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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program UPDATED: See new note at end of the original review.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: This is my first experience with Rachael Ray cookware. When I removed the cookware from the set, I first noticed how light weight it was. I then noticed the attractive orange handles and the beautiful clear lids. It's not high end cookware, but it would be welcome in many or most homes.
I used the skillet to saute tofu and it browned nicely even at a medium heat level. I didn't use any oil in the pan and just let the tofu do its thing. I have also sauteed vegetables using just a touch of water without added oil and it also worked out beautifully.
I heated some almond milk for chai and forgot about it. That could have resulted in quite a mess with some other types of cookware, but it cleaned up quickly and still looked brand new.
What I liked:
* The design is very modern and attractive.
* The glass lids have a sturdy rim that is designed so food will not be easily trapped
* The orange handles are non-slip and easy to grip, and they keep very cool while cooking
* The small size pots are very handy, and the 6 quart stock pot is a nice small-size stockpot that I'm finding a much better size for my use.
* Cleanup was super easy
What I didn't like:
* The pots seem to be about half the thickness of most of my other pots and pans. While I don't think they would dent easily if dropped, they don't have a sturdy, well made feel to them.
* When compared to my Calphalon, they also do not have the same quality hard anodized finish on the outside.
* The nonstick coating doesn't feel as high quality as other brands. So far, so good though!
* The pans do not have a thick bottom, and seem to heat unevenly. My food scorched quickly, so cooking time and technique will vary from my other cookware.
I think this would make a great starter set for someone just starting out on their own. Despite the few flaws (IMO) that I noted above, I am enjoying using this cookware and cooking just became a little more fun!
EDITED TO ADD: I've had this cookware for about a year and a half and am throwing it away. When I started using the skillets more frequently, I noticed that I felt weird. We know that nonstick cookware should not be used on high heat, but I barely used the skillets over medium heat and they emitted chemicals into the air. I've used T-Fal skillets on much higher heat without any ill effects. Every time I used the Rachael Ray skillets, I felt light headed and just weird. I tossed the skillets a long time ago. Now I'm discarding the other pieces. The saucepans and stock pot just haven't held up well. The handles are loose and feel unsafe now. I also got tired of the uneven heating, which I mentioned in my original review. The exterior finish also scratches easily. They feel dinky. To me, the tradeoff of low price vs quality was just not worth it.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program WHAT IS IN THE SET1Qt Saucepan Plus a Tempered Glass Lid
2Qt Saucepan Plus a Tempered Glass Lid
3Qt Sauté pan Plus a Tempered Glass Lid (The lid for this pan also fits the 10 inch Skillet)
6Qt Stockpot Plus a Tempered Glass Lid
8.5-Inch Skillet
10-Inch Skillet
All these items are made from anodized aluminum, with non-stick inner surfaces (discussed later) and have rubber handles.
WHAT I LIKED
This is a very attractive set, with a lot of attractive features. The orange handles go well with the black anodized surfaces and the black non-stick coatings. The handles are riveted on and appear to be quite well attached, and there is a lifetime warrantee if the handles loosen. There are metallic insert holes in the handles so the pans can be hung up and these metallic areas and metallic rivets and non-coated areas of the handles make a nice contrast with the other parts of the pots and pans. The tempered glass lids appear to be thick enough to resist easy fracturing and should hold in some steam when in use. Being made of aluminum these pots and pans are lightweight and have good thermal properties (they heat up more rapidly and have a better heat distribution than stainless steel). The handles are comfortable. So far the non-stick coating is doing its job and shows no signs of wear, but with any non-stick coating there is always a question of the durability of the coating. It will take some time to fully evaluate this and I plan to update this review when the pots and pans have been in service longer.
CAVEATS
Based just on the above listed features I would give this set five-stars, but there are some caveats that have caused me to only be able to give it four-stars.
The instruction booklet is very brief (actually only a single folded page) and covers many different sets, with do way of identifying which description goes with which set. This is important with regards to the non-stick coating. The booklet describes PTFE (Teflon type material), but does not specifically state which sets are lined with this material. At least one reviewer was under the impression that the "non-stick" appellation used with this set was referring to the anodized coating, but I believe that this is in error. The exterior of the pots and pans are anodized black, on a smooth aluminum surface. The interior is also black, but a bit darker and rough, typical of PTFE coatings. Thus, I believe that the interior is PTFE. If this is incorrect I hope that the manufacturer will correct this impression via the comment section and I will correct this review appropriately. This is very important because if the pans are PTFE they cannot be used under a broiler, as the coating will degrade releasing very harmful vapors. This is a somewhat moot point because the rubber handles also prevent the use of these pans under a broiler. The PTFE coating will also release harmful vapors if the pans are heated without liquid in them or if the liquid is allowed to evaporate and the pans allowed to overheat. Whether or not the pots and pans are PTFE lined is also important because some people prefer not to cook with this material.
