cooks, need your advise: All Clad or Calphalon

[sdifox]

I have the Calphalon Commercial set. I like it. Never used All Clad so can't comment.

 

[RichieZ]

I tend to buy individual pans. As a professional, I think sets appeal to folks who don't really cook

great thanks, but do you have any feedback on the type of pans that are useful?

 

[Analog]

all clad ftw.

 

[spidey07]

No single design is good for every purpose. That's why I would avoid sets.

Sauce pans - you know for making sauce, not just boiling water: You want a very heavy bottom for heat control
Frying pans - you want direct heat to the pan, not very thick
Sautee pans - somewhere in between

And make absolutely sure everying can go into the oven up to 500 degrees. Sorry non-stick, you're out except to make eggs and omlettes.

No single set is going to do it all. I've got pans from both, I like the all-clad stuff better. I'd take a le'cruset full set over anything. But even then there are things you can't do with it. Get a pan that does what you want and you'll find out what you want.

 

[Turin39789]

We have the Calphalon One, but not the non-stick version.

After we got it I finally got the wife to get a few more Cast Iron pans, and I pretty much use the cast iron 99% of the time.

 

[SunSamurai]

Iron Wok > ALL

 

[sdifox]

Iron Wok > ALL

Only if you got the firepower to go with it.

I miss the restaurant burner... There was no pilot light, you turn on the gas, flick a match :biggrin:

 

[spidey07]

Iron Wok > ALL

You try making a cream based sauce in a wok or hollandaise. Come back when you do.

Wok's are only good at one thing and one thing only. Any good cook knows that different means mean different pans.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

great thanks, but do you have any feedback on the type of pans that are useful?

The first concern, over and above materials, is getting a pan the right size for the amount of food you generally make. Most sets have too many small pans.

Next, heavy thick pans are almost always better for everything

Sauce pans should be SS with thick bottoms

Sautee pans should have a curved side

Stock pots should be large enough to make a usable quantity of stock or soup. I like a 5 or 6 gallon pot for home use.

Fry pans and dutch ovens should be cast iron.

As with anything, there are exceptions. Mild steel woks and crepe pans for example.

Handles should be oven safe.

Non stick is convenient but, not a necessity. Any pan can do a good job of cooking eggs, pancakes, etc.

Get pans with smooth bottoms, some anodized type pans have ridged bottoms which often cause problems.

Lids are convenient but, not a necessity. Sheet pans or foil work just as well.

So, get the right sized pan, preheat the pan and, heavy is good.

The Chef has spoken.
So, let it be written. So, let it be done.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

The first concern, over and above materials, is getting a pan the right size for the amount of food you generally make. Most sets have too many small pans.

Next, heavy thick pans are almost always better for everything

Sauce pans should be SS with thick bottoms

Sautee pans should have a curved side

Stock pots should be large enough to make a usable quantity of stock or soup. I like a 5 or 6 gallon pot for home use.

Fry pans and dutch ovens should be cast iron.

As with anything, there are exceptions. Mild steel woks and crepe pans for example.

Handles should be oven safe.

Non stick is convenient but, not a necessity. Any pan can do a good job of cooking eggs, pancakes, etc.

Get pans with smooth bottoms, some anodized type pans have ridged bottoms which often cause problems.

Lids are convenient but, not a necessity. Sheet pans or foil work just as well.

So, get the right sized pan, preheat the pan and, heavy is good.

The Chef has spoken.
So, let it be written. So, let it be done.

Very good advice. I would add one caveat. For fry pans, or skillets, a semi-serious chef should have both cast iron and stainless steel skillets. Both are great for high heat uses and for cooking meats. However, if you plan on subsequently using the fond to make a sauce, cast iron lacks in that department, unless it's ceramic coated.

 

[IronWing]

You try making a cream based sauce in a wok or hollandaise. Come back when you do.

Wok's are only good at one thing and one thing only. Any good cook knows that different means mean different pans.

Cast iron woks work great for cream based sauces.

 

[spidey07]

Cast iron woks work great for cream based sauces.

damn dude, your avatar kinda freaks me out. I put the lotion on my skin or I get the hose again.

To your point - only if you are really good at heat control. A wok by it's very design does not lend itself to making good sauces, otherwise it would be a sauce pan.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Very good advice. I would add one caveat. For fry pans, or skillets, a semi-serious chef should have both cast iron and stainless steel skillets. Both are great for high heat uses and for cooking meats. However, if you plan on subsequently using the fond to make a sauce, cast iron lacks in that department, unless it's ceramic coated.

I have to disagree unless you're making a cream based sauce. There is nothing slicker than a well seasoned cast iron pan and I've never has any problems with the fond created when using them. Any pan based sauce that I need in any quantity, I tend to make in a roaster or braising pan though.

