All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
Are the All Clad pots and pans worth the expense when compared to the Calphalon stainless sets?
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30 Comments:
Yes.
Yes, yes, yes.
I've owned both and can say without hesitation that the All Clad outperforms and outlasts the Calphalon in every category. (...do I sound like a tire commerical or what?)
The All Clad cook / distribute heat more evenly, they hold up better to repeated washings / scourings / bangings by my clumsy hubby, retain their "good looks" over time and just feel better to cook with (the handles feel good in your hand, they're more balanced, the lids fit perfectly, etc). I ended up being very disappointed in my Calphalon after only two years and was quite happy to replace all of it with All Clad when given the opportunity.
I'm a huge All Clad fan. If you want to spend a little extra money, it will be completely worth it in the long run.
sheeats at 11:57AM on 02/05/08
with most kitchen tools, the answer is, 99% of the time, yes.
seyo at 12:22PM on 02/05/08
Definitely. My all-clad pots and pans cook much better -- evenly, etc. than my others.
hereandthe at 12:33PM on 02/05/08
Totally worth it, IMHO. Provided they are within your budget. If they're too expensive for you right now, check out product reviewers, such as Cooks Illustrated, for affordable next-best options. Also, check out ConsumerSearch.com for a consolidation of various cookware reviews.
All-Clad is so wonderful, it's really not even necessary to get their top-of-the-line copper core stuff to get a good product. Their regular stainless line, which uses aluminum core, is truly excellent, and is much, MUCH cheaper. An added benefit of the regular stainless line is that it's not nearly as heavy as the copper core, which may be an important consideration. For instance, I'm a fairly small, middle-aged female. My upper body strength is decent, but I'm not exactly buff. So a really heavy skillet or saute pan can actually be dangerous for me to use regularly, especially when it's full of heavy food!
Ultimately, if you go with All-Clad, I believe you'll spend less over a lifetime of cooking, as there's virtually no reason you'll ever need to replace it.
LoCo at 12:40PM on 02/05/08
Oh, yeah.
I used a vast array of sad, sub-standard and merely OK pots and pans for years. Farberware, Revereware, Calphalon, IKEA non-stick. Food was produced out of them - good food; it sustained. Several years ago my husband really "got" into cuisine. I fought it, primarily because of the expense, but on his insistance, we invested in the good stuff. All-Clad stainless pots and pans, Le Creuset baking vessels, Wusthof knives. I've never looked back. Life is good, baby.
I had Calphalon annodized, non-stick and stainless pieces and they always dissapointed . The annodized and non-stick always stick and don't brown or caramelize well at all. Don't even bother with the Calphalon non-stick wok. All the food just slides down to the bottom and stews in it's juices rather than stir frying no matter how high you have the flame. Mine still looks like brand spanking new because I get so frustrated with it every time I try to use it. So it has been relegated to the pan boneyard. The conductivity of the All-Clad stainless is far superior to that of the Calphalon stainless also.
I'm sure your cooktop contributes heavily to the end quality of the food, as well. I used the All-Clad stainless on my Miele ceran electric cooktop at my old house (which worked superbly) and since we moved I now have a gas top range. Here again, I don't know why I was resistant to a gas cooktop for so long, because the combination with the cookware is sheer magic. It's instantaneously responsive.
All-Clad's are so very easy to clean up with Bar-Keepers Friend and a woven plastic scrubbie. They can be kept looking brand new and I've had mine for at least 5 years. This is the set that we will continue to add pieces to for a lifetime. They are an investment in your culinary confidence.
Enough said?
frederika at 1:25PM on 02/05/08
The people at Cooks Illustrated put a number of All-Clad pots and pans to the test. They determined that All-Clad is worth its salt.
See: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/testing.asp?testingid=78
The above-link will take you to a C/I rating of traditional skillets. Guess which traditional skillets beat-out those made by Calphalon, Viking, Emerilware, Cuisinart, KitchenAid, and Le Cruset ?
This has no bearing on my opinion of the cookware quality, but I happen to work 5 minutes away from All-Clad's manufacturing mill. Neat, huh.
