Cuisinart vs. All-Clad vs. XXX Cookware

[Marlene]

I picked up an All Clad multi pot today (12 qt stock pot with pasta insert and steamer insert) for the ridiculous price of $144.00. I've been looking for a smaller stock pot than my 24 qt pot to put my strained stock in for reduction., and make smaller batches of chicken stcck etc.

Having said that, I agree the All Clad handles are a silly design and they don't grip well. In additon, I'd really like to see a saucier pot with a pouring lip. I mean really. You want to pour sauces don't you?

[lapasterie]

Cookware & More store in Flemington,NJ has their open stock sale going on now till Nov 6. on All-clad. Prices are about 50% off retail. S&H is $8.95 for 1st item then $4.95 each add'l.

They are 2nds, but all my All-Clad came from them, no problems.

1(800)272-2170 9:30-5:30Eastern time In NJ 1(908)782-6322

cookware & more

[cake]

Sitram Alert: I noticed that there is a discount coupon on Amazon for Kitchen items, excluding most well-known brands like All-Clad, but including Sitram. Amazon prices on Sitram are already lower than JBPrince.com which also has a Sitram sale going on. Plus the free shipping and also a $25 off coupon for Kitchen orders of $125 or more. The coupon is good until October 24th, if I recall correctly. Even though many of the Sitram Catering items are not in stock at this time, the coupon is still good and they ship them later when available.

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Richard~ Thank you for posting this, I didn't realize that Amazon even sold Sitram. I have only recently heard of Sitram (having read slkinsey's awesome Understanding Stovetop Cookware Course, and 14 pages of Q&A!).

I was under the impression that the only places that the Sitram was available was Bridge Kitchenware in NYC via mailorder, and that there was a set at Costco (but of course, I don't want a set!)

The Amazon prices, even without the $25 special, are much lower than Bridge--this makes me wonder if this is indeed the exact same item?

For example, I am contemplating getting a saute pan.

The Sitram Catering Stainless Steel Saute Pan 4.9 Qts/11 inches is listed as follows at

Bridge Kitchenware (Scroll down to the last two items on the page)

Retail Price: $199.00

Our Price: $155.22 You Save $43.78!

but with a lid, and helper handle, it is actually 22 cents less:

Retail Price: $229.00

Our Price: $155.00 You Save $74.00!

Whereas, on Amazon, it is sold without helper handle, and the lid is $25 extra (though I would skip that and just use my universal lid):

Retail Price: $104.00

Our Price: $79.00 You Save $24.01!

Before I go ahead and order this I just want to check and make sure I am not missing anything? This appears to be the same exact product (aside from the notations made above) for a much better price. Has anyone ordered Sitram from Amazon?

Finally--between Sitram brands--which saute pan should I get--the more expensive Catering version with copper inside the disk or the Profiserie with aluminum disk? (I have never used Sitram before, but after slkinsey's cookware course, I am quite interested in it, and I really do need a new saute pan and don't want to spend the money on All-Clad since it seems that straight-gauge design in a saute pan doesn't really make sense.)

Thanks,

Cindy

[Richard Kilgore]

Sitram Alert: I noticed that there is a discount coupon on Amazon for Kitchen items, excluding most well-known brands like All-Clad, but including Sitram. Amazon prices on Sitram are already lower than JBPrince.com which also has a Sitram sale going on. Plus the free shipping and also a $25 off coupon for Kitchen orders of $125 or more. The coupon is good until October 24th, if I recall correctly. Even though many of the Sitram Catering items are not in stock at this time, the coupon is still good and they ship them later when available.

←

Richard~ Thank you for posting this, I didn't realize that Amazon even sold Sitram. I have only recently heard of Sitram (having read slkinsey's awesome Understanding Stovetop Cookware Course, and 14 pages of Q&A!).

I was under the impression that the only places that the Sitram was available was Bridge Kitchenware in NYC via mailorder, and that there was a set at Costco (but of course, I don't want a set!)

