All-Clad Copper Core 5-Ply Stainless Steel Sauce Pan 3 Quart Induction Oven Broiler Safe 600F Pots and Pans, Cookware Silver

I retired several years ago and took over the cooking from my wife and, although I have no formal training, I just love to cook. I “inherited” a set of anodized Calphalon pans and other odd pans in use for several years. The inside surfaces of these pans were fairly well scratched and I was concerned about their continued use. I did research and decided on the All-Clad Stainless Steel Copper Core 5-Ply Bonded 10” fry pan, the 2 and 4 qt sauce pans and the 5 qt saute pan as replacements. I already owned a 12” SS steel fry pan and 10” SS saute pan by other manufacturers so I was familiar with SS use and cleanup however in the back of my mind I still had concerns about cleanup of All Clad. The pans are beautiful to behold (not that it matters), are of extremely good quality and are moderate in weight, not heavy. The handles seemed a little odd to hold at first but now I do not even notice it. In fact there is a small protrusion on the underside of the handle that fits very nicely for the forefinger, giving tactile feed on hand position on the handle and stopping it from slipping to close to the heat. I have used the new All Clad pans daily since their arrival on a gas stove. They do heat faster and more evenly then the old set. Once cooking, transmission of heat changes are almost instantaneous. As far as cleanup, what concerns I may have had were unfounded. Cleanup has been a snap, even my wife mentioned how easy they are to clean. The 2 qt sauce pan I use to cook chai every morning has less scorched milk residue and cleans up easier than the previous anodized pan I was using. I was also a little concerned about cooking rice in the 4 qt but again, the rice comes out great and no cleanup problem. I think the biggest issue one may have with the Copper Core level is the price as there is a premium. I took the long view. I will have these probably for the balance of my cooking days. After that, they will probably by handed down to my children. Yes, they are that good in my mind. So I see many years of service ahead for them and I couldn’t see cutting corners on price and maybe not be as happy as I am with these. One plus was the ability to place all pans in the oven to 500+ degrees, not something I could do with the older pans. Another factor that swayed me to All Clad versus other manufacturers is that they are made in the US. I would definitely buy these again.

I upgraded from a cheaper stainless steel saucepan that struggled to heat quickly, and the difference is night and day. I chose this saucepan because I already own another piece from this line and have been impressed with its quality and performance. It heats up rapidly and distributes heat evenly, thanks to its copper core, making it perfect for everything from boiling water to simmering delicate sauces. The dual handles are a practical touch, providing a secure grip and balance of weight distribution when lifting a full pot of soup or sauce, and the flared edges ensure drip-free pouring. The craftsmanship and performance are exactly what I expect from a premium piece of cookware, and it’s a stylish match for the rest of my collection.

If you're on the fence trying to decide between the 1.5 qt and 2 qt . . .I own both and honestly wish I'd passed up the 2qt. The diameter of both pans is identical . . .but the lower sides of the 1.5 qt make this pan so much easier to use when coking things that require a lot of stirring and capacity difference is negligible. The copper core interior of these pans will cause water to boil away faster than other All Clad lines. I am in the process of replacing my older LTD with Copper Core, so have those to compare it with. I haven't boiled one dry yet, but can see how this could easily happen. As a result, I've changed some of my cooking habits to accommodate the copper's attributes. For example, I used to hard boil eggs for 15 minutes . . .the 1.5 qt holds 7 eggs. I put the eggs, covered with water on the burner and bring to a boil, then cover with the lid and turn off the flame . . .after 20 minutes, they're perfectly hard boiled. As for the Copper Core line itself . . .there's a reason Julia Child adored her copper pans so much . . .there's simply not a more heat reactive metal in the world. If cooking on gas or induction stove, the copper reacts immediately to change in temperature. I put 2 cups of water in both my LTD and Copper Core 1.5 qt sauce pans for a side by side comparison. With burners set on medium heat, brought both pans to a boil. The Copper Core pot beat the LTD by 47 seconds. No, that's not a lot of time, but does demonstrate how much quicker the copper interior reacted to the heat when first turned on, then the LTD with its aluminum core. Couldn't be happier with my purchase and highly recommend this line to experienced cooks who can appreciate the difference better cookware makes. Can't promise it will make food taste better, but can promise the cooking process will be more enjoyable in excellent performing cookware. ***Update August 7,2014*** In addition to the 1.5 quart I reviewed here, I also purchasd the 3 Qt . . .paid $245 via Amazon Prime on March 5, 2014. I returned here, 5 months later, to purchase a second 3qt . . .only to discover the price has risen $70?!?! I'm glad I purchased when I did . . .and certainly won't be adding another at this price. Great pan . . .but unless I missed the "Great Pots & Pans shortage of 2014" then maybe there really is sky rocketing inflation, in spite of government figures claiming otherwise.

