Pans:  Question & Answer
  

Q:  What is the most carefree pan?
A:  Stainless Steel

Stainless steel resists corrosion, pitting, staining, and scratches.   It does not conduct heat well so it needs a good thermo-conductive base or core of usually aluminum, but sometimes copper.  Choose Update Super Steel, Sitram Profiserie, Mauviel Pro-Inox, Demeyere (Apollo, Sirocco, and Atlantis) All-Clad Stainless, Cuisinart (Chef's Classic or MultiClad Pro) or Bourgeat Stainless Steel.  Demeyere Apollo and Demeyere Atlantis have the most durable surface:  Silvinox.  It has a very high nickel and chromium content.  Apollo is our benchmark pan and Atlantis one of our premier pans.

Anodized aluminum pans are beautiful but require special care.  If the cooking surface is anodized, you should not cook high acid or alkaline foods in them; it can cause pitting or discoloring.  They cannot go in the dishwasher and should not be stored nested or stacked - the anodized surface can scratch.  We do not carry any pans with an anodized cooking surface for that reason, we only carry pans with an anodized exterior:  All-Clad LTD.

 

Q:  What are the best pans for the money?
A:  Update Super Steel, Cuisinart Chef's Classic, Cuisinart MultiClad Pro, Sitram Professional and Mauviel Pro-Inox.

Update, Sitram, and Mauviel have heat conduction bases that work on both conventional and induction ranges; they can be mixed because they have the same basic appearance.  Update has only frypans, saucepans, and stockpots.  Sitram and Mauviel have all the basic pieces in them, but the Cuisinart lines are the most extensive.

 

Q:  What are the different exterior surfaces of stainless steel pans?
A:  There are five different surfaces ranging from highly polished, on the one end, to satin on the other.

Highly polished -  Demeyere Sirocco, All-Clad Stainless, Mauviel Pro-Inox Stainless, Cuisinart MultiClad Pro and Cuisinart Chef's Classic.
Polished - Sitram Profiserie
Silvinox - (soft silvery finish) - Demeyere Apollo and Demeyere Atlantis.  
Satin (low gloss finish, most interiors are satin) - Mauviel Pro-Inox
buffet casserole, stew pot, and stock pot
Brushed (these often are machine spun) - Bourgeat Stainless Steel.  Update Super Steel and Cuisinart MultiClad Pro have a highly polished band at the top.

 

Q:  What are the different exterior surfaces of aluminum pans?
A:  They include satin, brushed and nonstick

Satin gray anodized - All-Clad LTD
Brushed aluminum alloy - All-Clad MC²
Diamond Impregnated Nonstick - Swiss Diamond

 

Q:  What is your best induction pan? 
A:  Demeyere Apollo, Demeyere Sirocco, and Demeyere Atlantis

Demeyere is used as the industry standard in testing induction ranges.

 

Q:  What pans do you recommend for vitroceramic hobs?
A:  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.  Also, Look pans are guaranteed not to warp, so they are a good choice.  All of our excellent quality disc-bottom pans are suitable, as well.  These include Sitram Profiserie,  Bourgeat Stainless Steel, and Mauviel Pro-Inox stainless steel pans.  These all have a very thick aluminum disc bottom that will stay flat.  We also recommend Update Super Steel and Cuisinart Chef's Classic pans, which have an aluminum disc bottom encapsulated in stainless steel.  You should avoid pans with an abrasive bottom since these could damage the vitroceramic surface.

 

Q:  What are your best non-stick pans for the money?
A:  Cuisinart Chef's Classic and Update Super Steel

Cuisinart Chef's Classic and Update Super Steel are stainless steel pans; stainless steel shreds are shot into the cooking surface and then it is coated with PTFE.

 

Q:  What is your best all-round pan?
A:  Demeyere Apollo

It has all the right features:  weight, construction, surface, handle, and so forth.  See our discussion:  Choosing Pans.
Demeyere Sirocco and Demeyere Atlantis are a step above Demeyere Apollo.

 

Q:  I am allergic to metal.  Which pans can I use?
A:  Le Creuset and Swiss Diamond

Except for the bottoms, Le Creuset pans are covered with porcelain enamel and Swiss Diamond pans are covered with PTFE.

 

Q:  I don't know which pan line to buy.  What should I do?
A:  Let your budget be your guide.

All of our pans are excellent.  Choose the kind of pan and size with a cost you can afford.  If it is in your budget, try a Demeyere Apollo pan.  It is a favorite of chefs. 

 

Q:  What are your best stock pots for the money?
A:  Cuisinart Chef's Classic, Update Super Steel and Mauviel Pro-Inox

Cuisinart Chef's Classic is our least expensive, then Update Super Steel.  Mauviel Pro-Inox a bit more expensive.  Update and Mauviel both work on conventional and induction ranges.

 

Q:  What are your most beautiful pans?
A:  Mauviel Cupretam Hammered Copper Saucepans and Stew Pot.

Polished copper alone is beautiful. Mauviel's Hammered Pans have facets that make it more beautiful; they glimmer and glisten in the light.  However, these pieces have a tin lining, which is fragile.  The next most beautiful are Mauviel Cuprinox Copper Pans and Bourgeat Copper Collection.  They have durable stainless steel interior linings.  Mauviel's lining is satin, Bourgeat's is highly polished.  Copper, however, readily discolors and needs to be polished to maintain its beauty.

 

Q:  What are your most beautiful easy to care for pans?
A:  Demeyere Sirocco and Demeyere Atlantis.

The Demeyere Sirocco Pans have highly polished exteriors, interiors, and handles.  They are culinary gems.  Demeyere Atlantis has a silvinox finish and beautiful cast handles.