I purchased these pots and pans for my daughter she was so thrilled to have a set of stainless steel cookware after hearing how teflon can be dangerous to your health. She said "Mom the cookware is so beautiful"!

They look nice, but don't fry well. Am still challenged by the lower heat/temperature to use, and the amount of oil needed.

As another wrote, which was helpful to me, I strongly suggest reading and adhering to the manual before using -- wash well in hot soapy water before first use and use lower heat than you would on other pans. It takes a bit of heating time before adding the oil to begin cooking.

If you have a difficult to remove problem, bring some vinegar to boil in the pan, add some baking soda, and remove to soak for awhile. I use Bonami to gently scrub the remaining tough spots.

UPDATE 11/12/08

Well, I don't think shiny stainless steel is the best for frying. I've read more about pans since the last posting and found that shiny cookware reflects the heat away. Perhaps if they polished these to a neutral grade, not shiny, they would perform better. Don't know if it is the shine, or the stainless steel that is the source of the problem. I've bought good 'ole $10-a-pan cast iron to do my frying in.

Am considering buying standard restaurant-style aluminum pots, as well. I simmered some black beans in the 3-qt. the other day, and they actually had little sticky bits that I had to scrub away with Bonami. Weird, for just cooking up some beans.

If purchasing now, I would shop for a different set, something with a dull finish, titanium non-stick, try one of the new 'green-pans' to see how they perform, or just pay the double price for the higher-end Cuisinart Multi-clad set.

I've owned these for a few months now. I can't figure out what you can cook with them that doesn't stick like crazy. You can cook on a low temperature with a 1/2" of oil or butter in the bottom of the frying pans, and yet food still sticks! You may be able to saute some veggies in oil, but forget browning potatoes (they will end up mashed), and don't even try eggs... they are a disaster. I don't want to be an "artist", I just want some hot food that I don't have to chisel off the bottom of my pots and pans.

Even if you are merely boiling water for mac-n-cheese with the small pots, you better be stirring CONSTANTLY. The noodles in contact with the bottom of the pot will stick fast.

There is a reason Teflon was invented. If you like to chisel food off the bottom of your pans when cooking or washing, get these. If you want no-stick, avoid. My $20 Coleman camping cook set does a better job than these.

This is a great set. I bought it to replace my T-fal non-stick cookware because of all the news reports about non-stick Teflon particulates coming off and the possibility of causing cancer. Let me address some of the concerns I read in other reviews...First off, it doesn't burn food as some of those 1 star haters describe. You just have to know how to watch and cook your food. Second, all food does not stick to it. A little Pam goes a long way. Scrambled eggs and bacon come out just fine. Over easy eggs do stick a little but it is manageable. For those concerned about this and don't like to tend and maneuver their food during cooking I recommend keeping a small non-stick pan on hand. Third, they are not hard to clean. Soak for a few minutes in Dawn dish detergent and food comes right off. Sure, you can't take them right off the stove and into the dishwasher and expect them to come out gleaming. Most stuff needs a pre-rinse and most people should know that. Fourth, they are not, "thin cheap pieces of junk." They are good quality stainless. I ask this, how thick do you want your cookware to be? If your looking for heavy cast iron weight or $1000 dollar cookware, this may not be for you. For most of us its just fine. As for those who claim copper coated is the best, think again. This cookware is rated at 550 degrees. That means you can cook at high heat and stick them in the oven. Copper can't do that. The handles are great too, I can grab the pan while cooking and not worry about it burning me. The only thing I would have liked is glass lids so I can see the food cooking but that's just personal thing and I can manage. I hope this helps a bit :-)

Love the product but things tend to stick to these pans, so keep your non stick pans but just add these to your kitchen.