All cooks want a nonstick surface, but Teflon is quickly becoming a no go for cooks wary of toxic fumes. Stainless steel may not be as nonstick as Teflon, but if you’re willing to put in some prep work before adding your food, Stainless can be a durable, beautiful option.
It’s durable, has even heating across the entire surface, and requires just a small amount of oil to cook. It has even heating and is made of durable construction that resists warping. A big name in cooking, Cuisinart, has a set of stainless steel cooking tools called the Multiclad Pro, and they could be your answer. Let’s take a look at the details.
Table of Contents
About Cuisinart
Cuisinart began in 1971 with the humble food processor and now is home to cookware sets and kitchen tech designed to make life easier and more efficient. The company has a broad range of options for creating things in the kitchen.
You get a lot of variety with Cuisinart, including pieces that are now household names. Julia Child was an early adopter of the brand, and now households everywhere find convenience and durable construction in the brand.
Multiclad Pro – The Details
The Multiclad Pro cookware set comes in 2 options, but the most common one is the 12-piece.
The Multiclad Pro line is a stainless steel option with classic lines and plenty of options for size and budget. It comes in a range of pots and pans as well as other tools designed to provide a more traditional approach to kitchen equipment.
Construction and Materials
Multiclad Pro is a stainless steel set with an aluminum core to help reduce weight and improve conductivity. It’s considered “tri-ply” or three-layered, with aluminum sandwiched in between two different layers of steel.
The construction isn’t just the base of the pots either. It extends out to the entire body of the pots and pans, allowing for an even heating surface for full pots. The lids use tempered glass and are interchangeable with most of the pots and pans of the same circumference size, so you aren’t searching for everything.
The handles of each piece are also stainless steel and riveted securely to the side of the body. Riveting is more sturdy than welding, so you won’t worry that the handle will snap off in the middle of moving the pot after one too many uses.
The lids are stainless steel as well, and fit tightly enough to keep moisture in the pot but allow a bit of steam to escape for safety and to reduce sogginess. No glass, however, so be sure you don’t mind not being able to see through your lids to check your food.
Design
The design of the set is classic and uses a tapered rim to make pouring easier. If you’ve ever tried to pour from a pot that didn’t have one of these, you know the horror. Luckily, Multiclad has you covered.
The lids fit tightly over your food, and quite a few of the lids in the set are interchangeable so that you don’t have to dig through your drawers. They can be tough to store, but you can find stacking solutions anywhere.
It doesn’t have an official nonstick interior, preferring to go the natural route. This could be good or bad, depending on your preferences. If you like the nonstick versions, this set isn’t for you. However, if you’re looking for a more natural, long-lasting route, this is positive.
The set comes with a few classic pieces in a range of functions. You get saucepans, pots, and other necessities to perform a variety of cooking. They’re easy to store and feature a shiny finish that looks great on the table or in the kitchen.
Performance
The design of the pots helps provide stability and even heating with few issues. Aluminum is a much better conductor of heat, but it can cause scorching and hotspots with high heat. Stainless steel handles higher heats better, preheating and retaining even temperatures.
They can handle some kitchen snafus, including walking away from a hot pan and forgetting for a moment that it’s there. Some cheaper sets will warp pretty quickly, but the MultiClad Pro set handles this kind of issue reasonably well.
The lids offer excellent performance. They fit tightly but in that magic sweet spot where pressure and excess moisture is allowed to escape but food doesn’t dry out. You won’t have to worry about having your food too soggy or too dry.
The surfaces of the pots and pans plus their lids are easy to clean. The interior is basically nonstick, but you may have to use some oil or butter to ensure food doesn’t burn to the bottom. Once that happens, it’s relatively easy to scrape the food off but be sure you use a plastic tool so that you don’t damage your pots.
The handles are long enough to allow you to carry the pans without feeling the heat. They provide excellent stability and balance for carrying, and their riveted construction helps prevent accidental breakage and weak spots.
MultiClad Pro – The Review
I like the MultiClad Pro because it provides a cheaper alternative to some of the premium brands out there, but I don’t have to sacrifice construction or cooking time. The core of the cookware conducts heat well, so there’s less time spent preheating things.
