()In recent years, I've upgraded my cheap old pots and pans to really good KitchenAid cookware. I started by buying the KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials Hard Anodized Nonstick 12-Piece Cookware Set about two years ago and was pretty happy with them, although they weren't perfect.
I was impressed enough with that older set that I didn't even think twice when offered the KitchenAid Gourmet Porcelain Enamel Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set in red for review I simply accepted the offer. I was interested to see if they improved on my old set and honestly, I was happy to have another set of really good cookware.
This new set met almost all of my expectations. Unfortunately, KitchenAid has not improved their technology in a way that allows them to completely satisfy me. Like my old set, these new pots and pans can't be put in the dishwasher without voiding the warranty. This is the only reason I am not giving them five stars. If they could be put in the dishwasher, they'd be perfect.
That said, they wash really easily by hand and this method is just fine most of the time. I simply think that the dishwasher does the best job in sterilizing dishes and prefer it whenever possible. For those who usually wash pots and pans by hand anyway, this is likely not an issue at all.
With the bad news out of the way, I'll move on to the positive points, which are numerous. Like my other KitchenAid cookware, this set cooks really well. Using my electric stove, the heat is distributed very well and everything I've tried cooks evenly. The glass lids are fantastic, allowing you to check the progress of your dish without the need to remove the lid and allow heat to escape.
Both the lids and the pans have kind of a rubbery-type grip that stays cool so you can touch them while cooking with bare hands.
The 10-piece set offers a good variety of sizes that come in handy no matter what you need to cook. My only wish here is that it had an 8-quart stockpot instead of a 6-quart stockpot. Of course, the 6-quart stockpot is useful for a lot of things too, but I like to freeze homemade chili, spaghetti sauce, chicken stock and more, so a larger pot is extremely useful when cooking for such a purpose.
Now for the purely superficial pro: these pots and pans are just beautiful. I have always admired cookware with enamel coating outside and I am particularly drawn to red for this. My one fear was that the enamel might be easy to scratch and not last but after using this set, I think the KitchenAid set will stay just as pretty as it did when I took it out of the box for a good long time.
()I've had these for four months and here are the things I like about them:
1. They heat really fast.
2. The lids are nice; you can see your food without taking the lid off.
3. I like the color. I know other people didn't but I thought it was nice.
4. My favorite is the 3 Quart covered saute. I use that nearly everyday and wish my other pans were like this.
Things I am ambivalent about:
1. There's no steam hole in the lids. The steam escapes from the rim instead and can sometimes make the lid dance up and down.
Things I don't like:
1. The handles have little silicone comfort grips but the comfort grip doesn't entirely cover the handle, there's a little sliver of metal on each side of the grips which gets really hot. I notice this especially on the lids.
2. These pans are not dishwasher safe. To be fair, many similar brands, such as Calphalon, are also not dishwasher safe. The only ones I found that could go in the dishwasher are Circulon pans and they're much heavier and often more expensive.
3. After only four months of using them, there are scratches at the bottoms of my pans. Granted, I use them A LOT but I only use non-stick safe cooking utensils. Apparently my food is abrasive?
Things I observed:
I followed the directions and only hand washed my skillets and saute pan. It's very easy since food comes right off the enamel exterior and the non-stick interior makes cleaning a breeze. But with the small sauce pans, I just throw them in the dishwasher. I also throw the lids in the dishwasher too. So far, I haven't noticed much difference between the hand washed and the machine washed.
Buy KitchenAid Gourmet Aluminum Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set, Red Now
()This is a very solid set of pans and I'm enjoying using them, especially the fryers. I do have other non-stick pans and unfortunately this set does not quite rank up there with my other pans. For example, cleaning up after cooking scrambled eggs in these pans is not an easy "wipe and done" process. In fact, the pan handles are secured by bolts on the inside of the pans and the food gets stuck underneath the bolts and cleaning them is not all that easy. The construction, however, is solid and the beautiful red color makes this a very attractive set that I believe will last for a long time.
