ivy wrote:
Tim - do fill us in!
Ivy,
This is much more than you wanted to know.
I haven't been in the market for awhile, but... There are some serious issues with All-Clad's reasonably priced products, mostly related to poor ergonomics, shapes and failure to adopt new ideas.
Lousy handles: They are uncomfortable and difficult to pour.
Saucepans don't nest: Every saucepan should have a different diameter and have similar proportions.
Lack of saucepan pouring lips: I love my very old 4 qt. Masterchef saucepan but it creates messy pouring.
Lack of volume markers: I really find these useful.
Lack of skillet pouring lips: French skillets are an excuse to cheapen the products.
Flimsy lids: Many of mine have warped.
Small handles: Larger helper handles and lid handles are wonderful.
Misleading advertising: Replacing aluminum with steel improves diffusion? That's bs!
The solution is in keeping your eyes open for opportunities. Ignore advertising. Go to Zabars and out of the way cookware shops with a good tapemeasure and micrometer. Weigh the pan you are buying; that beautiful Deymeyere is way too heavy unless you have Arnold's arms. Look for the features that are important in
your kitchen for the way you cook.
I have a motley assortment of pans, most purchased for a fraction of retail. May favorites are the Mauviel M-Cook 11" skillet, LeCreuset stainless saucepan, Gourmet Standard sauce and saute pans a de Buyer fully-clad and disc-bottom chef's pan, and $40 Mauviel professional copper chef's pans.
My last purchase was the LeCreuset fully cladded stainless saucepan which was recently discontinued. These pans
had wonderful handles, good pouring lip, great nesting shape, volume markers, excellent thickness and heavy lids. The closeout prices were remarkable at $130 for a four quart saucepan. The performance is excellent. (NOTE: LeCreuset completely redesigned these pans to make them more distinctive. I have not seen them.)
Roasting pans and stock pots are something else. I use de Buyer paella's every day for roasting duty. My stock pots have extra thick bottoms with strong stainless sides, large hanldle and pouring lips.
Tim