Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel Cookware Review

Have you ever planned a great meal and had it burn onto the pan when you were cooking it? It can happen when you aren’t paying attention to the stove, but burning-on can also be caused by cookware that’s not up to the task at hand. That’s why having a good set of cookware in your kitchen is so important.

I learned this first hand when I brought home the Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware set (available soon). It’s a 10 piece set, is made from stainless steel, and each pot and pan has a pure aluminum base with stainless steel cover for quick heating.

After using it to cook a huge meal, I’m seriously impressed by its ability to heat up quickly and retain heat long after the burner is turned off. Here’s a look at the Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware set and what I thought of it.

Unboxing Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware 

A stainless steel cookware set like this one is a great choice for every type of stove top including gas, electric, glass ceramic, halogen, and induction.

Inside the box are 10 pieces. That 10 count includes lids, but the main pieces are:

• 1 qt. saucepan with cover
• 2 qt. saucepan with cover
• 3 qt. saute pan with cover
• 6 qt. stockpot with cover
• 9.5 inch (24 cm) skillet with cover

Each piece is shiny, gorgeous stainless steel. Not only does it look great, but this set will be non-reactive to what you cook. That means you won’t get a metallic flavour built into your foods when you cook with it.

This set is perfect if you want to go oven to table. It’s oven safe to 350-degrees Celsius (500-degrees Fahrenheit).

Unboxing Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware

Before I could get cooking with the Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware I was sent to try, I had to unbox it first.

The first thing I noticed is that each piece of Cuisinart Stainless steel cookware is very lightweight. I thought that, because it is stainless steel, it would be a lot heavier. It’s very easy to lift and hold each piece, but you can tell its very durable.

Each piece is created from stainless steel, but there is an aluminum core at the base with a stainless steel cover. That aluminum core assists with heating and holding in heat.

There are two saucepans in the set, and I think that’s important. The smaller saucepan is great for making sauces and reductions, while the large saucepan is perfect for boiling vegetables or making a small pot of soup. I’d use the saute pan mainly for sauces and stir fry, and you can also use it for searing meat. The skillet is also useful for searing meat, but it’s perfect for frying and scrambling eggs. Last, but not least, there’s a stockpot that’s a decent size, and it would be great for everything from boiling pasta, making large pots of soup, or canning jam.

Each pot and pan comes with a lid, and I love that. Not every cookware set has a lid for each pot, and sometimes you’re making a large meal that requires lids on all pots. It’s nice not to have to share.

There’s also a measurement line on each piece in this set. You can use that measurement line to gauge how much water you’ll add or see instantly how many cups of sauce you have. It’s a very cool addition to cookware, and I don’t think I’ve seen it on any other set of pans I’ve used.

Cooking with the Cuisinart Classic Collection

To test out the Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware, I decided I was going to use the saute pan and make spaghetti sauce.

I did a little research about stainless steel cookware before I began cooking, and I made sure to read the included brochure about best practices for using it. Inside the brochure it addresses a few things I wouldn’t have thought of, especially considering I’ve never used stainless steel cookware before.

You don’t need high heat

I’m used to cooking with cast iron or cast iron enamel cookware, so my heat is always on medium to medium high. I have a glass top range, and when I placed the stainless steel saute pan on it I automatically turned it up to medium. I didn’t have to do that, because it reached high temps so fast I was caught off guard.

If using this set, start off by using a lower temperature. You can work your way up if you require higher heat. I had to set my range to low because the pan was hot. Once the sauce had reached boiling point, it continued to boil at low temps even though I never turned it up again.

Long story short, this set retains heat very, very well. You could probably boil for quite a while without the heat even turned on.

Use oil so it doesn’t stick

With a Teflon, non-stick, or seasoned cast iron pan, you don’t have to worry about sticking. When you use stainless steel, it’s always a consideration. To prevent sticking, just add some oil to the bottom of the pan as its heating up. You can swirl it around when it’s warmer to cover every inch, and then cook like you always would.

I cooked my onions and garlic in olive oil and I didn’t have an issue with sticking at all.

Water boils quickly

To make spaghetti I used the stockpot. I placed the water on the stove, turned up the heat, and timed the boil. It took 5 minutes from cold water to full boil. That’s pretty much unheard of in my house. I walked away like I always do and came back to a full boil.

My spaghetti and sauce turned out amazing, and although I’ve heard that stainless steel can react with things like tomato sauce, I didn’t detect any metallic taste in the food.

Cool grip handles

When your pots heat up the stove, the handles will often heat up too. The Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware set fixes this issue with Cool Grip handles. These handles are riveted onto the pots and pans for strength, but they stay cool when the rest of the pan gets hot. This is such a great feature, because you don’t have to reach for your oven mitts just to touch your pan.

Cleaning Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware

This set is dishwasher safe, so you can rinse it out and pop it into the dishwasher. I didn’t wipe the insides of the saute pan before I washed mine, so I wasn’t sure if anything would be stuck on when I pulled it out. I was pretty happy to see it came out sparkling clean.

My normal dishwasher cycle is one hour with short dry. If I pull the dishes out too quickly, they may still have water droplets on them. When washing stainless steel cookware I would make sure I use the two-hour cycle with extra dry, because that way you avoid getting any water drops on your cookware.

When I pulled out the stockpot and saute pan they did have water on them, but I wiped it off and it was like new again. Even if you let the water droplets dry, you can easily wipe them off and it will retain that amazing shine.

Overall thoughts on the Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel 10 piece set

This is a great set of cookware. It’s definitely quite a step up from other sets I’ve tried, and the stainless steel/aluminum combo means it cooks fast, retains heat extremely well, and cleans up like a dream.

My main recommendation for this set of cookware is to read the manual first. Every single tip they give you will extend the life of your pots and pans, and you won’t have any of the issues that people can experience when using stainless steel.

It looks great, it works great, and there’s a pot and pan for everything you want to cook. Check out the Cuisinart Classic Collection Stainless Steel cookware set (available soon) on Best Buy right now.