All-CladCopper Core 5-Ply Stainless Steel Sauce Pan 3 Quart Induction Oven Broiler Safe 600F Pots and Pans, Cookware Silver

I retired several years ago and took over the cooking from my wife and, although I have no formal training, I just love to cook. I “inherited” a set of anodized Calphalon pans and other odd pans in use for several years. The inside surfaces of these pans were fairly well scratched and I was concerned about their continued use.I did research and decided on the All-Clad Stainless Steel Copper Core 5-Ply Bonded 10” fry pan, the 2 and 4 qt sauce pans and the 5 qt saute pan as replacements. I already owned a 12” SS steel fry pan and 10” SS saute pan by other manufacturers so I was familiar with SS use and cleanup however in the back of my mind I still had concerns about cleanup of All Clad.The pans are beautiful to behold (not that it matters), are of extremely good quality and are moderate in weight, not heavy. The handles seemed a little odd to hold at first but now I do not even notice it. In fact there is a small protrusion on the underside of the handle that fits very nicely for the forefinger, giving tactile feed on hand position on the handle and stopping it from slipping to close to the heat. I have used the new All Clad pans daily since their arrival on a gas stove. They do heat faster and more evenly then the old set. Once cooking, transmission of heat changes are almost instantaneous.As far as cleanup, what concerns I may have had were unfounded. Cleanup has been a snap, even my wife mentioned how easy they are to clean. The 2 qt sauce pan I use to cook chai every morning has less scorched milk residue and cleans up easier than the previous anodized pan I was using. I was also a little concerned about cooking rice in the 4 qt but again, the rice comes out great and no cleanup problem.I think the biggest issue one may have with the Copper Core level is the price as there is a premium. I took the long view. I will have these probably for the balance of my cooking days. After that, they will probably by handed down to my children. Yes, they are that good in my mind. So I see many years of service ahead for them and I couldn’t see cutting corners on price and maybe not be as happy as I am with these.One plus was the ability to place all pans in the oven to 500+ degrees, not something I could do with the older pans. Another factor that swayed me to All Clad versus other manufacturers is that they are made in the US. I would definitely buy these again.

The pans will not make you a good cook, but if you know how to cook they perform quite well.The Good: Flat bottoms maximize contact with glass top and traditional ranges for better heat control. The copper core acts almost as well as a solid copper pan on a gas range. The pans and lids are oven safe to higher temperatures than conventional ovens will heat to. The rounded lip makes it easy to pour sauces without spilling or running the sauce down the side of the pan. The handle stays cool. The stainless steel cleans up extremely easy. The stainless steel does not react to tomato or other sensitive sauces.The Neutral: The frying and sauté pans are stainless instead of non-stick. If you don't follow the traditional method of preheating the pan and oil they will stick. If you follow the proper instruction, they fry and sauté perfectly. The lids get quite hot. This is not surprising as every chef grade pan I have ever used gets a hot lid. If you like to display your cookware the stainless steal and copper spot with certain waters. This is easily solved with your favorite scouring powder.The Bad: Obviously price, but you will never have to replace these pans so think of it as an investment. The handle on the 3 quart or larger sauce pan is extremely long making the pan quite heavy. This is countered by having an additional small handle on the other side of the pan. The overall weight of all pans is surprisingly heavy. This is not a problem for me, but my senior citizen mother complains about the weight.

If you're on the fence trying to decide between the 1.5 qt and 2 qt . . .I own both and honestly wish I'd passed up the 2qt.The diameter of both pans is identical . . .but the lower sides of the 1.5 qt make this pan so much easier to use when coking things that require a lot of stirring and capacity difference is negligible.The copper core interior of these pans will cause water to boil away faster than other All Clad lines. I am in the process of replacing my older LTD with Copper Core, so have those to compare it with. I haven't boiled one dry yet, but can see how this could easily happen. As a result, I've changed some of my cooking habits to accommodate the copper's attributes. For example, I used to hard boil eggs for 15 minutes . . .the 1.5 qt holds 7 eggs. I put the eggs, covered with water on the burner and bring to a boil, then cover with the lid and turn off the flame . . .after 20 minutes, they're perfectly hard boiled.As for the Copper Core line itself . . .there's a reason Julia Child adored her copper pans so much . . .there's simply not a more heat reactive metal in the world. If cooking on gas or induction stove, the copper reacts immediately to change in temperature. I put 2 cups of water in both my LTD and Copper Core 1.5 qt sauce pans for a side by side comparison. With burners set on medium heat, brought both pans to a boil. The Copper Core pot beat the LTD by 47 seconds. No, that's not a lot of time, but does demonstrate how much quicker the copper interior reacted to the heat when first turned on, then the LTD with its aluminum core.Couldn't be happier with my purchase and highly recommend this line to experienced cooks who can appreciate the difference better cookware makes. Can't promise it will make food taste better, but can promise the cooking process will be more enjoyable in excellent performing cookware.***Update August 7,2014***In addition to the 1.5 quart I reviewed here, I also purchasd the 3 Qt . . .paid $245 via Amazon Prime on March 5, 2014. I returned here, 5 months later, to purchase a second 3qt . . .only to discover the price has risen $70?!?! I'm glad I purchased when I did . . .and certainly won't be adding another at this price. Great pan . . .but unless I missed the "Great Pots & Pans shortage of 2014" then maybe there really is sky rocketing inflation, in spite of government figures claiming otherwise.