Tramontina Tri-Ply Cookware

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bluemack

Assistant Cook
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
41
hi,

So would this tri-ply cook like the rest of the tri-ply out there like AC or Calphalon?

Also regarding Calphalon, the Comtempory line is described on their web site as follows: "18/10 stainless steel interior & exterior; with aluminum core"

and

the Tri-Ply Stainless is described as: "18/10 stainless steel with aluminum core".

Can someone please tell me how those 2 Calphalon lines are different?

And does anyone have the Tramontina tri ply cookware and what is your experience compared to the other more expensive lines like AC.

mack
 
Have heard very good things about the Tramontina. The knockoffs sold at Costco also have been given high marks on other cooking boards--by very knowledgeable cooks.
 
18/10 is the quality of stainless...how much chrome in the mix. The calphalon lines are different by their thickness of core aluminum and the types of handles and lids etc. the tri ply is probably thicker than the contemporary. The Tramontina would be similar. Again the handles and lids will differ. Also look for the rivets...how are the handles attached. small crimp marks ... poor. 2 or three rivets? good. chances are all of these are made in China.
 
And which Calphalon is the better quality of the two? The tri-ply or the contempory stainless?
 
I have a Tramontana tri-ply skillet and it performs quite well.

I think the primary difference between the two Calphalon lines is style.
 
The Tramontina tri-ply and the MakersMark SS shown on Sam's Club web sites look like the same stuff to me.

Calphalon contemporary has newly designed handles that are more comfortable and stable when compared to thier older Tri-Ply pan handles.

The stick handles on Sam's Club MakersMark SS cookware are very user friendly when compared to some other SS cookware's handles.
 
I've got the Costco Tramontina. I've bought it as individual pots and such, not a set.

Cooks very well and has held up excellently so far.

Very affordable.

thymeless
 
Thymeles, is that Costco Tramontina all clad or just a disk on the bottom?

I looked for that at my local costco but they don't have it in stock so I couldn't get this question answered.
 
bluemack said:
Thymeles, is that Costco Tramontina all clad or just a disk on the bottom?

I looked for that at my local costco but they don't have it in stock so I couldn't get this question answered.

They're the disk stamped bottom.

What I've read and seen myself is there is no performance difference between the smooth ply and the disk ply. The main difference is cost and aesthetics.

thymeless
 
my girlfriend bought me an All Clad 12 quart pot with the pasta strainer and smaller steamer insert. It is the one with the disk on the bottom. There must be "some" difference between this one and the tri-ply model? Can someone help me out here with some kind of an explanantion?

mack
 
There is a cosmetic difference.

Look. the problem is that different metals heat and contract at different rates. Thus most older thermostats are made with a bimettalic strip and a mercury switch. As the bimetallic strip curls under the dissimilar forces, the mercury switch is tripped.

A pan with dissimilar metals experiences similar forces. All Clad's important break through was ia patened "roll-bonding" process in 1973. The disk or seamless bottom are just two different ways to appl.y this roll bonded sandwich to the pan. The stamped pan achieves the connection through friction and the seamless pans have the connection glossed over and polished to be invisible. The function and failures modes remain the same.

That patent expired a while ago and so other makes of pots and pans now benefit from the techniquie.

In labaratory conditions, some difference may be measureable. I have never heard or seen of any differences reported in actual use.

My video card is failing so there is some screen interference making it hard for me to catch my typos. I'm sorry for any difficult readiing this produces for readers.

thymeless
 
bluemack:

As has been mentioned before, they only time there is a practical difference between the two is with a small pan/disk where the flame of a gas stove could reach beyond the edge of a disk and cause burning of the food within. That makes it more than a cosmetic difference. It's also less expensive to make a disk-bottomed pan so you can buy them for less.

I cannot imagine there would be a difference in a 12-quart pot. I have a 12-quart Tramontina with a disk bottom and I never have a problem.
 
In the making of stocks, many prefer the disk bottom. It's said that it enhances the convection factor. Hot liquid on the bottom rises, cools more rapidly due to the thinner sides, and returns to the bottom. The theory is that the motion of the liquid is greater, enhancing the interaction of liquid and solid ingredients. I do know that my disk bottom stock pots perform very well--I would not think of spending the extra for clad.
 
I believe it does pay to spend extra for 100% clad in a pan with curved or flared sides--like a french-style frying pan/skillet or saucier, especially if you have a gas stove.

If the top of the pan is wider than the bottom, and you have a disk bottom, you're probably going to have some of the thin part of the pan directly above the heat source. Makes for very uneven heat across the pan!

However, having the entire pan made in clad metal does make it heavier -- and if you are using a 12 quart stockpot, with straight sides and liquid contents (liquid will distribute the heat more evenly anyway) you don't need that extra weight!
 
I wanted to resurrect this thread to comment that the current line of Costco 's Kirkland Signature Tri-Ply Stainless cookware is Brazilian made Tramontina. A 13 piece set is $229 and Tramontina USA confirms it's theirs and as good a product as they make. In other words, it's not a second tier line.

I just bought some after comparing it to All-Clad and this is very nice stuff. I think the quality is the same even though it costs about 10-20% of the price of All-Clad.
 
CSG, thanks for that update. Show me the level of caring. thanks again.

mack
 
i haven't seen the tramontina tri-ply knock-offs (SST) in either sam's or costco in quite a while.
 
they have tramontina tr ply at wal mart now. they sell a set and several open stock pieces.I have been using a set of tramontina for several years now and it's still like new..very well made.
 
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