Customer Reviews

All-Clad Stainless French Oven

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Because I am an All-Clad fan, and I own and use more All-Clad pieces than I really can afford, I feel like a traitor as I begin to write this. I wish I could return-for-refund my copy of this very pricey All-Clad "French Oven" (not purchased from amazon.com). For my needs, my two Le Creuset oval ovens and one Le Creuset round "buffet casserole" do the (French / Dutch) "oven" thing better, cheaper, and more beautifully. Cast iron, although not as physically tough as stainless steel, really does hold the heat much better, plus it works with induction, just in case you have induction (I do not) and you need to use the "oven" on the stove-top; this All-Clad oven bottom is non-magnetic. Le Creuset uses cast iron for the cover as well as for the bottom, unlike this All-Clad piece, which has the plain stainless steel (non-clad) cover, which I think compromises the "oven" concept of all-encompassing uniform heat. My All-Clad oven's wire rack (a plus over Le Creuset, which has none) is totally flat, and it hugs the rounded contours so snugly that the little bent-wire legs do not even touch the bottom of the pan, so the rack is not totally stable. A bed of mirepoix or potatos or such vegetables would perform better than this rack unless you are going for enclosed dry roasting of poultry, which really needs a non-flat rack, one that can hold the bird in the desired position. This oven's bottom pan is too deep to double as a roasting pan unless you can find a V-rack that will properly fit this pan. Also without its cover, the pan likely could be used for baking lasagna, but I think that the top of the food would be too far below the top of the pan for proper browning. Now, it is just barely possible that I somehow am not getting the point of this All-Clad "French Oven". (I understand All-Clad's attractive "Dutch Oven" OK, but cast iron really is the more appropriate material for the task.) In any case, I am hoping that someone from All-Clad will read this, take pity on me, and wave their magic wand, absolving me of my treachery, and take back their piece so that I then can put that money into other All-Clad items that I (really, truly do) need.

Not only is this an excellent roaster, it also works great as a turbotiere--perfect for poached flounder, and, by turning the rack upside-down and adding some water to the pan, as a very effective smokeless broiler.

Not cheap, but it's a high quality product. Solid, rugged, and very good at providing even heat distribution. I'm very happy with it's performance over uses ranging from roasts to lasagna.