Choosing Pans
    

Overall Advice
All the pans we carry are excellent in quality.  Most are true commercial pans.  When choosing, get a pan with a weight you can handle and the size you desire.  Mix pans from different lines freely to get the pans you want.

Demeyere Atlantis

• True commercial pans designed by chefs.
  Constructed according to their function.
  Easy to handle, medium in weight.

• Exterior surface is durable 18/10 stainless steel with a "Silvinox" finish, the most durable available.  Silvinox is stainless steel chemically treated so it is high in nickel and chrome; it has a soft silvery appearance.

• Beautiful artist-designed cast stainless steel stay-cool handles.  The handles are designed by Koen De Winter who has art works on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York city.

• Most pans have a 2 millimeter copper thermo-conductive base that extends to the very edges of the pan.  The 2 millimeters of copper sandwiched in stainless steel exterior is scientifically proven to transfer uneven heat from the heating source (gas flames or electric burner elements) and spread it evenly throughout the interior cooking base of the pan.

• Pans that need thick heat-conductive sides have that feature:  the splayed saucepan (saucier), fry pan, and Dutch oven.

• The pans also have Demeyere's patented Triplinduc^® base, concave when cool, which becomes flat and stays flat when heated.  This feature carries Demeyere's lifetime guarantee and makes the pans perfect for vitro-ceramic and halogen ranges.

• They are suitable for all heating sources and safe for the oven.

• They are superb induction pans.
    

If you have a vitroceramic cooktop, you need pans that stay perfectly flat, otherwise they will not make adequate contact with the heating element and hence not perform well.  Demeyere pans are made to become flat when heated, and carry Demeyere's lifetime guarantee for its special patented Triplinduc^® feature, explained above.  You should avoid pans with an abrasive bottom since these could damage the vitroceramic surface.

If you want to spend less money than for Demeyere Apollo, and
Want a true commercial pan, choose Super Steel

                               
Update Super Steel

• Want a non-stick surface on the outside of the pan as well as the cooking surface, choose Swiss Diamond pans.

       Swiss Diamond             

• Want pans with equal thickness in base and sides, and are willing to have a brushed aluminum alloy exterior, choose All-Clad MC².

      All-Clad MC2          

• Want pans designed for each function, some with heat conductive bases and some with heat conductive sides as well, with stainless steel cooking surfaces, choose Demeyere Atlantis.

• Want pans with equal thickness in base and sides a with stainless steel cooking surface, choose All-Clad.  The pans come in three line with different exterior finishes:  Stainless Steel, MasterChef II, with a brushed aluminum finish, or All-Clad LTD, with a gray anodized exterior.

• Want solid copper pans, choose Mauviel or Bourgeat Copper.
   

Features to Consider:  Pan Weight
There is no point in getting pans you cannot handle comfortably in the kitchen.  Pans with even metal thickness in the base and sides generally are heavier than pans with only a heat conductive base.

• Even Thickness of Base and Sides
  Very Heavy:  Le Creuset (cast iron), Demeyere Atlantis.
  Mauviel Heavy Copper, and Bourgeat Heavy Copper (both solid copper)
  Moderately Heavy:  All-Clad, Demeyere splayed saucepan, professional fry pan, wok, slow cooker, and Dutch oven.
  Medium Weight:  Mauviel Cuprinox 1.6 (solid copper) and Swiss Diamond (solid aluminum).

• Thick Heat Conductive Base
  Medium Weight:  Update Super Steel
  Most pieces of Demeyere Atlantis have copper conductive bases.

Cooking Surface

• Stainless and enamel - The most common and durable.  Will not pit, and resists stains and scratching.  Excellent for searing, browning, and stir frying.  If liquid is used, nothing should stick.

• Aluminum and anodized aluminum - Excellent for searing, browning, and stir frying.  Can scratch, and can pit and discolor from high acid and alkaline foods.  Anodization cuts down on scratching, sticking, and pitting.  To extend the life of anodized cooking surfaces, do not cook high acid foods (vinegar, wine, tomatoes, berries) and use nylon utensils.  We do not carry any pans with an anodized cooking surface because of their reactivity.

• Carbon steel and black steel - Durable, but will rust if not seasoned.  Excellent for stir frying, searing, browning, frying.  Used for woks, crepe pans, blini pans, omelet pans, frypans.

• Cast iron - Durable, but will rust if not seasoned.  Excellent for stir frying, searing, browning, frying.  Used for frypans and stew pots.

• Tin - Used in solid copper pans and requires special care.  If overheated, it will become liquid.

