My wife specifically asked for some All Clad cookware. I have had trouble finding it, but have found Emirilware, which is made by All Clad. Does anyone know if there is a significant difference in quality and performance between the two lines of cookware?
Amazon has the good prices on all-clad too, and free ship. Emerilware looks cool and is made by All-Clad, but when I compared the two I thought the Emerilware was lighter and of poorer quality. All-Clad’s standard stainless has a aluminum core throughout (for good heat conductivity and even heating), and Emerilware only has an aluminum bottom. The Emeril isn’t bad, but if your wife specifically asked for All-Clad I’d get a standard All-Clad set. I personally recommend the stainless because you don’t need to hand-wash it, and am against non-stick surfaces on principle.
Your wife probably wants All Clad because it is the best there is. In addition to checking out Amazon, also check your local Bed, Bath & Beyond type stores. AllClad does special packages for stores and they are sometimes a good bargain as well. My ex got an extremely good deal on an 11 piece set that way.
I really enjoyed that cookware, we had the stainless steel finish. It was great.
Add one more vote to the “If she asked for All Clad, get her All Clad” side.
Since she specifically asked for one of the best brands available, one can only assume she really knows her way around a kitchen. Emeril is seen as a bit of a hack by many food professionals. Although it’s made by the same company, if you get her the Emeril stuff, she may view it as somehow cheapened simply by the association with that goofball.
I too would go for the All-Clad if that is what she specifically asked for.
As for the difference between Emerilware and regular All-Clad (I assume we are talking about the stainless steel line and not the non-stick line), they differ in construction and in their lids.
The All-Clad pans are a triple-ply of an aluminum core sandwiched between stainless steel inside and out. The aluminum serves as the heat conductor and the stainless steel is a great surface to cook on because it is non-reactive with food. It looks purty too. All-Clad has flat stainless lids that match the pans.
Emerilware is also aluminum sandwiched between stainless steel, but the aluminum in the Emeril pans is only in the bottom, not through the whole pan like in the regular All-Clad. This makes the pans a bit lighter, and you give up the heat distribution throughout the sides of the pan. Not a big deal in fry and saute pans, but it can make a difference in sauce pans. The Emeril lids are made of tempered glass instead of steel.
The Emerilware is a very good product for the money, but it suffers from two drawbacks:
- It isn’t what your wife asked for
- It has Emeril’s name on it.
For myself, I don’t think I could bring into my home anything that would put more money in Emeril’s pocket, and would remind me of him everytime I used it. But then I really can’t stand the guy.
Cook’s Illustrated did a review of frying pans a few years ago, and (IIRC) All-Clad was considered the best of the batch, while Emerilware was “recommended with reservations” – meaning, it’s not bad, but if your wife wants All-Clad, you need to get her All-Clad.
I don’t know where you live, but in larger cities, All-Clad cookware can be found in many outlets, such as Macy’s The Great Indoors, and Bed Bath & Beyond. If you go to www.allclad.com, you’ll also see a list of places you can buy online.
There should be a comma between Macy’s and The Great Indoors. TGI is owned by Sears.
Well I appreciate the advice and you have convinced me. All Clad it will be. There are a couple of places around I haven’t checked out. To prove my husband license is valid, her birthday is on Friday, and I started looking today. I will mail order if I have to, but hopefully I will find it in a local store. There is a mall about 30 miles away that is somewhat more upscale than what I have in the immediate vacinity and should be able to obtain it there.
I don’t watch or know much about Emeril. He certainly raises some ire, doesn’t he.
i dont think all clad is worth the price, but then if your wife specifically asked for it that’s what i would specifically get.
dauerbach,
Before you go out and buy it at a mall, look at online resources.
I got some Caphalons at Amazon at an amazing price once. It’s a different brand, but similar in quality. They had a bargain that when you purchased “x” amount of pans, you would get free stuff. Plus free shipping. Plus no tax.
I have seen similar deals there with All Clad.
You should be able to find such bargains regardless of where you go because of the holidays.
Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, Amazon.com, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Linens 'n Things all carry All-Clad. You can search for a local retailer at www.allclad.com.
All-Clad makes many lines, including, Cop-R-Chef, Stainless, Copper Core, and MC2. MC2 has a brushed aluminum exterior, aluminum core all the way up the sides like the Stainless, and a stainless interior. Cop-R-Chef also has the stainless interior and aluminum core, but with a copper exterior. Copper Core has both copper and aluminum in the core.
I’m a fan of the Stainless, though I only have one peice in my collection. It is truly superior cookware.
You might also want to check discount stores such as Marshall’s, Ross Dress for Less, etc. These stores have housewares departments and sometimes you can find All Clad pots and pans at great prices. Of course, you’ll have to take a chance that there’s something wrong with these bargains, but I’ve gotten some great deals.
As a cookware novice, I’ll simply note that the others have made a good point – high-end brands (or those perceived as such) seem especially willing to dilute their brands with B- and C- list co-branded stuff in cookware especially. Maybe I’m just missing broader trends in all consumer goods, but it struck me as more egregious in this particular field after making a mistake with a gift set of knives – “Sabatier,” or so I thought. I gather Sabatier (qua Sabatier) is still acknowledged as the real deal (and costs USD$200 a set, accordingly). How I congratulated myself on my $40 “Sabatier” set bought as a gift – till I heard the recipient’s lukewarm reviews and then, on reading the savage Amazon feedback, learned that the “real” French knife co. had licensed an especially low end Taiwanese company to co-produce a “Sabatier” sub-line.
Sounds like Emeril is not quite so far from “real” All Clad, but this co-branding phenomenon is worth being aware of (for what it’s worth, it almost happened to me again recently when some “MIKIMOTO’s blue lagoon” pearls (not made by Mikimoto, as far as I can tell) were hawked to me as Mikimoto per se (and priced accordingly). Some co-brand licensors are very careful of quality control, some are not.