Cuisinart 12-Piece MultiClad Pro Triple Ply Stainless Stainless Steel Pots and Pans Set, Cookware Set Compatible with Induction, Electric, Gas Cooktops, Cool Grip Handles, Oven Safe to 500°F, Silver

Carl United States

Absolutely love this set!

I decided to wait for a while to write this review as I wanted to use them for at least a few weeks prior to rating and reviewing. Keep in mind this is my first set of stainless steel cookware I've ever used so I can't really compare them to other stainless steel sets. I've only used numerous types/styles of non-stick sets. Teflon, ceramic, "green pan", copper chef, etc. (I've never actually BOUGHT a set of cookware until I bought these, all of the others have been gifts of some sort). I was trying to decide between these or a set that Calphalon were heavily discounting at the time (a set with copper on the outside, stainless on the inside, aluminum core), but out of all the comparisons and other reviews, I chose these instead mainly because the copper would most likely tarnish and get unevenly ugly. Also America's Test Kitchen tested sauce pans. The winner being All-clad of course was WELL out of my price range. Their next recommendation though was the Cuisinart Multiclad unlimited, and I figured those should perform similar to these. Pros Stainless steel - with care will last a lifetime and more Heats very evenly and quickly The tapered rim really does make pouring MUCH easier and practically drip free (I always have a paper towel handy regardless) Cooked eggs without sticking (yeah, you read that right) Cooking is much more predictable Cons The cookware do "stain" but can be removed Must be very diligent with proper preheating and not overheating Parts of the cookware is a high mirror polish (more on why I put this as a con later) Could be sensitive to temperature shock (but then again, MOST if not all cookware is) First, I'll tackle the cons "Stains" can occur on the cooking surface, especially if you get some stuck food (some food sticking is normal, it's called fond, don't be discouraged by it). After giving it a good soap and water bath with a plastic scrub sponge I've noticed light colored "whitish" marks on the cookware. Honestly this isn't a problem, but it does trigger my OCD to want the pans to look clean. Nothing a little Bon Ami/Bar Keepers Friend can't fix. Just don't really recommend doing this often as these are minor abrasives. This leads me to... Mirror like finish in spots. I honestly wish all of the surface had the brushed look to it. Once you use Bon Ami/Bar Keepers friend on the upper parts of the cooking surface or elsewhere, you'll get swirl marks. This is just once again my OCD of wanting to keep my brand new set looking brand new. They WILL scratch and get swirls and other stuff. But the mirror finish only makes it that much worse. It obviously won't change the performance of the cookware. Preheating/overheating. These pans can heat up QUICK (ymmv depending on your stove type, mine is electric with exposed element), even on medium. Because of this you really need to make sure you aren't overheating the pan while preheating. Overheat can/will lead to badly stuck/burned food. This is going to be typical of pretty much any multiclad/all clad stainless steel cookware. If you don't like this, stick with hard anodized or something of the sort. Temperature shock. Honestly this should go without saying, but really the last thing you want to do is go from cooking to putting this under cold water. I've seen reviews (from pros using this specific cookware) where they have done this and the pan was fine. But really, you seriously run the risk of warping ANY cookware doing this. Just.....don't do it. Time for the pros Stainless steel - Really, there's not much to say here. Because the outer and inner surfaces are stainless steel, as long as you're not abusing the pans, they'll last forever. There isn't a non-stick surface that slowly turns turns into a reason for throwing it out. Heats evenly/quickly - The fact that these have an aluminum core sandwiched by stainless steel really helps these pans heat up quick and even. I've made frittata and numerous other things and get a pretty consistent cook throughout the entire thing (it would help if my stove top were more level but there's little I can do about that without replacing the entire top, the whole stove is level). Tapered rim - I've poured out sauces, soups bacon grease, etc. It all pours out really easy and smooth. I can't 100% comment on it being drip free as I always have a paper towel or something handy to wipe the edge. Force of habit. Cooked eggs without sticking - Yeah I've read numerous reviews saying that eggs stick like crazy to these. It's the one thing that made me wait 2 weeks prior to even think about cooking eggs, let alone over easy eggs on these. I can safely say that eggs swirl around on these pans just as good as any perfectly new non-stick pan. Granted you need to make sure you heat the pan just right and prep it. I haven't tried putting eggs in with JUST butter yet but I would imagine it would work. Usually I'll put a about an 1/8th of a teaspoon of canola oil in the pre heated pan and use a paper towel to cover the surface and the sides, let it sit for a few seconds, then put a little butter in the bottom. I have yet to have any eggs stick at all. In fact, I threw out my old 8" non-stick I kept around specifically for eggs. Cooking predictable - Because the pans heat evenly and they're super conductive, cooking because so much more predictable and you use much less heat. On my old pans, I'd usually cook most things on medium high. I've found medium with these has been equivalent. Polenta, rice, etc all cook really nicely because you can just set the heat to low and just let it go. At first I was a bit worried about the lids not being see through (as I've always had glass lids) but now I've come to not care. All in all every single time I cook with this cookware, I always find myself saying "I Love these pans!!!". I have yet to have food "stick" to them. At least to the point where it's destroying the food. The only thing I haven't tried are fish and pancakes, but I would imagine pancakes would stick regardless. If you're having a problem with all your food sticking, you're doing it wrong. You're most likely over heating the pan. Watch some youtube vids about proper use of stainless steel cookware and you should be able to figure it out.

