Customer Reviews

All-Clad MC2 Fry Pans

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All-Clad pans are always well made, and this pan is no exception. A couple things to keep in mind with this particular pan:

1) Master Chef 2 finish - I love the brushed aluminum finish, which should age well, but for now, not everything is available in this finish, though the selection is pretty good.

2) This is an 8" pan, which I find a nice size for a lot of stuff, but it is "small" (of course, there is a 7", if you like tiny pans :^)

3) This is the stainless steel interior, not non-stick. While All-Clad guarantees their non-stick interiors, I love the stainless, no worries about scratching, you can get in there and scrape away when making sauces. But you will want to use a bit of olive oil or other fat whenever cooking; but then again, why wouldn't you.

All Clad make beautifully constructed pans that are built like tanks, and the Master Chef 2 finish ages beautifully. Some folks worry that the brushed aluminum finish will be impossible to clean, but cleans up fine with steel wool, with no worrying about scratching the shiny finish. Best of all, if you don't bother, its still looks great, because the brushed finish looks equally good with a well used patina.

And of course, it performs wonderfully too. The whole pan heats evenly and quickly, the stainless steel holds a fond well for making pan sauces, while cleaning easily when you're finished.

You might also want to check out the lid, which makes this pan even more versatile.

The ongoing debate over cookware at my house is over: All-Clad is the best cookware overall and is worth the extra money. Our coppers tarnish and require retinning. Our encapsulated disk cookware (Reverer and Farberware) suffer from loose and broken plastic handles and too-small disks which limit the cooking area of the fry pans. The biggest debate was between Calphalon and All-Clad. My wife really liked the lighter weight of Calphalon's anodized aluminum stuff. After living for both for several years, All-Clad has shown its overall superiority in the following ways:
1) Denser anodized finish. The All-Clad LTD finish is much denser and more even that that on Calphalon. This makes it more attractive and easier to clean. On the MC2 stuff the finish is not anodized, but it is tightly frosted and well made. It's quite attractive too. I've started to accumulate MC2 stuff because it's cheaper and performs just as well. The LTD stuff does look better on a rack mixed with Calphalon. It's tough to beat black aesthetically.
2) Greater heat sensitivity. You actually cook with the stove set to a lower temperature with All-Clad. It appears to register changes more quickly. Both types of pan are good in this reguard - but the All-Clad is noticeably better.
3) Bend proof - aluminum is soft and thinner areas can bend. All-Clad's steel cladding makes it tough as a tank.
4) Immune to interior wear-out. Anodized finishes eventually wear out - which on the interior of a pan can be a disaster (this is especially so if you use steel wool). The stainless steel interior of this pan is NEVER going to wear out.

As a fry pan, the All-Clad MC2 12" fry pan hits on all cylinders. It's big enough for a 4 egg omlette, or most of pound of bacon. It's battleship built, well balanced, even heating with great sensitivity. The handle stays cool and is angled so that you can lift the heavy contents without undue strain on your wrist. The MC2 finish is durable and very attractive. You can clean it very effectively with Ajax. The MC2 finish will yellow a bit over time. Real chefs just let it get brown. After using it for months and letting it get nice and brown I tried cleaning it with the 3M scrubby and Ajax/Comet cleanser I use with the LTD finish and it worked like a charm on the MC2. Just make a nice paste and power away the burnt on grease in moments leaving a nice buffy shine. Don't worry about scratches - the MC2 finish is a fine patina of minute scratches anyway! It looks great and is basically indestructible.

I was a little disappointed when I first opened the box because there were some little grey marks on the rim of the pan - but they disappeared completely when I used a little Bon Ami on it. Had to wash the pan anyway before using it. I cooked some fried eggs in it and they were the best I've ever had. Then I cooked some chopped meat in it and the results were wonderful. Very easy to clean, beautiful to look at, and a real pleasure. And I like the handle although some people don't seem to. I am now going to buy another All Clad MC2 pot or pan every month since I can't afford to do it all at once, and then gradually get rid of all my Calphalon non-stick! Better late than never and I am very happy!

