I received the Rachael Ray Hard-Anodized nonstick cookware set as an engagement/housewarming gift from my aunt about 7 months ago. My aunt cooks with this product every day and loved it so much that she wanted to get it for me because she was sure that I would like using it. I am a Rachael Ray fan but let’s be honest her meals take a lot longer than the “30 minutes” she advertises them to take, any one who’s ever worked in a restaurant would know that “food prepping” takes a good amount of time. I don’t cook every single day but I do several times a week and I have to say that I do like them a lot so far. They run for about $199.99 (JC Penny’s) to as low as $120.00 for the set depending on where you get them from. I saw this low price on Wal-Mart.com.
The accessories include:
1 x Slotted Turner
1 x Covered Saute Pan
2 x Fry Pan,
2 x Cookie Pans
1 x Covered Stock Pot,
1 x Spatula
2 x Covered Sauce Pan.
When I first started using these I noticed that the bottoms got darkened and stained easily- which I know happens over time but I thought this happened quickly. I then realized that this was most likely because I cook on a high flame like if I am boiling water. Unfortunately with these pans since they are some what cheap you really can’t cook on a high flame. You have to cook at a medium heat and wait basically, which is annoying especially if you’re pressed for time. If you want to cook at a high flame then I would suggest getting a set of cast iron cookware to go along with this set. That way you can have the best of both worlds. When I was cooking pasta tonight I noticed this sort of weird clear film that was coming off the edges of the pot. I scraped some of it off and it almost looked like plastic, I’m still not quite sure what it was. This is really the only thing that I don’t like about this set- the bottoms getting stained I could live with since it’s not like that really shows unless you have them upside down.
These pans are super lightweight and seem very durable so far. The handles are very comfortable and they are burn proof on your hands which is great. I don’t even have to worry about using oven mits with these. They are very easy to clean and definitely are “non-stick” like the packaging reads. I also really like the slotted turner and spatula that it comes with
. They always come clean after use. Some spatulas I’ve used in the past just get grimy and no matter what you do not even a brillo pad can take off some of the stuck-on food from them.
When I clean them about half the time I wash them and the other half I throw them in the dishwasher and they always come very clean, although I read online not to put them in the dishwasher or the coating will come off so from now on I will probably only be hand washing them. This may not be the best pan set- but it is the best pan set for this price based on all the pro’s which certainly outweigh the cons. Since these are Rachael Ray’s products I thought to myself that she wouldn’t be putting her name out their on something that would end up being a piece of junk and I was right. These are worth the money and in the future I would purchase these again or as a gift for someone.