Read Best Reviews of KitchenAid Gourmet Aluminum Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set, Red Here
When I bought these I thought they would be a little more heavy duty. Don't get me wrong, these are a decent quality p&p's but not what I think of when I think of Kitchenaid. The bottoms are the same thickness as the sides with no extra cook surface. Although the handles are decent quality with good size pop rivets. Also the large saute' pan is only 31/2 qts, kind of small. I used to be a chef and I was used to good commercial heavy duty p&p's, but they were a lot more expensive. Also by being a chef I am very hard on my p&p's. But hey if you are looking for a nice looking set of p&p's and are gental on your cookware these might be for you.
I have since looked at more p&p's and found that the Tfal's are a little better quality for the money or for just a little more coin the Martha Stewarts are real nice. God bless and bon appatite'.
Want KitchenAid Gourmet Aluminum Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set, Red Discount?
()When one thinks of KitchenAid, the first thing that pops to mind is the line of those professional and commercial stand mixers, such as the KitchenAid Professional 5.5 QT Commercial Style Stand Mixer that are known for their power, performance and long term durability.
This KitchenAid Gourmet Porcelain Enamel Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set in red is a far cry from what one might imagine when one hears "I enjoy using KitchenAid appliances in my kitchen," but from a number of months of use, the quality appears to be there. This cookware set includes most of the basic pots and pans that one would expect in a kitchen for daily use.
The Set:
There are 1 and 2 quart saucepans for making so many basic items of for cooking a few bowls of hot cereal in the morning. The 6 quart covered stockpot is perfect for boiling pasta of all types, making soups or stew or anything else where you see the term "stockpot" showing up in a recipe. The 3 quart covered saute pan is wide and straight-sided, and can perform a great number of the functions of a skillet, but it has deep sides for extra capacity. This one is ideal for those one-dish meals, and it's now a favorite for simmering chili.
But it's the two skillets in this set, both the 8-1/2-inch and 10-inch, that really get the use. The larger one is great for quesadilla, cooking eggs, frying bacon, or making such things as a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Just remember to use wood or nylon spatula/turner in the skillets to eliminate as much scratching as possible.
Other details:
The glass tops are nice for watching the progress of the foods being cooked without having to constantly lift lids every few minutes. The handles are interesting in that they're made of both soft silicone for easy and safe handling, and stainless steel for the main part.
Cleaning:
It's suggested that these pieces not be put into a dishwasher or else it might void the warranty. Will admit that I've occasionally washed them this way, but only after carefully insuring that neither the non-stick interiors or porcelain come in contact with anything else. I don't suggest or recommend this, but have heard that it's the banging into each other when a dishwasher is sloppily or improperly loaded that causes the problem, and so far so good. Other than that, they generally clean well, both interior and exterior, when washed with standard liquid dish soap and a sponge.
Summary:
This is an good set and and a great buy for anyone wishing to replace some older pots and pans with something not only a bit more contemporary, but to add a bit of color to a kitchen, as this is also quite an attractive and eye-catching set. It's a 5-star choice for this fumbling amateur gourmet cook who thinks that Anthony Bourdain: A Cook's Tour is where to get creative food tips.
So who says one cannot have a bit of fun in the process while adding other red items, such as this Kuhn Rikon 4-Inch Nonstick Colori Paring Knife? And yes, I got it...
UPDATED/Revised February 17, 2012:
At the request of a personal friend who saw this review and privately questioned the use of a dishwasher when cleaning these (and other) non-stick pans, I've added some infoto the comments and here.Will continue to do so if/when it's necessary... and thanks for reading this.
Save 50% Off
This griddle is NOT part of the Nouvelle Copper line, despite it's Amazon listing.So it is NOT suitable for induction cooktops.I.E. It does not work on an induction cooktop.Maybe it's great on every other cooktop, but on induction, as it is advertised to work on it's a big fat ZERO.Now I will return it.
