T-Fal Initiatives 10-Piece Nonstick Inside and Out
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of T-Fal Initiatives 10-Piece Nonstick Inside and Out
Customer Review: Worthless Warranty. Poor customer service
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought a set of cookwear made by the same manufacturer of T-Fal about 10 years ago. At the time, I paid approx. $175 for the set. We have been fanatical about never using sharp objects with the teflon coating. As a result, the interior of the pans are in very good shape. My problem is with the anodized finish and handles which have not held up at all. While out shopping for new cookwear, I came across the new Wearever sets. Prominently displayed on their packaging is the "Limited Lifetime Warranty." I went home and decided to call their customer service to see if my cookwear could be replaced under warranty. What happened from there was an excercise in poor customer service.
The representaive on the phone proceeded to tell me all the things that would not be covered by their warranty, before I could even explain what the issue was with my pans. Suffice it to say the exclusions were so numerous and burdensome that I was given the impression that it would be a waste of time to even bother sending this cookware in because they would be looking for a reason to deny sending you a replacement.
For example, he told me that they would not honor the warranty if the cookwear had been improperly washed or got too hot. Hmmmmm, I thought. What good is cookwear if you don't heat food in it and wash it afterwards. He explained that it couldn't be washed in the dishwasher. Fair enough, I thought. We always wash it by hand because of the space they take up, however, I cannot say that a babysitter, housekeeper, mother in law etc.. has not run them through the dishwaser. If that will void the warranty, perhaps they should stamp "NOT DISHWASHER SAFE" on the bottom of these things. They could also print that on the outside of the carton that they sell them in.
I called back and asked to speak with a supervisor, and pretty much got the same story and attitude. If you send your cookwear in, we will take 4-6 weeks to make a determination on whether or not we will replace it. We reserve the right to replace it with something else (because we don't make your style anymore). The long and short of it is: If you decide to buy Wearever cookware, don't expect to ever have anything replaced under the warranty. If you are brave enough to send your cookware to them for replacement, plan on eating out at a resturant for a month and a half. These folks are apparently experts at dissuading consumers from exercising their rights under their warranty. Fool me once, shame on you... I will avoid cookware made by Wearever, Mirro, T-Fal, and their other brands.
Customer Review: I didn't order this set, but received it and....
Summary: 4 Stars
I decided to keep it b/c I didn't want to go through the hassle of returning and getting another one. Even though I got stiffed some money at the time (like $20 b/c I ordered a different T-Fal set that was more expensive and had about $20 shipping... UPDATE: I was reimbursed the money I "lost" by my credit card company, yay, so I got my money's worth in the end :-) ) I was refunded $10 by Deerso (the company that sent it to me). I wish I had gotten an explanation for why I didn't receive my ordered product, but whatever. So be careful if you order from Deerso b/c I had no notification at all that they were sending me a completely different set, different price too! So fair warning everyone!
As for the set I received, it wasn't the quality and perks that I had w/ the other set I was expecting, but it's done well for what I've cooked and it's easy as can be to clean as well. Also, the bottoms of the pans/pots make it so they don't move around on the stove which is helpful b/c my T-Fal big pan doesn't have the bottoms and is forever moving and pissing me off. I came close to burning some food b/c it was taking forever to cook and when I went to turn off the stove, I saw that the food wasn't burned at all and wasn't even caked on at the bottom like I was expecting (if it was any other pot I had, it would've!)
And I was also mad that this set doesn't have the thermo red spots in the middle like my T-Fal pan. The set I had ordered did have the spots and was looking forward to having it in all my pots and pans, so that was dissappointing and annoying for me. And it's annoying the set didn't come w/ fitting lids for the pans, so I basically have to cook uncovered if I'm to use the pans which does not make sense to me at all. Also, the sizes of the smaller pots and pans will probably never be used b/c I don't cook in small amounts like that! I honestly don't know what the strainer looking thing is for either, or how to use it. So for me, that's useless.
Customer Review: Excellent Cookware Pro or Amature!
Summary: 5 Stars
Whether you spend hours a day in the kitchen, whip together a meal or two a week, or cook for friends/family on the weekend...your gonna love this cookware set!
I previously owned a set of "bachelor hand me downs" from when I first moved out. They were fine but nothing special, eggs stuck like glue, the Teflon flaked like old paint...basically needed to be replaced! I purchased these on Amazon and got them the next day (I was sick of eating Teflon chips in every dish)
The difference was like night and day! I had some friends over and the first thing was an amazing high quality box of Kraft Mac & Cheese. Not my choice at all since I love to cook, but hey who am I to judge. After my buddy added the cheese sauce and mixed it in, he dumped the cheesy sticky mixture into a huge bowl and threw the pan in the sink...shocker. That night I cleaned up and thought well lets test the Teflon coating in these...even after 5 hours of drying on it rinsed right out with the tap water pressure!
After this experiment I got to try some real cooking, which included blueberry pancakes, stir-fry veggies, chicken Parmesan, and shrimp fettuccine Alfredo. Everything cooked perfectly, even heat, and your sauces and stuff glide right off the awesome coating in this cookware, inside and out.
The covers, and steamer are also an awesome addition to the set, everything is well built and feels very even in your hand. Durability so far (4 months) has been incredible, tons of dishwasher cycles, lots of cooking, even a few mishaps with metal flatware (which I wanted to avoid) haven't phased this stuff!
I was so impressed with this set I picked one up for my moms Birthday this year, she cooks ALOT more than I do so I'm sure she'll give them even more of a workout! Overall Id say if your needing some new pots and pans at a great price that will last a long time...these will do the trick!
Customer Review: bad quality - a review after long term use
Summary: 2 Stars
I brought T-fal pans from my local Sam's Club wearhouse, and initially, the pans worked great. this is my review after about 1.5 years of use:
1. the handle on the lid (plastic) broke after about a year.
2. the non stick coating began to crack from regular use in about about 6 month, and it got so bad that i tossed the pan out in about a year and half.
3. the handle broke twice on me and for both time i super glued them back on. on the third time, i just tossed them out and got an expensive Anolon titanium non-stick set.
4. the pan is not made of aluminum and there are "hot / cold" spots on the pan. the hot / cold spot is caused by uneven distribution of heat. a good pan, generally with copper or aluminum core will evenly distribute heat. this pan does not.
bottom line:
do not use this pan in the oven eventhough the instruction said up to 400 degrees. the handle will and did crack on me for 3 times with occasional oven use.
the pan is thin, and does not distribute heat well. and the worst: the non-stick coating is a joke.
i found out that it's actually cheaper to get a expensive set and use it for like 10 years instead of getting a cheap set for a third of the price and replace it every 2 years or less.
not recommended.
Customer Review: Awesome set. Great starter set.
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was shopping for a complete set of cookware over a year ago I immediately went looking to T-Fal products. This set is great because it provides the basics if you have nothing or a bunch of poor quality pots and pans like I did.
If you prepare them before use and periodically afterward as recommended on the instructions, you should have no problems. (And also keep from taking them right off the stove to rinsing with cold water because it ruins the material.) I use a little cooking spray when I cook, and it's always stick free and very easy clean up. I use the small frying pan almost everyday and it's in great condition. The steam basket is great for vegetables (fits into both big and medium pots). The lids for the pots have the small hole to emit steam which improves cooking.
No, the lids for the pots don't match to the pans, which can be annoying, but you can use any old lid to cover them, that's what I do and it isn't a problem. My only issue is that the handles are connected to the pots and pans by screw and mine are always loose. I tighten them but sooner or later it's a problem again. I don't know if this is typical, but this aside, with the great quality and experience I've had with this set, I highly recommend it.