 

[spidey07]

Agree with everything. Right pan/pot for the job for what you need. It takes experience before you realize "hey, I need this because I've had enough times when I wanted this capability".

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I have to disagree unless you're making a cream based sauce. There is nothing slicker than a well seasoned cast iron pan and I've never has any problems with the fond created when using them. Any pan based sauce that I need in any quantity, I tend to make in a roaster or braising pan though.

I disagree because creating a sauce from a cast iron pan leaches the very oils from the pan that you want to remain in the first place, nor can you release all the fond properly. Like most chefs, I tend to use alcohol to deglaze as well, which also tends to destroy the seasoning in a nicely seasoned cast iron skillet, imo.

This is a well known point of contention amongst chefs though so we may just have to agree to disagree on that point. It diverts well off the path of the OP.

 

[Fritzo]

I use All Clad because I like the lip on the pan and the handles.

Also:

Feeling the Heat

Back to nonstick pans. Both DuPont and the EPA say that cooks have little to worry about if they use nonstick cookware properly.There’s little dispute that, above certain temperatures—hotter than the smoke point of cooking oils or the point where food is burned—the nonstick coating will break down and release toxic fumes. Any surface that’s subject to extreme temperature will give off toxic gases. According to DuPont, cookware with Teflon nonstick coating has a recommended maximum use temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit and that significant decomposition of the coating will occur only when temperatures exceed about 660 degrees Fahrenheit, which could easily happen if nonstick pans were left dry or empty on a hot burner.



​

http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/healthandfitness/a/nonstickpans.htm

 

[Fritzo]

I disagree because creating a sauce from a cast iron pan leaches the very oils from the pan that you want to remain in the first place, nor can you release all the fond properly. Like most chefs, I tend to use alcohol to deglaze as well, which also tends to destroy the seasoning in a nicely seasoned cast iron skillet, imo.

This is a well known point of contention amongst chefs though so we may just have to agree to disagree on that point. It diverts well off the path of the OP.

You will never find a chef that makes any sauces in cast iron. Cast iron is for frying and browning. Sooth surface pans are used for sauces and soups (ie- stainless steel is popular).

 

[NetWareHead]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TastesLikeChicken View Post
Very good advice. I would add one caveat. For fry pans, or skillets, a semi-serious chef should have both cast iron and stainless steel skillets. Both are great for high heat uses and for cooking meats. However, if you plan on subsequently using the fond to make a sauce, cast iron lacks in that department, unless it's ceramic coated.
I have to disagree unless you're making a cream based sauce. There is nothing slicker than a well seasoned cast iron pan and I've never has any problems with the fond created when using them. Any pan based sauce that I need in any quantity, I tend to make in a roaster or braising pan though.
__________________

I have to disagree unless you're making a cream based sauce. There is nothing slicker than a well seasoned cast iron pan and I've never has any problems with the fond created when using them. Any pan based sauce that I need in any quantity, I tend to make in a roaster or braising pan though.

Have to agree with this fact. I have some cast iron skillets that I use to make crepes and pancakes and even eggs in, with minimal oil. Just a little to grease the pan and that's it. With cast iron you get the crispy edges on pancakes, french toast that non-stick pans just wont do. The key thing is to build up the seasoning to a point where it behaves like teflon.

As far as alcohol, theoretically yes it is a solvent and will break down oil (being the component of the seasoning), but if you are using the fond and deglazing a pan with wine or spirit, a hot pan will evaporate all of that alcohol in less than a minute. So the damage should be minimal. Plus, it is not really oil, rather burned on oil which bonds to the iron in the pan. To remove the seasoning from a pan, you need to either burn it, soak in oven cleaner or sandblast it and I'm sure there are many more drastic methods. A minute of contact with alcohol is probably not going to hurt it.

Now if you make a tomato sauce in a cast iron pan, the prolonged contact with the acidity of the tomatoes could noticeably weaken the seasoning.

 

[NetWareHead]

I have to disagree unless you're making a cream based sauce. There is nothing slicker than a well seasoned cast iron pan and I've never has any problems with the fond created when using them. Any pan based sauce that I need in any quantity, I tend to make in a roaster or braising pan though.

You will never find a chef that makes any sauces in cast iron. Cast iron is for frying and browning. Sooth surface pans are used for sauces and soups (ie- stainless steel is popular).

It is not because cast iron is not capable. it is because cast iron requires upkeep that stainless steel pans don't. In my family's restaurant, nearly all the pans used are stainless steel. They are light, they dont rust, and can be left to drip dry in the pan rack. Try that with cast iron! Plus, with commercial stoves, sometimes the heat can deform the steel in the pan. All we do then is take the pans out back and hand hammer them flat, while they are cold. Cast iron is far too brittle and will shatter. Stainless steel pans can take far more abuse than cast iron. And stainless pans heat up sooner.