• PTFE (polytetrafluorethylene), commonly known as "Teflon" - The most non-stick and non-reactive surface, because PTFE is the most non-reactive chemical element.  Excellent for no- and low-fat frying and non-stick cooking, such as making omelets, frying eggs and fish, and cooking pancakes and crepes.  When reinforced with stainless steel (Excalibur), it is quite durable.   When reinforced with diamond particles, as in Swiss Diamond Pans, it is virtually indestructible.  A good choice for frypans and sauté pans.  To extend the life of PTFE surfaces, use nylon utensils and do not heat above 430ºF.
   

Exterior Metal and Appearance
Stainless steel - The most durable and carefree pan is stainless steel.  Dishwasher safe.  The most durable stainless steel surface is Demeyere Silvinox because high in nickel and chrome.  There are five basic stainless steel exterior finishes:

Stainless Steel Exterior Finish
Highly polished - All-Clad Stainless
Silvinox (soft silvery finish) - Demeyere Atlantis
Polished and Brushed - Super Steel and Cuisinart MultiClad Pro combine both looks.

Brushed aluminum alloy exterior - Slightly rougher than satin.  Only All-Clad MC² has it, in aluminum.  Can be put in dishwasher, but will discolor.
Copper - Beautiful, the best heat conductor, but scratches and discolors easily.  Also polishes easily.  Not dishwasher safe.
Anodized aluminum (gray) - Beautiful gray, but can scratch and discolor.  Not dishwasher safe.  Protect with a paper towel if nesting.  All-Clad LTD has satin anodization.
Enamel - Durable and beautifully colored.  Good for those allergic to metals.  Can chip if hit very hard.  Le Creuset pots use enamel.
PTFE - Only Swiss Diamond pans have it on the exterior as well as interior.  Cleans easily.  Good for those allergic to metals.  Can scratch; protect with a paper towel if nesting.  Not dishwasher safe.
   

Heat Conductivity
Metals graded from most to least conductive are as follows:

• Copper - Best metal for conduction.
  Solid copper - Mauviel, Bourgeat
  Copper thermoconductive disc in base - Most Demeyere Atlantis

• Aluminum - Pure, alloyed, and anodized.
  Solid aluminum - All-Clad MasterChef II and Swiss Diamond
  Aluminum core in base and sides - All-Clad, Cuisinart MultiClad Pro and Demeyere splayed saucepan, professional fry pan, stir fry pan, slow cooker, and Dutch oven.
  Aluminum thermoconductive disc in base - Update Super Steel

• Carbon Steel - Joyce Chen Woks

• Iron - Heats evenly, holds heat well.
  Solid cast iron - Le Creuset

  
Handle
Pan companies design handles to resist heat.

• Phenolic and wood  - The only true stay cool handles.  Swiss Diamond pans have phenolic handles.

• Stainless steel - The next best; heats slowly.   Most pans have stainless handles.  Narrow neck, hollow design, or hole where handle connects with pan are used to minimize heat transfer.

• Cast iron  - Follows stainless; heats slowly.  Classic solid copper pans have cast iron handles.

• Brass - Heats faster than cast iron.  Classic solid copper pans that are taken to the table have brass handles for beauty.

All handles get hot in the oven.  Use pot holders.  Two pan lines claim to have ergonomic handles:  Swiss Diamond and Bourgeat Stainless Steel.  The molded cast handles of All-Clad and Atlantis are expensive to make.  Handles are attached by screws, rivets, or welds. 
   

Pieces Available in a Pan Line
The crucial pieces: 

• Saucepan - use to cook with liquid; steam and double boil with insert.

• Frypan - has sloped sides for easy turner access.  Use to fry, stir-fry, sear, brown.

• Sauté pan - has straight sides and lid.  Use to fry, stir-fry, sear, brown, braise with liquid, and poach.

• Buffet casserole (rondeau, sauteuse) - sauté pan with two side handles.  Use as sauté pan; easy to put in oven and take to table.  Very versatile.

• Stew pot - squat for stew, soups, chili, casseroles, rice, mussels, clams; steam with insert.

• Stock pot - tall to minimize evaporation.  Some have inserts for cooking pasta and corn.

You will find the above pans in all the lines.  Some pan lines are very extensive with many specialty pieces, lines such as All-Clad.

   
Mixing Pan Lines
Don't be afraid to buy pans from different lines.  Choose the pan with the size and function you want.

Le Creuset ovens are unique, excellent for stews, soups, poaching, and braising.  They are worth adding to any pan collection.  Non-stick frypans and sauté pans are very convenient. 

   
Pan Warranty
The warranty is not as important as the pan company.  Buy from an established manufacturer; you can always negotiate if your pan has a defect.  If a company goes out of business, the warranty is worthless.
   

For more information, see our discussions: Pan Construction and Cost,
Pans:  Question and Answer, "PTFE" Nonstick Surfaces, and The New Non-Stick Coatings.