Looking to buy the new Rachael Ray 10 piece stainless steel cookware set? But want to make sure there are no hidden downsides to it? You are in the right place.
Our reviews cover all the aspects of cookware from construction to the design making sure they are suitable to cook your food.
What’s included?
- 1-Quart Pan
- 2-Quart Pan with Lid
- 6-Quart Stockpot with Lid
- 10.25-Inch Deep Frying Pan
- 3-Quart Saute Pan with Lid
- Wooden Spoon
- Wooden Slotted Turner
Overall the Rachael Ray cookware set comes with a nice rounded set of cookware for versatile cooking, both small and large pans, with lids, a deep frying pan and a sauté pan, you can practically cook whatever you need to in these including deep frying. The only disappointing thing with this set is the lack of utensils, however if you already own a set of utensils this shouldn’t be an issue unless your looking for something matching.
18/0 & 18/10 Stainless steel
First of all, lets start of with the stainless steel alloys. The Rachael Ray Create Delicious Cookware Set is 18/0 (nickel free) on the bottom cap and the walls (interior and exterior) are 18/10 (contains nickel). This brings high performance when cooking food in the pots and pans.
Adding nickel to stainless steel makes it shinier, stronger and more resistant to corrosion which is why they have included it in the walls. They have made it 18/0 on the bottom cap to make the cookware set induction compatible. 18/0 and 18/10 also provides even heat distribution to reduce hot spots leaving your food cooked perfectly all the way through.
Glass Lids
The glass lids have been made with a shatter resistant glass, so you don’t need to worry if you drop it. Not all the pots and pans have lids, it’s just the stockpot, sauce pan and sauté pan .
This is important for anyone who has children or pets that may run around near you whilst cooking. The lids are also dishwasher safe to make cleaning extremely easy.
Handles
The handles have been made out of silicone so they don’t heat up. This is especially important with cookware materials such as stainless steel or cast iron, because they can become extremely hot. You’ll often notice chefs in a commercial environment use a towel to hold their stainless steel pans so they don’t burn their hands.
Well there is no need to do that with silicone handles as they don’t conduct heat. Not only are they silicone but they are rivetted as well to provide extra grip, perfect for home use when dropping a pan could end in a fatal accident. These are included on all the pots and pans.
Oven Safe
These pots and pans are oven safe up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, both the stainless steel and the double rivetted silicone handles are oven safe meaning you can quickly transfer them from the stove straight to the oven making it versatile to cook food with.
Manufacturing
The Rachael Ray cookware is manufactured by Meyer Corp US affiliated companies in Thailand, China and Italy. This may put some people off, but rest assured these manufacturers have strict vetting processes to keep production at high quality.
Design
The design of the Rachael Ray stainless steel cookware set is beautiful. It comes in two different colour schemes, one is stainless steel with light blue silicone handles, and the other has red silicone handles. They have really played off the saying “Less is more” and created an astonishing looking 10 piece cookware set. The light colored wooden handles are the final touch to the design and make it a truly beautiful addition to your kitchen.
Lifetime warranty
The Rachael Ray create delicious stainless steel cookware set comes with a lifetime warranty, which means if it breaks in any way shape or form through no fault of your own then you’ll get a replacement sent. This is something I like with cookware brands as it shows they are made to be extremely durable and the manufactures are confident they won’t break.
We Liked
So overall, the Rachael Ray create delicious stainless steel cookware set is great. What we particularly liked about this was the mixture of 18/0 and 18/10 stainless steel which is strategically placed to make it compatible with induction stoves. Due to stainless steel cookware lasting a long time, it’s not uncommon to change stove types multiple times during the lifespan of a cookware set, and this keeps your options open.
The cookware set is also very versatile, with different sized pans at different depths, it allows you to make a variety of recipes, adding lids makes it even more versatile as it opens up cooking methods such as steaming and reducing sauces.
The silicone handles also add a nice touch to cook food with, I’ve encountered a lot of cookware sets where these are not provided, and it just makes it so much more convenient when they have the silicone handles on. No more reaching for the towel every time you want to hold the pan.
Finally, I love the heat distribution, I’ve tried multiple recipes with this and I get evenly cooked food every time, especially when searing meats which is always my biggest concern when looking for a cookware set. No one wants half a sear…
We Disliked
The first point is that the stainless steel requires seasoning before cooking food, now don’t get me wrong, it’s not the Rachael Ray stainless steel cookware set specifically that requires seasoning, all stainless steel cookware sets require seasoning. Regardless of what the manufacturer says. However, a lot of brands pre-season their products, and this is something that doesn’t come with this cookware set. This is most likely due to them stating that it doesn’t require pre-seasoning. In my opinion, all stainless steel cookware needs seasoning to increase the lifespan. So this is a downside for me.
Lastly is the lack of utensils, I like the fact that they are wooden so they won’t damage your stainless steel, but I really think they should have included more utensils for versatility, they don’t really increase the price much by adding more, and this just means you will have to look for some that match the utensils that come with the cookware set. So this is definitely something I dislike.
Final verdict
Overall, the Rachael Ray stainless steel cookware set is fantastic value. You probably won’t find another stainless steel cookware set that comes with all these features at the same price. It’s strong, durable and versatile, there’s not much more you can ask for.
Yes it does come with a lack of utensils and is not pre-seasoned, but looking at all the benefits that come with these pots and pans, it’s just brilliant value for money.
I personally rated this 5 stars (I am quite generous) but I think the Rachael Ray stainless steel cookware set has definitely earned it.
