We’re doing our patriotic bid to kick start the economy and raise our tax base by building a new house. New houses need new kitchens and we’re sold on the Miele Induction Cooktop. Of course, induction cooktops require cookware with ferrous metal (eg, a magnet can stick to it). We’ve got a Henkle set that will work but will need more pans and some non-stick.
I’m starting to learn about “Clad” cookware, which of course is quite pricey. Some people swear by their All-Clad and I’d like to hear from you on your exerience with All-Clad, or any of the other “clads” out there. Expecially for the non-stick kind. If you’ve got induction cooktop experience as well, please share anything you think is relevant. And as a bonus question, La Creuset in conjunction with “clads.”
I’ve recently been buying new cookware and I’ve acquired a couple All-Clad pieces: a french saute pan and a saucepan. I’ve never really cooked with such high-end cookware, other than a couple Le Creuset hand-me downs, but I have to say that these things are really quite excellent. They don’t take long to heat through, and the heat distribution is quite even.
When I was shopping for new pans, the biggest difference I could see in the store was the shape of the handle. The All-Clad pan I have now really does work as advertised; even after prolonged heating, the handle still stays comfortably cool.
They sure are expensive, but if you’re planning on keeping your cookware around for a while, I think they’re worth the investment. Incidentally, All-Clad is no longer an exclusively American company, they got bought out some years ago by a French firm.
I don’t have the nonstick, but suspect it isn’t worth the price. The kitchen store across from Westlake in downtown Seattle recommended Swiss Diamond nonstick instead of All-Clad.
There are outlets where you can get seconds on All-Clad; poke around on the web.
IMO, All-Clad and Le Creuset serve different purposes; Le Creuset excels at heavy pots for low-and-slow cooking, but All-Clad is better for everyday cooking.
You might also want to poke around in restaurant supply store for professional cookware aimed at induction cooking.
I think it’s overpriced, and from what I’ve heard from specialists in cookware (i.e., cooks and such) it’s not “the best.” I have a lot of pieces I ganked from an ex-wifely-thing, where the outside surfaces are plain aluminum, but clad with SS on the inside. I don’t know how big the one I use every day for cooking rice is (3-4 quarts), but it’s awesome, and despite seeing use at least 7 days a week, for quite a few years, it’s a tank with a nice lid.
I’d look carefully if you really need a fully-clad pot for some things. A giant stockpot? I don’t see why you’d want full clad for that – just something on the bottom/or a bathtub type arrangement is very nice, though.
If I were in the market for a saute pan, I’d go lined copper or bust! And I’d literally bust my wallet getting it.
My two large (one’s a 20 qt, the other is…I don’t know, pretty small, maybe 12 qts) stockpots are just regular stainless steel with aluminum plates sandwiched at the bottom, and they haven’t failed me yet.
If you look around, they run sales for little promo items, like a 7" frying pan or a small saucepan for cheap pretty frequently – for ten or twelve dollars you could grab one of those and check it out, and still have something very useful in your kitchen. I use a small All-Clad frying pan (7 or 8 inches) all the time for little sides of vegetables and so forth. Handy little size.
For nonstick pans, I usually just go to a restaurant store and buy what they carry. It’s cheap, and in my experience it lasts at least as long as expensive non-stick cookware (often longer). For other stuff, I’m very happy with our All-Clad.
Restaurant supply store is a great iddea to at least get a baseline. I’m definately not into name brands for the sake of being a name bran (my wife is though).
We id go for the ridged La Cteuset square fry pan today for grilling meats on the stove. It was on sale at Macy’s and maanged to get out the door with tax for $100. Although after looking at the La Creuset pans, my wife decided they are waaaaay too heavy for her. I’m sure we will get some sort of Clad an I’ll keep my eyes peeled for La Creuset at a garage sale.
[QUOTE=China Guy;14502556Although after looking at the La Creuset pans, my wife decided they are waaaaay too heavy for her. I’m sure we will get some sort of Clad an I’ll keep my eyes peeled for La Creuset at a garage sale.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, an old friend bought my ex-wife-thing a nice Le Creuset “chicken fryer” (I think that’s what the catalog says it’s called in English – it’s a dutch oven with a stem handle on the body, and without the little Hellraiser bumps on the interior of the lid) and that fucker was heavy as get out. Never tried to, but I can guess do not drop anyway on frangible bone.
I’ve used the enameled Le Creusets a few times at other people’s places, and they’re very nice and aesthetically pleasing, but if I were outfitting a kitchen, I’d just try to score some really grotty old turn-of-century plain cast iron for the heavy lifting. The smaller sizes are nice, and I like the aesthetics of their cocotte-style stuff suitable for serving at the table.
When I was looking for new cookware last year-ish, I considered All-Clad. Like you say, it’s supposed to be the best. But it is very pricey.
I ended up with Cuisinart MultiClad Pro. Specifically, this set. It was highly recommended (on several sites, not just Amazon) and is fully clad (instead of having just the base disk like some other “cheaper” brands). I really love it and would unreservedly recommend it.
When I was looking, I also considered the Calphalon Tri-Ply set, but didn’t end up purchasing it, for reasons I can no longer remember. Maybe it was the glass lids; I was afraid I’d end up breaking one. Maybe because it was slightly more expensive but didn’t look like it performed significantly better than the Cuisinart. I forget. It seems like a very similar set.