This fry pan has a fabulously-even heat distribution that cooks and sears meats to perfection while preserving the natural flavors thereof. Doesn't absorb the natural juices like some teflon/non-stick pans do. Beautiful stainless polished finish that will keep on shining with proper care/ stainless powder cleansers. When I really want the flavor to come through, I use this pan and it brings out the best of each meal!

I imagine I'd probably get better results if I wasn't condemned to life with a glass top electric range, but I found the conductivity of this pan to be not quite as stellar as I had hoped--there's a fairly sharp drop-off once you get near the sides.

But in every other regard, it's ridiculously well-made, performs well without hot spots and should last an amateur like me a lifetime. I still hate All-Clad's painful handle design, but I can live with it. A can of Barkeeper's Friend is an absolute must, as even soft plastic scouring pads will leave some noticeable scratches in the stainless steel finish.

And speaking of the finish, this is absolutely not a non-stick pan. I have no idea what the other reviewer who claimed that it was was thinking, but this is 100% Teflon free and the fact that food will stick to it slightly is a feature, not a bug. That's how good sauces are made.

This is by far one of our most-used pans -- in fact we bought a second! It suits small jobs, such as sauteing smaller amounts of veggies or garlic. And despite the fact hand washing is recommended, we have been washing these in the dishwasher with no apparent problems. Has stood up to years of use and is still going strong. Highly recommend this product.

I was shopping for a good pan and had look at copper pans and All-clad stainless series. Those pans are good but heavy. This 10 inch MC2 series weight perfectly at 3 lbs. I can lift it up with one hand comfortably. It heat up fast, the liquid evaporate fast on this pan. The browning on fired eggs are nice (which was missing when using non-stick). It is kind of difficult to maintain the shiny surface though. It is wise not to use the green scottbrite on it, it would damage the surface. Move the liquid food quickly or it would stick to the pan. When it was new it was so beautiful, I can't help lift it up stright and said "one pan rules them all"

I was looking for cookware that will last a lifetime, and for frying pans, decided on All-Clad. The quality compared to the starter set that my wife and I had is unbelievable. Foods brown so much more evenly and just plain taste better. When you learn to turn down the heat and add just a little healthy oil, they are fairly non-stick. Cleanup for the interior is easy, and for scorched pans, I would recommend having Bar-Keepers Friend handy. As far as the MC2 line, it's not for everyone. If you're all about the shine, I'd stick with the stainless line. If you like a pan to have that professional 'well loved' look on the outside, you won't be disappointed in MC2. I love the brushed finish on the exterior and could care less that it's now building a brown patina. I find it looks nicer than a stainless exterior, but again, personal taste on that one.

There are justified complaints about All-Clad handles. At first they sat uncomfortably in my hand; especially the larger pans. For me, it was just a matter of finding how to hold the pan. I now rest the ball of my hand on the top of the end of the handle. Heavy loads no longer press into my hand and it's become a non-issue.

With this purchase, we now own a 10", 12", and 8" fry pan. I'd say I get the most use out of the 10". It's a great pan for an omelet, a good size for frying veges, and browning chicken breasts for the family. We are a family of 4 and the 12" pan is heavily used as well. A load of veges for the family and quesadillas work well in the 12". The 8" was my first purchase as the price was enticing. It's nice to have around for scrambling two eggs or when just browning two chicken breasts.

Before I went with All-Clad, I took a hard look at the Cuisinart line. The price is better, and the quality appears the same, but I just had more faith in the made in America product that All-Clad is.

I also considered high end copper. When frying you will be tossing the pans around a fair amount, and I was afraid the weight of copper would detract from the pans' use. I could be wrong on that, but after picking up a cast iron pan, which is about the same weight as 2.5mm copper, it felt a bit heavy to me for the larger pans. With copper costing so much more than aluminum, I decided to save the copper purchase for something that will stay more grounded on the stove, and where temp control is more critical. That would be some sort of sauce pan.

Hope this helps. I have NO regrets in our All-Clad purchases.

but, don't really like the master chef bottoms.. it wears off easily.. and the rim is very sharp.. be careful when cleaning

but its still an awesome pan.. us it all the time