>>> BlackFriday Circulon Contempo Red Nonstick Cookware Set 10-Piece
Product Features
- Includes: 8-inch french skillet 10-inch french skillet 1-quartcovered saucepan 2-quartcovered saucepan 8-quartcovered stockpot 3-quartcovered saute
- Heavy-gauge hard anodized construction is exceptionally durable and distributes heat beautifully
- Lifetime limited warrantylifetime customer satisfaction - guaranteed
For years now I've used T-fal cookware almost exclusively. I began buying it because years ago it was hard to find nonstick cookware that was also dishwasher safe and that's an absolute must for me. If I spent 15 minutes a day washing dishes by hand that's over 90 hours a year of my time spent on dishes. Life is too short for that.
Here's how I think Circulon stacks up against the T-fal set I own:
I have to say that the Circulon set is very aesthetically appealing. There's nothing in my kitchen that is red but I found this set was cheery and I like the lines of the handles on the lids and the curve of the pot handles as well. The silver bands at the ends of the handles is also attractive. If I had a pot rack I would be proud to display this set.
The Circulon pots are smaller in diameter and taller than my T-fal. I sort of like that but the downside is that the cupboard where I store my T-fal is not tall and I couldn't stack the Circulon pots the way I can my T-fal. Also I have a lid "sorter" that is attached to the door of the cabinet. The T-fal lids fit in it much better than the Circulon although to be fair I see some of the newer T-fal sets also have the lids with handles that stick out every bit as far as these Circulon ones. Though I like the looks of that it makes lid storage problematic. You can't really stack them and as I said before they don't fit as well into the sorter either.
I really like the covered saute pan in this Circulon set. The sides are straight up and down which is really nice if whatever you're making needs vigorous stirring. My set of T-fal didn't have this piece. The regular skillets/saute pans are fine but when I'm stirring vigorously I sometimes slop a bit over the sides and I didn't have that happen with the saute pan in the Circulon set.
I read the paperwork included with the Circulon set and didn't note any care instructions other than not to ever let your cookware boil dry so I assume there isn't anything else you need to worry about. With the T-fal they suggest that after every 10-15 times you run it through the dishwasher you "season" your pans by warming on the stove then rubbing cooking oil over the non-stick interior and wiping thoroughly with papertowels. I have found that my non-stick skillets do seem to last longer and retain the non-stick properties better when I stick to this.
Regarding cost: Circulon does seem more expensive than T-fal. Since I've only had the Circulon set a short amount of time I can't speak to durability in comparison to T-fal however I think T-fal is a very good value in relation to cost. I generally get at least 5 years or more use out of T-fal and we don't molly-coddle the pieces at all.
There are two things I really don't like at all about the Circulon cookware.
1. The handles of the pots and skillets are hollow. After using them for a few days I couldn't figure out where all the water was coming from in my cupboards and below my range where I store the skillets. I use the drying cycle on my dishwasher so.....why all the water??? I figured it out when I was removing a skillet from the dishwasher by grasping the side of the skillet rather than the handle and water splattered over the other dry dishes and onto the floor. It was coming from the hollow handle. UGH! I don't want to have to empty out the handles and then dry by hand prior to being able to put them away. I don't have to do that with my T-fal set. This might not be a big deal to some but it is to me.
2. The handles of the Circulon are attached through and through the sides of the cookware leaving two round smooth "heads" that protrude slightly inside the pots and pans. I made caramel corn using the largest Circulon pot. We like to eat some of it while it's still warm so I left the pot for a few hours while we watched a movie. When I came back to clean up my kitchen I swabbed out the interior of the pot using a dish cloth but had to use a dobie around the metal heads to get all the cooked on caramel off. I could have just soaked it I suppose but I wanted to get the dishwasher loaded and the kitchen cleaned up so I could go to bed. I don't want to be faced with dishes soaking in my sink first thing in the morning. I don't know how this will work as time goes by. Will the handles loosen letting bits of food in behind the metal heads??? Only time will tell and again to be fair I've noticed that certain sets of T-Fal also have the through and through attachment of handles. This isn't as big a deal to me (so far) as the water issue above but it does give me pause a little.
Both T-fal and Circulon have some other great pieces you can add to your basic set. Circulon offers pieces that T-fal does not and conversely T-fal has things that Circulon does not offer so in that way it would just depend on your individual needs which set might work best for you. Before buying I would suggest visiting each website and deciding what items you most want/need to decide which set would suit you best.
Final Impression: Both brands have a lot to like not the least of which is being dishwasher safe both offer a variety of choices to add pieces to your basic set but I think overall I like T-fal better. The cost is less I already know how durable they are and so far the T-fal is more readily available both online and in retail stores. However I did like the Circulon enough that I wouldn't mind doing a bit of mixing/matching with my T-fal set so I could get the "best of both worlds". As time goes along if I notice a significant disparity regarding durability between the T-fal and Circulon I'll update this review.
