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Zachary Sokoloff

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Everything posted by Zachary Sokoloff

  1. Both have a 0.25 inch aluminum base. As far as thermal diffusivity goes they're the same. All the other differences are minor (not insignigicant) but don't explain the price difference. Unless all that extra steel is simply the reason.
  2. Well I'm stumped on this one, tbought I'd throw it out there. The Vollrath Centurion and Intrigue lines see very very similar and I can't figure out why the Centurion line costs twice as much. Both are stainless steel disk bottomed pans with 1/4" aluminum disks, and are clearly the best bang for your buck even at the centurion prices. Check out these two options and tell me whatof the differences in design are so extreme so as to justify the price difference. http://vollrath.com/Centurion-Fry-Pans-with-Natural-Finish-3409.htm http://vollrath.com/Intrigue-Stainless-Steel-Fry-Pans-with-Natural-Finish-47751.htm To answer any peripheral questions, this is for an electric coil stove so I'm limited by the 7.5" diameter of the element. I've checked with Vollrath directly and the bases are both about that diameter. I plan to use it as my sauté pan, mostly because I suck at flipping food when then sides are vertical.
  3. dcarch I think we're on the same page here on conductivity. The Understanding Stovetop Cookware class explores all of this in detail. Thermal conductivity is absolutely important, and so is the heat capacity of different materials. What a person wants from pan to pan varies, but with something like a saute pan a high heat capacity is important. The most useful metric is thermal diffusivity, which quantifies the relationship between a material's thermal conductivity and its specific heat. One example given in the class is two saute pans, otherwise equal, one with a 2.5 mm copper base and the other with a 7 mm aluminum base. The aluminum base has almost twice the heat capacity, meaning the (cheaper) aluminum base in certain instances becomes the better buy, since copper is more expensive. This is where the thickness of an aluminum base comes in as a useful metric once you've decided that you want a disk bottomed pan. It's not the only metric of consequence, but I think it's significant.
  4. Howdy dcarch - I didn't mean to imply that at all, no. I do think having the thickness measurements updated and assembled in one place would be useful though, based on what I've gathered from the 'Understanding Stovetop Cookware' class and the two Q+A threads linked to it. The authour of the class is more concerned with thickness than with plies/layers, but I'm open to anything you have to add to that conversation. Here's what I'm referring to: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/25718-qa-understanding-stovetop-cookware/page-11#entry809491
  5. I'm noticing you have to be careful when talking to company reps with the numbers they give you - in two different instances a rep gave me a thickness of the combined stainless steel and aluminum, and it took work to get the aluminum-only thickness. Paderno 1100 Series Grand Gourmet - 7 mm. Verified by e-mail with World-Cuisine rep, and double checked with Bridge Kitchenware (2014). Sitram Profiserie - 5 mm, as per their web site (2014). http://frieling.com/product/profiserie Paderno Chef's Choice (Updated) - 5 mm (2014) via the same rep. The 6 mm thickness I mentioned above included the stainless steel. Paderno - all of the following have 4.5 mm according to a rep (2014) - these lines are widely available in Canada, and I'm unsure about US availability. Cusino Commercial SteelEternity UltraCuisine ProGourmet Epicurean Muskoka Pro-Copper
  6. Paderno Chef's Choice replaced the Chaudier line mentioned in the 'understanding cookware' q+a. I spoke to a rep by e-mail (2014) and the aluminum is 6 mm thick. This line is Canadian. I'm not sure if it's available in the US.
  7. I've been reading through the 'Understanding Stovetop Cookware' class (a few times) as well as much of the two q+a threads, and thought it would be useful to create a master list of the aluminum thickness in various disk bottomed pots/pans. While the aluminum thickness of many of the best-in-class lines like Sitram Profiserie and Paderno Grand Gourmet are fairly easy to find, others are more scattered throughout the topic, or are mentioned in other threads. A master list would also be extremely useful for those of us trying to navigate non-top-tier merchandise, whether it be because we generally can't afford a set or piece at that cost, or because our spending priorities are focused on another piece (like a Falk copper 28 cm saucier that completes your life while simultaneously bankrupting you and baffling your friends/boyfriends/cats). This list need not be exhaustive. The point is to list the thickness of the best, those that are close, and in particular to narrow down who to go for when you're on a budget or you see a deal. Which means commerical lines are very welcome (Vollrath Intrigue has a 6.35 mm base). I think dating the information will be useful as well, since as trawling an 11 year topic and taking notes has taught me these things are not static. Finally geography plays a role too, as I've learned being a Canadian and dealing with the absence of some lines mentioned here (try finding Paderno Grand Gourmet) and the presence of others. So here are the criteria I propose: Name of the line/brand Thickness of the aluminum in the base Source of the information Link to the source Date of the source Geographic information, if relevant Anything else you think is important With luck and some collaboration I'm hoping we can compile an up-to-date compendium of top notch and best-bang-for-your-buck options. Giddy up, gentlemen.
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