The Amazon prices, even without the $25 special, are much lower than Bridge--this makes me wonder if this is indeed the exact same item?

For example, I am contemplating getting a saute pan.

The Sitram Catering Stainless Steel Saute Pan 4.9 Qts/11 inches is listed as follows at

Bridge Kitchenware (Scroll down to the last two items on the page)

Retail Price: $199.00

Our Price: $155.22 You Save $43.78!

but with a lid, and helper handle, it is actually 22 cents less:

Retail Price: $229.00

Our Price: $155.00 You Save $74.00!

Whereas, on Amazon, it is sold without helper handle, and the lid is $25 extra (though I would skip that and just use my universal lid):

Retail Price: $104.00

Our Price: $79.00 You Save $24.01!

Before I go ahead and order this I just want to check and make sure I am not missing anything? This appears to be the same exact product (aside from the notations made above) for a much better price. Has anyone ordered Sitram from Amazon?

Finally--between Sitram brands--which saute pan should I get--the more expensive Catering version with copper inside the disk or the Profiserie with aluminum disk? (I have never used Sitram before, but after slkinsey's cookware course, I am quite interested in it, and I really do need a new saute pan and don't want to spend the money on All-Clad since it seems that straight-gauge design in a saute pan doesn't really make sense.)

Thanks,

Cindy

←

I expect a piece of Sitram Catering to arrive on Monday, and I'll let you know what I think. I have never seen either of the Sitram lines before, and decided based on Sam's information. So I can't compare the two. I think it depends upon what you are going to use it for and what type of range top you have.

[winesonoma]

They make a number of different lines. http://www.sitramcookware.com/products.htm

[Richard Kilgore]

Sam (slkinsey) discusss Sitram in considerable detail in his eGCI course and the connected Q&A on stove top cookware, as well as in a few other threads. The two lines that he recommends are the Profiserie (aluminum sandwich disk) and the Catering (copper sandwich disk). He specifically recommends strongly against the Cybernox. Sam's course is worth cheking out. I go back to it from time to time when I have a question.

[Richard Kilgore]

Just a first reaction upon receiving the Sitram Catering evasee. It is a sturdy pan that should last a very long time. The handle is a half-round design that is most comfortable to me with a towel wrapped around it. The less expensive Sitram Profisserie line has round tubular handles, a design that I find more comfortable. More on this after cooking with it a few times.

[cake]

Sam (slkinsey) discusss Sitram in considerable detail in his eGCI course and the connected Q&A on stove top cookware, as well as in a few other threads. The two lines that he recommends are the Profiserie (aluminum sandwich disk) and the Catering (copper sandwich disk). He specifically recommends strongly against the Cybernox. Sam's course is worth cheking out. I go back to it from time to time when I have a question.

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Thanks Richard, I am indeed familiar with the eGCI course and have read it and the related Q&A many times (even posted a few of my own questions there). My specific question (I may have been unclear upthread, sorry!) is to understand the performance differences between the Profiserie and Catering lines so that I might understand which one is a better value.

My specific need is for an 11" saute pan. Given that it is a saute pan, a comfortable handle would be nice, especially since I have a weak wrists from a repetitive stress injury.

Richard--it sounds like you have experience with both lines. Once you've had a chance to play around a bit with your new Catering pan, I would be curious to hear how you like it and how you think it compares to the Profiserie's that you already own.

Thanks,

Cindy

[Richard Kilgore]

Sorry, but I have no experience with the Professerie line. The distinctons and recommendations that Sam makes for the two, plus the Amazon descriptions and J.B. Prince descriptions, are all that I have to go on. Both Sitram lines appear to me to be a very good value. I guess the question is --- do you feel the need for a copper disk rather than an aluminum disk?

If you have an injured wrist, you may find flipping with any kind of standard saute pan to be a problem. Have you tried flipping an 11 inch heavy saute pan by any maker? You may be able to find the Vollrath brand in a local restaurant supply house; they have aluminum disks and round handles and may be very similar to the Professerie.

