Thursday, August 13, 2009

KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 10-Piece Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set

Product Description

This cookware set is an exceptional value, including all of the pans needed to equip your kitchen with the most used cooking pieces. As the set contains only basic pieces, you'll really use each and every pan. It includes saucepans for whisking a homemade sauce or cooking your morning oatmeal, a big stockpot for soups, stews or boiling pasta, and skillets (probably the most used pan in any kitchen) that will help you turn out perfect crepes or a simple grilled cheese sandwich. The set also includes a sauté pan, a wide, straight-sided pan that can perform many of the functions of a skillet but features deep sides for extra capacity, perfect for one dish meals. Start your dish in this pan by sautéing onions and browning meat, then add your liquid and other ingredients into the same pan to finish on the stovetop or in the oven.


Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #814 in Kitchen & Housewares
  • Brand: KitchenAid
  • Model: 80297
  • Dimensions: 21.10 pounds

Features

  • 10-piece cookware set includes 1-, 2-, and 3-quart covered saucepans; 8- and 10-inch skillets; 6-quart covered stockpot
  • Heavy-gauge hard-anodized aluminum construction heats quickly and evenly
  • Premium, scratch-resistant nonstick surface provides superior food release
  • Dual-riveted stainless handles with silicone grips; break-resistant glass lids
  • Pots and lids oven-safe to 400 degrees F; wash by hand; 1-year hassle-free replacement warranty

Amazon.com Review
From KitchenAid's Gourmet Essentials line comes this cookware set made of hard-anodized aluminum. Durable, handsomely finished in matte charcoal gray, and known for its exceptional heat distribution and retention properties, hard-anodized cookware is a very popular choice for the home chef. KitchenAid embellishes these pots with stainless-steel handles, riveted for strength and wrapped with cushy, stay-cool silicone grips. The lids, made of break-resistant glass for optimum viewing, also feature silicone-wrapped handles, highly arched to enable easy grasping with a potholder or oven mitt. Both the pans and lids are oven-safe up to 400 degrees F.

An excellent value, this 10-piece set consists of the most frequently used kitchen pots and pans and makes a great gift set. The two skillets, measuring 8 and 10 inches in diameter, handle everyday frying and sautéing needs, from eggs-over-easy to grilled cheese sandwiches to fish filets, then crepes for dessert. Three saucepans holding 1, 2, and 3 quarts let you boil a single egg, heat soup, and slow-cook a creamy risotto with wild mushrooms. The larger 6-quart stockpot with two loop handles works admirably for family-sized batches of pasta, chili, soup, and corn-on-the-cob. The nonstick finish releases food quickly and makes clean up by hand a snap. It's best to keep the nonstick cookware out of the dishwasher. KitchenAid covers the set with a one-year, hassle-free replacement warranty. --Ann Bieri


Customer Reviews

Great set!5
I did quite a bit of research, trying to find a good but "reasonably" priced cookware set. When I read the reviews for this KitchenAid set, I thought I would give them a try. I LOVE THEM!!! I used them to cook Christmas dinner and couldn't have been more pleased with my purchase! Clean up is an absolute breeze!!!! It truly is non-stick without using oils or butter. The only downside is that food does get stuck in the rivets, which is the only time you have to use a little elbow grease to clean these pans.

Overall, I'm 100% happy with the price, the look, the weight and the performance of this set. I love the stay cool handles. I quickly tossed my old set (which had become far from non-stick) and am cooking up a storm. I have to admit, on my old set, I always used non-stick spray. When I read the KitchenAid directions, that came with these pans, it said NOT to use spray as it compromised the integrity of the non-stick surface. OOOPS! Lesson learned. Non-stick spray will never touch this set!!!

A++ Awesome cookware set !!! 5
When I initially was looking for a new cookware set, I had several choices/brands to consider. Due to past experience with Circulon, we opted to stay away from it. Circulon was pretty good stuff, BUT those little ridges in the bottom of the cookware seem to collect alot of "gunk" in them...and yes I did hand wash it after each use :P After a while, unable to remove it even with scrubbing.
So I compared this set with Emerilware and Avalon hard anodized sets.
All three sets were very similar in weight and sizes. I liked the handles on the Kitchen Aid , due to the silicone rubber on them. It really keeps the cool to touch even after "heavy duty "cooking.
Also,after a little research, I discovered that there is a reason Anolon, Circulon and Kitchen Aid all look real and feel real similar... they are ALL made by the MEYER /Kitchen Aid company !!! After seeing eaach set in person at numerous store, we discovered they were almost identical except for a few minor detail (handles, markings, etc.) Seems that even cookware , you pay for the name!!
Lastly, we have used this cookware to cook fish, chicken, ground beef, eggs, you name it. I con honestly tell you , as stated, you only need to use oil/butter for flavor. NOTHING sticks to this cookware. everything seems to just slide right off. I mean even water on these pans beads right up! It heats evenly and very fast. As directions state, cook on low to medium heat. Seems this cookware heats up faster and cooks better that way. On low/ medium heat, was able to cook just as fast as my previous pans did on high.
All in all...fantastic cookware set and fantastic price on Amazon.
I would highly recommend this set for those that need new cookware and those that love to cook. You don't need to spend tons of money on the other brands whem you can get the same this/ different name for a much cheaper price!! :)

Good, but not great4
These pans we have had for about a year. The non-stick works great, however, the outside of the pan is a bit difficult to clean. They are NOT dishwasher safe, however, we have thrown them in the dishwasher with liquid detergent only and they seem to be fine. Although we did place the large pot in the dishwasher near the soap dispenser and the soap ate away at the exterior of the pot a bit...we cannot get the white mark to disappear. Also, the lids even before we started dishwashing them, got rust marks where the handles attach to the lid. You do need to be careful about what type of utensil you use on these...no metal..it scratches the surface too much. Finally, I have burnt myself several times with the handles on the large pot. The protective coat is not that big or thick and when it is full of hot water, you cannot get a good grip without burning your hand on the exposed metal handles. Other than that, we have been happy with these pots. They seem to cook nice and evenly and fairly quickly. For the price, they are a good deal.

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