Cuisinart 77-17 Chef's Classic Stainless 17-Piece Cookware Set

I bought these to replace some 6 year-old nonstick pots and pans which warped like....well, to make a long story short; this time, I am going Stainless-Steel! Although I would love to have an All-Clad set, but where else can you get a quality 17-Piece like this for more or less around $200 and ships for FREE from amazon?

I have read many reviews (many negative ones) and this is my conclusion:

1.) Yes, 'Stainless-Steel' sticks! Not to mock this, but that's why 'Nonstick' cookware was invented perhaps for the folks that do not know how to cook in stainless-steel. Easy remedy: return your set for a Nonstick set...if not, a little oil and lower your heat will do the trick. But, in addition to my stainless set, I will always have one nonstick skillet handy for my eggs (it's just much quicker and easier). But for searing and browning; there's no comparison to stainless-steel!

2.) Some complaint that the sides don't heat up compared to other brands: Yes they do, if you want to spend a little more $$ for the 'Multi-Clad' line. Also, unless you plan on cooking your food "on the sides", otherwise the encapsulated base heats evenly and works flawlessly for me.

3.) Stains, Marks and Colorful Swirls If you use it to cook food, then expect the usual marks and normal wear maybe even some tear. My solution for all of the above: 'BKF', OR unless you plan on displaying it for good.

The set:

There are TWO different 17-Piece sets available from the Chef's Classic line; the other one comes with a 2 qt. open 'Saucier' (and odd sizes for the rest) but I opted for this one because it is more versatile beginning with a 1.5 qt. Saucepan, then 2 and 3, a 12" Covered Skillet and for the Pasta Insert, etc, etc..

Again, for the money, they are as good as you can get. The product has a very solid feel to it and an even-weight distribution light, yet heavy enough to do the task. Although I did find some minor flaws; like a few minor buffed-out scratches by the bottom edge between the encapsulated base on my 1.5 qt. The 'lips' on some of the larger pans (closer to the handles) seem to have bent down a bit; this produces a very small gap when the lid is covered, particularly on the 12" skillet where you can see an 'arch' effect with its lid on (the large lid is uneven on this one) and pressing it down once tends to reduce the effect. Though nothing significant, but it just appears to break that 'vacuum seal' and not so perfect tight-fit lid that was claimed by the mfg.

I have put all of them to a rigorous test for the '08 Christmas '09 New Year's feast and they have performed very well. It cooks evenly on my old electric 'coil' stove top burner, although it could've been much better if I've had a gas range, this way I have more control of the cooking temperatures (very essential for heavy-bottomed cookwares).

Pros:

*Design lip for spill-proof easy pouring.

*Good heat distribution (not great).

*Oven safe up to 450 degrees, that's high for a set priced like this.

*Handles: well balanced and stays cool no matter how long it's been on the burner.

*Most lids are interchangeable, especially for the 8" & 10" open skillets and they also fit other non Cuisinart that I have laying around.

*Nicely polished stainless-steel exterior and lids.

*Sturdy and well weighted/balanced.

*Well priced.

Cons:

*Workmanship and Quality Control (minor, this reduces one star).

*Slow to heat (especially the 9 qt Stockpot for cooking pasta compared to my other pot with the same amount of water).

*Pasta insert bottom sits a bit high (if sat lower, can prevent the use of more water so heat up time can be faster and to avoid boil-over spills).

I have always loved food and have been an avid cook for decades.I wanted to move up from the cheapo Farberware and other such "ordinary" tools to a better set and bought Cuisinart, because I didn't quite want to go as far up as AllClad with the $1,200 set.

I am sorry to say that I found out soon enough why these are as cheap as this.

First of all, these have the bonded bottoms where a separate heat conducting material is bonded to the bottom of the pot, then sandwiched in with another layer of stainless steel.The instructions that came in the package (and which you will not find in the item description) tells you that if you used anything beyond medium heat on the stove or heated them empty, the conducting layer (aluminum alloy) may melt and the second layer of stainless steel on the bottom may simply fall off.Great.So it may fall apart if I wanted to heat it up empty or just with oil to sear something quick.

Second, the steel is not quite stainless.The mirror finish on the outside held up well enough, but the steel on the inside -the part that actually touches the food -is of very low quality.I made a simple stock with a pot and it pitted on the bottom, with a few gray spots.No amount of scrubbing would get these out, whether with Barkeeper's Friend or with steel wool.Subsequent cooking has resulted in more and more spots of various colors with different foods, which can only mean that the steel is of very low quality, with pockets of impurities that will react with different ingredients in food.

I might have fixed this by seasoning the cookware, but remember?You can't heat these empty or the bottoms may fall off.

These are cheap for a reason.If you must have bonded construction and don't have the budget for an all AllClad or La Creuset kitchen, look to Sur la Table for a serviceable intermediate set at a good price.The fact that the steel in these things react with my food is really scary to me because I don't know what the impurities might be and whether or not they might be getting into my food.

Oh and Belgique does the same thing with the pitting.These are cheap for a reason -because they have gone on to use really lousy materials.Don't fall for it.

Buy Cuisinart 77-17 Chef's Classic Stainless 17-Piece Cookware Set Now

I finally decided after many years that it was time to treat myself to a new set of decent cookware following the purchase of a new stove with a glass/ceramic cooking surface. The manual recommended aluminum clad with straight sides and flat bottoms. When I researched the best in this category (not including the very expensive dual clad), Cuisinart Chef's came up time and time again. I googled for the best price and found it at Amazon actually an amazing price that no one else came close to for a 17 pc set. I have used the cookware a few times and already am very pleased. Although they seem to heat up slowly, they cook beautifully and clean up easily. I was a bit concerned that the instructions recommend that you do not use anything abrasive to scrub the cookware (like brillo etc) but I didn't need to worry cleaning with a sponge has worked very well, and on occasion I also use some Cameo cleanser for water spots cleans up like new. I expect this to be the last set of cookware I will ever need to buy.

Read Best Reviews of Cuisinart 77-17 Chef's Classic Stainless 17-Piece Cookware Set Here

I just love this set.I bought it because I wanted something that would last a long, long time, be good to cook with, and look beautiful.I went to different stores, picking up saute pans until I found the one that balanced nicely and it was a Cuisinart! I waited until it was on sale, and I bought it.I was thrilled when it arrived.

The tops fit snuggly on the pots and pans.It's so nice to have a top for every pot, and not have to share tops. I like this set because I always have the right tool for the job. Now, sometimes, one of my Cuisinart tops does double duty and tops one of my cast iron skillets.They do just fine, even with the old stuff.

Be good to your cookware and it will be good to you. A little Bar Keeper's Helper (why didn't someone tell me about this fantastic product sooner!?) takes care of any tough problems (like when I burned a sausage in a saute pan wasn't paying attention).

My friend, who is a professional chef, came by and was trying to boil something at the edge of the pan, and was stymied because the pan heats so evenly he could not get a hot spot, even though he wanted one.I told him to try the old Farberware I still have (I keep one piece just for that reason).

This set is a true work horse just because it's pretty doesn't mean it can't work hard and it does.

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I ordered this set of cookware a couple of weeks ago and I absolutely love it.I had a set of Revere cookware but recently moved into a house with a glass top stove.My revere cookware rocked and spun on the burners it was not completely flat on the bottom.The Cuisinart cookware stays put!Everything cooks perfectly in it.If you use it properly (i.e. do not use too high heat), it is virtually non-stick with just a spray of Pam or a little olive oil.I had the Revere cookware ever since I got married (23 yrs. ago) and always liked it.I hated to part with it.However, I am glad I had to get new cookware because I love the Cuisinart.

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