5 comments about All-Clad MasterChef 2 Covered Saucepan, 3.5-Quart.

1. I've only had this pan for about a week now, but so far it's been just what I needed. I've used to to warm cream and, along with a metal Amco mixing bowl, serve as a double boiler, where I prefer a pan taller than it is wide, and it's worked just fine. I don't think the appearance is as attractive as the stainless or even the LTD lines, but it's not bad, really. Performance matters more, anyway. Plus, I found this pan mis-marked at Dillard's for a mere $23.75, so I wasn't going to pass it up just because it isn't shiny on the outside. A pan of this size and shape is very handy to have, and I would buy this one again without hesitation...even though I personally would rather have the stainless, mainly because I wonder how well the exterior will wear.



2. A gift for my wife, who disliked them very much. She is a very accomplished cook, but not dishwasher. Clean-up is harder than for other types of cookware. She gave them away.



3. It was a gift and the person who received it loved the merchandise. It was something she was looking to urchase for a long time.



4. Item was in perfect condition except for one cosmetic fault, but for the price, who cares!



5. If you are a serious cook who wants serious quality cookware, then All Clad is a great option. If you are not 100 percent familiar with All Clad, here is a brief description of what you can expect from them...All of their lines have a full aluminum core (which provides excellent heat retention and distribution) and stainless steel interiors (which offer an easy to use, non reactive cooking surface). It is the best of both worlds combined in one piece of cookware. The difference between the various lines of All Clad is simply the exterior surface...stainless steel (obviously their Stainless line), anodized aluminum (the LTD line), Copper (Copper Chef line), Stainless with an added layer of copper in the core (Copper Core), and brushed aluminum (the MC2 or "Master Chef 2" line). They are all, in my opinion, excellent cookware, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the Master Chef 2 line, which this saucepan hails from are:
   
   1)The anodized aluminum exterior gives it added thickness and heft. In my opinion, this provides better cooking qualities than most of the other AC lines (except for the LTD which is even slightly thicker). While all lines of AC perform beautifully, I feel MC2 has slightly better heat retention and distribution. I enjoy the cooking experience a little more with MC2 than I do with the stainless line.
   
   2)It costs less. I think we all agree that's an advantage!
   
   However the main disadvantage of the MC2 line, in my opinion, is strictly cosmetic. Straight out of the box, the saucepan will look beautiful, but over time, it's exterior will undergo intense marring. It doesn't matter how much you baby your cookware, these pans scratch horribly and discolor very easily. I don't care what anyone says...I have tried every trick in the book to rid my MC2 of their ugly discolorations, and nothing works. And as far as scratches go, once they're there, they are there for good. If looks are a big issue with you and/or you keep your pots and pans on display in your kitchen, bear in mind that these pans take quite a beating. These just will not have the striking beauty of the stainless or copper core line.
   
   As far as this particular saucepan, it's definitely a winner. With the thick aluminum core and exterior, you will definitely enjoy the performance that this pan will offer you. Your sauces won't scorch as easily as lower quality pans and you will find you will have much more control over your cooking with a pan like this. It is certainly a joy to cook in it, as is all of All Clad cookware. And the accompanying stainless steel lid is durable and tight-fitting, everythning a lid should be. Do bear in mind that this saucepan is not like a typical two quart saucepan. Most 2 quart pans are wide and short. This pan is tall and narrow. (It doesn't even measure 6 inches across and is smaller in girth than my 1 and a half quart saucepan). The advantage to that is you will get less splatter and less evaporation with a pan of this shape, but to me, the narrow girth of this pan is a distinct disadvantage. I cook on Thermador burners which are very wide. The flame on my burners completely devour this pan and I have to use a medium to medium low heat setting at the most or the flame will lop up the sides of my pan. If you have pro appliances with wide burners, then this will be an issue for you. You will either have to use a low flame or invest in a simmer plate. This fact, along with the exterior marring, is what made this pan lose a star for me. However, if I were to rate this pan solely on performance, then it would earn five stars all the way! Even with the drawbacks, I'm still a very proud owner!

1 comments about Emerilware Cast Iron 6 Quart Dutch Oven.

1. When the Cooking channel says that once you make a soup or stew in a Dutch Oven-you will never go back to using a saucepan again-THEY WERE RIGHT! Soup never tasted so Yummy!

3 comments about All-Clad Master Chef 2 12-Inch Chef's Pan.

1. I was given All Clad Master Chef pans as a wedding gift 21 years ago and they still look fabulous (they hang from a rack). The chef's pan is versatile and one of my favorites; e.g., with the flat surface, I'll make some sauces for pasta in this pan and put the cooked pasta in the pan to toss (keeping everything warm); deep fry foods like calamari. I also think the long handle is much easier to handle than the traditional side handles on a wok. You cant' go wrong with this pan.



2. I really have to question how the other reviewer managed to conclude that food cooked in the Master Chef is healthier than food cooked in a traditional steel wok. Since this pan isn't nonstick, you'll have to use as much oil or even MORE oil than in a carbon steel wok to cook, because carbon steel absorbs oil as it becomes seasoned and over time becomes far less sticky, and thus requires less oil to cook with.
   I'm not saying that this ultra-luxe pan isn't a great pan, but don't expect it to cook healthier food just because it uses multiple metals or costs several times as much as a cheap traditional wok. It's also questionable as to whether this pan transfers heat better than a traditional carbon steel wok, since the reason the aluminum core is inserted is partially because stainless steel doesn't transfer heat as well as regular carbon steel, so the aluminum is inserted to compensate. It might be true that the aluminum actually enhances it enough so that it can even beat out carbon steel, but I have my doubts.



