Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Fine Living, Home, Design & Auto › All-Clad Copper Core
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

All-Clad Copper Core

post #1 of 37
12/6/07 at 1:00am
Thread Starter 
The fiance and I are wrapping up our wedding registry and debating over pots and pans. I want the All-Clad Copper Core and she wants to have nothing to do with them. Supposedly this cookware is "handwash recommended," so does anybody have these or have any experience with what happens if you put them in the dishwasher? And are they really worh the extra $$$?

Thanks, HS.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 37
12/6/07 at 1:21am
The hot environment of a dishwasher (along with the chemicals in detergents) will damage most types of pans, and the effects will vary depending on the metals and construction. And no, those are not worth the cost. If you're set on All-Clad, go for the lesser expensive LTD or LTD II lines, which are a much better value. Edit: To add, if you're going to be sticking these in the dishwasher anyways, don't bother with pricey cookware.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 37
12/6/07 at 1:35am
I agree that pots and pans should be handwashed no matter what they are made of. As far as copper sandwiched pots I prefer them. Copper transfers heat really well and evenly but it is really expensive and scratches easily so to have a copper core surrounded by stainless steel/aluminum is the best of both worlds.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 37
12/6/07 at 1:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hopkins_student View Post
The fiance and I are wrapping up our wedding registry and debating over pots and pans. I want the All-Clad Copper Core and she wants to have nothing to do with them. Supposedly this cookware is "handwash recommended," so does anybody have these or have any experience with what happens if you put them in the dishwasher? And are they really worh the extra $$$? Thanks, HS.
Damned shame your in California. The All-Clad factory is just south of Pittsburgh and their annual Factory Sale is this weekend. You can get some very good buys on factory seconds. Don't wash them in the dishwasher!
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 37
12/6/07 at 2:49am
Are copper cored pans really all that better than well seasoned cast iron?
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 37
12/6/07 at 3:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reggs View Post
Are copper cored pans really all that better than well seasoned cast iron?

Depends what you need them for. Well-seasoned cast iron is pretty spectacular for some purposes, but it's going to be slow to heat and extremely sluggish in terms of temperature control. It's also reactive with certain foods.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 37
12/6/07 at 7:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocHolliday View Post
Depends what you need them for. Well-seasoned cast iron is pretty spectacular for some purposes, but it's going to be slow to heat and extremely sluggish in terms of temperature control. It's also reactive with certain foods.

Cast iron is also pretty damned heavy.
If you've got a few pans on the stove and you're shifting them around to attend to various dishes, it'll be easier to do it with steel/copper/aluminium pans than with cast iron.

Also, I don't know what kind of cast iron you might consider buying, but the only cast iron cookwear I have is a skillet, which I probably use once a week. Unlike my copper-bottomed steel pans, the handle on the cast-iron skillet gets *really* hot. I have to wear an oven glove or wrap the handle in a cooking cloth whenever I shift the pan, which is a bit inconvenient when it's one of a few dishes on the stove.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 37
12/6/07 at 9:40am
Ditto pretty much everything said above.

If you're into cooking (and given that you're looking at some very expensive cookware I'm assuming you are) then I might advise against the giant set of matching pots and pans anyway.

Certainly I recognize this may not work well with your wedding registry, but the fact remains that some makers and materials simply are better at certain cooking functions. A Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven or big griddle will out perform All Clad 80% of the time. A copper core stockpot is a waste of money at the All Clad level.

I'd suggest thinking about the pieces you'd like to have, and put those down. Ditto the comments on the copper core from All Clad, it's way over priced for what you get. And I'm no All Clad biggot, I've got about 14 pieces

I'm also not a fan of All Clad's non-stick. Perhaps they've improved it quite a bit since I bought mine, but I don't see the value in it over a much less expensive pan.

