Stainless Cookware?

I bought some All Clad with a work bonus a few years back and I love them. As long as you get something with a tri clad cook surface you'll be doing better than most. Having the stainless bottom, aluminum core, and stainless surface makes for nice even cooking. When I sear off some pork chops they look amazing.

Just make sure that you let your food cook, don't mess with it while it's doing it's thang. People everyday buy stainless and start messing with their food as soon as it hits the surface then complain how the food sticks and blame the cookware. When I was in cooking school our teacher used to always yell how Americans are so impatient and are always messing with their food. Once it releases then it's ready to flip. Except for eggs, use non stick. Sorry I'm rambling. I just love good cookware!

Whatever you choose you'll love it!

I have used all three that you mention. I do like my All-Clad a lot. I do not own a full set though.

The Calphalon was excellent, I liked the feel of the handles, but, I felt the handles were mounted too low on the pot sides, causing the rivets to interfere with a smooth side. I also like the handle closer to the rim, makes me feel the balance of the pot when loaded a little better. The handles did stay cooler. Like any premium stainless pan, the bottom and sides seemed heavy and solid.

I liked the Cuisinart that I got to use. I prefer the location of the handle, but, I did not like the feel of the handle shape. The pan itself cooked very nicely with good wieght and mass.

I would probably go with the Calphalon, I recall thinking it was a slightly better pan. I will say, the fact that All-clad turns the handles down on some of it's pots is a bad idea, they are not perfect.

I've been looking around for some new cookware. I have a few All Clad frying pans that are great. I also spotted a nice set of Calphalon anodized at Bed Bath & Beyond the other day. It was around $400 for a 12 piece set.

Forgot to add: In school we used Kitchen Aid stainless. We beat the living hell out of that stuff and it still kicked butt. So as long you buy something quality then I doubt it will go through the rigors of what we put that Kitchen Aid stuff through and it will last forever.

I have a Calphalon pan that I really like, yes, perhaps I have too many pans and pots. It has lasted quite a while. The dark surface is really not the best for everything, especially for sauces and reductions where color can matter a great deal.

not sure of the name but we bought a set of those heavy stainless sets that are sold at home partys. 30 years and they are still going strong. worth every cent.

Ya know Ron_L...we've had our Costco Kirkland brand set for over 5 years now and are extremely happy with it...mighyt be worth a look...

I have cooked with the Kirkland stuff as well, not sure the current set is the same as 5 years ago, the old stuff was excellent. Reminded me of the Calphalon gear. I saw the Kitchenaid set, I seem to recall it was pretty pricey.

I bought a lot of Cuisinart Multiclad Pro right after they came out about four years ago. I really enjoy it. My main reasons for getting that brand in stead of others were (1) the price compared to AllClad, and (2) the open stock selection: There are many, many sizes of MCP pots and pans, and since I knew I wanted to complete a set with extras, that's where I went. Lids all fit well, and are interchangable, for instance from the saute pan to the sauce pot to the skillets. I even bought a cheap Cuisinart non-stick skillet and the other lids fit it as well.

If I had to do it all over again, I would get the same set. I am that happy with it. That being said, there are a few things I would change if I could, enumerated below:

I prefer glass lids, and these are SS. (Calphalon is glass)

Domed lids: Some ppl like them, some don't. I wish I had some domed lids that fit these pots and pans, but they are all flat. Note that the Cusinart Chef's Classic has domed lids.

I hate braded handles. Venders tell you they are better, and I don't believe them. I just think they are bacteria magnets. Unfortunately almost every brand uses them, so I am stuck with them.

There is no 1 qt sauce pan. The 1.5 is close, but some times, I really do want the smaller size. I ended up getting two Oneida branded fully clad 1 qt sauce pans from Target, and I really like those in general. If they had better open stock, I'd get those in stead.

Last I checked, there is no Saucier either, though few companies outside of AllClad have one. I'll have to get an unmatched brand.

I'm not thrilled with the lip setup on the sauce pans. Cuisinart says that they are non-drip, but they just weird. I'd prefer if they were strait. Skillets and Saute pans are fine, and as I mentioned, lids are interchangeable. Perhaps that's the reason.