The handles are rubber coated, limiting their use in an oven to only 350F. If they were made of silicone then a slightly higher use temperature (400F) would be possible.
The 3Qt Sauté pan does not have a small handle in addition to the primary one. I went to the trouble to look at a number of other sets and find that 4 and 5Qt pans generally have such handles and so do stainless steel 3Qt pans, but 3Qt aluminum pans generally do not. The lack of an auxiliary handle is thus typical, but I still find the lack of such a handle to be somewhat limiting. Three quarts of water weighs six pounds, so a full pan would weigh more than this (because of the weight of the pan and even more if the lid were used). I tried this and found that a full pan was too unwieldy to use without the extra handle. Fortunately, in making sauces one would generally not fill up the pan, but the point is that it is unsafe to try to move the pan from the stove if it is filled with too much liquid.
There is no pouring spout on any of the pots. We have pots that have spouts and we find this to be a useful feature, which I would have liked these pots to have had.
These caveats may not concern you and if so please disregard them and consider the set as rating 5-stars.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I would like to start this review by acknowledging the fact that I do have fairly expensive tastes when it comes to cookware and favor heavy cooper or stainless steel pots and pans, mostly those made in France. However, since my passion for cooking (and kitchenware) is well known to my friends and family I am often called upon to offer suggestions to others seeking their first set of "grown-up" cookware. When I got the chance to try out this Rachael Ray set I was excited and overall, I have been pleased with it.The Rachael Ray 10 piece set is very attractive with it's stylish lines and colorful handles. It's hard anodized nonstick surface is far more advanced than those that I used when I was younger that had the tendency to scratch, chip, or peel off. Still, I would not recommend using metal utensils with any nonstick cookware. Except for the two skillets each piece came with a well fitting see-through lid and one of them will fit the larger skillet as well. The 8" omelet pan is a favorite size for me and I use it for everything from a simple grilled cheese sammie to a quick sauce. The assortment should fit most small family's needs except for maybe the absence of a roasting pan with a rack.
My only complaint is that they feel fairly light and thin to me. When I sauteed or did a stir fry in the Rachael Ray pans I had to be careful to not burn the ingredients. I had a similar issue when cooking stews in the larger pots. However, when I used less heat than I am used to they worked well, it just took a little longer to finish the dish. As far as value goes, I have to be honest and say that a smart shopper could do better. I am fortunate to live near an outlet mall that has a Calphalon store as well as some other well known brand kitchenware stores. I have found sets with a similar assortment of pots and pans that were heavier and better built for about the same price. However, I would still recommend this set to someone who needs an easily available starter set as they are worth the money and should last quite a while.
Honest reviews on Rachael Ray Hard Anodized II Nonstick Dishwasher Safe 10-Piece
Purchase this from amazon 4 years ago still using it today,still looks like new,would recommend to anybody that likes to cook and likes a quality cookware setFind helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Rachael Ray Hard Anodized II Nonstick Dishwasher Safe 10-Piece
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This is overall, a well-made set of pans that has a modern, attractive look most kitchens would be proud to have these on display. The set consists of:1Qt Saucepan with a Tempered Glass Lid
2Qt Saucepan with a Tempered Glass Lid
3Qt Sauté pan with a Tempered Glass Lid that also fits the 10 inch Skillet
6Qt Stockpot with a Tempered Glass Lid
8.5-Inch Skillet
10-Inch Skillet
The pots are well made and the handles riveted on. They are light-weight (which means they aren't overly thick I am not about to drop one to see if it dents, but I do have my concerns).
The sizes of the pans are well thought out. I like to have the smaller skillet if I am just frying a couple of eggs, or the larger one for sauteing food for a family meal. The stockpot is a decent size and having 3 sizes of pan makes it very versatile. None of the pans has a pouring spout and that would be nice, particularly on the smallest one, that is most likely to be used to heat pourable quantities of liquids.
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