Kitchen Reviews

This baby cooks up the food using less oil then you would belive. While I am usually a purist I have found this to be a god send where you have a fat conscious person that you are cooking for.

Circulon really makes the best nonstick woks!! I own the 11", 12" and 14" woks. The nonstick coating makes using little oil in stirfrys easy.

You can use high heat to cook, but I find once I heat the wok up on medium high heat, I add the 1 tbsp of oil, then I toss my ingredients in, and it cooks quickly and evenly.

After dishing out the food, if you need to stirfry something else, all you need to do, is to rinse with HOT water (if the wok is hot, use warm to hot water to wash; if the wok is cold or cooled down, use cold water to wash; this way, you won't warp or damage the metals). You really don't need dish detergent, unless you have made something with really sticky sauce.

The large 14" size is really nice; I can cook for 4 people easily in this, and it is a deep enough wok to work properly.

Most American woks are not deep enough. This is close to perfection. The deep sides are critical to making good Chinese food, since it makes it easy to leave food on the sides, while you mix/heat the sauce in the middle.

My 11" wok is still going strong after 12 years, the 14" wok is working fabulously after 9 years, and the 12" wok is working well after 6 years.

I can't say enough about this wok - it makes Chinese cooking so much easier and less fat. Plus the cleanup is SO EASY, fast, with hot water and a nylon scrubber sponge, you really don't need detergent. If you do use detergent, I recommend a very small amount, and let the soapy water soak inside the wok while you eat. After dinner, it takes a couple of swishes and light scrubbing and all food particles come off.

Thank you circulon!

I'll admit out front that I'm a big fan of Circulon cookware. I also love to do stir-fry dishes and I've had a number of woks over the years that always disappointed me. Not so with this big beauty. It is heafty and has lots of room for doing big recipes. The hard-anodized exterior of the wok conducts heat wonderfully and you'll be able to use lower heat settings than with most other pans. That's good because it has a non-stick interior that could be damaged at higher heat levels. You should never need more than a medium-high setting to get a good sear on meats or to crisp up those lovely veggies.

This wok has a flat bottom so it can be used on either gas burners or electric. It is safe and stable. No pesky wok ring is needed (I've always found those rings to be very unstable, anyway).

The high-domed stainless steel lid is as beautiful as it is practical. The handles on both the lid and the wok are oven safe up to 350-degrees F. The wok handles are especially helpful because they are well designed to make handling a heavy wok-full of food safe and easy. I often turn out some stir-fried veggies into a holding bowl so I can then brown some meat. There is never a wobble or slip-up with the handles on this wok.

Clean-up is a breeze, too. Hand-washing is recommended for the pan because of the hard-anodized (HA) exterior. HA should never be put in the dishwasher because the harsh chemicals of the detergent used will cause spotting and discoloration. The non-stick interior can be cleaned up quickly in hot, sudsy water with a nylon scrubber sponge. I also quickly go over the ridged pattern of the non-stick interior with a dish scrubbing brush just to be sure to get out any last bits of food residue. The hard-anodized exterior can be scrubbed with Scotch Brite pads or something similar, if needed. The stainless steel cover should be cleaned with nothing more abrasive than a nylon scrubbing sponge to preserve that mirror bright finish. You could put this lid in your dishwasher, but it will probably come out with a lot of unsightly spots.

I highly recommend this item. Mine has seen lots of use and I'll never be tempted to buy any other wok.

This is a pan that I find most useful, everything from cooking a burger or several eggs to warming a small amount of leftover anything. It is a nice professional weight pan. The ridges in the pan seem to really help in keeping foods from sticking, although I do have problems with eggs sticking if a small amount of butter is not used. I like the smooth curving sides of the pan it makes for easier stirring of the contents. The constructing of the pan is first rate and it takes so little heat that cooking is a breeze. The only flaw that this pan has is that it does not come with a lid.
However I also have an 8-inch Analon Egg Poacher and that lid fits perfectly. Other 8-inch saucepan or stockpot lids from Anolon do not fit because of the curved sides.

Honestly, I've never seen a better non stick pan. I usually buy All-Clad, but at this price, I couldn't resist. The quality is superb and cleaning it takes seconds.