All in all, the set is worth every penny I paid buying them off of Amazon, and I have added several pieces. I begged BBaB and LNT both to carry them. LNT carried them on line only, but not BBaB. Not sure where to buy them local, but it's worth the mail order. If you don't want open stock options like I did though, I would highly recommend Oneida, the Sam's Club house brand, or Kitchen Aid. Most department stores (Dillard's, Macy's) have decent house brand sets too with no open stock. Just my thoughts as some one who researched this in depth a few years ago. If you don't want open stock, there are lots of affordable options. I have used mine on gas and ceramic cooktops with no problem.

dmp

ron,
for what it's worth, cooks illustrated evaluated several different brands of cookware "sets". Naturally , All-Clad was the clear winner but $$$$. However the Tramontina brand and Calphalon both came recommended but with the Tramontina brand being hard to find. KitchenAide gourmet set was recommended with reservations.

I've been wanting a 12" All Clad skillet forever. Finally snagged one on Ebay yesterday. Was a floor model with a few minor scratches. got it for 60 bucks. If you can buy a piece at a time , might be worth looking on ebay.

I've got a lot of All Clad that I accumulated for cheap while I worked at a kitchen supply store. Big fan of AC. If you're wanting All Clad and the only thing keeping you from buying is the price, check out this site that sells blems and seconds. If you can live with barely noticeable flaws, the prices are hard to beat

http://www.cookwarenmore.com/

I don't know if non-stick is on or off your list, but if you don't mind it, check out Swiss Diamond. I don't have any of their stuff, but people rave about it.

John

Depending on what you are looking for...you might take a look at your nearest
Restaurant supply store.
The restaurant quality cookware is super tough; and will last you forever...even if you
abuse it.

Consumer Reports highest rated SS cookware is the Calphalon Contemporary cookware.

I have the All-Clad SS set and with three growing grandkids in the house, it gets used daily and so far so go.

One thing I'm confused about is the pricing: Consumer Reports lists Calphalon as more expensive than All-Clad. But then again, I don't claim to have a lot of knowledge on SS cookware...:-D

For those that haven't heard of them, Cook's Illustrated rocks. These guys are the Consumer Reports of the cooking scene. Testing, testing, testing. No advertisements.

I have yet to find fault with any of their reviews or recipes that I've cooked.

So, I was shocked to find some used copies of their magazine (newsstand price $5.95) here at a used import book store. P17 per copy! That's about 37 cents! Woot!

boatnut said:

ron,
for what it's worth, cooks illustrated evaluated several different brands of cookware "sets". Naturally , All-Clad was the clear winner but $$$$. However the Tramontina brand and Calphalon both came recommended but with the Tramontina brand being hard to find. KitchenAide gourmet set was recommended with reservations.

I've been wanting a 12" All Clad skillet forever. Finally snagged one on Ebay yesterday. Was a floor model with a few minor scratches. got it for 60 bucks. If you can buy a piece at a time , might be worth looking on ebay.

Click to expand...

It's not the best out there but I like it, Cuisinart Chef's Classic. I've had my set for 8 years this Christmas. And I just bought my mom a set for Christmas (Bed Bath and Beyond for 149.00 -20% off + a bonus gift of a bowl set with lids).
I do have a teflon type pan for scrambled egss since they don't go over to well on these particular pans, but I've had much success with sauteeing, searing and oven use.

I got a set of Command Performance Gold 18/10 3-ply a couple years ago off of HSN. Pretty good stuff for everyday use. I also got a couple Chef Todd English green pans that are good too.

Scott

We bought an induction cook top about six months ago and had to go to stainless. I did a ton of research and still could not decide. So I finally decided not to spend an arm and a leg and go with a less expensive set and figure what I liked and did not like and replace in a few years if I was that unhappy. I did not want to spend a ton of money and find out six months later that A: I hated the stuff, and B: I spent way too much money for what I was going to use it for.

I finally went for an Emeril set from Macy's. It was on sale and I got a couple of more pieces for free. It is built by All Clad, but not as expensive as the rest of their stuff. I have been very happy with it it cooks great. I also like that all of the sauce pans have lips for pouring and they also have measurements on the inside - for example, yesterday a recipe call for 2 quarts of water, so instead of have to take a measuring cup out I just filled up the pan to the markings on the inside.

Bottom line is I have been very happy. I have only had it for six months so I can't comment on durability, but it is still in perfect condition after medium usage.

At least it did not say Bobby Flay on it......