Customer Reviews

All-Clad Master Chef 2 12-Inch Chef's Pan

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

 

 

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.

I found the handle to be extremely uncomfortable in the hand. It is too narrow and the deep groove digs into the hand. For this money, it should have a better designed handle, something more ergonomic: solid and round and contoured for a better and more comfortable grip.

It's a pity, because otherwise it's a superb pan.

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.

I figured this would be one of those wonderful helpful products that a newbie cook like myself could really use. It's good to a certain degree, but I find it's not quite as "all around" as I'd expected. It is good for sauteeing, as they say, but I think it's better if you have a gas range -- the glass surface electric range I have means it slides around like mad when I'm sauteeing. I found it wasn't as good for making large one-pot meals, especially with heavier noodles, because of the openness. A wok with deeper sides would probably work better. It's a good secondary pan in a lot of ways, for the things that might be just a bit too big or need more movement than a skillet, but it's a fairly expensive item as a second level pan.

My pan was damaged in shipment, not enough to return, but irritating, and looked as though it had been opened and returned. They didn't even bother to put the pan back in the protective bag and cardboard before they sent it out again. I was pretty angry, and Amazon did give me a discount, but it was still pretty shameless for something this expensive.

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.