At first I was a bit hesitant after seeing some negative reviews from others on the circulon pans, but at the price I figured I couldn't go wrong. Then the pans arrived. WOW! Heavy Duty, easy on the eye, and a dream to cook with. I highly recommend these. They not only heat evenly and quickly but clean-up is a breeze.

Pros: Good non-stick coating. Ergonomic handle. Perfect size for small jobs. Pouring spouts are useful. Lid is well designed. Thick bottom helps evenly distribute heat and cut down on burnt hot spots. Easy to wash inside.

Cons: Sides of pan are a bit thin and do not compare to circulon's higher end ware's heft. Lightness of pan will make it easier to knock over- which would be a hazard. Outside may discolor with use. Circulon ridges are only on the bottom of the pan and are quite shallow are probably useless at best. Cannot be used in the oven due to plastic handles. Lid does not seal due to pouring spouts (it should have been designed so that a seal would be enabled if you rotate the lid halfway)

Conclusion: A good pan for the price, but I had expected more with the brand name. It appears to more of a "generic" saucepan which are quite common.

Recommendation: Buy this pan if the price is right and you cannot find a higher end pan (I have Analon) in this small size at a reasonable price. Don't waste money on overpriced small melting pans- they are nonstick and cost mucho $$.

This is now my favorite saucepan. It is just the right size for cooking vegetables, eggs, etc., for one or two people. It's substantial, and the pouring spouts on the lid are wonderful. I wish Cirulon would design more of its cookware with lids like this!

My experience with pots/pans is fairly extensive. I have used the cheapest THIN aluminum to higher end stainless steel cookware. I was looking for a 1-qt. non-stick saucepan w/lid and this fit the bill perfectly. The non-stick surface is just that. I burned some sauce and cleanup was easy--although the circular grooves in the bottom needed a little extra attention. This pan is heavy duty, but not too heavy. The handle is cool to the touch and is comfortable. The pouring spouts are very convenient, but they don't allow the lid to "seal" the top, if that is what you need.

I have no complaints and would recommend this to anyone.

This dinnerware set was exactly what I was looking for... a simple white set that I can mix and match with anything and that wouldn't overpower my food. If I spend two hours making something, I want it to be oogled at, not the plate. Drawbacks: Target sells this product in the store, but not in a set. They sell all the pieces of the set in seperates. Pricewise this works out the same as you would pay for the items in the set but you don't get a box and have to go to the store and pick up all items and stack them in your cart. This is a really hassle if you're trying to build a set for eight. On the bright side, at least you aren't paying the over 20$ in shipping charges. Be careful when going through the store to get the pieces. When I went to target (about three different stores), I found that because the pieces were unpacked, they were also chipped and/or scratched. Make sure you examine all the pieces you're buying! Also, I noticed that some of the pieces have imperfections such as a warped or crooked bowl. Put them in a pile and make sure they stand straight on each other... if they look slightly wobbly, there's a good chance you have an irregular shaped piece.... This is very un-attractive on the dinner plates especially. Added benefit to all this hassle? ...you get the buy the pieces you really need. I bought a set that made sense... dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl, mug. Why pay for the nappie? what really will you use such a small bowl for anyway? Since I saved money on the nappies (1.49$ a piece at target), I spend that money one a few serverware pieces like the big bowl, a handful of pasta bowls, and the larger server platter. Once again, who really uses a creamer? and what will a most people do with those silly little condiment dishes? The round serverware platter is a slightly larger then dinnerplate thing and is truelly not worth it anyway. Overall, this is an extrordinary set. It's beautiful, sleek, simply, convinient, and durable. You can't beat it for the price.

I purchased the 20 pc dinnerware set with the 9 pc matching serverware set. This is a solid set! Everything about it is classic, simple, and timeless. It's very well made, thick and heavy like the dinnerware you see in diners. The beauty of owning a set like this is that it truly does have a timeless feel. I doubt I'll ever grow tired of these plates and dishes.

I priced a similar set at Williams-Sonoma, the "basic". Very similiar and both are well made but I opted for this set because it came with mugs instead of cups and saucers. And also because it was cheaper.

Why go fancy when simple is all you need?

I looked everywhere for just the right dinnerware. I liked this when I saw it on the website and could not believe how much nicer it was when it arrived. It is classic and elegant. I display this (and the completer set) in my china hutch and it looks beautiful. It is sturdy and comes out of the dishwasher looking great.

