Emeril by All-Clad E884SC74 Chef's Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set, Silver

Beautiful Lightweight Set - Comparisons w/ other SS sets
This is a very nice set of lightweight stainless steel cookware. If you are shopping around and trying to compare the differences, I will try to help you distinguish the features from a couple of other brands that I currently own. In addition to this set, I have the Rachael Ray stainless and also the Kitchen Aid stainless.

First of all, the Emeril pots and pans are by far the lightest weight. The Rachael Ray comes in the middle with very thick bottoms and thinner sides, and the Kitchen Aid is by bar the thickest and heaviest. I think what you want here is going to come down to personal preference. The RR and the Emeril brands have clear glass lids, while the KA is all stainless. All of the Emeril pieces are standard sizes, whereas you get really deep pieces in the RR collection. The KA pieces are just substantial.

The handles on the RR and KA have protective grips, whereas the Emeril handles are all stainless. I think this is going to personal preference...
Good, but the competition is better and cheaper.
Stainless steel cookware is great to look at and cook with, we can all agree on that. Depending on your style preferences, one brand may suit your needs better than others. This Emeril set follows the same path - great cookware, but...it's not as good as others.

Most of my cooking is currently done with Cooks Standard Multi-Ply Clad Stainless-Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set. It's beautiful, tough, heats evenly, and...overall, better than this Emeril set, though Emeril does win out in a couple of features.

First off, both sets look awesome. Both are made in China, so it's a level playing field. This Emeril set has glass lids, whereas the Cooks Standard has mirror-shiny stainless lids. I prefer the steel lids because the glass looks cheaper, and when I'm cooking, looking "through" the glass usually does nothing at all: I see steam.

Next, both sets heat quickly and evenly. Preheat...
Acceptable for the price
This is an acceptable set of cookware, which will serve you just fine if you are a college student cooking a few meals a week, or you are buying a set for infrequent use at a vacation home, etc. It is made of bright stainless steel, which we prefer over nonstick for many reasons, google "nonstick" to see why. This set cleans up nicely, and the lids fit well.

However, I recommend against purchasing this set for heavy, every-day use. Reasons:

1. The metal is quite thin. This makes the pots lighter than others with thicker walls, but they do not transfer the heat as well. Definitely not for gourmet dishes when heat control is critical!
2. The handles are metal, no insulation. This is not much of a problem on the long handles, but three pots have short handles. This is especially inconvenient for the large "everyday" wok-like pot, which you will likely want to tip as you cook.

I wanted to give this set three and a half stars. As I thought about...
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