Amazon Customer Bren United States

Cuisinart MCP12N 12pc set has changed my opinion of stainless steel!

I chose this set mostly because of the reviews and from looking at what All-Clad's product/price was compared to Cuisinart's. There is no way I could be any happier with a stainless steel set of cookware! The product is hefty without being heavyweight, balanced in hand, heats very quickly, uses less than half of heat setting to what I use on cast iron or all aluminum. 1. Used the 2 quart pan and steamer to do green beans. Brought the water to boil on 6, (you could do this on 4 if you give it another minute or so) added beans, reduced heat to 1 for 20 minutes...perfect! Clean up...there was a little cloudiness in the steamer, used vingar and it cleared right up, the pot had the slight water mark, I used vingar but it did not clear up, used Cerama Bryte (my stovetop cleaner) and it removed it wonderfully. 2. Used the 10 in fry pan to sautee onions. I used 3 T of olive oil and let heat on #4 for couple of minutes until I could see the oil movement, added onions. Reduced heat to 3 to cook. There was residue stuck to pan but instant removal with soap and water! No cloudness in pan. 3.In 1 1/2 quart pan boiled potatotes. Cooked on 1 again after using 4 to bring to boil.The usual ring around the pan and cloudness in pan. Washed with soap and water then used Cerama Bryte to remove water ring and haze. Barkeepers or vingar both left some ring residue. The Cerama Bryte will remove....you can see the sliver haze on the paper towel when you use the CB. CB works great on the ceramic stovetop when foam won't remove as long as the spot is not deep burned, then I have to use Barkeeper's Friend and it does the job! 4. Used the small fry pan to scramble eggs. Used 2T corn oil on #4 when oil started to bubble poured in eggs, turned down heat to 3 and scrambled. Geeze I had to look to see if it was coated with telflon!! They did not stick and slide right out of the pan. I am using a new GE ceramic top stove to do this, so some burners on other models could not be as hot and need to be set on 4 or whatever to do actual cooking. Main thing is HEAT THE PAN before you put the food in to cook. Do not over heat either or it will grab spots and stick. I did read not to heat to hot or pan could warp. Also do not heat pan very long while empty. 5.Used the deep fry pan to cook smothered steak...yum!! Again brought heat up to #6 with 1/4 cup of oil. Rolled steak in flour and seasoned, placed in pan and reduced heat to 3 or 4 and browned side well then flipped over using silicone spatula and did same to other side, be sure it's well browned before trying to flip or coating will stick to pan, now add 2 cups or more of water and let simmer with lid on at lowest setting (just so there is a slight boil) and cook for an hour or until tender. Add more water as needed and thicken if desired with flour in water, then add to pan. Pour over hot Pillsbury biscuits (frozen kind) and chow down. Clean up was a breeze again. Soap and water and for some reason no cloudness.....maybe because the heat was turned down low and stayed low!? Do not use metal utensils unless you don't mind scratches. Note: I do the All American Cooking so these have and will get a work out!! AND to think I HATED stainless steel all these years! I always cooked on a coil stove and everything stuck tight! I spent some time reading reviews on how ever one was cooking so knew what to do and it worked! Can only say buy these if you want a great set of cookware and a price that is great. All-Clad is just unreal on their prices (not knocking their product just if you have more money than you know what to do with buy) and the reviews are no better than for this set and this product is made the SAME as the high price All-Clad....and these are all clad (meaning they have the aluminum core on bottom and sides. Just be sure to check the weight of the set you are buying, that will let you know what quality you are getting. These are 21.7 lbs, with the shipping weight being 28.2 lbs. Weights on the box! Amazon also listed the weights. Received in good packing condition and fast shipping service. Love Amazon!