Very nice cooking pan, the non-stick is the best I have seen. The bottom thickness could be a little bit better. Good looking pan for hanging! Enjoy.

The Cuisinart 10 1/4" nonstick stainless steel skillet is a bargain. You will find yourself using this skillet almost daily for routine chores. I love stainless, but I like the convenience of a nonstick interior. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find a truly sturdy, high quality, dishwasher safe stainless skillet with a nonstick interior.

I am totally satisfied with this skillet for several reasons. First, the nonstick lining is extremely tough, and is difficult to scratch (don't use metal tools, if at all possible); second, the stainless and copper base layering provide very even heat across the bottom of the pan for optimal cooking; and third, cleanup is extremely easy. It is dishwasher safe, which to me is a huge plus, but it is also a breeze to clean up by hand.

I would recommend this skillet to anyone without reservations, and am planning on buying other sizes in the series as my older cookware expires. Thank you, Cuisinart!

Cuisinart cookware is durable, lightweight and most important cooks evenly especially on a gas stove. I have tried others but always come back to Cuisinart.

This is an excellent pan for the price. The handle is long in order to prevent it from getting too hot and it is wide and fits the hand extremely comfortably. I've cooked meats, eggs, steamed, braised, and even baked with this pan and although it cooks a bit hot, it does all these things extremely well. These Cuisinart pans are solid, heavy, and very durable. They should provide years of excellent service. I own several All-Clad pans and these Cuisinart pans are not in that league. The Cuisinart pans are spot welded and although the literature assures they are dishwasher-safe, I recommend hand-washing them in order to preserve the integrity of these welds and to keep their finish shiny. (These are by far the best looking pans at this price.) However, that this pan would even elicit comparisons with All-Clad products indicates that in this price range, you simply cannot do any better.

This pan is more useful than I ever imagined. We bought it because it was cheap and we use it all the time.

All of the cuisinart everyday stainless cookware is great. Stainless construction with a sandwich bottom to conduct heat better is the only way to go.

It's just the right size for cooking hot dogs - even the bun-length ones. You can fit several in at once. OK, so I'm not a gourmet cook, but it does a good job and is very good quality. It even looks good.

I am single and when I cook for one or two I enjoy this Cuisinart Food Processor. It is easy to clean and doesn't take up a lot of space. Excellent for dicing or pureeing tomatoes, herbes, and vegetables from my summer garden for sauces too. When I have extra I just add some olive oil to the batch and instant pesto. I can freeze the pesto for later use. The food processor has plenty of power for those smaller jobs.

I purchased this attachment when I bought a much needed new blender and am glad I did. It is small, but I didn't need a large food processor taking up valuable cupboard space. It is a great size for chopping vegetables, etc. If I have a lot to do, I simply chop in batches. I would recommend this to family and friends. I think the blender/processor would make a wonderful wedding gift.

Nothing more needs to said.

I just splurged on the 13-piece set. I have bought individual non-stick pieces previously and have been very pleased. A major differnece with this cookware is that, if necessary, you can put the non-stick cookware in the dishwasher. Other non-stick cookware such as Calphalon prohibit this.

Pluses: 1)Cookware heats up very quickly and evenly 2) non-stick surface works great and can go into dishwasher 3) Size of pieces in set is large 4) See through lids are great on the saucepans,others are solid.

Minuses: 1)Would have preferred 1.5 qt non-stick saucepan to be included, works great with burnt milk. 2) 2qt casserole pan is not needed-prefer Le Creuset for this purpose 3) 5 1/2 qt saute pan is HUGE, but would have preferred a non-stick coating to make cooking easier. Stainless surface allows in to go into oven (although non-stick pans are stable to 450 F!) 4) Comes in plain cardboard box.

Overall I love this cookware. I can afford more expensive cookware but I love the value. Distribution of pieces could be better, but that is true of any multipiece set.

I purchsed the thirteen piece set for a wedding gift for my daughter. She gave me a seven piece set of the cookware in 1982. I have used these pieces daily, and they still look almost new, and they are easy to keep clean. Cooking with them is efficient because of the construction of the bottom. They work very good on my glass top electric range. The bottoms have not warped as some pans do. My daughter knew how satisfied I was with the set I have, and when I asked her if she would like them for a wedding gift, she immediately said yes. I cannot imagine anyone who would not enjoy cooking with this cookware.

