4.5 / 5.0 stars. Very nice pan. -Great design for someone with limited abilities (strength/energy)
I have been trying to replace my old worn non stick pans with new pans that (a) won't wear out in a few years, and (b) aren't coated with modern non-stick coatings that I worry could turn out to be as problematic to health as we discovered their Teflon cousins ended up being after enough research was done on them.An additional concern is that my wife has chronic illnesses that drastically limit her energy and strength, and many uncoated materials used for cookware (Like cast iron, glass or pure ceramics) are far too heavy for her to use. Even a 2.5q stainless steel pot we got more recently was too heavy for her to use with any consistency.We got this pan specifically to have a second sauce pan she could use more easily and I am happy to say it has worked out well. That is not to say this pan is flimsy and light weight- on the contrary it feels sturdy and seems to cook evenly due to having enough substance to it. (And this pan is only a few ounces lighter than the other stainless pan that isn't good for her, when weighed: its the way the weight is distributed that makes this pan *feel* lighter and much easier to manipulate for her) What I think makes such a big difference is the handle design. I had been a little skeptical about the handle being so close (and made of metal) before buying this, but it is designed in a way that it does not get hot except the top most piece that sits up closest to the pan itself. (Be sure to cook on the proper sized burner - if you heat this small diameter pan on a wide burner the handle may not sit out far enough to avoid being heated up by the uncovered burner). The handheld design being much like a pitcher makes moving this pot around and draining liquids very easy even for my wife with her limitations. The fact it can be put in the dishwasher since it's stainless is also good so she can drop it in there when finished cooking and not have to use more of her limited energy cleaning it *note: the instructions that came with the pan say to hand wash only despite what the Amazon page claimed. I believe that is because it has an "impact bonded" base (the base plate where the aluminum layer that conducts the heat is a seperate piece that is attached to the rest of the pot) and so there's a chance with dishwasher it that that bottom plate could eventually pop off. I do wish this was a fully clad pot instead of having the impact bonded bottom due to the possibility of a shorter life span, but even though I do use the dishwasher (top rack) on it, I expect to get many years out of this pot.Pros:- the handle: this handle design makes this pot very manageable for my partner to use despite her physical limitations. It also is very comfortable and intuitive for me to use as well. The design of the handle means they place the pour spout directly across from the handle which both makes pouring feel natural and easy, but I imagine equally comfortable for both right and left handed people.- material: 18/10 stainless steel should hold up to a lifetime of use and can be used to cook almost anything.- size: the 2quart size is convenient for coming for 1-2 people and the weight is enough to perform well when coming but to feel comfortable to use even for someone with limited physical abilities.-Straining lid: this is a really nice and convenient feature. My wife does not need to use additional energy to get a strainer out, or scoop noodles out one spoonful at a time. She can easily drain the noodles (or other food) with the lightweight lid and then pour the food easily into her bowl.-dishwasher *possible*. (Stainless won't be hurt in the dishwasher as long as you don't mind occasional water stains on the inside of the pot (they come off if you boil a little vinegar in it if you really) and while I use the dishwasher to clean mine, the instructions that came with it say handwash only likely due to the construction of the bottom of the pan being a possible point of failure over a long time dealing with the harsh conditions on a dishwasher.Cons:-Not totally dishwasher proof based on the instructions sent and thus may not last a whole lifetime if you use the dishwasher to clean it regularly. (It is annoying that the Amazon page did not make this distinction clear).-lid is not oven safe at high temperatures due to being glass (not sure the pot is ideal at extreme oven temperatures either due to the aforementioned "impact bonded" construction), but I have several old pot lids that fit nicely so it should not be hard to find a full stainless steel lid if you need and aren't cooking at extreme temperatures. This should be noted is a feature and not a flaw though: the lid that comes with it being glass is helpful to see the food you're cooking without having to take the lid off and release the steam constantly, and the strainer built in its very helpful.-The impact bonded construction of the bottom surface makes me worry this pan may not be one that lasts for a lifetime (compared to a fully clad tri-ply pan), but I do expect to get many years if use out of it.-There's a little more to learn/ keep in mind when using stainless steel than cheap Teflon pans (this is not something specific to this pan just all stainless steel cookware). However my wife and I did learn how to use it easily enough (see below for tips) and I have had no issues with sticking food/etc, -my wife only had issues once when she drained all the water from some noodles and set the pan down for a few minutes while the pan was still hot causing some noodles to stick (unsurprisingly). She's remembered to avoid that ever since and both she and I are loving this pan.Tips for cooking in stainless steel:- Preheat the pan before adding your food (and ideally get your food out of the fridge and let it warm up in the room temperature for a little bit before adding it. -Use cooking oil before adding food (not needed if you're boiling water for pasta or something of course).If searing meat etc, don't try to turn the meat over too soon -doing so will risk the outer layer on the food sticking and pulling off from the rest of the food and then burning (and food sticks easily to already stuck-on food bits) - once the meat has seared it should naturally release from the pan surface and not take effort to move/flip (assuming you pre heated the pan and used oil as mentioned).- finally, while you don't want to put food in a cold stainless pan, at the same time don't cook on too high a temperature either. This pan heats well and I found I was setting my burners at a lower power setting to get the heat I needed compared to my old junk cookware. If the burner heat is really excessive it will risk burning the food. A decent test is to drop a few drops of tap water into the heating pan. If the water just sits there it's too cold, let it warm more, if the water sizzles and evaporates within a few seconds you're close, if it sort of dances/skates around the pan on its own it's hot enough, and if it almost instantaneously evaporates upon hitting the pan it is too hot. (This test takes some practice to learn what you're looking for but works well once you're familiar with it).These tips should prevent most sticking (and if any does occur you can boil baking soda and water in the pan for a few minutes to make it easy to clean off).-Finally, it's not a great idea to put salt into cold water in the pan (or to leave salt water sitting in a cold pan for long). If you want to salt your water do it *after* the water is boiling to avoid possible pitting of the metal caused by a reaction between the salt, oxygen in the water (at boiling temperatures water has *very* little oxygen in it), and the nickel that makes the steel "stainless".Final verdict: very good little pan and has been a godsend for my disabled wife. My only complaint is I wish that it was full clad instead of impact bonded for the tri-ply parts that distribute the heat since I am not sure if the impact bonded part will last as long. Would recommend.