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Nacho Grande Review: Circulon Elite 12" Covered Deep Skillet

As you probably know by now, CSN Stores has graciously agreed to become a sponsor of my blog - and as a result, for the past few months I have been allowed to choose a product from their vast online catalog to review (and better yet for me, keep)!

This month, I decided to review the Circulon Elite 12" Covered Deep Skillet.  As with all of my orders, the shipment arrived in exceedingly quick fashion - and the box was huge!

After opening the box, it was clear the packing was also good (as it has been with all my orders from CSN I might add).  Packaging fragile things (like baseball cards or glass lids for cookware) can be tricky, but CSN seems to have it down to a science how to make sure the items arrive in pristine condition.

Upon opening the box, the skillet was indeed in perfect condition - and quite beautiful to boot!

Now, you may have wondered why I would ever need a 12" deep skillet - it turns out I was motivated to choose this item to review thanks to a recent foray into making my own Shrimp Fried Rice.  I'll have to post my recipe at some point, it turned out really good (if I do say so myself).

As for the skillet at hand, I give it high marks!  The nonstick surface cleans easily, the glass lid is great to be able to see the food cooking with allowing heat to escape, and the aesthetics of the cookware scored big with the lady of the house!

The skillet itself is quite heavy (so be warned if you are a weak chef in a physical sense) and it needs to be cleaned by hand (not dishwasher safe).  You can, however, use it in the oven (up to 400 degrees) so that's nice - though I haven't tried that yet so I can't vouch for what may happen if you do.

All in all, I give the skillet an A grade.  The only thing keeping it from an A+ in my book is the fact that it is missing some intangible that makes me stand back and say "wow."  It's kind of like an English professor grading your essay, it sucks to lose points on something intangible (and as a math guy it drove me crazy in college)!  Also, the skillet retails for $120.00 though on CSN you can get it on sale currently for $59.99.  There is no way I'd have paid $120 of my own hard earned dollars on a skillet (I enjoy cooking but sheesh, I could fire up my gas grill even if it is freezing outside instead)...however, for $60.00 it's a reasonable price point for a nice piece of cookware!

That said, I highly recommend this skillet as both a gift and as something to keep for yourself (and if you only buy one thinking it will be a gift, well...you'll probably be tempted to keep it for yourself anyhow so you might as well buy two and save yourself time)!

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