Before purchasing anything, I’d advise visiting a kitchen supply store where you can see and handle several different brands (if you’re set on a name brand). I would’ve spent the money on All Clad, but I really, really hate the handles. They don’t fit my hand well and cut into my palm, which is just not comfortable. I eventually told myself that they weren’t worth the money if I cursed them every time I used them because of the handle. (The Cuisinart’s handles are more rounded; I like them a lot.) So test them out and see how they feel before you purchase anything. (Incidentally, the Emeril line made by All Clad has an excellent handle; I’d buy them in a second if I could get the fully clad All Clad with the Emeril handle. The Emeril brand isn’t fully clad, if I’m remembering correctly.)
Places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls or other discount home stores sometimes have higher-end cookware - I do have an All Clad 4 qt non-stick sauce pan because of such a sale. And I curse its handle every time I use it, but it is a good pan that performs well. And I haven’t scratched the non-stick yet (but I do try to be careful with it).
I still do need to buy a good dutch oven; my Cuisinart purchase didn’t include one. I have a Lodge cast iron dutch oven that I like, but I need something enameled or such that I can use with acids like wine or tomatoes. (The cast iron will react with the acid, and it might strip off the seasoning. So it won’t work for all applications.)
Absolutely true – but in my experience, with a well-seasoned pan and limited exposure to acid, they can do fine, even for a relatively long cooking time. Certainly never store anything in it, but non-enameled Cast Irons can be tougher than their rap. YMMV, but I don’t take special care of mine – wash with soap and water on occasion, occasionally fry tomato paste or raw tomatos – and they go pretty strong.
Better safe than sorry, though. La Tramontina IIRC has some enameled Le Creuset that looks just about as good as Le Creuset – they make some high-quality stuff in general that can rival Le Creuset or stainless partially-clad poets for cheap.
FWIW I like the tempered glass lids with the steam vent – they’re really not that breakable (I wouldn’t hit it with a brick, but they seem very able to withstand punishment), and I think they look cool and the steam vent’s handy depending on what you’re cooking up.
I ADORE my All-Clad, but I’d never buy it in nonstick. Your nonstick pans just won’t last, and you shouldn’t be getting your “nice pans” in nonstick. Get a large All-Clad saucepan, a large All-Clad skillet, a nonstick skillet for eggs and such, a Le Creuset dutch oven, and a cast iron frying pan. Maybe a cheap stock pot.
Great advice – that’s about what you’d want for a batterie de cuisine. I’d go for a saute pan rather than a large skillet (the kind with straight sides), and fully clad or copper would be a great choice for that kind of pan. The idea is you can hold more in it for frying, and for true sauteing, the higher sides give you a buffer if you want to shake things up by tossing them one handed.
As for non-stick, a couple of years ago I bought these Calphalon non-stick skillets for my husband, and they’ve held up well. (Plus, they’re pretty common in stores around the holidays, maybe you can find them on sale.)
Standard disclaimer applies: I try to be careful with them, use only wooden or plastic utensils with them, that sort of thing. That said, I think they have been run through the dishwasher a few times, with seemingly good results - I haven’t noticed any damage to the surface, anyway. They look like they’ll go for a good while longer.
I have the same set and I like them too. However, the OP is looking for pans that will work with an induction cooktop and these ain’t it. They’re not magnetic at all.
If I remember correctly, when Cook’s illustrated tested steel pans a couple years ago All-Clad did come out on top, but Calphalon and Tramontina were only slightly inferior.
That’s what I have too. I was going to buy All-Clad, but the price difference is HUGE. I don’t mind spending money, but if I don’t have to…
I have a few All-Clad pieces. The main thing I don’t like about them are the edges. They LOOK wonderful, but pouring liquid out is a pain in the neck as it dribbles all over the place. The Cuisinart pieces have rolled edges so that pouring liquids out is much easier!
Ooh, good point. I’ve tested my Cuisinart SS set, and they are magnetic, but I’ve never tried the Calphalon omelet pans. Apparently they’re not. Learn something new every day, y’do.
Just to bump this - my sister was at Costco in Phoenix this week and found their had 9-piece sets of All-Clad on clearance for $400. They are large pieces, too - a big stockpot, and a dutch oven. She bought two sets. You might want to check your local Costcos to see if they have any left. Williams-Sonoma has just the dutch oven listed on their website for $360.
I just took a set of the cuisinart back to kohls. One pan was pitted right out of the box and developed seven more pits after using it to boil pasta. The other pot developed rust after one use. I hand wash and air dry; bad batch of steel? Very disappointed because they looked so pretty and I got them on sale. I am now looking at all clad vs Williams Sonoma. I want to buy American but I keep seeing complaints about the handle design being uncomfortable.
RE: Le Crueset and other enameled cast iron. I’ve had very good luck with my local TJ Maxx lately, picked up a Le Crueset Dutch oven and a nice braising pan. A couple months later found a Staub Dutch oven.
In fact, I’ve had so much good luck with TJ Maxx lately that I can’t go in there anymore. I walk out with yet another dutch oven, and there’s only so many dutch ovens that one girl needs.
I got my Le Crueset Dutch oven and All Clad sauté pan at TJ Maxx over 10 years ago, but I still have to be careful when I walk in that place. I usually leave with something, like a new non-stick pan every 18-24 months.