OC Doc United States

Very impressed

Bought this set to replace a thirteen year-old set of Cuisinart Everyday Stainless, which I passed down to an employee who is just starting a household and who had no kitchen furnishings whatsoever. The 2001 version of Everyday Stainless was steel with a mirror finish, and a very thin steel/copper/steel disk attached at the bottom---nothing as sturdy as today's Chef's Choice line with its very thick, encapsulated aluminum/steel disks. That said, they held up very well, the exterior mirror finishes were still stunning, and the interiors still spot free---thanks to Barkeepers Friend. The only major negative were the rolled, hollow handles which got hot during cooking and which often required the use of mitts to handle the pan. Given that I was upgrading, I was willing to spend in the area of $250-300 and was hoping for clad cookware. All-Clad at $700-900 for a full set was out of the question. I did consider the 10 piece French Tri-ply set, which is made in France, which was priced about $50 more than MultiClad Pro. However, that set had only one saucepan and yet two frying pans---since I use saucepans more frequently than frying pans, I'd prefer more saucepans and fewer frying pans. There is a larger French Tri-ply set, with extra saucepans and a pasta insert for the stockpot, but it was priced up in the low $400s. In addition, there was the issue of the exterior finish. French Tri-Ply (and also Chef's Choice) has a mirror finish, whereas MultiClad Pro has a brushed finish. My existing pans (Everyday Stainless, 2001 version) had a mirror finish which, while attractive, took extra time to maintain because they would "show" hard water spots. One couldn't set them on a dish drainer to dry, the exterior had to be hand dried right away to avoid spots. In addition, some of them had been dropped on to a ceramic tile floor, which caused dents and scratches. Since MultiClad Pro offered the brushed exterior, which I figured would not "show" water spots, and since the construction of the two sets was virtually identical otherwise, I went with MultiClad Pro. In addition, the larger French Tri-Ply set was $150 more than this set, and the smaller French Tri-Ply set, while only $50 more, would have required me to buy additional saucepans, thereby increasing the cost of building a set comparable in scope to the 12 piece MultiClad Pro set. Heat conductivity is wonderful, noticeably better than the old pans, and also better than the few Chef's Choice pieces (sauteé pan, wok) that I bought several years ago to augment the original stainless steel set. I'm already a pro at cooking on stainless, just start out low heat and gradually increase it, and don't forget Pam or olive oil spray or other nonstick product to reduce sticking. The pans clean up beautifully, and emerge spotless from the dishwasher. I now realize I enjoy the brushed finish more than a mirror finish, since I no longer have to fuss about removing all water spots from a mirror exterior. The brushed interior is also easier to maintain than a shiny interior. This is of course a matter of taste. Some folks who hang their cookware from a rack in the kitchen might perhaps want a showier look with a mirror finish, but I stow mine in a base cabinet and don't need to "show" a shiny finish. I'm more concerned with cooking performance and ease of clean up. For those who want a shiny finish, perhaps invest in the French Tri-Ply line, but I'm delighted with this set and am sure it will be my "last" set. Bonus: there are many additional pieces in the line if you wish to augment your collection. I already have the Chef's choice 5 qt sauteé and wok, and see no reason to replace them, but someone without such pieces can choose from a lot of additional pieces to build one's collection. They also offer a "casserole", which is basically the sauteé pan with two helper handles and no long handle. This is perfect for dishes which you start on the stove top but finish in the oven: the lack of the long handle helps you fit it in the oven, and otherwise the pan is the same as a sauteé.

Vicky United States

Great quality, great price, good design

I cook for a larger crowd regularly, and I had come to the point of needing a few extra pieces to complement my All-Clad d5 set. However, I was not prepared to pay All-Clad prices a second time round... so I decided to go for this set, which was less for the set than the All-Clad stockpot alone. To be honest, I only realized that there was a 7 piece set after receiving this one, and maybe that was lucky, as I would have ordered the smaller set had I seen it before... but now I am happy to have the 12 set. So, comparing the two sets... - Yes, the All-Clad is better quality. Sturdier, heavier, easier to clean. But, the difference is small, and at this stage, I am not sure it's $600 better. - Once you learn how to cook with stainless steel, both sets perform beautifully. For everyday cooking, I am not seeing much difference between the two. - The Cuisinart one still cleans nicely, even though it might take a bit more soaking for burned-on food. It reacts very nicely to Bar Keeper's friend for more difficult stains. - The shiny inside surface makes me nervous for scratches, but no evidence of such yet. I am sure they will eventually appear, but, honestly, I don't care as much. - The lids are much lighter than the All-Clad ones. Not sure that it matters though. - Compared to my other set, this one seems to have less surface and more height, making it more appropriate if I am cooking smaller quantities - I find myself reaching for it if I am cooking for 1 or 2 people. - It's beautiful. Happy to see it hanging on my rack. The different sizes are the main reason I am happy I ended up buying the 12 piece set, as it gives me more flexibility in choosing the appropriate size for the job at hand. I would think that the Cuisinart version is possibly better than the All-Clad if you are routinely cooking for 1-2 people; the All-Clad may be better if cooking for 3-4. Not that either set couldn't handle any amount of people in that range. For myself, I see that I am reaching for what I thought was going to be my backup set more often than I thought I would. And, even though I can tell the All-Clad is better quality, the difference is not such that would impact my day-to-day cooking. Of course, longevity (my All-Clad set is close to 10 years old with no signs of wear) remains to be seen.