Cooking Resources

Andy M. · 11-17-2009, 02:36 PM

I read a cookware review in Consumer Reports. They tested Emeril's disk bottom stainless pans. They reported that the disk melted off a pan that was left on a burner empty for some length of time - I think it was ten minutes.

Granted, this is not a common occurrence in most homes but it may be a factor for some.

TheNoodleIncident · 11-17-2009, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy M.

I read a cookware review in Consumer Reports. They tested Emeril's disk bottom stainless pans. They reported that the disk melted off a pan that was left on a burner empty for some length of time - I think it was ten minutes.

Granted, this is not a common occurrence in most homes but it may be a factor for some.

thats why i dont prefer emeril's stainless pans, or any disk bottom pans for that matter...also, the heating of the thin pan walls (especially with gas) is uneven

the non-stick ones dont use a disk, and are relatively thick throughout the pan...much better

Michael in FtW · 11-17-2009, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy M.

I read a cookware review in Consumer Reports. They tested Emeril's disk bottom stainless pans. They reported that the disk melted off a pan that was left on a burner empty for some length of time - I think it was ten minutes.

Granted, this is not a common occurrence in most homes but it may be a factor for some.

LOL - I did that once! I had just gotten a new stove that had the controls on the back of the stove (dumbest idea I ever saw) and bumped a knob "on" without realizing it when I put the pot on the stove while I was washing up.

I've also wondered about "floating" the inner SS layer of All-Clad if abused in the same way? If you can melt the aluminum layer in the disc bottom - why not the aluminum layer in the middle of the tri-ply?

I don't know if they still have them, but All-Clad was putting encapsulated discs on the bottom of their soup/stock pots larger than about 8-qt - so maybe the disc isn't a totally bad idea?

Emeril has a new Pro-Clad line ... tri-ply just like All-Clad, no disc on the bottom, and a 10-pc set runs about $300 - comparable All-Clad set is $700. I haven't seen it in person so I don't know what difference, if any, there is in the thickness.

vagriller · 02-02-2010, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael in FtW

I've also wondered about "floating" the inner SS layer of All-Clad if abused in the same way? If you can melt the aluminum layer in the disc bottom - why not the aluminum layer in the middle of the tri-ply?

I doubt it. The melting point of stainless is 1220 degrees F. I have melted aluminum before though, when I was a machinist. That was a bad day! But we heated aluminum all the time to 375 degrees F when resleeving cylinders. In any case I thought the inner disk with try-ply was copper. I would venture a guess that whatever is used to bond the layers together has failed when the disk comes off. Not that any metal has melted.

**DaveSoMD** · 02-02-2010, 03:35 PM

I actually checked out the RR cookware at Marshall's (one of those discount stores) and I agree it was light-weight and not well made (won't go into the whole orange color thing), the same goes for the emeril SS (the regular, not the non-stick), it just felt too light weight. I'm not a fan of the celebrity sets, I'm more of an open-stock shopper. I have been very happy with my SS skillet (not non-stick) that I bought at Macy's. It is their store brand. It seemed to me to have the heaviest bottom/cooking surface and was really reasonably priced.

CookLikeJulia · 02-02-2010, 04:18 PM

French skillets usually have higher sides and wider bottoms. Those ones that emeril ues are special super pricey skillets, nevertheless, still skillets.