Only thing you shouldn't cook with in cast iron is acidic food (e.g tomato) which will eat away at the seasoning.

Cast iron has its places and even maintains a superior patina which requires less oil to cook with once a good seasoning has been built up. Stainless steel pans do not maintain a patina/seasoning like cast iron does. When we blacken fish, fry or do a stovetop to oven, it is with cast iron. Cast iron can keep up with SS pans in nearly every category, but they suck in a fast paced restaurant kitchen environment.

 

[jteef]

i have a set of fissler stainless steel from germany. it's pretty much the tits. in your case though, i would go with all-clad. i have a nonstick all-clad grill pan taht gets use at least 2 nights / week and still works as new.

 

[Born2bwire]

Personally, I think the whole thing about non-stick giving off gases is hogwash. I also think that non-stick has its place and although it's possible to cook food in cast iron and stainless with minimal sticking, it still takes some elbow grease to get it clean where as non-stick is actually non-stick. I cook all the time and I am staging at a restaurant.

I think alot of people recommend cast iron and stainless, or rather recommend against NS beacuse the former seems more "manly" and tough. Almost like being anti-technology. Non-stick has it's uses. Get a 10" and 12" NS pan from Calphalon. They are like $35 a piece. Then get a single cast iron (you don't need two) and the All-Clad stainless set.

You will be spending a lot but you'll have products that should last you a lifetime.

Oh yeah, look at Le Creuset or similar enamel cast iron. You cannot beat it for risotto's, soups, etc.

While I have not used Calphalon myself, I do prefer cast iron to non-stick for several reasons. Cast iron is pretty bullet proof, it lasts for generations if properly (or even improperly) cared for and it is easy to redo the non-stick coating. Cast iron is very cheap. Cast iron is very good when you want even heating or a very very hot pan.

Non-stick can be sensitive, once you damage the coating there is nothing you can do to fix it. I just haven't found a use for a non-stick pan that wasn't already covered by my cast iron skillet.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

You will never find a chef that makes any sauces in cast iron. Cast iron is for frying and browning. Sooth surface pans are used for sauces and soups (ie- stainless steel is popular).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWG98yLh0x8

I don't use cast iron for sauces (another reason is even well-seasoned cast iron will impart a metallic taste to the sauce, ime) but there are chefs that do.

 

[Fritzo]

It is not because cast iron is not capable. it is because cast iron requires upkeep that stainless steel pans don't. In my family's restaurant, nearly all the pans used are stainless steel. They are light, they dont rust, and can be left to drip dry in the pan rack. Try that with cast iron! Plus, with commercial stoves, sometimes the heat can deform the steel in the pan. All we do then is take the pans out back and hand hammer them flat, while they are cold. Cast iron is far too brittle and will shatter. Stainless steel pans can take far more abuse than cast iron. And stainless pans heat up sooner.

Only thing you shouldn't cook with in cast iron is acidic food (e.g tomato) which will eat away at the seasoning.

Cast iron has its places and even maintains a superior patina which requires less oil to cook with once a good seasoning has been built up. Stainless steel pans do not maintain a patina/seasoning like cast iron does. When we blacken fish, fry or do a stovetop to oven, it is with cast iron. Cast iron can keep up with SS pans in nearly every category, but they suck in a fast paced restaurant kitchen environment.

Seriously, I was a chef for over a decade (I even have a degree). Cast iron is used all the time in restaurants, but it's for grilling, browning, or frying. In fact, if your steak wasn't cooked in a searer, it was probably cooked on a cast iron griddle.

Some chefs will even season their pans with herbed oils and use them on special dishes (a buddy of mine had a rosemary seasoned pan that he used to make tuna and swordfish fillets---I hated that thing. Can't stand rosemary).

Cast iron pots are used for simmering. You want things that will cook slow to go into a cast iron pot. Baked beans, chili, broth based soups--all good candidates.

Sauces aren't typically done in cast iron---especially cream based sauces. The earthy taste of pot seasoning does not mix with cream and thickening agents, and the cream will coat the pores of the pan, making the next thing you cook in it taste funky. Also the heat retention tends to make sauces scald. Stainless steel keeps the cream pure.

The only exception to this would be BBQ sauce---I have a cast iron pot I keep on my fire pit while cooking outdoors that I mix my barbeque sauce. Had it for 15 years now. When the kids see it come out, they know they're getting ribs

 

[Fritzo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWG98yLh0x8

I don't use cast iron for sauces (another reason is even well-seasoned cast iron will impart a metallic taste to the sauce, ime) but there are chefs that do.

That's not really a sauce as much as it is a reduction. As I said above, sauces with cream or thickening agents should not go in cast iron.

 

[Kaido]

All-Clad is great for all-metal.

I love my Calphalon teflon pans. And at the price when the teflon wears off, it doesn't hurt as bad to replace them with new ones