Save Price KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials Brushed Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set
Detail
There's something clean and pure about cookware that's stainless steel inside and out. This stylishly finished version from KitchenAid's Gourmet Essentials series features a brightly polished interior that discourages food from sticking, and a handsomely brushed exterior with a shiny band along the rim. Each pan is entirely constructed of premium 18/10 stainless steel, except for the encapsulated aluminum disk in the base (aluminum makes a superior conductor of heat), and the silicone grip encasing the handle. Even the tight-fitting lids are stainless steel. Each piece is oven-safe to 400 degrees F and is dishwasher-safe.
Whether you want to fry up pancakes for breakfast, warm soup for lunch, or feed chili to a crowd, this set more than accommodates your most typical cooking needs. The 1-, 2-, and 3-quart saucepans all come with lids, as does the large 8-quart stockpot. The 8- and 10-inch French skillets are nice and deep, great for poaching eggs or stir-frying veggies. Stainless steel cooks most efficiently at medium heat, and can be used to start a dish on the stovetop and finish it in the oven. An excellent value, the set is covered by a lifetime limited warranty against defects. --Ann Bieri Viking VSC1012, Le Creuset Cookware Set, Chefs Secret 16pc, Berndes Tradition 10-Piece, Magefesa Due Cristal Enamel, Innova Leyse 10-Piece, Mauviel M Cook 5210.03, FancyCook 5-Piece, Swiss Diamond Pressure, 15-Piece Hard-Anodized , Cuisinart 66-14, Berndes SignoCast, Fagor 7-Piece, All Clad LTD2, Kuhn Rikon 2-1 , Galleyware Non Stick , J.A. Henckels 10-Piece, WMF Collier Cookware, BergHOFF Earthchef Professional, Starfrit 12-Piece, Swiss Diamond 3-Piece, Metalac 9-piece , Ballington Stainless Steel , Calphalon Contemporary, Paula Deen Signature, All-Clad Brushed , Chic Chefs Avant-Garde , All Clad MC2 , All Clad Stainless-simply, Natural Home 10 Piece, Chantal 7-Piece, Calphalon 11-pc. , Proctor Silex 52026, Berndes 15-Piece, Magnalite Classic 11 Piece , Viking VSC1013, Beka Cookware 9.5 inch, Circulon Cookware Espree, Tramontina Sterling II , All-Clad Stainless 10 Piece , Cuisinart Pro Classic , Farberware 15 Piece , Paula Deen 12-Piece
What's in the Box
10-piece cookware set. The set consists of: 1-quart covered saucepan; 2-quart covered saucepan; 3-quart covered saucepan; 8-quart covered stockpot; 8-inch skillet; 10-inch skillet. 10 pieces total.
I was disappointed in the length & width of the handles on the KitchenAid sauce pans. In comparing two 3-quart sauce pans (KitchenAid vs. WearEver), the KitchenAid handle was 3/4 of an inch shorter and also tapered to the end, whereas the WearEver stayed the same width to the end. It didn't seem initially like much of a difference until I handled the Kichenette pans. Because the handles were short, I was having grip it closer to the open surface/lid of the pan. It's a little too close for comfort for me.
Also, I don't like the fact that I can't purchase individual pans. In order to get an extra pan or two of the most used sizes, I'd have to buy another complete set... and then what would I do with 4 frying pans?
I'll be sending this set back before actually even trying them out on the stove. (Wish me luck packing it all back in the original box)
So,I'm back in the market for another set. I suppose I will try going to a kitchen specialty store to see & handle (no pun intended)the cookware in person before making my next purchase.
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The new set was not exactly like the first one, in the second set, the sauce pans and the stockpot have a slight texture on the inside, the first set was completely smooth, it does not bother me, it is just different.
It has now been four years since we have had first cookware set, we only opened the new set they sent us about a year ago but both sets have held up beautifully other than the problem with the one pan.
I really had to relearn to cook with these pots, when DuPont is not helping you cook with their Teflon you really have to pay a little attention to what you are doing. I now have to make sure that the pan is at the right temperature and I have enough oil in the pan.
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I am not upset that I had to replace the pan, in the 5 years pervious before I had gotten these I had gone through 2 sets of nonstick cookware because the nonstick coating had started flaking off. I am really disgusted by that, imagine how much Teflon I had eaten. I am really satisfied that these have held up so well other than the one pan. I read other reviews complaining about stained pans, elbow grease and baking soda have worked wonders for me.
First lesson: If you cook by feel, like I do, these will throw it all off. I used to judge the heat in the pan by holding my hand a few inches over the surface. Then I knew when it was ready. These don't work at all the same. These pans absorb and hold the heat, unlike the cheap stuff I was used to, so they felt much cooler.
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Second lesson is directly related to the first lesson. Cook on a lower heat! I use an electric stove and normally cooked most meal on about 6-7 out of 10. With these pans, I rarely go over 4. I cook most things between 3 and 4. After figuring out the heat, which only took one meal, these things have been amazing. They hold the heat, so they require less heat, and they disperse it very well so there aren't hot spots on the pans. The whole pan cooks evenly.
I expected there would be a learning curve, coming from non-stick to stainless. I found that is true, but it's not really that difficult to figure out. These cook food faster, so you have to pay attention to your food. The food will stick if you don't cook properly. Some things need some oil and a little more attention, but the food is well worth it. I don't know what the difference is, but we've noticed a few things. Sauces are much better. I have no idea why- they just are. Boiled pasta doesn't stick together. We did everything to keep it from sticking before, but it would, even with olive oil. For some magic reason, pasta never gets sticky in these pans. Even leftover pasta isn't clumped together. We've notice all sorts of little oddities like that where these perform so much better than anything we've ever used.
Finally, it was time for the big challenge. The recurring theme in most reviews is, these are great for most stuff, but don't even dream of cooking eggs or pancakes. OK, challenge accepted. Enter the learning curve. I mutilated the first two pancakes and first two eggs. Since then, no problem whatsoever! I don't know why people have trouble with eggs or pancakes in these. It's a breeze. Take your time, cook on a low heat and pay attention. It's as easy as that.
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Cleanup- another misconception was how hard these are to clean. We find cleanup is easy. Some stuff has to soak. Big deal- let it soak a bit.
After a couple weeks with these things, we both LOVE them.
I can't think of any reason to give less than 5 stars. We do wish the set included a 12" skillet, but it's not like that was a surprise. We knew what we were getting. We will get the large skillet separately. We both feel the set was a very good bargain, and very good performer. We highly recommend this set to anyone shopping for new cookware.