Cuisinart MCP-12N MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set

Make sense of so many options
Navigating the cookware maze? Boil it down to 3 key decisions:

1) Non-Stick vs. Anything Else

Non-Stick = Not dishwasher safe, average life of 2-8 years, some believe there are health concerns, a million color/style options. If you do decide to go nonstick, Anolon is arguably the best right now and at least a solid starting place to look.

Anything Else = Ultimately you go stainless. There's a bevy of reasons stainless is mandated in commercial world, sanitation and longevity being two. You can buy a stainless set that lasts, in theory, for life. Dishwasher safe. A lot of the latest offerings stick very little... and perform on par w/non-stick when using a light coating.

Face it, you buy non-stick out of laziness. Well, I'd rather my dishwasher clean off the "stick" than my hand have to clean off the "non-stick".

2) Ok, so I'm going stainless! What now?

Once again you have two choices... All Clad brand or Cuisinart...
Excellent Set of Cookware at a Great Price, Questionable Warranty Service

So pleased!
I ordered this set due to a great deal that was offered a few weeks back, making the set more affordable than the older model. This model, MCP-12N is the new version (with improved handle shaping and placement-I contacted Cuisinart to ask about the difference) of the MCP-12. I've always had cheap model Revereware, or bought scratch and dent pans from stores. This is the first nice set of cookware I've ever purchased. I was skeptical because I read ALL reviews on the older model. There were some negative ones, and I was leary. While affordable, they are still priced higher than what I'm used to buying. Oh-about price; I checked several places and Amazon's price has yet to be beat.

I was provided an estimated delivery date between the first and second week of November. Then Amazon sent me an email last week stating the pots would be available sooner. They arrived this past Monday, and I LOVE them! I've only cooked 3 meals so far, but I've used quite a bit of the pots...
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Cuisinart 44-10 Contour Stainless 10-Piece Cookware Set

Excellent and beautiful Cookware
I researched every set out there and this fit my budget and my needs and I have not been disapointed one bit!
I LOVE this set!
I researched every set out there and this fit my budget and my needs and I have not been disapointed one bit! I do not put them in the dishwasher but soak them in warm water and soap until I can wash them properly and by doing this makes the pans easy to clean and clean up very well. Using the Bar Keepers Friend for cookware to polish them has been esential and shines them up well! I also place pieces of felt between the pans so I can stack them without scratching. I do not have room for a hanging rack. I do recommend this set and am planning to get another set for our vacation home. As far as trying to cook eggs such as fried eggs I have not been successful, but cooking scrambled eggs works every time.
cookware
Love it as I have a set of our own. This will be a Gift for daughter,she will be happy too.
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Zwilling JA Henckels Twin Gourmet 15-Piece Block Set

A little misleading
The picture of the knife on the box of this product shows the words Made in Germany. The product is actually made in Spain. Zwilling knives in Germany are known to be of a superior quality...so this is a little misleading.
Great deal for the price
This set is a cost-effective solution for making sure you always have a suitable decent-quality knife for the task on hand, but none of the included knives really qualifies as the kitchen knife of choice. For that, I would recommend a FORGED 8" chef's knife with a bolster (Henckels offers one for about $100 Zwillilng J.A. Henckels Twin Four Star 8-Inch High Carbon Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife), which would fit nicely into any of the few spare slots in the included block (none of which will fit a typical meat cleaver, incidentally).

The steak knives are a high point of the set. Note that they are serrated, which could lead to future sharpening difficulties. It goes without saying that the bread knife is also serrated.

There's nothing here that will impress an enthusiast, but for the rest of us, it's a reasonably-priced product that gets you 90% of the way toward a full suite of utilitarian...
Knives are good except shears
The knives are very good quality and I love using them. However, I am very disappointed that the shears has NO logo and No indication that it is Zwilling JA Henckels. It seems that the shears is just a cheap NO BRAND shear added to the block set. The block set is supposed to be made in Spain, as I stated before the Shears has NO indication that it is made in Spain as well. So you never know where it comes from. Therefore, it is NOT a real Zwilling JA Henckels block set (seems misleading)!
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CIA 2 Quart Saucier With Cover

Nice piece of cookware
First let me say that I have an induction cook top, so I am limited to magnetic cooking materials. I tend to get bored having all of one brand, so my armamentarium is a hodge-podge of several brands including All-Clad SS, LeCreuset (both SS and enameled cast iron), Emerilware (both the tri-ply clad and the regular SS with the clad bottom), and plain old Lodge cast iron.