Regardless what you do, don't put it in the dishwashed or use a scrubber on the polished surface. Put a case of Barkeeper's Friend on the registry as well

-spence
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 37
12/6/07 at 10:45am
I am with Robin and Spence on this one. IMhO, it is much more important to have a good, adjustable heat source (e.g. gas, low & high BTUs) then copper core pots & pans. I also have several All Clad pieces, as a matter of fact, I just bought (stainless) 8 qt. stock pot recently and while in store, I have looked at their AC copper line. To me it doesn't even look that great, never mind the price...
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 37
12/6/07 at 11:28am
I would go with the LTD line.

FWIW: I've had some for close to 20 years and they're still going strong. They are not hard to clean (deglazing makes it even easier)

I do think they're worth the money.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 37
12/6/07 at 12:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hopkins_student View Post
The fiance and I are wrapping up our wedding registry and debating over pots and pans. I want the All-Clad Copper Core and she wants to have nothing to do with them. Supposedly this cookware is "handwash recommended," so does anybody have these or have any experience with what happens if you put them in the dishwasher? And are they really worh the extra $$$?

Thanks, HS.

No they are not. I use all-clad, but in researching, i found that the copper has to be of a certain thickness for it to be any use, otherwise it's just a cosmetic/marketing gimmick. They won't be any worse than the other all-clad stuff, but they are a horrible value. I'd go with the regular stainless, or MC2 line. I use MC2, but they're not as "pretty" as the Stainless. In terms of functionality, they are great. I handwash them but with those really long handles you really couldn't get too many of them in the dishwasher imo. Also, I do have stainless covers, and they tend to scratch if you wash them with anything abrasive.

Quote:
Originally Posted by underwearer View Post
I agree that pots and pans should be handwashed no matter what they are made of. As far as copper sandwiched pots I prefer them. Copper transfers heat really well and evenly but it is really expensive and scratches easily so to have a copper core surrounded by stainless steel/aluminum is the best of both worlds.

Solid copper like Mauviel or Bourgeat with a thin layer of stainless for the cooking surface is best. The copper in these 5-layer All-Clad pots and pans is just a marketing gimmick because it isn't the sole conductor and isn't thick enough inside the core to be dominant in terms of heat-transfer characteristics. It's a tiny fraction of the ~18mm used in the two aforementioned brands.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 37
12/6/07 at 12:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQgeek View Post
Solid copper like Mauviel or Bourgeat with a thin layer of stainless for the cooking surface is best. The copper in these 5-layer All-Clad pots and pans is just a marketing gimmick because it isn't the sole conductor and isn't thick enough inside the core to be dominant in terms of heat-transfer characteristics. It's a tiny fraction of the ~18mm in mm used in the two aforementioned brands.


+1 on the Mauviel, I have a lot of the All Clads Ltd that I purchased at a Kitchen supply store for real cheap but at retail the value is not there. They do yeomans work but I am slowly switching over to mauviel.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 37
12/6/07 at 12:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by edmorel View Post
+1 on the Mauviel, I have a lot of the All Clads Ltd that I purchased at a Kitchen supply store for real cheap but at retail the value is not there. They do yeomans work but I am slowly switching over to mauviel.

I purchased my all-clad online from a site that sells their factory seconds. Functionally, they are in perfect shape, but they might have a tiny scratch or something. Some I couldn't even find the flaw on. I will probably switch to Bourgeat or Mauviel, starting with a 2qt saucepan and a sauté pan, since those are the most important to have in copper imo.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 37
12/6/07 at 1:39pm
I've got some Bourget copper and it rarely gets used. They are just too heavy and bulky for my small kitchen. It's nice to have the 3qt evasee though for sauces and other likeminded tasks.

The best bang for the buck cookware I've found it Sitram Catering. Copper performance at 1/2-1/3 of the price.

-spence
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 37
12/6/07 at 1:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQgeek View Post
I purchased my all-clad online from a site that sells their factory seconds.
Care to share the site? I've always purchased mine from Amazon or from my local kitchen store in their big annual sale, but I wouldn't mind saving more on some pieces.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Fine Living, Home, Design & Auto › All-Clad Copper Core