Williams Sonoma D5 All-clad pans

[Catherine Iino]

I've been lusting after All-Clad to replace my increasingly unsatisfactory decades-old Cuisinart pots and pans. Have you had any experience with the new D5 All-Clad that Williams-Sonoma is advertising? Is it better or worse than other All-Clad? Worth the money?

[mbhank]

I watch for any All Clad piece that goes on sale at Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table and buy it. They are all excellent. Have not bought a D5 piece yet. It is so much more expensive than their other models that I may not get it.

[mgaretz]

We just got one of the D5 stainless 4 qt sauté/simmer pans as a wedding present. I used it for the first time last night to make a big batch of my chunky red sauce. I love this pan! I'm not sure if the "D5" layers work any better than the standard tri-ply All-Clad, but they work at least as well - and this is a great pan design.

[Shel_B]

Right now W-S is having a sale on the All-Clad 8-Quart D5 stockpot.  The usual price for this item is more than $400.00, but W-S is offering it for $199.00, and are throwing in an All-Clad pasta fork.  An even better price, and free shipping, can be had by using this code at checkout: 4M7S-4VSH-R8SH

 

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-d5-stainless-steel-stock-pot-pasta-fork/?pkey=cstock-soup-multi-pots&cm_src=stock-soup-multi-pots||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-

 

I couldn't help myself ... I bought one.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

If the 7 quart had been on sale I think I would have gone for it.  Unfortunately the dimensions of the 8 quart don't work for me.  Thanks for posting the link though.

[Robenco15]

Yeah not a fan of those dimensions. I have a Cuisinart Multi-clad pro 8qt stock pot. I love it. Tri-ply clad (which even isnt exactly necessary for a stock pot) and works perfectly for stocks. Thanks for posting the link though. That could definitely be useful for other things.

[Shel_B]

Yeah not a fan of those dimensions. I have a Cuisinart Multi-clad pro 8qt stock pot. I love it. Tri-ply clad (which even isnt exactly necessary for a stock pot) and works perfectly for stocks. Thanks for posting the link though. That could definitely be useful for other things.

 

At one point I wasn't either, but after using the Le Creuset  a lot, I found that I liked the dimensions for a lot of soup making.  Found it easier to see the soup, stir, add ingredients, etc., compared to the taller 8-quart stock pot I'd been using.  And I like it better for spaghetti, as well.

 

Will continue to use the taller pot for stock making, which is a little different than soup.

Edited March 8, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[phatj]

I can see the utility of a wider pot, but I can't justify spending $200, let alone $400, on a stockpot. I have a $40 Tramontina that I got at Costco about 10 years ago that works great, but it doesn't actually work any better than the cheapo all-stainless pot that I got in a set years before, I just use the newer one more because it's 10-qt instead of 8. Also it came with a pasta strainer thingy which is handy.

[Shel_B]

I bought a 1.5 quart D5 some months ago to replace a Calphalon 1.5 quart Tri-Ply that got toasted.  While the pan was normally quite spendy, I found a great deal and got it at a substantial discount.  I love it!  The design of the pan has been improved over the regular All-Clad, it feels more substantial, cooks VERY evenly, often using very low heat, and cleans up like a dream.  Yes, it still has some of the same problems gleaning up as most decent SS pots, but overall it cleans easier - I don't know why, maybe because I can use a lower heat.

 

The pan takes a little longer to heat up, but holds the heat better, and is perfect for slow simmering of sauces and soups.  I find that I use it more than any other pan in my collection, but that may be, at least in part, because of the size and shape.

 

I liked it so much that I was looking for an excuse to by another D5, but really couldn't justify it .... until yesterday, that is, when I discovered a great deal on an 8-quart soup/stock pot, and since I was not completely thrilled with the pot I had, I bought the All-Clad.  Never would have paid full ticket for it, though.

[Robenco15]

No arguments here. I love my D5 pans. All phenomenal.

[Shel_B]

Yeah not a fan of those dimensions. I have a Cuisinart Multi-clad pro 8qt stock pot. I love it. Tri-ply clad (which even isnt exactly necessary for a stock pot) and works perfectly for stocks. Thanks for posting the link though. That could definitely be useful for other things.

 

I realized today that the shape and size, and the heavier weight of the D5, make it a fine option to use as a Dutch oven