The CIA Masters Collection 2 quart saucier is perhaps my favorite. It has a nice heft, but is not too heavy, looks great, and has a great handle. The lid is a little nicer than the All-Clad as well. I only have this one piece, but suspect I will end up with more, as that handle beats the pants off of the All-Clad SS (the predominant player in my collection), and otherwise performs comparably to the All-Clad SS, which I consider the standard for comparison for SS cookware. Also I find it more aesthetically pleasing than any of the brands that I mention above, which is a plus in my book, although it has...
Worth the money
I have been replacing my old outdated cookware with quality pieces. This is the most beautiful and well made saucier I have ever seen. It is a joy to use, and is lovely on my stove. I'll be buying more of the CIA line as my budget permits. If you love to cook, treat yourself to this saucier.
Perfect
The 2-qt version of this saucier became a favorite within days--the size is ample for polenta, risotto, aloo gobi, poaching marinated tofu, and Gordon Ramsay's fabulous Broccoli Soup--for making portions for one to four people. The lid is just heavy enough to be effective; the pan cleans like a dream, and it will probably last as long as I do.
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Alessi Michael Graves Kettle with Bird Whistle, Blue Handle

Way overpriced
It boils water. It looks pretty on the counter. It has maintained its luster. You can get your hand inside it to clean.
Beyond that it is just an expensive pot that doesn't have the usual features of a Tea kettle.
You can't pour water until you grab the hot plastic bird whistle and pull it out. With hot stream gushing out this is an interesting game. We went through a couple "birds" before we got one that even whistled and as many others have said, it doesn't sound like a bird. It sounds like the whistle of a guy who was just at the dentist. It also has a cheap wire spring clip and lasts about a month. We have some Alessi stuff. Some is good, some is like this, overpriced... way way overpriced. Did I mention that it is not worth the money.
A Real Eye Catcher!
I have owned this tea kettle for about 10 years. Not only is it fully functional as staple in my kitchen, it's adorable. Everyone who enjoys tea at my house comments on it. It is very durable, heavily constructed, and uniquely designed by Michael Graves. And of course, it "whistles". This is one tea kettle that you'll never have to replace; you won't be disappointed. It looks as good today as the day I opened the box. It's definitely a 5-star item.
beautiful and unique
You know it when you see it, there is no other like it. I use mine daily and have for more than 15 years. I've replaced the bird once, though I did buy several extras. The first one broke after only a few months, but the replacement has been in use for the balance of the 15 years. The shinny finish is all scratched from cleaning and the bottom needs a really good scrubbing around the edges occasionally. There is some mildew build up in the rim on the bottom. I wish I'd taken better care cleaning it over the years, so it would have stayed all shinny, but with splatter from all the other things cooking on the stove, it required some scrubbing. If I'd thought about it, I'd have moved it off the stove when I was cooking other things. If it wasn't so expensive, I'd get another, but the one I have was a gift and hard to part with. So, bottom line, it holds up well, does everything it's designed to do. The handle is cool to the touch, but you do have to remove the bird to pour, so wait a...
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Classic Ikon 10" Steel, Double Bolster

Beautiful
I ordered this to go with our new Ikon knives. Our knives have stayed razor sharp. It has great heft with the nice, heavy handle and is very easy to use. I love it.


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All Clad 4112NSR2 Stainless Steel 3-Ply Bonded Dishwasher Safe 12-Inch PFOA-free Non-Stick Fry Pan Cookware, Silver

**UPDATED** pay attention to the temperature
suspicious of non-stick surfaces since the first pans appeared on the market, my only experience was with $20 pans with screw-on handles. you know the type. i converted all my pots and pans to all-clad and viking when i moved in 2000 and left non-stick pans in the trash. but. but last year i got an all-clad non-stick pan and i am now a convert. it is a joy to cook with and is as easy to clean as the dinner plates (i do it all by hand).

after reading these reviews i felt compelled to respond. reading about pans and surface coatings i learned that non-stick surfaces are designed to get hot as 500 degrees before they degrade. in fact, the surface material actually "off gasses" before you see the material degradation.

to enjoy the pan the way it was intended do not use it in high temperature situations. if you are going to sear, then oven broil chicken, for instance, use a traditional pan. if you are sauteing onions and vegetables, reducing a stock, or doing...
All-Clad is the BEST!
People! If you're going to buy expensive non-stick pans learn the basics on how to maintain them! Read the user directions!! You should not use high heat on ANY non-stick! Using high heat voids the All-Clad warranty! High heat also eventually compromises non-stick surfaces. You should not use aerosol spray oils in non-stick as it ruins the non-stick coating. Use only utensils made to use with non-stick pots and pans. Never put very cold food in a hot pot or pan. You should not clean non-stick in dishwashers - hand wash with Bon Ami and a plastic mesh scrubber. Bon Ami (or similar) also works best on All-Clad stainless. Hard-anodized pots and pans are not dishwasher safe, no matter what the brand. I can boil water in my All-Clad pots on Medium! It IS possible to brown foods in non-stick pans. I have an All-Clad non-stick grill pan (has ridges in the bottom) and I can brown sliced potatoes in it AND bacon doesn't curl when fried in it! If you want to cook as you want and...
Could Be Better
I received my All-Clad set when I got married in 2001. In general I have been very happy with this pan. It cooks great and has been through a lot of use over the past six years.

On the down side the pan is a bit heavy and the handle can get hot toward the base. As a result whenever I am cooking a 1.5lb of ground beef I need to use a pot holder to grab near the bottom of the handle so I can drain it.

The other draw back that I have recently noticed is the non-stick seal is not what it once was. I am very careful with the cleaning, high-heat, and utensils. However, food has been sticking on the pan for the past year and is getting worse.

Since All-Clad is all about durability I expect better.
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