out the junk and get stainless steel to use alongside my beloved cast iron pieces. So far I love it and will be purchasing a few more!
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Wok is lighter than it looks, but it's still uncomfortable to hold with one hand for long due to the vertical thinness of the handle. The smaller handle is helpful, but be careful if you are using the small handle on a gas stove. I tried this wok on my parent's gas stove and the small handle got hot. I believe it's due to the heat of the flames traveling up the sides of the wok and transferring heat to the small handle. This effect doesn’t happen on my electric stove. The larger handle doesn't get hot enough to burn you on the stove unless you get close to the inner edge on a gas stove.
Some places have this work listed as 18/10 stainless steel construction, but it's not very apparent on this listing or on the wok itself. The glass lid is heavy. I believe it weighs more than the wok itself but it seems sturdy enough. I do wish the angle of attachment between the aluminum rim and glass was greater so that it'd be easier to clean out gunk that will build up in that crevice over time.
Cleaning the wok for the next cooking session/dish is relatively easy if you spot season the wok and do spot cleaning while cooking. I recommend watching Wok with Tak on YouTube for reference on these techniques. However, it's still hard to keep the wok spotless without a cleaner like Bar Keepers Friend to remove certain stains. I believe this is generally true with all stainless cookware.
The reason I gave this wok 4 stars instead of 5 is that my wok came with 2 minor dents in the inside of the wok (see picture with no scratches, there's 2 in picture but one of them, a little higher to the right, is harder to see due to angle). I also got some small pitting after the first use cooking with some sauce (see picture with small black spot). I haven't thrown salt directly into this wok before. Also, I have been using a bamboo wok turner instead of a steel one. Therefore, I believe the issue of those pits is with the quality of the steel. These problems haven't affected the functionality so I'm okay with keeping it for now.
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