Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I really wanted to like this pan. The three-ply construction sounds great. It looks like a very serious cooking tool with the brushed stainless exterior. Unfortunately, the execution on this pan leaves much to be desired. My first use of the new pan was cooking some pasta. From watching the water come up to temperature I could tell the pan had excellent heat dispersion. There were virtually no hot spots from the gas flame. Cleaning the pan after cooking the pasta I noticed what looked like spots where something had stuck to the bottom of the pan. I scrubbed a little harder and still they wouldn't come out. Upon closer inspection I realized it wasn't stuck on pasta but several spots where the inner layer of stainless steel had flaked away. I know virtually nothing of metallurgy, but that inner layer of stainless looks awfully thin to me. And it clearly hasn't been properly adhered to the aluminum core if it flakes off after simply boiling water in the pan. I notified Amazon of the defect and they immediately sent out a replacement. I used the new pan to again cook some pasta. First use and the stainless inner layer begins to flake. One defective pan might be a fluke. Two defective pans in a row and I have to think Cuisinart has a serious design or manufacturing defect. Personally, I think they've scrimped too much on the stainless steel, making the inner layer way too thin. I do know I've had two pans fail on the very first use under far less than strenuous conditions. If the pan can't boil water under a medium flame without literally falling apart, there's a serious issue. I've posted photos of both pans so you can see for yourself what I'm talking about. In both cases there is significant discoloration of the stainless surrounding the spots that have flaked off. A couple of the spots are about 1/16" diameter. You'll probably have to zoom the photos, but the bad spots should be easy to see. If you're looking for cookware that looks attractive hanging in your kitchen, this might be your ticket. If you want something that will last for decades, I'd keep on looking.