[cake]

I guess the question is --- do you feel the need for a copper disk rather than an aluminum disk?

Yes, indeed, that is the question. I feel like I don't know enough to be able to come upon the answer by myself! I suppose that all things being equal I would like whichever of the two would be more "forgiving" and easier to control. Logically it seems like copper disks would do this more than aluminum...I seem to have a problem when I saute of getting things too hot and not being able to get the heat down fast enough.

Additionally, I have an older gas stove, so I am sure that the BTU's on it are pretty puny. Thus it seems like copper might make more sense, but again, I'd rather have the input of someone more knowledgable in these things than I!

If you have an injured wrist, you may find flipping with any kind of standard saute pan to be a problem.  Have you tried flipping an 11 inch heavy saute pan by any maker?

A good point. Unfortunately, it is my wrists and elbows (bilaterally), so certain things are indeed problematic. (Somehow I still manage to use my 12" Lodge cast iron even though it is difficult). I may have to just slide the pan back and forth on the burner without lifting the pan, or, worse comes to worse, there is always a spatula--it could move the food for me.

You may be able to find the Vollrath brand in a local restaurant supply house; they have aluminum disks and round handles and may be very similar to the Professerie.

←

I have seen Vollrath at the restaurant supply place here in Los Angeles. I hadn't ever given it any consideration, though, since Sam has never talked about it in his course. I guess I just assumed that because it wasn't mentioned anywhere in there that he didn't like it for some reason.

Sam--any comments (if you're reading this!) on Vollrath, or the functional differences between Profiserie and Catering lines from Sitram?

Thanks,

Cindy

[Richard Kilgore]

They make a number of different lines.  http://www.sitramcookware.com/products.htm

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Curiously, the information on the Sitram site and on Amazon conflict on one point. The Sitram site says that Profisserie is safe to 1, 112 degrees, but says nothing about the limit for the Catering line. On the other hand, Amazon says 1,112 degrees for the Catering and 500 degrees for the Professerie.

I am shooting an email to Sitram to see if they can clarify what's what.

[rgruby]

Hi. I have a gift certificate at a place that sells some cookware. I see that they carry Cuisinart. I don't need a food processor, but I could use a saute pan. The Cuisinart stuff looks nice - in the shiny All-Clad stainless/aluminum/stainless mode.

[Edited to add- I just looked their website, and it looks like they do the aluminum disk on the bottom rather than the tri-ply metal sandwich, and which I don't like as much]

Does anybody out there use these and recommend them? I thought this place carried All-Clad (and would have bought one had they done so), but they don't. So, does Cuisinart make a reasonable substitute, or am I better off buying something else.

Thanks,

Geoff Ruby

Edited November 1, 2005 by rgruby (log)

[Basilgirl]

I got about 4 or 5 Cuisinart pans from Amazon a couple of years ago - saute and stock pots. I love them. They have aluminum disks in the bottom which are great for even heating. I especially love the 12" saute pan - I do a lot of pan roasted things that go from the stovetop to the oven - just don't be stupid like me and forget to use hot pads when you take them out of the oven

[Bill Miller]

Cuisnart is a poor second to All Clad, lighter and the handles get hot. They are less expensive so I bought a very large Cuisnart chefs pan that I use one a year. I could not justify the money to buy the All Clad version. You will be glad if wait and invest in All Clad. By the way the aluminum goes all the way up the side in All Clad.

Take a look at www.cookwarenmore.com.

Edited November 1, 2005 by Bill Miller (log)

[Scotty O]

I own a set of cuisinart pans that are fully clad--not the disk-bottom style. I only have one All-clad pan to compare it to, but they perform similarly for me.

[Jake]

I have 90% All Clad and one Cuisinart saute pan given as a gift. Absolutely no comparison in my opinion. I only use it if I need a 3rd pan quick and even then only for something where it won't make a huge difference. Which store? Perhaps we can help you spend your $$$. Let us know what you decide..

