I had a Townecraft home demonstation and thought it was wonderful.The salesman was great and really made me excited.Then came the price.I've bought cars for less than that!I started looking around for that same brand on auction sites and found it 1/2 the price, but still very expensive.I went to the waterless cookware site and decided to give Maxam 9 a shot.It took 2 months to get, but the pans are good heavy quality, very easy to clean, and keep the food moist.Waterless cooking, however, takes patience to get right and you are likely to burn some meals if you stick to the time guidelines in the book.I've had them for about two monts now and finally got rid of all of the old teflon and rusty pans...they aren't coming back.I've cooked with the Townecraft pans before and you aren't going to see enough of a difference to warrant 6-8 times the price.Maxam 9 (World's Finest) is almost as good and won't kill your budget.As Zig Ziglar says "It's easier to justify cost once, than apologize for quality forever"The price is more than what you are going to pay in WalMart, but the cost over a lifetime will be much, much lower because you won't buy pans again.
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Maxam KT17 17-Piece 9-Element Surgical-Stainless-Steel Waterless Cookware SetProduct Description: Providing a wide range of essentials, this 17-piece cookware collection makes a nice choice for those setting up a first-time kitchen or for anyone looking to upgrade. The set includes a 1-2/3-quart covered saucepan, a 2-1/2-quart covered saucepan, a 3-1/5-quart covered saucepan, a 7-1/2-quart stovetop roaster, an 11-3/8-inch skillet, a dome cover for the roaster and the skillet (can also be used directly on the stovetop as an extra skillet), and a flat cover for the roaster and the skillet, as well as a double boiler unit, five egg cups, and an egg utility rack. Use the saucepans when making homemade marinara sauce, cooking lentils, or heating up soup; the stovetop roaster works well for cooking large cuts of meat; and the skillet provides a wide flat base and tall sides--perfect for one-dish meals like chicken and rice. Melting chocolate's effortless with the double boiler in place (it can also be used directly on the stovetop as a 3-quart saucepan), and the egg cups allow for making poached eggs. The collection also provides a handy recipe book with step-by-step instructions.
Best of all, the cookware can be used with the healthy "waterless" method of cooking. "Waterless" cooking allows for quickly cooking food on the stovetop at low temperatures and with only a very small amount of water--if any. It cooks in a way that retains almost all the vitamins and minerals (only 2-percent average mineral loss)--so veggies come out the same vibrant color as when they went in the pan. Even more, the high-quality cookware does not require additional grease or oil when cooking, which means low-fat meal options. Steam-cook food without the need for a steamer basket, bake a chocolate cake on the stovetop--between conventional cooking and the "waterless" method, the options are endless.
To ensure fast, even heating with excellent heat retention and no hot spots, Maxam's "waterless" cookware features 304 surgical stainless-steel construction, inside and out, with an encapsulated thick aluminum disk in the base, which consists of nine elements: chrome, nickel, manganese, silicon, aluminum, iron, copper, molybedenum, and vanadium. The nine-element construction means that the cookware can be stacked, one on top of another, for space- and energy-saving convenience. Start by cooking on individual burners; when the steam-release valve in the lid whistles, simply stack the pans to finish cooking. For example, a hearty stew with carrots and potatoes can cook in the bottom pan, while broccoli cooks in a medium-size pan above that and another veggie cooks in a smaller-size pan on the very top. The self-sealing lids help lock in flavor and nutrients, and they can be inverted for nesting inside the proper pan before stacking or hanging the cookware when not in use. Even more, the thoughtfully designed cookware features nonslip phenolic handles that are welded to the outside (no rivets or screws inside the pan) and can withstand an oven's heat up to 350 degrees F (though the cookware is designed for stove-top use only--no need to turn on the oven when it's possible to bake on the stovetop). The handles are resistant to heat, cold, and detergents, and they offer a hanging hole at the end to help save on cupboard space. Safe to use on ceramic, electric, and gas stoves, the cookware carries a limited lifetime warranty and cleans up easily by hand with warm, soapy water (pots can go in the dishwasher, but the lids should be hand-washed due to the steam-release valves).
What's in the Box 1-2/3-quart, 2-1/2-quart, and 3-1/5-quart covered saucepans; 7-1/2-quart stovetop roaster; 11-3/8-inch skillet; dome cover for the roaster and skillet; flat cover for the roaster and skillet; double boiler; 5 egg cups; egg utility rack; recipe book with instructions.
1-2/3-quart covered saucepan measures approximately 7-1/2 inches wide by 3-3/8 inches high
2-1/2-quart covered saucepan measures approximately 8-5/8 inches wide by 3-3/4 inches high
3-1/5-quart covered saucepan measures approximately 9-1/8 inches wide by 4-1/8 inches high
7-1/2-quart stovetop roaster measures approximately 11-7/16 inches wide by 5-5/8 inches high
11-3/8-inch skillet measures approximately 11-7/16 inches wide by 2-13/16 inches high
Double boiler measures approximately 9-1/16 inches wide by 4 inches high
Dome cover for roaster or skillet measures approximately 11 inches wide by 3-3/8 inches high
Buy cheap Maxam KT17 17-Piece 9-Element Surgical-Stainless-Steel Waterless Cookware Set now Get 88% OFF
After finally catching this item at a price $50 less than when I first saw it, I am ecstatic that I didn't buy it at the higher price because it isn't worth it.For one, as someone else mentioned, it isn't level, which is quite evident when oil or water is added.I too moved it around to various locations with the same lopsided results.Next, as high as this set was at one time, ($90), one would expect it to be the highest quality of stainless steel, 18/10.The manufacturer claims that the 5 ply cookware consists of 18/8 stainless (304 series) and aluminum alloys.I've read that 18/8 is also high quality but that leaves much to question when the manufacturer suggests using plastic utensils rather than metal ones since those can damage and scratch the finish, which can lead to food tasting metallic.
