All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
My mom (Martha Stewart incarnate) swears by Mauviel.
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Vegetarian Crock Pot recipes
I made an excellent lentil stew/soup this fall - broth, veggies, cumin, s&p, whatever type of lentils you desire. Slow cooked lentils provide great fiber and are an excellent soup thickener.
What are some of the best meals to freeze?
My FAVORITE thing to give is soup. I prefer carrot soup, split pea, minestrone, alphabet, chicken - you can give just the soup, or you can delight your receivers with a complementary salad, always warm bread, and a batch of cookies. Soup has an excellent "feel good" quality that can be separated out into individual portions, and, depending on the recipe, can be considered quite gourmet and rather impressive.
Cooking-related thermometers, used or ignored?
I don't use a thermometer. I just bought one a month ago, but haven't even used it yet. And I cook... boy do I cook. I guess I just don't cook things that require them. I look forward to expanding my repertoire now that I do have one - but I don't think they are absolutely necessary. I guess I've gotten along just fine up until this point doing it the old fashioned way.... and we've been fine. However, now, if I'm not sure if my meat is the right temp, or if I need to make candy/fudge, I'll have one on hand.
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All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
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.
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
@ 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.
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
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.
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
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.
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
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!
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
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.
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
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.
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
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!
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
Yes. Properly maintained, All-Clad will last longer than you will...
All Clad Pots and Pans - are they worth it?
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.
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Location: Milwaukee
About: I happily live with my husband while writing a cookbook with aspirations to live completely off the grid - we're hoping to start a goat farm and make artisan cheese while living a fully self sustainable life. But for now, I'll enjoy the simple life.
Favorite foods: Cheese, cheese, cheese. Comfort foods, soups and stews. Homemade breads. Wines and chocolate.
Last bite on earth: Grilled flank steak with horseradish sauce, blanched asparagus, rice pilaf. Chocolate ice cream with raspberries and almonds on top. My last bite? Goat cheese on a baguette with a vodka gimlet martini, up, two blue cheese olives.