It’s definitely pricey, but every time I cook with it, it makes me smile. The quality is outstanding, and these pans truly last a lifetime (my grandma still uses an All-Clad pot she bought back in 1980).

If you like ramen like I do then this pot is for you. Yes, this just might be the world's most expensive ramen pot. But that's because it is probably the world's best ramen pot. The size is perfect for cooking 1-2 ramen (but you can't use too much water when cooking 2 ramen). The pot boils water quickly. It is extremely good at heat conduction. It only takes about 5 minutes (including boiling water) to cook ramen. Very fast. This pot is very sensitive to changes in range temperature. That's great if you have a good gas range, but not so great if you have an electric range that takes at least few tens of seconds to change temperature. I decided to get an induction range just for my set of All-Clad copper core cookware. If cooking food at a right temperature is what you need, this pot is fantastic as long as you are using proper cooking range (READ: non-electric). Pros: 1)Great at cooking noodles such as ramen. Also good at boiling soup at precise temperature. Just a great pot overall. 2)Conducts heat magnificently. Also highly sensitive to temperature changes. If cooking at a precise temperature is what you need, then this pot should be your dream pot. 3)Sturdy and built like a tank. 4)Induction range capable. Cons: 1)You need gas or induction range to take full advantage of precise the temperature sensitivity of this pot. 2)Heavy.

used today could not be happier...great heat distribution

shipped and arrived in perfect condition, and in the time promised. I love the depth of this saucepan. That thoughtful design makes it easy to avoid boil overs when cooking milk or even small amounts of heavy starch pasta noodles, like when making mac and cheese and other such pasta recipes. Also appreciate that even with the copper core, there is the right amount of stainless layer on the pan's outer surface for it to work on an induction burner. Pan heats up fast on medium heat and the low temp cooking that sauce pan accomodates well, makes cooking puddings well, by making it easy to bring the milk based pudding mixture to a boil in a reasonable amount of time. Cooks hot breakfast cereals well, and the realatively low temps that this saucepan requires to cook foods make it easy to avoid burning simmering foods, as long as I correctly follow the recipe directions, or give the cooking food the amount of proper attention that it needs. The pan even did a good job pre-cooking the one cup of Basmatti rice that I use in my easy chicken and rice soup that I like to make. clean-up is as easy as most stainless steal pans. I use a non scratch scour pad and also clean it with cool water when the pan is still hot. That method makes easy the needed pushing away method to loosen most any stubbornly stuck food residues.

The pan is overall nice. It holds the heat well, the bottom is thick and it seems durable and reliable. I have overall only two complaints about this pan, one of which is not entirely All-Clad's fault. My biggest complaint is that damn handle. It's terrible, it is the worst handle I've seen. Who came up with it? The edges of the handle just dig into your palm and it's freaking painful. Not to mention, it is so thick that even if you have large hands you will find it uncomfortable to hold. I find myself always gripping it at the base where it most hot. What is the point of making a long handle that is impossible to grab? The handle is just uncomfortable even if you just want to hold the pan, but if you want to empty it by pouring than it is even worse because you can't hold on to it properly. Seriously, the person who came up with this design should be fired and prohibited to work in the design forever. The other complaint, which is minor, is how wide the pan is. Yes, it is nice for the souses and the whatever you cook gets boiling quickly, but it is not that good for the home kitchen stove. Basically, the spacing on of the burners on the stove is such that it is difficult to use this pan with another pan next to it. The problem is only one of them can be centered properly on the burner and the other one will have to be off-center by quite a large margin, sometimes to the point where the edge of the other pot would be on top of the burner. I know this is not particularly All-Clad's fault, but I have pans from another brand and they are narrower and much better in that regard.