There are surprisingly few reviews on this set, so I thought I would do a thorough review from my experience so that anyone looking can make a decision more easily. First off, this is a high quality, and fairly expensive set of cookware, one that should last you for many years to come and perhaps - if properly taken care of - even be a set to pass down from generation to generation. The pans themselves are made of stainless steel with an aluminum core (Tri-ply) for even heat distribution, more rapid heat-up and cooking at lower temps. In my testing these cook extremely evenly and all of the pans I received are exactly flat when set on a flat surface. They cook at a lower temperature than some sets I have had in the past that were not tri-ply. The pans are a brushed stainless steel on the outside and polished on the inside. Very nice looking set overall and can serve as a centerpiece for entertaining. The handles are a stand-out feature on this set, they are large enough and contoured well to get a good grip on easily and I can pour from these with confidence. I have pictured the set in action, one pan with a silicon handle grip from my cast iron pan set so that you can see that silicon grips will fit the handles perfectly. The handles only get hot when put in the oven or if you overheat the pan, so depending on how you use the pans you may not ever get them very hot. Speaking of putting these in the oven they are advertised to withstand up to 600º F although I haven’t tested this. Many sets today come with small (I call them “stick”) handles that while they are not unusable, they don’t inspire a lot of confidence as they always feel like they are going to slip out of the hand. The other feature that makes these handles stand-out is the welded construction, if you’ve been cooking (and cleaning) for a while like I have you will love the rivet-less design - a design usually reserved for the very high-end brands. On this set a spatula can be worked without obstruction and food doesn’t collect and burn around the rivets, making these pans a breeze to clean and polish. On cleanup - a little soft scrub and a sponge and these polish up like brand new, even with cooked on oils, it will take a little longer to get the cooked on stuff off but with a little elbow grease they come out like brand new. You are probably looking at other sets as well, so here are some of the nitty-gritty details of this set: The interior (cook surface) is most likely 18/10 (304) stainless, while the company doesn’t market this I verified that it has nickel in it by using a standard magnet - since a magnet will not stick to stainless steel that has a certain amount of nickel in it - and the magnet doesn’t stick. As some of us know 304 S/S is pretty much the industry standard for the interior surface of cookware these days, whether advertised by the manufacturer or not, some companies in this space are heavily marketing that feature but most modern tri-ply or better quality pans will have this feature. The exterior is some flavor of standard stainless steel, the same as all the other quality brands, so that the pans can be used on induction cooktops — an ever more popular cook surface that we may all eventually upgrade to. While I don’t have an induction cooktop, I verified this using the same magnet and it solidly sticks, so they will work on an induction cooktop. The lids are higher quality than most of the other sets I looked at being glass lids with a metal (I’m guessing stainless) ring around the outside, when you turn them over they have a rubber seal between the glass and ring, and they fit fairly tight on the pan. Most of the other sets I’ve looked at, even priced three times as much as these only had the basic metal lids that just rest on top, which is not ideal as you can’t keep an eye on things while cooking and they tend to move around a lot. The handles on these lids will get slightly warm but I haven’t gotten them hot enough that I couldn’t handle them easily bare-handed unlike the metal lids I've used that can get piping hot. These are the weights of the set I received: 1.5 qt Sauce pan - 2 lbs 56 oz with (w) lid, 1 lb 11.2 oz without (w/o) 3 qt Sauce pan - 3 lbs 5.7 oz w, 2 lbs 7.2 oz w/o 3.5 qt Sauce pan - 4 lbs, 5.2 oz w, 2 lbs 14.6 oz w/o 8” Skillet - 1 lb 9.7 oz 10” Skillet - 2 lbs 7.3 oz 12” Skillet - 3 lbs 2.1 oz 11” Wok - 4 lbs 8.9 oz 8 qt Stockpot - 5 lbs 14.3 oz w, 4 lbs 10.4 oz w/o, 6 lbs 3.6 oz with steamer insert These are a full sized set of pans unlike some of the sets being sold, and they are solidly made without being overly heavy like some of the pans that have five or seven layers. While in theory those should cook ever-so-slightly better, in practice there isn’t much, if any, perceivable difference. So why did I go with this set over some of the others? It’s a more complete set, of the same quality, just with better handles/lids and at a lower price than some of the others. This set has the most important pieces most of us need like the 12” Skillet, a good sized stockpot, 1.5 and 3 qt sauce pans and the 3.5 qt braiser/sauce pan is a great size for making things like chili or braising meats. As with most sets this one comes with the rarely (if ever) used 8” skillet, but surprisingly due to the size the 10” skillet is totally usable for cooking for two people. The wok is a fantastic addition, and the one that is currently the most used in our kitchen, it’s size is perfect for making an oriental stir-fry for at least 4 people. As you can see in my picture I only used about half the pans’ capacity as I am only cooking for two. If you cook a lot of different dishes like I do you’ll still need other pieces like a carbon steel or cast iron skillet for high heats, and a non-stick for doing delicate items, but this set comes as close to complete as I could find and I already have a cast iron set and non-stick pieces. Pros: High grade stainless steel Great handles for a solid grip “look ma - no rivets” - easy to cook and clean 600º oven safe Best lids I’ve ever had on any set Set comes more complete than others, some of which cost three times the price Cons: The only one I can think of is the lack of holes in the handle, so if you want to store them hanging from a pot rack this set probably won’t work for you. Overall I would recommend this set, it’s high quality and durable at a decent price for higher-end cookware, and most importantly they cook well and are easy to clean.
