Cuisinart French Classic Tri-Ply Stainless 1-Quart Saucepan with Cover,Silver

My, oh, my, this is a wonderful line of cookware. I've been an avid cook for over 40 years, and I've never owned a piece of cookware I've liked better. I'm only sorry I've waited to long to make this kind of investment. I've been admiring the All-Clad all stainless clad cookware for a long while, but I simply couldn't wrap my head, or my budget, around the cost of the pans. I'd cobbled together a collection of pans - some enameled cast iron, some Calphalon hard-adonized, stainless steel pasta and stock pots, and some cheap non-stick skillets which I replaced with some frequency. I'd reached that point again, but instead of buying another non-stick skillet, I discovered this line of Cuisinart French Classic cookware. What an extraordinary value! The pans are fabulous. I've purchased this 12" skillet, the 8 & 10" smaller skillets, and the 2 qt saucepan. The pans are beautiful. They are heavy, but in a good way. The handles are comfortable and cool to hold (but the helper handle on the 12" skillet DOES get hot!). They heat so well and so evenly that you don't need, and shouldn't, use anything higher but medium heat. Allow the pan to heat up before you add the food. The foods develop a nice even browning, the "fond" as the French would say, better than any other pan I've ever owned. There are no hot spots. They cook beautifully on my new Frigidaire gas range. But one of the biggest surprises is how easy it is to care for them! Let the pan cool down, add warm water to soak a little while, and then take a scrub sponge with a bit of Dawn, or Bar Keepers Friend mild scouring powder, to the pan and the residue comes right off. I am amazed. And so very pleased. Yes, they are somewhat of an investment. But they are considerably less expensive than their counterparts at All-Clad. I've used some of those pans in friends' kitchens, and they come in almost an unlimited variety of shapes and sizes. But I would match these French Classic pans against any other any day. Oh, and they are MADE IN FRANCE! Well done, Cuisinart!!!

After shopping around and comparing features and pricing on all the multi-clad cookware available, I settled on the Cuisinart French Classic line. I still needed to test out the product so I purchased this small saucepan. It has performed exactly as I hoped it would. I am a professional chef and have used a great variety of cookware at home and work. I have respect for the big name multi-clad brands but the price is out of range for most cooks. There are bargain priced and store brands manufactured in China but the ones I have seen have a poor fit and finish, and the steels used are dubious in quality and consistency. It appears that Cuisinart has found the sweet spot between price and quality with this line. (Keep in mind Cuisinart also manufactures "Made in China" lines of multi-clad under various names, only the French Classic Line is the one made in France to these specifications). This pan is substantial in weight, it has a beautiful finish and all details are impeccable. The handle has a pleasing shape, very comfortable to hold. I have encountered many pans of good quality where the dealbreaker was an awkward handle. The lid is solid and heavy as well, it fits perfectly on the pot and the handle is large enough to grip with a towel or hot pads. As for it's ability to cook foods without sticking, one must use common sense and keep the heat low to medium. If the nonstick ability is your primary concern, there are many chemically coated cookware choices out there. The strengths of this style are in its' purity- no coatings to break down, no finish that will wear off, no iron to keep seasoned against corrosion. This cookware can last a lifetime with care and be passed along to another generation to keep cooking. As far as care, I wouldn't use anything abrasive on the outside of pan or lid if you want to keep the beautiful mirror finish. If foods stick to the pan, soak it in hot soapy water, then use a scrub brush to clean out the residue and finish with a sponge or washtowel. I have found staining on the interior after cleaning, it appears as a faint shadow of what was cooked. A light scrub with a sponge and some Barkeeper's Friend will polish that right off if it bothers you. If I were to list a negative with this pan, it would be that the handle is so heavy the pan falls over when empty without the lid on it. I will update this review as time and use dictate. (Update 6/2015) Still very happy with the saucepan. Just to clarify earlier comment about pan being unbalanced when empty- Initially I was using a gas stove with burner grates, the pan-tipping-over problem was due to sitting a certain way with the handle over the empty space between grates on burner when empty with no lid. It has no trouble sitting upright on a normal flat surface. I now use an induction cooktop and have not experienced the issue since.

Mostly a Scanpan fan. Bought this because of free delivery . Reasonably heavy heats up evenly. Feels stable when lifting it up. Good buy

I balked at the price tag initially however after receiving this yesterday, and simmering dinner in it tonight I have to say I am impressed. Heats evenly, feels durable and has heft to it. It washed up like a dream leaving no spots behind.

Great little saucepan, perfect for making a small portion of food for infants/babies and great for boiling a small amount of fruit/making sauces. Build quality is suburb and so far, performs well on induction and easy to clean.

These are not non-stick but work well when seasoned and oil added using appropriate temperature. If food sticks(eggs) they are easy to clean.

Beautifully made, quality piece. If I was starting out I would buy the whole set!