Customer Reviews

All-Clad Stainless 2-Quart Saute Pan

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

 

 

I own both All Clad and Calphalon One. I know there are a lot of All Clad vs. Calphalon One discussions/debates. My personal experience is both are really good and you can't go wrong with any one of them. I am not a professional cook - so it's purely a point of view from a person who wants to learn more in cooking.

A few points:

1. Clean-up - I think Calphalon One is easier to clean, just soak it in hot sudsy water for 15-30 mins and the remains will fall off. Even I didn't make a mess, I need to clean my All Clad with Bar Keeper's Friend (BKF). I use BKF on my Calphalon One only when the mess is really bad.

2. Time to heat up - For some reason, my All Clad pan heats up quicker than my Calphalon One pan. But the time difference is very small.

3. Level of "stickiness" - To me, changing from non-stick to stainless steel and hard anodized aluminum is smooth and easy. As long as you follow instructions, sunny-side-up eggs do not stick on both brands. I have yet to try scrambled eggs (I think I shouldn't try, but I am really curious)...

4. Handle - I read that some people have problems with All Clad handles. To me, no problem at all! Maybe I am used to holding the pan back-handed and the All Clad handle just fits nicely. Calphalon One handle is also great - haven't heard any complaints at all.

5. Aesthetic issue - Since this line of All Clad is stainless steel (very shiny), it will show its normal wear and tear easier when compared to Calphalon One, which has a much darker color & non-shiny surface. Just look at your stainless steel kettle and you may get what I mean - It's just very hard to avoid those normal wear and tear and it shows because the surface is shiny. I only use wooden utensils and no steel wool nor abrasive cleansers! Of course, those normal wear and tear will not affect the quality of the cookware.

Conclusion: You can't go wrong with any one of them. The price difference, in general, is very small between the 2 lines. Personally, I prefer Calphalon One since it's much easier to clean and it doesn't show normal wear and tear easily (relative to All Clad stainless steel). And I don't mind waiting for just a little bit longer for the pan to heat up.

Hope this helps someone in making purchase decisions!

Added on June 15, 2009: After 3 years, I sold all my Calphalon One and got everything in All Clad, particularly the LTD line. The LTD line has a dark finish, so it doesn't really show normal wear and tear easily.

In fact, both pans are of quality, however, my Calphalon One for some reason got some stains that I am unable to remove, even with Bar Keepers' Friend. Also, Williams Sonoma discontinued selling Calphalon One - Nonstick version this April and the anodized version with the steel cover about 1-2 years ago.

This pan was part of a larger set. Although I mostly cook for one, I find this pan small for a saute. I would have rather had a 3-quart pan.

With that said, I still have to praise the All-Clad quality. The pan heats evenly and quickly. Clean up is easy because I can put it into the dishwasher.

This is a great pan. The size is great when cooking for two. I use it to make sauces and gravies, cook vegetables and to saute when I don't need to use a larger pan. I highly recommend All-Clad for all your cooking needs. The prices are higher than others, but well worth the investment. If you love to cook, you'll love All-Clad.

I really like the weight of this product, it is heavy but not overly so, and well balanced on the range. I believe All Clad is still made in the US (or at least this product is) which I appreciate. I have a lot of All Clad pans, I have never been disappointed with them. They are more costly than most pans, but I will probably have them for life.