Because the tri-ply construction goes all the way up the sides of the pots and pans as well, it heats well and provides even cooking temperatures even up the sides of the pot. You’ll appreciate that feature when you’re cooking something like soup.
It offers beginner cooks a chance to get a set of cookware that’s durable and varied enough to cover a wide range of necessary kitchen tasks while also ensuring that each has a purpose. They’re reasonably easy to store and fairly easy to clean.
The downside is that stainless steel tends to get protein stains and oil rainbows on the surface. There isn’t much you can do about this, and because the interior is bright, shiny stainless, you may notice them more. The best way to get these stains out is to boil a little vinegar, deglaze the pan to help remove proteins, and pick up some Barkeep’s Friend to help clean stubborn stains.
What’s in the Set?
- Polished cooking surface does not discolor, react with food or alter flavors.
- Cookware also features cool grip handles secured with stainless steel rivets and self-basting, tight fitting lids, Triple-Ply construction...
- Oven safe up to 550F, Rims are tapered for drip-free pouring.
The set is the perfect starter set for new cooks or those making a complete change. When you purchase the MultiClad Pro set, you get:
- 8” skillet
- 10” skillet
- 1,5 -quart saucepan with lid
- 3 -quart saucepan with lid
- 3,5 -quart saucepan with lid
- 8-quart stockpot with lid and steamer
The eight-inch skillet is excellent for cooking small breakfast dishes while the larger skillet goes well with dinner preparations or main dishes. Small sauce pots are perfect for warming side dishes, reheating leftovers, and making smaller soups while the larger saucepan is another great main dish option.
Straight-sided saute pans are a versatile kitchen tool that allows you to cook, brown, sear, and perform several tasks without having juice or liquid spill over the sides. The lid is excellent for those stovetop one-pot meals.
A quality stockpot is one of the best kitchen tools you can have because it allows you to do a lot of prep work for other recipes. You can make soups, stocks, cook whole poultry dishes and a number of different tasks.
Get the MultiClad Pro if:
- you need a full set of pots and pans on a lower budget
- you love the feel of stainless steel and the stainless lids
- you already have some Cuisinart things, and you’re familiar with the construction
- you have an induction cooktop
Stay away from Multiclad Pro if:
- you don’t want to clean stained pans.
- you want something with a faster heating surface.
- you’re ready to upgrade to a premium option
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I care for my stainless steel cookware? – Stainless steel is relatively easy to care for. Make sure you don’t scorch your food and that you take the time to preheat pans before you get started. You can always use a mild scrub, and a plastic tool to get stubborn food up and Barkeep’s Friend also goes a long way to ensuring your finish stays nice for a long time.
- How do I get stains out of the cooking surface? – The first option is to deglaze the pan. Pour a little wine or other liquid into the pan while it’s still hot and gently scrape the proteins off the surface with a plastic tool. After that, you can boil a little vinegar in the pan to reduce cloudiness, and clean with Barkeep’s friend every once in a while to maintain the shine.
- How to I use my MultiClad Pro Cookware? – There is some prep work when working with stainless steel to ensure you don’t scorch your food or have sticking issues. First, preheat your pan and then turn down to low. Add a coating of oil and then add food for the best results. Keep a plastic scraping tool around, similar to the one you’d keep for a cast iron dutch oven, for stubborn food particles.
Investing in MultiClad Pro
The final verdict is that the MultiClad Pro is an excellent option for beginners and those refitting their kitchen with new pots and pans. The set here is a wonderful option because you get a range of useful things and each one is constructed to last.
Make sure you understand what you’re getting into when you invest in stainless steel, but if you’re willing to do the prep work, it can yield some pretty impressive results. Make sure you have time for getting the pan prepped and that you can clean them properly afterward.
The set itself is a good option, and I think you’ll be happy with your decision to invest. It’s a good starter kit, and you’ll be cooking your very own meals in no time.
Last update on 2021-05-29 / This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Add Comment