Demeyere Skillet for Birthday Gift

[Shel_B]

My b'day is coming up in a few months, and Toots has asked me what I want.  I've been thinking about a Demeyere Atlantis skillet for a while, and have even done some research on it.  It seems like a nice tool and something I'd get lots of pleasure from using.

 

What do folks here think of the Demeyere Atlantis skillets?  I saw a couple of videos about them recently, and was impressed, however, I'm often easily impressed at first, especially before engaging in serious research on a product.  So, any comments, and especially any experiences and comparisons to other similar quality skillets, would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

[tim]

These are incredibly heavy requiring massive biceps for a saute toss.  Try before you buy.

 

You might want to look at the Mauviel M'cook.  https://www.mauvielusa.com/M-cook.html

[Shel_B]

These are incredibly heavy requiring massive biceps for a saute toss.  Try before you buy.

 

You might want to look at the Mauviel M'cook.  https://www.mauvielusa.com/M-cook.html

 

I've never learned to do a sauté toss, and have no plans to do so.  No, for my needs, the skillet will pretty much remain on the stovetop.  Thanks for the reminder that it is a heavy skillet.

 

Thus far, the Mauviel really doesn't interest me except, perhaps, for price

[paulraphael]

Maybe tell us what you're looking for, why the Demeyere interests you more than the Mauviel, etc..  Not sure what criteria you're using. Those are high quality pans with the same materials, but differences in construction and performance characteristics.

[Shel_B]

Maybe tell us what you're looking for, why the Demeyere interests you more than the Mauviel, etc..  Not sure what criteria you're using. Those are high quality pans with the same materials, but differences in construction and performance characteristics.

 

I like the idea of a heavier, thicker pan, although I don't yet know if that's going to be useful in the cooking I do.  Having seen some improvement going to the All-Clad D5 from the regular tri-ply, I'm intrigued by the additional layers in the Demeyere.  I also have an older sauté pan that's rather thick, and it holds the heat quite well, something that the Demeyere skillet is supposed to do, and which is a feature I like.   But is more always better?

 

There were some videos I saw depicting the Demeyere construction and performance characteristics, and I was impressed by what was shown.  The series is shown here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL4981C1279A030177&v=FaCvOvY9bVs  I recognize that some of the benefits shown for the Demeyere are available with other, similar cookware.

 

I am a sucker for quality, and it appears that Demeyere has that quality.  That's not to say no other cookware has good quality, but you asked what interests me.

 

As for the Mauviel, I've not seen any technical specs, videos, or commentaries on their construction, and found very few comments on their cooking ability.

[Dave the Cook]

We have several pieces of Demeyere: 1-L and 2-L saucepans; 9" and 11" sautés; 3-1/2 qt. saucier; 11-in skillet; 8-qt. Dutch oven. All of that is Scirocco, a line they discontinued about the time they launched Atlantis. We also have a 3-qt sauté from the Apollo line. In addition, the places where we teach stock quite a few Atlantis pieces (sauciers, small and medium skillets, sautés) in the school kitchens.

 

First, I'd say that when I'm looking for something to cook in, whether at home or in school, I look first to see if there's a Demeyere piece that will suit my needs before looking at other options (we, and the schools, have All-Clad, KitchenAid, Viking, Calphalon and LeCreuset among the s/s-clad offerings on hand. We also have several Mauviel pieces, if you decide to consider that brand.) They heat quickly and very evenly, cool down predictably, and have very comfortable handles.

 

Second, Demeyere is the only cookware -- and I've used a LOT of different brands -- that (so far) never warps. (I'm pretty sure that's one of the things that weight gets you.)

 

Third -- and you'll get lots of opinions on this -- I love that the handles are not riveted to the pan body. A smoother interior for scraping and scooping against, and easier to clean. Demeyere has a 30-year warranty, if you're concerned about the welds breaking, but I've never seen this happen. Janet has seen one weld break in 17 years of experience with Demeyere; that was on a lid.

 

Fourth, speaking of cleaning, Demeyere is not only dishwasher-safe (not all of the major brands are), they encourage you to put their cookware in the dishwasher. I will say that our large skillet doesn't fit in our dishwasher comfortably, so that's something you'll want to check if it's important to you.

 

(Neither of us has a financial interest in Demeyere; in case you can't tell, we just like it a lot.)

[Shel_B]

Thanks, Dave ... your comments have been helpful, especially your comment about warping.  It's hard for me to imagine getting a pan to warp, but in one of the Demeyere videos they showed what appeared to be an All-Clad skillet "bowing" in the center creating a hot spot and burning the oil.  I was somewhat skeptical of that demonstration, and certainly couldn't see that happening to me with the way I use my pans.  But I guess it can, at least under some specific circumstances.

 

Ideally, I'd love to see a comparison between a Demeyere skillet and a similar-sized All-Clad D5 skillet, as I imagine that those two would be closest in terms of thickness, weight, and design.

 

FWIW, being dishwasher safe is a non-issue for me.

 

My next step is a trip to SLT to compare the skillets.

[paulraphael]

The one significant difference between the Demeyere and the M'cook (or All-clad stainless) is that the demeyere has a much thicker bottom. This has benefits and costs.

 

The benefits are that the heavy base will heat more evenly, and store more heat, which makes it easier to sear large pieces of food. These benefits only really matter if you're using a home range with low power output and small burners. On a higher powered, high-end range, they won't matter.

 

The disadvantage of the heavier bottom (besides weight) is that it will be less responsive to changes in heat. The pan will take longer to heat up and to cool down. If you overshoot the right temperature it will take more time and effort to get it back where you want. It's more like driving a ship than a sports car. This matters less with the kinds of cooking generally done in a big sauté pan (vs. a saucepan, for example) but can be a nuissance. 

 

None of these pans will warp. They can all go in the dishwasher. I think Demeyere's dishwasher stuff is mostly marketing. All the manufacturers' stuff about 5 layers, 7 layers, etc., is marketing nonsense. What matters in these pans is that there's aluminum in the middle, with a stainless steel skin. The greater the proportion of aluminum, the better they'll perform. The number of layers of metal beyond 3 will make no difference to you.

 

(Edited to add: I haven't used the all-clad d-5 series. As far as I can tell it's just a bit thicker than the standard 3-ply line, which would place its characteristics somewhere in the middle).

Edited March 14, 2014 by paulraphael (log)

[mgaretz]

I have this AllClad D5 4qt sauté/simmer pan and I love it. I use this pan more than any other piece I own.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-d5-stainless-steel-4-quart-saute-simmer-pan/?pkey=ccookware-all-clad&cm_src=cookware-all-clad||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-