All-Clad 12" Stainless Fry Pan

by alden
(boulder, co)

I received this pan as a gift from my mom several years ago. All-Clad is supposed to be very high end. You frequently see this stuff in the kitchens of world-famous chefs. So it must be good, right? Well, in my opinion, it's no better than a $20 pan you might get at Target.

It just doesn't seem to make any difference in the actual cooking. The worst feature of this pan is that it does not have a non-stick surface. So when I cook eggs, the eggs stick to the pain and it just doesn't work well. If you are a classically trained French chef, maybe this pan does something useful. But for me, it just seems like overkill.

Another thing I don't like about this pan is its tendency to get scratches. It's now covered in scratches. It probably does not get scratches if you use plastic tools, like you should with non-stick pans. But because stuff sticks to the pan, you do need metal to scrape it off. But then you get scratches. It's a catch 22.

This is the type of pan that makes a beautiful Christmas gift. It looks expensive. It is expensive! It also probably makes a great wedding gift for young professionals. It does add a sense of class to your kitchen. That's what's great about these pans. They make you appear rich! They can also give confidence to a young chef - they're what famous chefs use, so you know you've got the necessary equipment.

If you've got an expensive gas stove with a flame that can be carefully modulated, perhaps the heat conducting properties of this pan (which are why it's so expensive) make a big difference. If you really are sensitive to how variations in heat affect the food, this might be a great pan. But for the regular cook with an electric stove, it seems a little ridiculous.