I am absolutely not here to defend IKEA cookware; but here's how we have it. We bought it to put into a rental condo. I doubted anyone would use it, but we had to have a certain number of pots to get the condo into the rental pool. Later we found some other cookware for the condo and we took the unused IKEA home with us. It has sat on the top shelf of a cabinet in our utility room for years. Now that we have an induction hot plate, I scrambled to find anything that a magnet would stick to. My 40 year old stainless set was out. Newer aluminum non stick was out. I have a T-Fal pan and the pan that came with the Nuwave but no pots at all. Down came the IKEA and Bob's your uncle. The IKEA keeps water inside, has a glass top, welded handles, and also has quart and liter measurements etched inside. The walls are thin and give it a cheap feel, but again, magnetic. I think for induction the IKEA might be just fine. Heavier steel, dutch oven, or cast iron might be nice, but for the volume we're talking about, the increased weight is not necessary.

Mary, I'm very happy with my 11" cuprinox style fry pan. But like you, I've spent time reading all the cookware articles. If there is one pan in your arsenal that you want to be thick and heavy, it would be the frying pan, (at least for some cooking). I think the Demeyere Atlantis skillet would be a great choice because it is lighter,(than copper or iron) but still thick and would never warp at high heat-thanks to the stainless. Good cookware will sometimes make up for a less than perfect heat source. I have a powerful gas range with nice big star shaped burners, so I don't really need the thickest pan. But if you were to sear a steak with a weak burner, you would like a nice thick pan to hold more heat - once you preheat it. Otherwise, the meat would 'suck' the heat out of the thiner pan, before the burner could catch up and supply enough heat to get it hot again. I remember you saying you weren't sure on what you were cooking with, but wanted a good fry pan that's not too heavy. I think the Demeyere would be a good choice, I don't own it but I've seen the fry pan and it looks good.- should be easy to clean and is induction capable. I like the inside silvernox finish as well. Price is tough to swallow, but I saw one on sale that was the floor sample at a Sur La Table store...- so if you look long enough? What do I think about the All Clad copper core stuff? It is bomb proof, and I'm really impressed with it. It's not induction capable, and it's not particularly light (because of the copper). Total thickness at the edge, even with all those plies is not very thick. My guess is that the Demeyere Atlantis would do better as a fry pan, even without the copper, because the aluminum is so thick, - while remaining fairly light. Sure copper heats a little faster.. but the race isn't always won by the fastest and fry pans are one item that thickness and therefore heat capacity is just as important.

Can anyone tell me how to clean s.s.pot HANDLES? I can get everything else clean except the handles. I tried using " Kleen King " stainless steel & copper cleaner. Even with alot of elbow grease, the handles were only marginally cleaner. However, after being used 2 or 3 times, the handles were back to their original states. Someone, PLEASE help!

I know it's not in your question, but I prefer Calphalon to All-Clad. I have both - I have a calphalon set I got when I got married 18 years ago and it's still going strong. In fact I love it so much I bought a new set, and took the "old" set to our summer house. I've also bought sets for my mother and MIL for Christmas, and they also love them. I have some all clad as well. I have the 12Q stock pot, various small/medium pots I picked up at the WS outlet or Marshalls, the roasting pan and the large straight sided saute pan. I prefer the calphalon because of the glass (ovenproof) lids. I like being able to SEE the food simmering without having to lift the lid. As for the difference in quality, I see none. I'm sure there might be, but the weight feels similar and I notice absolutely no difference in how food cooks in them. I find that because of the lids, I never use the all clad pots I have (except the stock pot), that is unless I have alot cooking and need two of the same size at one time. I do love the large all clad saute pan, I use it almost every time I cook. I'm not sure if calphalon makes something similar but if they did I'm sure I'd be just as happy with it.