Just received this set for Christmas and I love it. It cleans very easily. There are no "hot spots" so everything cooks evenly no matter where it is in the pan. I love the fact that it can go from stove to oven to table to dishwasher. Nothing could be better. A double boiler the same size as the steamer would be a great plus.

Thanks again for a great product at an affordable price.

The blender feature of this is excellent (5 stars)... it does not splash what you are mixing out onto the counter. It is also quiet and the two speeds are great.

The down sides are:

1). It does an extremely poor job (one star) of whipping small quantities of whipping cream. Models with a separate 'whip' attachment are better suited for whipping small quantities of cream. The enclosed recipe calls for a cup, and under a cup just won't work, so technically it does exactly what it says it will. Other models with a separate whip can whip < 1/4 cup of cream easily.

2). This is one-piece tool and cannot be put in the dishwasher.

This is a nifty little item! I bought it to make a quick smoothie or blended drink and it was fast and easy to use. The cup included is OK but I just use the glass I'm going to drink from. Less to wash. It struggles a bit with frozen strawberries and I think ice cubes would really dull the blade in a hurry. But for most anything else it's great. I'll use it next time I make split pea soup to help with smooth consistancy.

Spot blending? Yes, indeed. I do quite a bit of cooking and this little appliance has really been handy. It will whip cream, in small amounts, without having to get out the stand mixer and clean all the attachments. It blends soups right on the stovetop, no more ladeling hot potato leek soup into the blender. It does not seem to do well for whipping egg whites. It quickly blends milkshakes (I haven't used it on anything completely frozen) and stores in a drawer out of the way. Rinses clean after use, and no worries about removing sharp blades to clean. Yes, this is a very nice treat to have in the kitchen, and I think it would make a great gift!

A very handy pot for sauce making, particularly if you need to reduce liquids quicly. The shape allows easy access for a whisk, spoon, spatula etc. The pan heats quickly and evenly. Because it's not as heavy as high-end (i.e., expensive) pans it doesn't retain heat as well, so you have to use some additional care in use; but, if you're making sauces, you're probably standing over the pan the whole time anyway, so this is a minor quibble.

The reason for giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is: 1) the handle is spot welded on rather than riveted, and, 2) it's not as thick as the very top of the line sauce pans (Falk, All-clad, etc) and may not take as much abuse over time. If you plan to use this as one of the workhorse pans in your kitchen, then consider buying a heavier saucier with a riveted handle (but you'll spend a LOT more).

But, if you're like me and most home cooks, this pan will be just fine for everyday use, and the price can't be beat for a pan of this quality.

Great sauce pan. Great value at this price.

With a full complement of cooking utensils, mostly All-Clad, some Caphalon, Kitchenaid, Revere, a bit of Neova, and half a dozen pieces of Spring copperware--copperclad stainless-lined cookware from Switzerland that my mother called "the kitchen jewelry" and which was priced accordingly, I thought I would NEVER need another pot.

I was wrong--well, sort of.

Actually, it was my husband who needed it after I bought him a gourmet Italian ice cream and gelato maker. This was the style of pot recommended for cooking the custard base--and we didn't have one.

SCIENCE BEHIND IT: The sloped sides of this pot end in a smaller pot bottom. For cooking custards and cream/milk based sauces, and for reducing any sauces without scorching, this pan is unparalled, especially when used with a flat-bottomed spoon or one of the silicon Le Creuset utensils. (In a pinch, you can substitute any spatula of the kind you use for non-stick cookware.) The lid (which is included) makes this pot even more versatile.

BOTTOM LINE: If you already have and like to use a double-boiler for milk/cream-based sauces and custards, you don't need this. However, if you have doubts or reservations, the price on Amazon makes purchasing this saucepan an affordable risk. My bet is that you'll find it a useful addition even if you rarely make dairy-based sauces or custards. I like it for cooking hot cereal, too!

My only wish is that they offered a larger version. FYI, Amazon does carry a 3 qt. version in Calphalon hard-anodized. If size (2 qt is on the small side) is a question for you, check that out as well before you make a decision.

NOTE: If you have a ceramic cooktop, this will fit right in, because it has a smooth bottom with a rounded edge--not one of those disks--and thus it won't scratch. Of course this saucepan will also work on any other style of cooktop.