All-Clad stainless - Is it worth it?

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The thing about All-Clad is, though possibly better brands may come and go,
AC will always be in the 95th percentile, till the end of time. Until they figure out how to put a silver core into pans. Also, their design is very basic and thus compatible with the most number of people, on average.


Here's an example. About 5 years ago I began gathering pieces of Kitchenaid 5 ply clad cookware, a few pieces at a time. KitchenAid cookware was similarly priced alongside All Clad and in some reviews at the time KitchenAid was rated superior in quality. It was very high end and expensive, just like AC.

Right now, I have almost all Kitchenaid cookware. It is indeed great. However lately I have grown to somewhat dislike the handle design. Although it's functional, I think the All Clad handle design works just -slightly- better. Also, the AC handle design seems -slightly- easier to clean.

So now, occasionally, I think to myself, "maybe I should have gotten All-Clad instead".

Compare this to my older brother, who was interested in cookware years before I was. He bought 3 pieces of cookware while he was still in college, more than 10 years ago. He got a 3qt stainless All Clad saucepan, a 3 qt stainless saute pan, and a 10 inch LTD skillet. He still uses them to this day, they work just as well as the first time he ever used them. And he has never ever thought to himself "hmm maybe so and so brand is better".

If you are on a budget, there are better deals to be found out there. For example new brands and models come and go every year with 90% of the functionality of All Clad at half the price. I guess you could say All Clad makes you pay a lot for that last 10%.
 
All Clad stainless is induction ready and dishwasher safe. Other All Clad cooks as well and has various different looks but has neither of those two qualities.
 
I started my independent housekeeping (years ago!) with one cast-iron skillet and one old-style farberware saucepan (stainless steel with the heavy non-clad aluminum bottom) "borrowed" from my mom's kitchen. Added to it with some tri-ply stuff from Sears. Tri-ply was a disaster--thin pans, warped bottoms.

Eventually dumped that, tried some Sitram commercial-style pans. Encapsulated bottom was thick and heated well, but didn't cover the whole bottom surface. Lids were very flimsy, and didn't fit well after being dropped a few times. Pans, aside from the bottom plate, were also very thin.

Finally dumped that, got some excellent Analon (nonstick anodized aluminum). When I had recurring pneumonia almost all winter a few years ago, a nurse suggested I avoid cooking with non-stick pans. Finally sprang for some All-Clad stainless!

The All-Clad stainless is sturdy, heats very evenly (similar to cast iron in the eveness of heat) and goes in oven and the dishwasher. It is heavy enough to resist the casual dents and bumps of everyday life in my kitchen. The handles are sturdy and don't deteriorate over time, as those with plastic/rubber/whatever on them do. I only wish I'd had the chance to start out with this cookware years ago.
 
TexanFrench said:
I started my independent housekeeping (years ago!) with one cast-iron skillet and one old-style farberware saucepan (stainless steel with the heavy non-clad aluminum bottom) "borrowed" from my mom's kitchen. Added to it with some tri-ply stuff from Sears. Tri-ply was a disaster--thin pans, warped bottoms.

Eventually dumped that, tried some Sitram commercial-style pans. Encapsulated bottom was thick and heated well, but didn't cover the whole bottom surface. Lids were very flimsy, and didn't fit well after being dropped a few times. Pans, aside from the bottom plate, were also very thin.

Finally dumped that, got some excellent Analon (nonstick anodized aluminum). When I had recurring pneumonia almost all winter a few years ago, a nurse suggested I avoid cooking with non-stick pans. Finally sprang for some All-Clad stainless!

The All-Clad stainless is sturdy, heats very evenly (similar to cast iron in the eveness of heat) and goes in oven and the dishwasher. It is heavy enough to resist the casual dents and bumps of everyday life in my kitchen. The handles are sturdy and don't deteriorate over time, as those with plastic/rubber/whatever on them do. I only wish I'd had the chance to start out with this cookware years ago.

I like my All-Clad pieces, too. But it's funny that you should emphasize their handles. Apparently, many people (at least several on the GardenWeb cooking forum) despise them, saying that they are extremely uncomfortable.
 
Yeah, they are uncomfortable if you do bare-handed lifting, but if you use a mitt/soft potholder, that center groove is exactly right for your thumb, and it's "adjustable." If you're small, like me, you can grip the handle closer to the pan, where the groove is smaller and the dynamics make the pan lighter.

Now that I've figured that out, I actually like them better than my former Analon Titanium pans--I mourned when I had to give them up!
 
As much as I like my All-Clad, I have to say I don't care for the shape of the handle. I know it's suppopsed to prevent the handle from heating up quickly among other things, but I find it difficult to control a heavy skillet filled with food, with the handle provided.
 
You don't want any one brand of pans for ALL the things in your kitchen! I find All-Clad's saute pan much too shallow for my taste (kept the Sitram for that--a lone holdover).

I can't really "flip" with a cast iron skillet, anyway. Too heavy! Those light "flipping" pans they use commercially for crepes are often plain ol' steel--lightweight, cheap, quick-heating, definitely don't go in the dishwasher. No comfort handles, either.