3. I've been using woks for a while and this is my favorite design wok. Although many asian chefs prefer the semi-circular woks with two side handles, I think this type of wok has it's own positive traits that make it worthwhile to invest in.

   Many Americans and Asian Americans are used to using long handles to cook and when it comes to woks, this is no exception. Although using a round wok has its benefits in being able to stir things easier, the flat wok is necessary to keep the wok in balance given the long handles. Also, the long handles make it much easier to use one hand to flip over food than it does with the two smaller handles. To add to that, when frying in a wok, a flat surface gives more area for cook to fry in. Less oil to fry more stuff in.

   Also, with All Clad's blend of metals, this wok does a better job than the traditional "machine made steel" woks normally bought by asian chefs. Some may argue about this statement but I think I'm right in this. If not better, at least healthier.

3 comments about Emerilware Cast Iron Square Press.

1. I paired this with a Cuisineart 9 & 1/4" cast iron grill pan. An excellent match. This iron press will turn Ribbed grill pans into a Panini press or two side contact grill. Preheat the press in the pan on the stove to desired heat. The product is well made and preseasoned. But like all preseasoned cast iron, a little more seasoning at home is recomended. They include instructions how.



2. I just got this square press with the complementary pan and I've only used it twice. The first time that I used it was on skirt steak. I ended up steaming the meat by accident because I left the square press on the meat for a minute while it was cooking and the press didn't let any steam escape, though it did leave nice grill marks. The second time that I used this press with the pan was with hamburgers. I used the press to just lightly press the burgers for a few seconds at a time, and it worked better that way. The burgers didn't get steamed. I haven't used it for sandwiches but I'm going to try to see if the sandwiches get steamed instead of grilled.



3. I have owned the Emerilware Cast Iron Grille Pan for a couple of years now, and I really like it. Recently I got interested in paninis, which is just a fancy way of saying Italian grilled sandwiches.
   
   The trick is to put the press on a burner face down while you are preheating the pan. (If you have the corresponding Emerilware Cast Iron 10 inch Square Grill Pan it will fit neatly in the base of the pan while heating.) That way it gets very hot while you are making the sandwich. After the sandwich is ready, and both the pan and the press are very hot, remove the press (using an oven mitt!), put the sandwich in the pan, and put the press on top of it. The heavy cast iron of the press retains heat and has enough weight to press down and cook the sandwich with those distinctive grill marks everyone likes. The ridges also have a side benefit of making it less likely to stick to the top of the sandwich.
   
   The first time you use it, spray it lightly with cooking spray oil inside and out, wipe off the handle, then put it directly on a high heat burner until it smokes. Turn the burner off and let it cool off on the burner slowly by itself. This will help season it a bit (even though it is preseasoned) and make sure that you won't get any sticking the first time you use it.
   
   This is a really fun accessory to have with a good grill pan, and it works better than the standalone, electric grills while taking up considerably less space. It is a good value, too!
   
   Recommended.
   
   Sean P. Logue, 2008

No comments about All-Clad LTD Dutch Oven.

No comments about Emerilware Stainless Steel 6 Quart Tall Stock Pot.

2 comments about All-Clad LTD Butter Warmer.

1. I've had All Clad LTD pans for a number of years now. I usually cook several times a day almost everyday & although these pans cook beautifully and the interior looks beautiful & cleans up easily, the anodized exterior looks terrible now. I wouldn't mind so much but I have them hanging on decorative pot rack. For that reason I want to replace them with the less expensive version in stainless steel but the financial loss is killing me. I don't have room in my small kitchen to put them away. We've had a stainless steel All-Clad sauce pan for a few years which still looks great and isn't embarrassing hanging from our rack. If you don't mind so much what your pots look like then these would probably be a great choice. If anyone knows any great secrets to keeping these looking great, please post them in the discussion area. I've contacted All-Clad several times and do exactly as they say without achieving any desired results.



2. I just bought this All-Clad LTD Butter Warmer from my local Viking Culinary Arts center. It was a bit pricey, but TOTALLY worth the money. If you have a small amount of ANYTHING that needs warming or melting, and you're tired of the uneven heating you get by putting a small amount of product in a too large pot, you will not regret this purchase. I've used it for melting jams and butter and it works equally well for both. Enjoy!

No comments about All-Clad LTD 7 inch Fry Pan.

No comments about Emerilware Cast Iron Chicken Fryer with Stainless Steel Splatter Screen.

2 comments about All-Clad Master Chef 2 Nonstick 7-Inch Fry Pan.

1. Used the pan for about 3 month now, so far it's working like brand new. The non-stick on the pan works wonderfully without any scratches or sticky parts.
   
   Pros:
   *Non-stick really works well, nothing sticks to it and very easy to clean.
   *A bit heavier than normal $10-$20 range pans.
   *Looks wonderful - A man's gotta look good even when wearing aprons and doing the cooking!
   *Heats up very evenly, great for pancakes or scrambled eggs.
   
   Minor complaint:
   The handle is not suppose to heat up. Even with medium heat, the part that is close to the pan does heat up considerably and can burn if not careful.



2. I bought this fry pan because we were looking for a small pan for single serve cooking and small batch sautéed food. The nonstick coating is fabulous! Nothing sticks whatsover and it's a great size for cooking small amounts of food like sautéed onions or a single scrambled egg. I would recommend it to anyone looking for something similar.