Cuisinart 77-17N 17 Piece Chef's Classic Set, Stainless Steel

I've been using this cookware for a few months and am very pleased with them. I knew I wanted to get stainless steel after the black coating was peeling off of my old pots and pans. These heat well and the handle typically is cool enough to grab with bare hands. My frying pan did get a bit discolored after spraying it with cooking spray and leaving it on the heat too long prior to placing the food in it. I was able to scrape some of it off with a utility knife. I recommend cooking at a slightly lower heat than you would with other types of cookware and do not preheat them with cooking spray for too long. They wash pretty easily with dish soap and a scrub brush. I prefer to hand wash mine. These were a really good find, especially for the price.

Easy to use; Amazingly easy to clean.

We bought this cookware primarily because it did NOT have any special nonstick coatings. In addition to learning to use this new cookware, we are learning to use a convection stove top. So both of these new products have presented challenges.We bought the cookware because I'd had and used another brand of Stainless-Steel cookware for years. We had heard this was good cookware for the price. We have not been disappointed.Within the first few weeks of using the cookware, we were having difficulty getting used to the new stove as well and we tended to turn up the heat higher than necessary. In doing this one time we inadvertently scorched one of the pans. It was black on the bottom, we thought we had ruined it. I put a good amount of dishwashing liquid in the pan and ... MoreWe bought this cookware primarily because it did NOT have any special nonstick coatings. In addition to learning to use this new cookware, we are learning to use a convection stove top. So both of these new products have presented challenges.We bought the cookware because I'd had and used another brand of Stainless-Steel cookware for years. We had heard this was good cookware for the price. We have not been disappointed.Within the first few weeks of using the cookware, we were having difficulty getting used to the new stove as well and we tended to turn up the heat higher than necessary. In doing this one time we inadvertently scorched one of the pans. It was black on the bottom, we thought we had ruined it. I put a good amount of dishwashing liquid in the pan and filled it with water. To this I added a good amount of white vinegar and placed the pan back on the burner with heat. After the mixture boiled, I emptied the pan and wiped out much of the scorch, but some remained. I repeated the process and eventually all of the scorch residue was removed. I was amazed that pan came clean! But it did. I would recommend this product to anyone who is looking for quality Stainless Steel Cookware. The product is easy to use and looks good in use. The cookware is priced affordably and is welll made. Yes, I would recommend this cookware to anyone.

Everything burns

I’ve used stainless steel before and was excited for these but I was so disappointed. I had some weird black pitting in a few of them straight out of the box but thought ok. Then no matter how low the temp stuff just kept sticking and burning. I did all the proper stuff with oils but nope. Also trying to do either grilled cheese or French toast the pan will become nasty brown and you will never get it cleaned back off. I’ve trying cleaning it with everything and even trying boiling water. Brand new pans ruined after one use!! I’m returning mine and going back to nonnstick.

Learning curve but recommend

The stainless steel bottoms are think and heavy and the sides are thinner. They take time to get uses to if you are uses to non-stick pots and pans. It seems hard not to get food to stick to the bottom of the pan. I wash the pans per instructions but it seems the sides are hard not to stain. The bottom cleans easier to remove stains. Overall, I like the stainless steel because it does not have the chemicals used to make food not stick.

No regrets

I was looking for a starter set of SS cookware and settled on these. They heat evenly and the handles are comfortable though the larger pots and pans are a bit heavy especially when washing by hand. I only have two complaints with them. First, no mater what you do, eggs will stick to the pan (especially scrambled) and leave you with a mess that will take an hour to clean. Second complaint, when adding salt to a pot to boil water DO NOT USE course salt! It will leave brown and black spots on the pot bottoms. I was able to figure that out quickly, and now dissolve my salt in hot water then pour it into the pot. Also, I have found that Bar Keepers Friend glass cook top cleaner is perfect for removing light staining (it removed the salt staining from the pot as well as ... MoreI was looking for a starter set of SS cookware and settled on these. They heat evenly and the handles are comfortable though the larger pots and pans are a bit heavy especially when washing by hand. I only have two complaints with them. First, no mater what you do, eggs will stick to the pan (especially scrambled) and leave you with a mess that will take an hour to clean. Second complaint, when adding salt to a pot to boil water DO NOT USE course salt! It will leave brown and black spots on the pot bottoms. I was able to figure that out quickly, and now dissolve my salt in hot water then pour it into the pot. Also, I have found that Bar Keepers Friend glass cook top cleaner is perfect for removing light staining (it removed the salt staining from the pot as well as the heat marks off the bottom) and keeping a nice polished look to the cookware. They take some getting used to as they do not require much more than a medium flame to cook most things. I am liking them and outside of the two issues mentioned I have no other complaints nor regrets in buying them.

Pots and pans has a lot of maintenance

The pots and pans works great if you know how to cook without it being non stick and it has nice weight. However when I opened mine there was already some dents on the metal. I assume it was just from welding. The box says to wash before use and dishwasher safe, so right out of the box I loaded it into my dishwasher and when it came out they all had an iridescent sheen to it. Also when packed away it has what looks like rust. This was after it was cleaned and dried, put away for 2 days before I used it to cook. I scrubbed it off but now I only hand wash them and leave it to air dry for a full day before putting them away. Since I cook every day they do not get put away. Nice set but a bit of a nuisance to care for.