Susquehanna at 1:30PM on 02/05/08
Aw, crisis. Unless you have a Cook's Illustrated subscription, you cannot access that link I posted above. Apologies.
Susquehanna at 1:43PM on 02/05/08
I'm fanatical about my Anolon (the top of their line) cookware - I have others too (Calphalon, Farberware, Reverware, Le Creuset) but the Anolon was what I filled out the whole line of. Everything comes out better. EVERYTHING.
christine at 1:55PM on 02/05/08
@Susquehanna...... Do they have a discount outlet? Might be worth the 5+ hour drive to Canonsburg, PA?
PerkyMac at 1:59PM on 02/05/08
id consider making that drive if it was worth it too!
Kbear919 at 6:06PM on 02/05/08
Yes... All Clad is definitely worth the $$
JEP at 6:42PM on 02/05/08
ALL Clad is the absolute the BEST no question.
There is an all clad seconds sale twice a year. They call the pan's seconds buy I have yet to find a scratch, blimish, etc.... I bought my first set at full retail, my second set at the seconds sale at about a 75% savings over retail pricing.
They normaly send some kind of announcement about the sale or perhaps on the website there is some information.
Kwdavis421 at 7:00PM on 02/06/08
My mom (Martha Stewart incarnate) swears by Mauviel.
MrsMcCorkle at 8:12PM on 02/06/08
All Clad cookware is superb. Their stainless line is even induction compatible. So you can go green with All Clad. A great piece to try is the new French Skillets, very reasonable, extremely versatile and well made.
I get all my All Clad with free shipping at metrokitchen.com.
DanielleS at 2:42PM on 02/07/08
I took the plunge and bought my all clad 7 piece set 11 years ago and I still have them. They are gaurenteed for life so I have replaced some non stick ones along the way. The conduct heat fantastically, I love em!
rockymountainmarta at 7:26PM on 02/07/08
another vote for all clad -- it's worth every penny, especially {in my kitchen, anyway} the 3 quart saucepan.
cybercita at 9:23PM on 02/07/08
Love my All Clad pans, I only have three at the moment but plan to add to my collection as finances allow. I found that the Metro Kitchen website often has some good deals.
mrsmoosie at 10:20PM on 02/07/08
yes!!!!
carusoc at 8:53AM on 02/08/08
I bought a set of All-Clad's about 20 years ago as a birthday present to myself.
I remember boiling water a 6 qt. stockpot for pasta.
The difference was very noticeable from the start. The water simply boiled much faster than my old Farberware set.
Clean up in the saucepans is very quick and easy.
I've added a couple of pans to my collection and I have to recommend the grill pan as one that is used very often and cleans up like a dream.
As mentioned earlier, you don't need a copper-core set. I have the unfinished brushed aluminum MC2 set and wouldn't trade my All-Clads for anything.
My thoughts is that it is an investment that is well-worth it for anyone who loves to cook and appreciates that professional quality that is used almost every single day.
Just check out many of the cooking shows on PBS or elsewhere. Many of the professional chefs (especially those without an endorsement deal) use All-Clads.
I did look at Calphalon, but the difference in weight, and all around quality was obvious.
Grifola frondosa at 11:38AM on 02/08/08
I think the performance of most clad cookware is pretty comparable. Cooks Illustrated has come to the same conclusion. Gourmet Standard clad pans perform pretty much equal to the All-Clad at a lesser price.
The one thing that I urger everyone to keep in mind when buying pans though it to buy induction capable pans. You may not have induction now, but I do believe it's the future of cooking. And these pans should last a lifetime.
arbeck at 11:52AM on 02/08/08
If you are looking for good quality at a cheaper cost, I myself own All-Clad and know the expense, my friends swear by Vollrath. Still pricey, but a little more affordable than ALL-Clad.
foodiegirl at 1:33PM on 02/08/08
Yes. Properly maintained, All-Clad will last longer than you will...
HunterAnglerGardenerCook at 2:32PM on 02/08/08
Between All-Clad and Le Creuset, you can't go wrong. Nine years ago I bought an All-Clad 7 piece stainless steel set and I haven't looked back since. I felt so haughty plunking down my credit card at Williams-Sonoma and having the set brought to my car! (It's the small thrills in life ain't it?) The sets are so much more expensive now and you get smaller pots so I definitely think you should buy the separate pieces as you determine your need unless money and space are not an issue.
