Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was almost scared off by some of the reviews here, but I took a chance and was not disappointed. You will see a quite the gamut among the negative reviews: Hard to clean Doesn't heat well Burns the food Starts fires etc If you have never owned any stainless steel or clad cookware then I encourage you to research it further before buying this. This isn't a good choice for a starter into the stainless realm. Stainless does take some extra care to clean, but when used correctly will produce excellent results. For starters this is a pan designed for stir frying. That is a cooking technique that uses very high temperatures and very short cooking times. You MUST use the proper type of oil when cooking at these temperatures. Research the smoke point of your oil before tossing it into a hot stir fry pan. If you use Olive Oil in a stir fry on high heat you will likely cause the oil to flash over and start a fire, like some of the reviews here have stated. If you use the wrong oil and set your pan on fire is it really the fault of the pan? No it's the fault of the owner for not knowing what the heck they were doing. Pam, butter, lard and EVOO are not suitable for the higher heat of stir frying. Traditionally soybean or peanut oil is used in Asia for stir frying and has a fairly high smoke point. Safflower oil is also another good choice and is easier to find in the grocery store. Use the right oil and you will have great results without burning the pan, food or yourself. For cleaning I like to use stainless steel scrub pads (not steel wool) like these: http://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotch-Brite-Stainless-Steel-Scouring/dp/B002CQTXBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426816966&sr=8-1&keywords=stainless+steel+pads Another good choice is a product called Barkeeper's Friend - http://www.amazon.com/Bar-Keepers-Friend%C2%AE-Cleanser-Polish/dp/B000V72992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426817040&sr=8-1&keywords=barkeeper%27s+friend Lastly learn about stir frying if you've never done it before as the technique differs greatly from traditional western cooking. You aren't going to be able to saute in this pan, or braise. This is also not a suitable pan for any kind of deep frying. The heat is concentrated in the flat bottom of the pan, NOT on the sides of the pan. Another common complaint about this pan is the lid. Personally I never use it. Stir frying is not a technique that ever requires a lid, so I am not sure why Cuisinart even decided to pair one with this pan. I suspect that the sheer size of the lid is the reason that some users have reported shattering. The glass is not thick and the lid is so large that it just seems brittle to me. I won't need it, so it is not a concern. But, if you plan on using the lid on this pan a lot you might want to look for a smaller stir fry pan. If the pan was say 12 inches instead of the 14 at its widest point the lid would be significantly stronger. If you are concerned about splattering without the lid a 14" splatter guard would be a better and safer choice than the lid in my opinion. This pan is a great value for the price and performs well on plain old American electric cook top. Don't buy it for induction, and I wouldn't really recommend it for gas either. A plain old hammered steel wok would be a better choice for a gas stove. And "woking" on an induction stove is going to be hard no matter what pan you have. You can do a lot better than this pan, but not in this price range.