Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 5-1/2-Quart Saute Pan with Helper Handle and Cover

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 5-1/2-Quart Saute Pan with Helper Handle and Cover
All my Chef's Classic cookware looks and cooks wonderfully well and is normally a breeze to clean up. This Monster pan is no exception. Weighing in at close to 10 lbs., it is the senior edition of the highly rated Cuisinart 3 1/2-Qt. Saute Pan. If you have a small range, the size of this (a full 12" accross) may crowd out some other burners, so beware. 

I discovered thet the dome cover for the shallow Cuisinart 12" 'everything' pan also fits this pan and thus makes it a good candidate for a dutch oven. 

Now for the bad news: Amazon did not see fit to ship this within a padded box. As a result, the pan arrived with a dent in the 'dripless' rim. I will likely not return it, but will give Amazon some 'direct' feedback. 

(9/15 Update): Amazon made a very positive and 'generous' response to my complaint. Thank you Amazon! Also, both the 3 1/2 Qt. and 5 1/2 Qt. saute pans are on 'super' sale. Do yourselves a favor and buy both. 

(9/23 Update): Because of the lower 'super' price (currently $27.99), I ordered two more as gifts. One shipped with the Cuisinart retail box packed in a nicely padded Amazon box and the other was shipped only in a Cuisinart retail box that had split open. Fortunately there were no dings or dents since this is a very sturdy, hefty item. I wonder if Amazon owns the warehouses its goods ship from? If it does, Amazon needs to try for consistency in its packing. 

02/09/06: Here's an oddity: After several 'hefty' price hikes, Amazon is now hawking this 'monster' pan for $5 less than the 3 1/2 quart pan. Go figure!