Cuisinart Chef's Classic Roasting Pan Best Overall
- Weight
- 7 lb
- Material
- Stainless steel, aluminum base
- Overall Size
- 20.7 x 12 x 4.9 in
- Dishwasher Safe
- Yes
The number that decides whether this pan works in your kitchen is not 16 inches; it is 20.7. That is the Cuisinart's length once the riveted handles are counted, and it is the figure to check against your oven before you order anything. Past that measurement, the pan is generous: 12 inches wide, 4.9 inches deep, with enough floor left around a 22-pound bird for a bed of onions and carrots.
What earned it the top spot in this group is what it does not have, which is a coating. The cooking surface is bare stainless over an encapsulated aluminum base, so there is nothing to flake into the drippings in year three, and the pan goes straight into the dishwasher. The mirror finish also shows you what the fond is doing when you deglaze, and the tapered rim pours without running down the outside. Among the stainless pans here only the All-Clad matches that finish, and it costs a good deal more.
Roasting in it is undramatic in the way we want. Heat spreads across the full footprint rather than in a ring, so the carrots at the corners brown at the same rate as the ones under the bird, and the rack holds a turkey high enough that its back clears the drippings. The handles are broad enough to take a loaded oven mitt, which we cannot say about every pan in this group.
Where it can go wrong is the oven, not the bird. A 20.7-inch pan needs a deep range or a wall oven with room at the door, and both are worth measuring before you commit. If your interior comes up short, the Cooks Standard's 15-inch footprint is the safer call. If it clears, the extra length is just hand room.
What We Like
- Bare stainless has no coating to peel
- Holds a 22-pound bird with vegetables around it
- Dishwasher safe with a lifetime warranty
Worth Noting
- Rack welds collect grease and need a brush
- Heavy at 7 pounds before the bird goes in
We recommend the Cuisinart to anyone who wants one pan for the holidays and does not want to babysit a coating: bare stainless, dishwasher safe, and backed for life.
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