Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 12" w/Helper Handle Skillet, Inch, Stainless Steel

We were looking for a good stainless steel 8” fry pan, and the leader, the All-clad 3-ply 18/10 SS product is just a little too expensive for us, so Cuisinart seemed to offer good quality stainless at the lower price point (while still being 3-ply and at least 18/8 SS. That said, Cuisinart appears to offer a few choices of product lines. Other than price, I could not assess the quality and design of the pans, so I bought the three choices offered: the ‘Cuisinart MultiClad Pro 8-inch’ (about $30), the ‘Cuisinart Professional Stainless Skillet, 8-Inch’, (about $23) and the ‘Cuisinart 722-20 8-Inch Chef's-Classic-Stainless-Cookware-Collection, 8" (at about $21), Open Skillet’. The Professional and the Classic pans appear to be approximately the same build quality, except the handle of the Professional is more substantial ergonomically (more comfortable), and of a hollow construction - keeping it lightweight. The Classic handle was more of a cast or pressed bar (still pretty good compared to many other pans I have ever held), but clearly the Professional has an advantage in this aspect. The pan ‘build’ of these two pans appears to be a thinner gauge stainless (compared to the MultiClad), with an aluminum / stainless ply bottom somehow bonded to the bottom (a common construction of pan I observe - probably a more economical build). The Multiclad pan is a seamless, contiguous molded or pressed shape; the sides are clearly thicker than the other two. The weights of the pans I measured to be 24.2oz for the 'Professional’, 21.2oz for the Classic, and 29.6oz for the MultiClad. Since I only kept the Multiclad, I only tried cooking with this model, and it’s excellent. i think all three pans are great, well-made pans (for the money), but clearly the Multiclad is the best one.

My most-often used frying pans are cast iron (which I simply adore), but there are some things I like to make that is bad for the seasoning. Sure, I can re-season them (and do), but wanted something a little lower-maintenance. There are many highly-rated multi-clad pans out there, but I'm simply not a good enough cook to justify spending the money for an All-Clad or Made In. Gorgeous though they may be, and possibly superior. I won't know, because this pan is amazing.I have an old solid stainless frying pan that gets a ton of use and never lets me down, but this clad pan - holy hammers, is it nice. From the first thing I made it in, I was blown away. It really does make me a better cook than I am. Cleanup is a breeze. Yeah, it acquires a patina (which seems to be a problem for most of the people leaving negative reviews), but I love that. It's a tool, that gets used, and shows its usefulness with age.I've seen negative reviews about warping and buckling and I've not seen any indication of that. Heck - that old stainless frying pan I talked about earlier? That thing warps over time, so I take it to my garage and hammer it sorta-flat again. Maybe I'm weird, but that doesn't bother me in the least.Simply put - I'm thrilled with this pan. I can get a nice sear on chicken or fish without overcooking it, it cleans up easily, and it looks great hanging on my pot rack.

I have several pieces of high-end cookware with stainless steel interiors. They are fantastic to cook with, but there are a few items like eggs that are far easier to cook in a non-stick pan, so I keep a single 12" pan around just for that.Non-stick pans won't last, even if you are careful to use silicone tools in them, hand-wash them, and most importantly, never overheat them. If you do all of these things, they will last about a year, then start sticking. A little a first, then more as time goes on. I push mine to two years, then replace it with a new one, same size and model.I chose this one because it is multi-layer. It has stainless on the outside with enough carbon in it to work with an induction stovetop. Induction stoves use a strong magnetic field to heat up the pan itself rather than the burner underneath it. They are still relatively rare and expensive, but they work very well and are gaining in popularity. They also require a magnetic pan to work, so this one fits the bill. It will also work very well on all other stove types, of course.The inside layer is thicker and aluminum, which conducts heat much better and more evenly than steel. This makes the pan respond quickly to the burner temperature and helps eliminate hot spots.Finally, the inside layer is layer of non-magnetic stainless coated with a very good quality nonstick Teflon coating. The non-stick coating isn't great for searing, and you won't get any fond with this, but it makes a very forgiving surface for an omelet or thin crepe.It is a great pan, and I've decided it is worth it to me to pay the price for it even though I know it won't last. I like that it responds and is constructed similarly to my other pans, so it isn't much of an adjustment when I use it. It is definitely on the high end of how much you should pay for a non-stick pan. If you want a better value and do not have an induction stove, I highly recommend this one: Farberware Restaurant Pro Aluminum Nonstick 12-Inch Skillet, Silver. It is half the price and still excellent. The Farberware will not work on an induction stove, isn't as heavy, and does not have the stainless layer on the bottom. However, it is a great buy for the money and makes more sense financially given the disposable nature of non-stick pans. If the price of the Cuisinart continues to rise, my next replacement will be the Farberware.Recommended, even though it is on the pricey side.Sean Logue, 2017