I do have a weird requirement for my kitchen pans. A saucepan has to be heavy enough to stirfry a little onion (and sometimes herbs) in the bottom --evenly, without burning-- so I don't have to switch pans in the middle of a recipe! And it ought to go in the dishwasher, since I'm my own assistant.

I admit to having a few non-dishwasher pans, but when time is short and hungry mouths are waiting, they are not the first things I'll use.
 
I have a variety of brands as well. I have a large and small saute pans and neither are All-Clad. One is Kirkland (Costco) and the other Calphalon SS.

I haven't tried to flip with a CI skillet but I do with the All-Clad.

Your requirement isn't weird at all. You should be able to perform basic procedures in all your pans.
 
i went to a le gourmet chef's store tonight, and finally got to play around with many of their tri-ply line. it was good quality for 1/2 the price of all clad, but it was just a mm or two lighter. to tell you the truth, i wish all clad was even heavier. like stainless steel with the weight of cast iron.

anyway, we went to bloomie's (dw's contractual obligation with lucifer) and i think i've convinced her to get me the 13 piece ss all clad set, that comes with several bonus gifts, either for my b-day or christmas.
i may have write something down in my blood, but the 13 piece all clad, ahhhhglghlghlghghglgh :chef:
 
Sounds like great holiday season coming up! Enjoy!

You're right about the Le Gourmet Chef cookware. It's lighter than A-C. However, I have had no problems cooking in the stuff as I would in my A-C. I can attest that the sauce pans are OK in this respect. I don't have any skillets or sautes from the LGC line.
 
I do like the "made in the USA" aspect of All-Clad (though some of their "special" pieces are outsourced to China now). I guess I factor this in when I consider the price, and it doesn't seem so outrageous.
 
TexanFrench said:
I do like the "made in the USA" aspect of All-Clad (though some of their "special" pieces are outsourced to China now). I guess I factor this in when I consider the price, and it doesn't seem so outrageous.

Unfortunately some of their not so special pieces, like roasting pans, are now made in China.:(
 
after all this time, i'm just finding out that the Member's Mark stainless cookware is not only 18/10 stainless but it is FULL CLAD as well.

a full set for under $200... of full clad!!!!

unfortunately, i won't be able to afford the All Clad line until i hit the lottery; so for now, i'm off to sam's club to buy their full clad set.:mellow:


So, Black Chef, how do you like the full clad Member's Mark stainless?
 
i dunno about the smaller pans. i only compared the larger 6 qt. saute pan while holding the le gourmet, the all clad from memory. it just seemed lighter.

That's because you were comparing a 6 quart sauté pan from All-Clad to a 5 quart sauté pan from Le Gourmet Chef. Le Gourmet Chef doesn't offer a 6 quart sauté.

anyway, we went to bloomie's (dw's contractual obligation with lucifer) and i think i've convinced her to get me the 13 piece ss all clad set, that comes with several bonus gifts, either for my b-day or christmas.
i may have write something down in my blood, but the 13 piece all clad, ahhhhglghlghlghghglgh :chef:

Those aren't bonus gifts, they're parting gifts because you are parting with an outrageous amount of money so All-Clad can give pots and pans to the Food Network personalities free-fer-nuthin.
 
lol, caine.

i never ended up getting any all clad pieces. :(

but i am very happy with a 5 quart tramontina saute pan. it was a great deal from costco, for just 30 clams.

it's taken me a while to learn how to use stainless steel, but the heavy bottom and tight fitting lid are great.

who needs a $200 pan?

next up is a large frying pan. i'll go non-stick this time, and i'm thinking of a 12 or 14 inch pan. suggestions, anyone? (besides caine. i know, i know, i'm going to check out le gourmet chef... ;))
 
who needs a $200 pan?

Someone with more money than sense?
I have to say that is a pretty rude thing to say. I have some very expensive pots and pans and I happen to think I have plenty of sense thank you very much. My pots and pans are made of quality materials. They have a lifetime warranty. There is also the aesthetic quality that I enjoy. Why does that mean I am lacking in the sense dept?

I love my expensive pots and pans and have certainly gotten my moneys worth from them. My children will as well. I think that is money well spent.
 
I never much liked SS pans.

Pots? Yes. Pans? No.
Please explain. Why would you like SS pots, but not pans? A pan you can use to make a sauce with the fond that collects on the SS. A pot is generally used for liquid where SS or non stick won't matter much. I am curious why you would like SS for pots and not for pans.
 
Please explain. Why would you like SS pots, but not pans?

In my opinion Stainless Steel fry pans are, at best, second rate when compared to iron skillets.

Pots are meant for liquids and liquids tend to play **** with cast so I use stainless. Usually.

A pan you can use to make a sauce with the fond that collects on the SS.

That can be done with any cookware.

A pot is generally used for liquid where SS or non stick won't matter much.

Non stick (surfaces)? That's another subject all together.
 
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I have to say that is a pretty rude thing to say.

Glad we're all allowed to have our opinions.


I have some very expensive pots and pans and I happen to think I have plenty of sense thank you very much.

I have some really expensive tools myself. Not all of them in the kitchen.

The trick is to not allow your identity to get wrapped up in your possessions.

We all fall prey to this, some more than others, I guess.
 

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