Product Description

Endorsed by none other than the legendary French chef Paul Bocuse (the only restaurateur in the world to be awarded the prestigious Michelin 3 Stars for over 36 consecutive years), Cuisinart's Chef's Classic stainless cookware is high quality, yet affordable. Unlike many lines of cookware, it can go in the dishwasher for clean up, yet the aluminum core within the base provides even and efficient heating. This covered saute is useful for simmering, sauteing and skillet dinners. It's equipped with a helper handle to make life easier.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2908 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Cuisinart
• Model: 733-30H
• Released on: 2003-03-01
• Dimensions: 4.70" h x 12.70" w x 21.40" l, 7.50 pounds

Features

• 5-1/2-quart stainless-steel sauté pan; mirror-finish exterior with matte interior
• Aluminum-encapsulated base for excellent conductivity and even heat distribution
• Stay-cool, stainless-steel riveted handle with helper handle to ease lifting
• Tight-fitting cover locks in moisture and nutrients for more flavorful foods
• Oven-safe up to 550 degrees F; broiler, freezer, and dishwasher-safe; lifetime warranty

Customer Reviews

A great pan at a great price
This Cuisinart Chef's Classic saute pan has quickly become my favorite pan. It's huge - a full 12" across - which makes it very versatile. The pan conducts heat extremely well and is oven safe to 500 degrees. The handle is very sturdy, reasonably comfortable, and stays cool (outside of the oven, of course). The lid fits tightly. Both the interior and the exterior are very shiny and attractive. All this and it's easy to clean. Yet this pan sells for just a fraction of the sexier brands like All-Clad or Calphalon.

The chief reason for the great price is due to the construction. This is known as a "disk bottom" pan because it has a highly conductive aluminum disk embedded in its base. The really expensive brands feature "cladding", where a layer of conductive metal (usually aluminum) is embedded throughout the entire pan. Although the cookware industry loves to say that disk-bottom pans are inferior, test after test proves this claim is untrue. After all, we don't cook on the sides of a pan; we only cook on the bottom. See Cook's Illustrated magazine, May/June 2003, for a great discussion of this.

There are a few reasons why this pan might not be right for you. This pan's size makes it fairly heavy, so if you have arthritis or weak hands, you might want to opt for a smaller pan. Similarly, this pan might not fit on those tiny stovetops or ranges that you sometimes see in "galley" kitchens in apartments. But if you want a large, durable, high-quality saute pan at a fraction of the cost of the big-name brands, this is the pan for you.

5-Stars for the Pan...0-Stars for Amazon Packaging
All my Chef's Classic cookware looks and cooks wonderfully well and is normally a breeze to clean up. This Monster pan is no exception. Weighing in at close to 10 lbs., it is the senior edition of the highly rated Cuisinart 3 1/2-Qt. Saute Pan. If you have a small range, the size of this (a full 12" accross) may crowd out some other burners, so beware.

I discovered thet the dome cover for the shallow Cuisinart 12" 'everything' pan also fits this pan and thus makes it a good candidate for a dutch oven.

Now for the bad news: Amazon did not see fit to ship this within a padded box. As a result, the pan arrived with a dent in the 'dripless' rim. I will likely not return it, but will give Amazon some 'direct' feedback.

(9/15 Update): Amazon made a very positive and 'generous' response to my complaint. Thank you Amazon! Also, both the 3 1/2 Qt. and 5 1/2 Qt. saute pans are on 'super' sale. Do yourselves a favor and buy both.

(9/23 Update): Because of the lower 'super' price (currently $27.99), I ordered two more as gifts. One shipped with the Cuisinart retail box packed in a nicely padded Amazon box and the other was shipped only in a Cuisinart retail box that had split open. Fortunately there were no dings or dents since this is a very sturdy, hefty item. I wonder if Amazon owns the warehouses its goods ship from? If it does, Amazon needs to try for consistency in its packing.

02/09/06: Here's an oddity: After several 'hefty' price hikes, Amazon is now hawking this 'monster' pan for $5 less than the 3 1/2 quart pan. Go figure!

This is my favorite pot by far
You might think 5 1/2 quarts is too big for anyting other than occasional use.....but you'd be amazed at what this pan can do. Naturally, it's perfect for saute and it's also great for making everything from rice pilaf to boiling bagels to poaching fish to braising asparagus.

Ir's durable and beautiful, the lid fits perfectly, and the mirror finish makes it easy to see into the pan (which is something that doesn't happen with dark anodized aluminum poats.)

It's almost always the one I reach for first!