[carswell]

There are at several types of Cuisineart cookware. Most of mine is the orignal made-in-France model, in its day as pricey as All-Clad. I believe it was discontinued years ago. I also have a large Cuisinart Everyday Stainless sauté pan that was made in Korea. Like the French pots and pans, the bottom is a sandwich of stainless steel, copper and aluminum; unlike them, the metal is thinner and the fit and finish less exalted (still pretty darn good, though); it also cost about a third of what the French pan went for. The French equipment is a joy to cook with, while the Korean pan is serviceable, gets the job done. One thing to bear in mind: I cook on an electric range. Friends who have several Cuisinart and All-Clad pans and a powerful gas range prefer the All-Clad precisely because the cladding extends up the sides, useful for avoiding hot spots when the flames go beyond the bottom of the pot or pan (which never happens on an electric stove).

Edited November 3, 2005 by carswell (log)

[Mottmott]

I have only one Cuisinart pan, a 5 - 5 1/2 qt saute pan (about 12"). I love it. I use it almost daily. I use it to ccok pasta for 1-2 people, to make soups, stews, braises, caramelize onions, etc. Sometimes I even saute in it.

The Cuisinart saute pan is so deep, about 3 1/2", I find it the single most useful pan in my kitchen as it is so versatile. When making soups, large volume sauces (tomato, bechamel), stews or boiling water for pasta, the width makes for quicker cooking, quicker liquid reduction, etc. than a deeper pot of the same volume would. And yet it is deep enough to braise veal or lamb shanks, chicken, etc. Note that neither AC nor Caphalon would multi-function like this.

Mine, unlike the ones I currently see, has a copper sandwich disk on the bottom, so heats pretty quickly. The round, hollow handle does not heat up too much for just shifting about on the burner. It's main defect imo is that the disk bottom on my pan does not quite reach to the outermost edge and if I do not move the pan about on the burner from time to time it will develop a hot spot on my uneven burner, perhaps more the fault of the stove than the pan, but whose stove doesn't sin.

All that said, the rest of my batterie is AC, Caphalon, LC, Copper, and cast iron (or even a couple old very thick aluminum pieces I confess to still using for their super performance.)

Depending on your cooking habits, you may find the 5 1/2 qt saute pan fills a niche that none of the other major brands does. I would definitely advise, however against buying their frying pan which I also had and gave away as it had a tendency to hot spot on the sides when the flame went up them.

What other brands does that store carry?

[bookluvingbabe]

I have only one Cuisinart pan, a 5 - 5 1/2 qt saute pan (about 12"). I love it. I use it almost daily. I use it to ccok pasta for 1-2 people, to make soups, stews, braises, caramelize onions, etc. Sometimes I even saute in it.

The Cuisinart saute pan is so deep, about 3 1/2", I find it the single most useful pan in my kitchen as it is so versatile. When making soups, large volume sauces (tomato, bechamel), stews or boiling water for pasta, the width makes for quicker cooking, quicker liquid reduction, etc. than a deeper pot of the same volume would. And yet it is deep enough to braise veal or lamb shanks, chicken, etc. Note that neither AC nor Caphalon would multi-function like this.

Mine, unlike the ones I currently see, has a copper sandwich disk on the bottom, so heats pretty quickly. The round, hollow handle does not heat up too much for just shifting about on the burner. It's main defect imo is that the disk bottom on my pan does not quite reach to the outermost edge and if I do not move the pan about on the burner from time to time it will develop a hot spot on my uneven burner, perhaps more the fault of the stove than the pan, but whose stove doesn't sin.

All that said, the rest of my batterie is AC, Caphalon, LC, Copper, and cast iron (or even a couple old very thick aluminum pieces I confess to still using for their super performance.)

Depending on your cooking habits,  you may find the 5 1/2 qt saute pan fills a niche that none of the other major brands does. I would definitely advise, however against buying their frying pan which I also had and gave away as it had a tendency to hot spot on the sides when the flame went up them.

