Cuisinart 755-26GD 5.5-Quart Multi-Purpose Pan Chef's-Classic-Stainless-Cookware-Collection

I've made pasta in it, large batches of sauces, stews, tossed salads in it (pretty easy with the lid on, which has a lip going down into the pot)and found this a good shape overall for many things. I now have three pans in different sizes in this Chef's shape from Cuisinart, in addition to a slew of standard pieces, and find myself reaching for these the most, other than the 8" fry for mushrooms, onions, etc.This is very adaptable and useful pot, does many different things, looks cool, doesn't have a long handle to get in the way of your other pans and is a snap to clean, just like any good Stainless Steel is. Not too heavy, either, which is nice if you have mobility or pain issues with your hands.Seems well made, like all their stuff, the glass lid, a departure for them, lets you see your work without releasing vital moisture, and can provide "waterless" cooking quality seal... there is no vent, which is good if you know what you're doing, not so good if you don't. The lid is domed enough to return condensate to the sides of the dish, which helps cut crusting and sticking, and keeps things most.I don't eat meat, but you should be able to do a small chicken or cornish hens in here and have that come out very very moist.AS WITH ANY STAINLESS COOKWARE, a couple notes: keep the heat LOWER than you're used to with aluminum and other materials. Steel is fast. Keep the food moving. That is normal in any pan, but with stainless, heat transfers quickly, so keep it moving and pay attention to how fast it's searing: you save time and energy with Stainless. Lastly, let is soak before cleaning, usually the duration of your actual dining is quite sufficient and I have never yet needed anything more aggressive than a Dobie Pad or other NYLON scrubby.ALWAYS season new Stainless cookware. Keep it seasoned: this means trying to NOT use soap on the inside, but to use only very hot water and the nylon scrubby or a sponge. It's safe, natural and after several times of cooking, will be as good as teflon but smoother.Use ONLY a sponge on the outside if you can, so you don't scratch the nice finish. This is a good shape, looks like you know what you're doing, even if you're still learning, and should last a long time with a little care.It cooks evenly, quickly, works great. As with any disk/encapsulate cookware, do NOT let the flames from your burner exceed the width of the disc, and don't use it on an electric that is wider than the disc. That's one sure way to mess up or maintain the overall look of your lovely Cuisinart Stainless.It's always on sale for pretty attractive price on Amazon, so... get one! Believe me, you'll use it, even if you have no other Cuisinart Stainless encapsulated Chef's Classic cookware. This is useful.

I have mixed feelings about this pot. On the one hand, I like the quality construction, the glass lid (which seals very well), and the shape. This is my second item in the Chef's Classic line.There are a couple of things about this pot that I don't like, and they are big ones, so that's why I knocked off two stars (meaning I think this pot is just ok, not great and not awful). First, it takes FOREVER for water to boil. Not forever as in 10 minutes, but more like 45 minutes. You're not supposed to use this pan on high heat, so that's at a 6 on my stove, which is the highest I ever turn it up with stainless steel. Second, the base of this pan is significantly smaller than that of a stockpot, which makes it hard to use on the larger burners on my glass top stove. I believe the measurement is in the product description, so that's my fault for not measuring the burner, but I think it's annoying regardless.I guess I would say that if you have to cook something in a hurry, or if you just want it for things like boiling pasta, then keep looking. If you want to use it more like a slow cooker or have a lot of time to spend standing over it and waiting for the contents to get hot, then this is the pan for you. In my kitchen, it will probably only be used for anything that needs to simmer for a couple of hours. I wish I would have sprung for the Multiclad Pro or Calphalon Tri-Ply stock pot instead, even though they are 4-5x the price.Update 6/20/13: I came back to add a star. Since I had decided I didn't like this pan at all, I started using it in ways I wouldn't normally use my cookware. I used a metal whisk in it. I even used a metal hand blender in it. Honestly, I was kind of hoping to destroy it so I could get it out of my house, but it has held up. It has a few scratches on the bottom now, but they seem to be only cosmetic. I have used it as a large mixing bowl for double batches of muffins, and as a popcorn bowl for our air popper (it works great for this because of the large circumference of the top). In terms of cooking, I mostly use it for soup now. If I make something like potatoes in it, I just start them well ahead of when I think I need to. For something I was really disappointed in at first, this has turned out to be a pretty great little pan.Update 1/9/16: Three years in, I love this pan and have upgraded it to five stars. Shortly after I wrote the original review, I did go out and buy a Multiclad Pro stock pot. It's beautiful and a great investment, but do you know which pot I reach for almost every time? This one. It's a workhorse, and it has held up well to almost daily use. If something happened to this pot, I would buy another one in a heartbeat...but at this rate, I'm pretty sure it will last forever.

clean up is easy and looks nice. I use it for chili and soup about once a week holds up great and has a nice quality weight to it. works on gas and electric range.

I've had this pan for four years, and it's held up well so far. It's a fairly medium-to-large size (5.5 quarts) that works well for pasta, soups, and whatnot. The pot is stainless steel, so it's safe for most foods--even, for example, acidic foods like tomato sauces that might turn acquire a metallic taste from cast iron. Cuisinart claims the bottom of the pot contains an aluminum core to distribute heat evenly (wrapped in stainless steel, of course, so only stainless touches the food), which is good--most good cooks recommend stainless steel pots with aluminum or copper cores. My only complaint is that the sides are a bit thin and the pot as a whole feels quite lightweight. If the sides were a bit thicker, I think they might distribute heat a bit better--when you're boiling water and some creeps up the sides of the pot higher than the general water level, it will quickly sizzle and evaporate, and if you're sauteing food, try not to let it touch the sides unless either the pot or food is well-coated with oil, or it may burn and stick. That being said, this is a relatively inexpensive pot, and I wouldn't expect much more. If you want thicker sides, Cuisinart does make some (as do others, I'm sure) where the sides are a bit thicker and also contain an aluminum core for better heat distribution.So, all this considered, this is not a bad pot: it's held up well and is reasonably priced. The bottom of the pot is also nice, but just be warned that the sides are a bit thin, so if that is a problem for you, you may want to go with something that is a bit higher quality.