TL;DR - IF you know how to cook with stainless-steel, this might be the only pan you use for 99% of your meals.
I bought this pan in July of 2019, after finally getting a kitchen remodel and a new glasstop range. I've now been using it for over 6 months, so it's time for some thoughts.
First, this is NOT A NON-STICK PAN. It's not supposed to be. If you cook without oil, or at too high of a temperature, you will not get good results. If you use this pan properly, food sticking in an unwanted manner is not a problem. You will get lots of beautiful brown bits for your pan sauce, and easy clean up in the dishwasher.
Stainless steel needs to be preheated, usually 5 or 10 minutes, then add your oil, swirling to coat the pan, followed by the food. I have only used higher than Medium heat (4 out of 10) on my GE Range a few times for things like searing steaks or stir-fry. For most purposes, Medium is as high as you need to go, as this pan heats very evenly and retains that heat for a great, even cook edge to edge.
Second, size. This is a pretty hefty pan, do not expect to be able to easily toss as you sauté. The high sloping sides are beautiful for pouring, making sure that sauté splatter is minimized, and finishing off one-pot recipes on a simmer. 4-quarts means weeknight chili-o with several cans of beans is easily handled without using a dutch oven or large pot.
Third, cleaning. I recommend wiping this pan out as soon as you are done with it, and giving it a quick scrub while it's still warm (not hot, warm) if you have particularly clingy sauces. See the photo with the gnocchi for an example of a sticky dish. Most of the time it goes in the dishwasher after a quick rinse and comes out clean. Over time it can develop a cloudy unpolished look, but a quick polish with Barkeep's Friend will have it looking like new.
Overall, from the moment I opened the box and felt the balance and heft, to now over six months and at least one hundred meals prepared later, I have never doubted whether it was worth spending $180 for a pan.
It's my everyday pan, and the one I love the most. 5/5 stars.
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