Cooking update!

esquire. · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by GQgeek

Cookware: I was reading through all of the Cook's Illustrated equipment reviews and All-Clad Stainless consistently won the top spot for all the various pots and pans. They never compared it to copper but it seems to do a fine job. I'm still waiting on my quote back from france for the Mauviel gear, but I found a super-cheap source for All-Clad so I'm considering going with that since I can get it at basically 50% off, although with minor cosmetic blemishes b/c they're factory seconds. The more I think about it I'll probably go with All-clad because I can get the 11 pieces (including a kickass roasting pan) I need to do everything I could imagine for half the price of 7-8 pieces of copper. Here's the link in case anyone else is shopping for cookware.
Is there a way to get access to all of Cook Illustrated's equipment reviews without signing up for their website. When's the best time to buy All-Clad from this website? Is their current sale the best price you can get from them, or is it better to wait? I've seen some All Clad at Marshalls at better price, but I think the pieces from your website would be in better condition as well as giving somebody more options.

Originally Posted by GQgeek

What I ended up ordering was a frying pan, saute pan with lid, 2 sauciers (1qt & 2 qt), 1 sauce pan (3.5qt), stock pot, small roasting pan with rack. I ended up going with the All-Clad Master Chef 2 instead of stainless because the aluminum is 2mm thicker.
Did you get a better deal by ordering so many things at once? Do they throw in something for free when you do that? And, why get so many pots with the saucier and sauce pan in different sizes? What do you do with the 1 qt. that you couldn't do in a bigger pot? And, how often do you use your frying pan vs. saute pan?

GQgeek · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by esquire.

Is there a way to get access to all of Cook Illustrated's equipment reviews without signing up for their website.

When's the best time to buy All-Clad from this website? Is their current sale the best price you can get from them, or is it better to wait? I've seen some All Clad at Marshalls at better price, but I think the pieces from your website would be in better condition as well as giving somebody more options.

Did you get a better deal by ordering so many things at once? Do they throw in something for free when you do that?

And, why get so many pots with the saucier and sauce pan in different sizes? What do you do with the 1 qt. that you couldn't do in a bigger pot?

And, how often do you use your frying pan vs. saute pan?

It's been a while, but iirc you get an extra discount if you order more than 4 items, and as I said, everything i received was essentially in mint condition. The defects were very very minior cosmetic ones.

As for the the number of pots... Sometimes you need that many, and sometimes it's doesn't make sense to use a large pot. If you're cooking a small amount of sauce, for instance, it doesn't work well in a large pot because it's harder to judge the reduction in a pot with a large surface area. The sauciers are also much better shaped for whisking (with the right whisk). I've had to use normal pots at my father's house and it's annoying.

And i use my saute pan much more often than a frying pan, but quite often i'll need both at once. If I were to only buy one, i'd get a good saute pan and a cheap frying pan though.

vinouspleasure · Oct 12, 2008

I like bbq/grilling and have found the books of Steve Raichlen to be top notch. I especially like the BBQ Bible, a book he created by traveling the world in pursuit of top recipes. The recipes are far ranging from Korean to Middle Eastern to the U.S. and to my palate, authentic: http://www.amazon.com/Barbecue-Bible...3832507&sr=8-8 The book also covers basic grilling and bbq (low/slow) technique.

jpeirpont · Oct 12, 2008

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Consider that most professional kitchens get their knives sharpened on a weekly basis, then consider how much you use your knives compared to the pros.

Try whole vanilla beans instead of extract. Now that is truly a world of difference.

How long do these keep?

esquire. · Oct 23, 2008

Originally Posted by GQgeek

Well lids count as pieces, so that's not 11 pots. What I ended up ordering was a frying pan, saute pan with lid, 2 sauciers (1qt & 2 qt), 1 sauce pan (3.5qt), stock pot, small roasting pan with rack. I ended up going with the All-Clad Master Chef 2 instead of stainless because the aluminum is 2mm thicker.

Did you get all these pots and pans in the same line so they'd be a matching set?

Wouldn't there be some pots and pans that it might be better to have less aluminum?

Ludeykrus · Oct 24, 2008

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Try whole vanilla beans instead of extract. Now that is truly a world of difference.

Amen. I've used extract and whole beans in my Vanilla Bourbon Porter/Stout and it makes a huge difference in taste.

GQgeek · Oct 25, 2008

Originally Posted by esquire.

Did you get all these pots and pans in the same line so they'd be a matching set?

Wouldn't there be some pots and pans that it might be better to have less aluminum?

1) Yes

2) Not really. The aluminum is thick, but not so thick as those disc-bottom pans that probably take forever to change temperature when you change the heat. Aside from copper (which would be better), i think they achieve the right balance between good heat dispersal and responsiveness. The only thing I don't like about the 1qt is that it's very easy to tip-over unless it's got something in it because of the weight of the handle.

On the whole i've found this stuff a tremendous value for money, especially since i didn't pay retail. I still want mauviel though.

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