buying new cookware... all-clad? which line? anyone use it? - Page 5

IMO you should not buy a bunch of cookware at once, even as few as 4 pieces. You will almost certainly buy something you don't need or you will realize you wanted something else instead. All-Clad is overpriced, but the funny thing is, I have never heard of a serious cook ever say "you know what, my AC is good but I think I will trash mine and move up to ____". All-Clad is good enough to keep forever. In fact, I bet this is why they made the D5 line - carefully designed to be something for AC lifers to upgrade to. All-Clad MC is the best value and has massively thick aluminum. The exterior is not that attractive though. Copper Core is a horrible buy. Stainless is a good compromise between price, usability and cleanable exterior If you are really about fuckall and splurging you should look at Falk http://www.falkculinair.com/

Don't entirely agree with above... Don't buy too much, I agree, but 4 pieces is too much? I started with the 3.2qt. Sauté pan (9.75"), 3.5qt. And 1.5qt pots, and a 1qt. Saucier and an 8qt. For soups. I use all of it all the time. Someone that cooks really simple stuff mitt do without the saucier but sometimes I find it essential... I agree that copper core is a poor buy. I looked into it once and the copper doesn't make up a big enough % of total thickness to really get the benefits. I live mauviel for copper but falk is lower maintenance and a bit cheaper iirc.

Bought my All Clads Ltd like 18 years ago, have at least 14-16 pieces and they are still going strong.

Well maybe 4 pieces at once is not excessive. But the OP made it sound like he was very inexperienced at cooking.

But I've evolved from using a 10" stainless skillet to cast iron, and from a 3 qt saucepan to 4 qt. and 2 qt. Also, I almost never use a giant stockpot.

I use my stockpot so much that I'm considering buying another one. And, I think this one will be bigger.

It makes me happy to hear that people make a lot of stock at home. I think it's very important for a variety of reasons. If everyone started doing things like this I think the obesity crisis would at least be halved in this country.

How big do you have now?

12 qt. I figured that was plenty for a single guy. I'm wrong. The amount of effort it takes to make stock (or even many types of soup) is such that I should make much larger batches and freeze it. As it is, if I make a batch of stock, it is usually gone within a week or two, unless it was from something less common than chicken/beef/vegetable.

Most of my stock is made from vegetable scraps that I trimmed from carrots, onions, celery, leeks, etc anyway, so it is very cheap to make. A ziploc bag in the freezer holds the scraps until I'm ready to make stock.

That illustrates my point.

+1.

I have a kitchen in my rented studio that is probably on par with a a very small Parisian/European studio kitchen - range with 2 gas burners, a fridge, that's it. A few cabinets, to hold stuff. I've bought one of these newfangled all-in-one convection/microwave/grill/ovens (it actually looks quite nice) that are popular here in Asia and I've had to put it in the corner of the living room, no space. I threw out tons of junk cookware and am starting from scratch for the most part, to start incorporating quality. I've got a a LC marmite, a pyrex tri-ply stainless saucepan, and a cheap tefal set that has a detachable handle; it's a nested nonstick set of a small wok, a skillet, and then an omelette pan, with a couple lids to fit all, which suits my needs quite nicely. Otherwise, I have a Japanese omelet pan, and a traditional Korean casserole crock, and I have more than enough stuff for cooking; I've cooked for 8 or 9 people with far less stuff than that which I listed.

You can cook well with almost anything. Shit, my parents used to have the worst Reverware thin stainless pots with no aluminum whatsoever, and they cooked fine.

The point is you will probably replace all that stuff once or twice in the next ten years. And during the ten years, you will still have to use that stuff.

I knew a guy in college (before websites, mind you) who bought 3 pieces of all-clad (10 inch skillet, 12 inch saute, 3qt saucepan) and has still, to this day, never replaced any of them. What's the difference? Well, he's been able to use the finest cookware for over 20 years, while you've been using something else.

my stock pot is an 8 quart aluminum thing purchased for $30 from Bowery Restaurant Supply. It has served me very well.

Perhaps the douchiest and most pretentious (unintentionally) thing posted on SF ever.

fitting, because All-Clad is absolutely pretentious

Really? What is it pretending to be?