What other brands does that store carry?

←

Ditto!!!!

I have the 3 1/2 quart and just bought the 5 1/2 quart. The 3 1/2 quart saute is the single most used pan in my household. I added the 5 1/2 to have more space to cook with and since Mr. BLB doesn't always get the dishes done right after I cook....

[rgruby]

Which store?  Perhaps we can help you spend your $$$.  Let us know what you decide..

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High Tech on Front. I'm not sure they carry anything other than Cuisinart in cookware. Maybe I'll get a new coffee maker.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

[Jake]

Which store?  Perhaps we can help you spend your $$$.  Let us know what you decide..

←

High Tech on Front. I'm not sure they carry anything other than Cuisinart in cookware. Maybe I'll get a new coffee maker.

Cheers,

Geoff Ruby

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Ahhh, haven't been in there for awhile as it was always pricier than some of the others. They did have some nice decorative stuff, I don't recall what knives they carry but perhaps that might fit the bill. I'm sure if I went in I could find a way to spend it for you...ha, ha, ha.

[jayt90]

I own a set of cuisinart pans that are fully clad--not the disk-bottom style.  I only have one All-clad pan to compare it to, but they perform similarly for me.

←

There are several companies making fully clad sets, at a price.

I found a good set of Lagostinas, charcoal grey on the sides and bottom, and SS on the inside. Their performance is much better than the cheaper disc bottomed Lagostinsa. I'm not suprised that Cuisinart offers both types, but the AC type will be harder to find.

[Jake]

I own a set of cuisinart pans that are fully clad--not the disk-bottom style.  I only have one All-clad pan to compare it to, but they perform similarly for me.

←

There are several companies making fully clad sets, at a price.

I found a good set of Lagostinas, charcoal grey on the sides and bottom, and SS on the inside. Their performance is much better than the cheaper disc bottomed Lagostinsa. I'm not suprised that Cuisinart offers both types, but the AC type will be harder to find.

←

Jay, I have a couple fully clad Lagostina's too and they're pretty good, as you say, harder to find and at a price, but I do not feel the need to replace the ones I have with AC.

[Chris Amirault]

I've been hemming and hawing about my own Christmas gift this year from my folks (I buy it myself and they pay me back -- don't ask), which I planned to make a small and a large fry pan. After reading Sam's course and the Q&A, I finally gave up my irrational desire to own only All-Clad and started looking around at Sitram.

After a Google search, I found this uberbargain: an 11-piece Sitram Profisserie line at Bridge for $162. Gulp. I get an additional 9 pieces over what I was going to get as All-Clad MC2. The order is in; I'll post here about results.

[Chris Amirault]

Well, after a busy holiday week-plus, I've used every item in this Sitram Profisserie set except the steamer, most several times, and I'm in love. The quality is as good as the couple of pieces of All-Clad that I have, and it's much more useful than the Calphalon: I find it hard to see against that charcoal grey and not being able to toss them into the dishwasher is a PITA. The handles on the Sitram are fantastic, fat, light, and cool on the pans and very usefully designed on the stock pot (they're wide enough for me to grab the entire pot with one hand while I pour, scrub, you name it).

I've not used most of the other stuff in this list, so I can't compare to other things very readily, but I'm amazed at the differences in simple cooking tasks using these pans. I can tell already that my beaten-up non-stick Calphalon is going to get a lot less use; I can fry and egg or sausage in these pans with less heat and no sticking, something I can't say with that non-stick anymore. I have a crappy electric stove (for another two weeks only, I'm happy to say) and the responsiveness and both high and low ends is far, far greater than I've had before. I know that's all just common sense, but I really have found that these basic differences have transformed my experience in the kitchen.

Finally, the price is fantastic: less than $25 per pan/pot, and that's not counting the covers and steamer. Whatever price Amazon offers on All-Clad or Calphalon, you're not likely to beat that.