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69 of 71 found the following review helpful:
 Amazing cookware, Never Knew It Could Be This GOOD!May 19, 2007
By Todd March
Over the years I have used a variety of cookware--aluminum bottomed stainless Revere Ware, Magnalite Professional, Calphalon, Calphalon Professional NonStick. When I finally had to throw out the last of my tattered collection, I started to look for some stainless cookware that would stand the test of time and offer performance to boot. I decided to splurge on this All-Clad Copper Core.
One of the pieces I recieved was this 1 1/2 Quart saucepan. What a workhorse this one is! Rice to soup to lentils to barely to country gravy, it gets used! The most used of all my Copper Core is this little pot!
Delighted to report that I am THRILLED with this expensive splurge! All-Clad is NOT about expensive hype and status, those these pans are beautifully made, instead they do everything cookware should, and have literally changed the way I cook. Having attended CIA and worked as a professional chef for a few years, I know the golden rule for food not sticking: preheat pan, add oil, let oil heat for 5-10 seconds, then add food. Using these guidelines with the Copper Core, nothing sticks! And I mean for some things, like omelets or fried eggs in the 10" frypan, the performance is as good as my brand new Calphalon NonStick was; when you can just slide omelets and fried eggs out of the pan without ANY sticking at all, why would you ever need Nonstick or Teflon based products?!
However, these pans are also superbly capable of developing a fond on the pan bottom for deglazing and subsequent sauces; in fact I have had them give every last bit of the fond up when deglazed, almost cleaning the pan for me! That's the best thing about them--they do everything right. I am not sure if it's All-Clad propriety stainless "recipe" or what, but these pans are so amazing to be able to function on all levels from eggs sliding out with ZILCH sticking to chicken [...] sticking just enough to develop rich fond for complete deglazing, to the light and glazy fond from sauteed onions and garlic for developing a richer risotto when deglazed with wine.
Mind you, this is partly about knowing some basic cooking principles, and these pans might not act so obligingly in non experienced hands, because when I read about people commenting on how everything sticks in their All-Clad stainless interior, I know it isn't All-Clad's fault, believe me!
I have found the copper core very responsive and quick to adjust to temperature. Perhaps not as great as true copper pot and pans, but noticeably better than aluminum cores (Stainless line) or anodized aluminum (Magnalite Pro/Calphalon). These pans heat up and boil water faster than anything I have ever used, aside from true copper cookware, and when turning the heat down, or removing from burner, they also cool incredibly quickly. It's nice to have semi-copper performance with the ease of stainless steel clean-up. And this cookware does clean-up quickly and easily, particularly when using Barkeepers Friend. I use plastic and wooden utensils (no metal) and they still look almost brand new after several months.
The copper band however does tarnish and discolor just as much and just as fast as a true copper pot or pan, so if you are fanatic, you will need to polish the tarnish away fairly often (at least every other week). However this is barely noticeable for us real world users, and Barkeepers friend does a good job of semi-polishing the copper (but it won't gleam).
I know, I know, they are SO expensive. But honestly, if you know how to cook or want to learn with responsive cookware, I honestly feel this is a great investment. I am wholeheartedly thrilled that I made it and cannot recommend highly enough.
51 of 52 found the following review helpful:
Finnally rolled the lip of the sauce pansJul 14, 2001
I love All clad pans, but most don't have a rolled lip, and these do. While I'm not sure that this layer of copper is worth the extra money, having a rolled lip on the sauce pan means it doesn't drip when you pour from it. They should do this to the whole line of pans.The exposed copper looks like more of a marketing thing than functional. How else can you show that there is copper, which serious cooks all "know" is best, without it? Other than that buy good pans when you are young, they'll last a lifetime.
47 of 50 found the following review helpful:
Always and foreverJun 11, 2003
By Peggy Vincent
"author and reader"
A professional chef who is a neighbor recommended these to me when we had our kitchen remodeled and I wanted to splurge on some new cookware. "Buy these, and you'll never need anything else,' he said. Lord, he was SO right. Lids that fit, handles that magically stay cool, surfaces that are easy to clean, even and quick heating...who could ask for more?
Don't bother with any other brands.
28 of 29 found the following review helpful:
The ultimate basic setJun 17, 2003
This set rocks. I had a thirty-year old set of Farberware (hand-me-downs) with warped bottoms - it used to take nearly half an hour for water to simmer even at my electric range on full-blast. So frustrating that I thought that my range was broken. When the repair guy said that all my pots and pans were warped (duh!), I ditched my old set and got this set. A world of difference! The copper core heats evenly and beautifully, water comes back to a rolling boil seconds after pasta is added, etc., etc. I couldn't be happier. I decided to get the copper-core line instead of the all-stainless because the rolled lip allows for easier pouring but in hindsight, I'm not sure it was worth the few hundred dollars difference. Whatever, I'm a happy cook!
18 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Great quality and easy to cleanApr 25, 2006
By DrOnRolls
I have been using this set since September'05 and I love it. It has been a great addition to my extensive Le Creuset collection. I like the 8-qt pot from this set. It is sizable and light! I love the look of my enormously large Le Creuset pots but who can move them every day? However, the smaller Le Creuset pots are still my favorite. I do not like (=hate) the Le Creuset skillets, except for the real nonstick skillets. The regular Le Creuset skillets (black coating on the inside) are useless. But I have been happily using the All-Clad skillets. In addition to the skillets from this set, I have a 12-inch All-Clad skillet.
The quality of the USA-made All-Clad is great. But who came up with this combination of pots and skillets?! There are two lids of the same size in the set. I prefer the interchangeable lids. I think that the 8-qt pot should be taller and smaller in diameter, so that its lid would fit the 10-inch skillet. Otherwise, all items in this set are practical.
For cleaning, especially after high-heat frying, just soak the skillets in warm water for 5-10 min, then scrub briefly with a plastic scrub brush to loosen any large pieces of food and follow with the Bar Keepers Friend cleanser & polisher (powder, the liquid cleanser is useless). "The Friend" won't scratch the surface and the pots and skillets would look like new again except for the copper strip. Do not even bother cleaning the copper strip. It looks fine "weathered". And do not forget to towel dry to avoid the water spots!
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