Quality cookware, use every day

I am in love with these stainless pans. There are so many sizes and give you variety when cooking. I purchased a month ago, and have used them every day. The only downside is cleaning the glass lids. The lip that connects the glass to the stainless rim catches food and is sometimes hard to get out when washing. Overall, would recommend and would buy again. Totally worth the sale price if $250.

Save your money

We received this set as a gift and when I unpacked it, it was beautiful. Really shiny and great lids as well (although the handles get hot FYI). However, some of the pans after first use started to stain, and a couple of them literally started to rust right away. I filmed a video of one when I boiled water for the third time and it just started rusting before my eyes. The finish is now pitted in a way that reacts every time I try to use them, leaching who-knows-what into our food. I contacted Cuisinart and they just gave me the “sorry bout that, but it’s not covered by warranty” spiel. They’re brand new and already in poor shape from nothing out of the ordinary…literally boiling water. I think Cuisinart used to be a reputable brand. I don’t think that anymore.

Worst pans we have owned

This review is for the skillet pans, the pots are great. We received this cookware set for Christmas two years ago and almost immediately noticed sticking after a few days of use. I mainly used the skillets for cooking breakfast such as eggs. We followed the given directions for cooking on low to medium heat, never high heat, cleaning tips, never place them into the dishwasher, and they seemed to get worse after every use anways. The second issue we came across was the discoloration inside and on the bottom of the stainless steel pans. I hand washed them with a sponge and wiped away clean with a paper towel and nothing seemed to work. We notified Cuisinart about the issue and they sent us a replacement pan and that pan did the exact same thing. We started to ... MoreThis review is for the skillet pans, the pots are great. We received this cookware set for Christmas two years ago and almost immediately noticed sticking after a few days of use. I mainly used the skillets for cooking breakfast such as eggs. We followed the given directions for cooking on low to medium heat, never high heat, cleaning tips, never place them into the dishwasher, and they seemed to get worse after every use anways. The second issue we came across was the discoloration inside and on the bottom of the stainless steel pans. I hand washed them with a sponge and wiped away clean with a paper towel and nothing seemed to work. We notified Cuisinart about the issue and they sent us a replacement pan and that pan did the exact same thing. We started to question ourselves, maybe it is us? After the replacement pan's issue we notified Cuisinart again and they sent us a newer model Pan The High Impact Bonded Base and after a couple months it did the same thing as the Chef's classic pan. At this point we are no longer fans of Cuisinart products and are moving on to a new product. Hopefully this review helps. Maybe we were unlucky and received two defective lines.

Young and Starting out - 19th self birthday gift

When I was looking for pots and pans, lots of things were important to me. Stainless steel, high quality, durable, reliable, well constructed pots and pans were the necessity. Having moved out, with no help from my family, I could only afford to buy one set. These pots and pans were worth every penny. They heat up quick - don't put your pans on high, or even MD high unless you're planning on searing a steak. They heat up evenly as well, and you can trust that these pots and pans will cook everything to perfection. The steel is highly resilient, but I'd caution against letting them sit wet - no soaking! Wash after each use until spotless. I'd recommend hand-wash, but the dishwasher I have from the 80's takes great care of them too. As I said, don't let them sit wet. ... MoreWhen I was looking for pots and pans, lots of things were important to me. Stainless steel, high quality, durable, reliable, well constructed pots and pans were the necessity. Having moved out, with no help from my family, I could only afford to buy one set. These pots and pans were worth every penny. They heat up quick - don't put your pans on high, or even MD high unless you're planning on searing a steak. They heat up evenly as well, and you can trust that these pots and pans will cook everything to perfection. The steel is highly resilient, but I'd caution against letting them sit wet - no soaking! Wash after each use until spotless. I'd recommend hand-wash, but the dishwasher I have from the 80's takes great care of them too. As I said, don't let them sit wet. I had 1 rust spot show up once, because I accidently left it in the sink. The steel is overall very high quality, but don't expect it to stay that beautiful, out of the box flawlessly shiny forever. The lids being glass is awesome, I love being able to see everything cook. The handles on the lids can get quite hot though if you've been cooking with them for a while, so be careful of that. However, the handles on the pans ALWAYS STAY COOL. It's fantastic! There are lids that fit every pan and pot, although not each pan and pot has their own, designated lid. (I've never had an issue where I haven't had a lid I needed for a pan or pot because they were all dirty, FYI). These pans are sleek, sharp looking and well designed. They look great on my stove, or even stacked and put away. They provide every size I could desire, and are well weighted. They feel great on my hands, flipping pancakes, sauteing vegetables, or anything else you might do with them. They are heavy, but well balanced.In short, if you're looking for a set of pots and pans that cook like your moms, handle like your moms, and look like your moms, as well as last a lifetime... These are your pans. Seriously. BTW - I paid 199 w/free shipping, so you may want to install honey and wait for the price to drop, or shop around. :) Saw the price was high 400's at time of posting review. :) (This only makes me feel better about my purchase!)PS> The wok was a huge surprise.