I wanted stainless steel for the option of putting it in the dishwasher, which is key because I use the 2 quart and 4 quart saucepans daily. I believe none of the other All-Clad lines is dishwasher safe. The 8 quart stockpot is perfect for stews, marinara, braises, chilis, and a big ol' pot of greens. I probably use the 10 inch skillet least of all. As time passed I added the LTD grill pan (which can get crusted and hard to clean), the Master Chef 3 quart saucier, and the Master Chef 12 inch nonstick skillet, which often ends up in the oven to finish frittatas, chicken, and fish. The only Calphalon pan I own is the 13 x 16 stainless steel roasting pan, which I'm VERY pleased with, not the least reason of which is that it was half the price of the All Clad version. For what it's worth I also have a Cuisinart 5 quart saute pan which is good but does not heat up as quickly as my All-Clad.
So I've got plenty of pots and pans; I just needed a bigger, six burner cooktop!
Otabenga at 3:08PM on 02/08/08
I've been extremely happy with the pieces of Tramontina copper-core I got at a tiny fraction of the cost of my All-Clad. The 5-qt saute pan with lid and helper handle for about $40 is hard to beat! Sometimes a piece will be offered at Costco.
LoCo at 3:26PM on 02/08/08
Wow! People love their All-Clad. I have a few All-Clad pieces (including an Emrilware I got on sale) and I do love them. Bourdain says go to a restaurant supply store and pick up cheap pans and toss them out after a few years, in the end they will cost you less. I have done that, too. What do I think? Get the All-Clad Stainless and the supply store non-stick. Non-stick pans just don't last - the coating (it is a coating) comes off after a while - All Clad or not. So, a good, cheaper, non-stick pan, like the one's in the supply store are the one's to get - sure, they're going to fail in half the time, but that's something like 2 years instead of four. Or three instead of six. But, no more than that.
mikenmolly at 8:45PM on 02/08/08
I have been an All-Clad junkie for years and have a fairly complete set. I have recently begun to fall out of love with them because they warp. We splurged on an induction cooktop, and absolutely LOVE it, and the traditional All-Clad cookware is entirely compatible with it. But you don't get the benefit of the even cooking the induction method provieds when the pan is no longer flat on the bottom. It's quite frustrating. On the positive side, the cookware has a lifetime guarantee, and I have returned pieces to Williams-Sonoma, no receipt, and they have replaced it with a brand new one from their stock. That's nice!
latteaday at 11:13PM on 02/08/08
I say most definately yes. These pans will last you and your childrens and your childrens childrens lifetime. As a former professional chef I think you can't get any better.
sweeplicata at 12:05AM on 02/09/08
This all depends on what you are cooking on. If you have a flat top ceran cook top you do not need all clad. I have a wolf gas range and I need heavy duty cookware. I am also a cookware hussy. I love mauviel, le creuset, some wolfgang puck (good value for the buck), a few pieces of calphalon, some all clad and various other pieces of Belgique (macys) and some bizarre brand made by Rubbermaid that I picked up in a hardware store 6 years ago that was great by they don't make them anymore.
JerzeeTomato at 8:31AM on 02/09/08
@ PerkyMac:
As far as I know, there isn't an All-Clad outlet store in Canonsburg, PA.
Though, you will be happy to know that the All-Clad manufacturing folks put on a fantastic "seconds sale" twice a year, usually in December and June, at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Here's the address:
2151 North Main Street
Washington PA USA 15301
(724) 225-3151
People come from far and wide (e.g. Canada) and I hear it's all madness and long lines. All-Clad doesn't appear to advertise the sale, so I plan to try calling the Fairgrounds' office closer to June to get the scoop on the 2008 sale date.
I haven't gone before, but I am certainly going this June.
Susquehanna at 7:55PM on 02/09/08
My sister lives nearly half way, so I can make a party out of it! You are a peach. Thanks for the info Susquehanna!!! Maybe I'll see you there.
PerkyMac at 8:53PM on 02/09/08