Cuisinart French 10-Pc Stainless Cookware Set

What I love: first, they are Stainless Steel, no more worrying about touchy, delicate no-stick that will need replaced in 5 years, or enamel that can't be used for browning without permanent staining. Then the mirror finish: Shiny, lovely, and making it easy to clean. The beautiful classic design - classic, straight sides, curved bottoms make stirring with whisk and spoon a breeze, no square corners to make stirring difficult. The well designed and proportioned handles with the rounded edges don't cut into the palm, the thumb dimple is great for placement and the graceful curve moves the handles up and away from the heat. These are heavy pans, nice and thick, the same specifications as the American Brand, the same thickness, heavy enough to distribute the heat properly, but not too heavy to lift full of food. Things don't burn easily, fond develops beautifully. They look beautiful on the hob, and they make cooking more fun, knowing I can stick them in the dishwasher, not have to spend hours cleaning up. Ironically, I CAN put them in the dishwasher, but these are so much easier to clean by hand than my previous non-stick pans, so I wind up doing exactly that more than I expected. These also cost less than the premium paid for the American brand or other European brands, so it is much easier to make the leap to Stainless Steel. The set is well thought out. The lids for the main pans are interchangeable, making it so much easier to grab a lid that fits. I have purchased both sets - as the saucepans in each set are different, the choice of pans in each set mesh perfectly with the other set, and the individual pieces available. I have purchased both sets and the few necessary pans that don't come in either set - including a double boiler (Bain Marie), a large Sauté pan and large skillet, and several other saucepans to fill out a perfect kitchen set for me. It is also good that several of my other Cuisinart pans have glass lids that can be shared as need, and the Cuisinart Classic steamer also fits both sets. These are made in France, which have a far better quality control records, so they don't have the issues from certain other brands - are we really sure exactly what metal is being used in Chinese factories? It does make them slightly more expensive than the comparable model made in China, but worth it to me. Not as expensive as certain other European brands, although, not ruling out going that way at some point, so makes them perfect for me at this point. Cons: the only con I have found so far isn't really a con for me. These have classic French design, so there are no rolled lips at the edge to help with pouring. This really isn't an issue for me, and the skillets that are in this design - but not this set - DO have rolled lips, so if that is something you need, you can purchase them separately. I actually prefer the slightly deeper, straight edged French skillets that come with the set, so win-win! The only other con is that I have been unable to obtain the 12" French Skillet, which I would love to have, and a large shallow steamer with the matching handle, but neither of these cons have anything to do with this set, which is a perfect starter set, if you don't need the pasta insert/steamer - which is available in the 13 pcs set. I did a great deal of study, purchased test pans from several sets, actually planned out a "necessary pans list" and priced out several different sets using the list. Given specifications, prices, performance on my tests - including comparisons with burning butter, boiling water an the like - these pans met, even exceeded in some cases, much costlier pans, for performance, obviously for price, and ultimately, for sheer beauty. Very happy with my choice! Addendum: I have had these a year now, and the honeymoon continues, still very much in love with these pans, and would buy them again in a heartbeat. I wanted to add a comment on the stockpot. I have been using it weekly, and have been making chicken stock so often that I am now searching for a larger stockpot - unfortunately there is not a French Classic triply in either 12 qt or 16 qt 😢 so I have been reviewing others. I have noticed on many stockpots the handles are round, and cut into the fingers when lifted and many are very narrow so that it is very easy to touch your knuckles against the pot when lifting, and too narrow for gloved hands. So, I must praise this stockpot! The handles are wide enough that I can use my my silicon mittens when I need to - they do get a bit warm after 6 hours of simmering stock - they are a nice, flat surfaces no cutting into my fingers when lifting full of chicken stock, and extend out far enough from the pot that I have not burned my knuckles once when moving or lifting a hot pot. Also, this 8qt stock pot, when filled almost to the top, will completely submerse standard length dry spaghetti without the need to break it in half, Yea! Love these pots!💗