Cooks Standard multi-ply cookware is well made, well balanced, and gives great cooking results. Each piece is pretty hefty but the handles are easy to hold, feel good in the hand, and are very well balanced. (I personally love the weight of this cookware but it might be an issue if a person had wrist or arm problems.) Now that I have these, any other cookware seems so light and flimsy. I did a lot of research online and in local stores to determine what I wanted. The fit and finish are comparable to all-clad, if that tells you anything.
The entire pans are made of 3 layers of metal - aluminum sandwiched between 2 layers of stainless steel. This was important to me because I have seen other people have issues with the pans with the 3 layers only bonded on the bottom - issues that range from warping to having the bottom fall off of the pan. I did not want that to happen! Plus having 3 layers all the way up the sides lets heat transfer all the way up the sides to help with cooking. They hold heat for much longer. I can remove the pan from heat and still keep the food warm for much longer than my old non-stick pans.
The metal lids fit tight to the pans. The lid handles may become warm and so you should be prepared to use a hotpad if necessary. I have had no issues with the handles being hot on the pans themselves. As advertised, they are really stay-cool. The handles are riveted and the feel is solid, there is no wiggling or any looseness.
I bought these to replace traditional non-stick pots and pans. I knew I would have to change the way I cook a bit in order to start cooking successfully with stainless steel. A couple of the biggest changes were using much lower heat and preheating the pans.
The very first things I tried cooking were eggs and oatmeal. For the eggs, I preheated the pan, tossed in some butter, swirled it around until melted, and cracked in a couple eggs. I used a heat setting of 3-4 instead of 6-7 with non-stick. When time to flip for over easy eggs, I was sure there would be some sticking. Amazingly there was none! The eggs easily slid around in the pan and turning them was no problem! They also slid smoothly out of the pan and onto the plate. Clean up was incredibly easy as well. Just a swipe with a paper-towel, let it cool, then wash with hot soapy water. Almost easier than the non-stick! The oatmeal was also surprisingly easy to cook with no scorching, no sticking, no gummed up pan. Same easy cleanup - just let pan cool and wash in hot soapy water. (For any reviews that complain about food sticking/burning, I personally think that has more to do with the cooks than the cookware.)
The paperwork and description both say that these are dishwasher safe and I believe it but I choose to hand-wash to preserve the finish. Dishwasher detergent is rough on finishes and, personally, I want to keep these looking bright and shiny! Also, it is good to have a can of Barkeepers Friend on hand to clean up anything that might end up sticking. BF cleans well and doesn't scratch at all.
I am very happy with my purchase and highly recommend Cooks Standard to anyone. This cookware is nice and solid but doesn't take a huge bite out of your wallet. I have no doubt that this will last for many years and may be the last set of cookware I ever buy.