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.

I think that is a wonderful present. All-Clad's are really nice pans. There are other makers of fully-clad (stainless around aluminium core) cookware, but All-Clad is made (almost entirely) in the USA. Have you noticed they have a unique handle? The handles are at a steeper angle, and have a funny "U" shape. The angled handle helps when you're carrying a heavy pan/pot (e.g., a full one), because the butt end of the handle can brace against your forearm. With a flat handle, your wrist has to do all the work. And when your hands are wet and slippery, you can press your thumb into the "U" which prevents the handle from rotating in your hand, like a smooth round handle would. This matters when you're trying to pour from a pot, for instance. I see people in the cookware store, saying "those All-Clad handles aren't comfortable" - as they're lifting empty pans with dry hands. A 10'' fry pan is nice for omelettes. You can slide the omelette from pan to dish, because of the sloped sides. I would try to get the sauce pans with the ''helper handle'' (the All-Clad website calls this a ''loop''), at least in the larger size. I imagine Williams-Sonoma could order this, even if they don't stock it. Similarly, I'd want the saute pan to have a helper handle as well.

Well, sigh! I'm chickening out for a day or so until I have a chance to get down the mountain and to the store. I hadn't realized Lucy's sticky wrapping post was about torrone!!! I have had a chance to go over that post and the tips here and I think I need to make sure I know what I'm doing first. And, it turns out my friend's thermometer is a meat thermometer, too, so there is no candy thermometer for me :( Plan: Get into town and pick up a candy thermometer, no-stick foil, and see if I can locate wafer paper or rice paper. Then, I'm going to brave this new challenge and make yummy candy!! And, Lucy, I Should be asking you how you made yours!! If there is anything else you can think of for someone who hasn't made candy yet, I'd love to know...I'm really guessing here. I did find what looked like an easier recipe at Martha Stewart's site, so I might try that first, seeing as how it has less steps and gives an actual temperature. I'm posting the link to that in case others want to give it a try, too. Thanks, Carol, for the tip on the topping sugar! I'm actually not sure if it would be good or not for this project, I'm just to much a novice. But after I do make this torrone, I think I'll know... wheeeee Here is a link that might be useful: Martha's torrone

Hi NC1924, I couldn't respond to your email because you told Gardenweb not to expose your email address. So I'm responding here. I ended up with a mix of Andersen 100, 200, and 400 series, plus one Marvin Ultimate window. The Andersen stuff is nice for what it is. It looks nice and operates almost flawlessly. I haven't seen the Milgard clad in person, because the two sources I was considering (Bruce Bauer lumber in Mountain View and Direct Buy) didn't have any on display. After seeing the one Marvin window I put in my kitchen, plus all the ones on display on Bauer, I would definitely say: get the Marvin if you can afford it. Their windows are extremely well made and look beautiful. I'm very, very happy with the big, cherry awning window in my kitchen. I wish I had sprung for Marvin for the rest of the windows in my great room / kitchen and master bedroom. In hindsight I could have afforded it; my employer keeps throwing more money at me. They would have looked nice all in cherry, and my plans to stain the Andersen windows to match didn't work out. (More on that below.) I know nothing about window economics, but I do do a bit of woodworking. Mahogany is very expensive wood and is also harder and tougher to work than pine or fir. A price delta of 2x doesn't surprise me at all. Finally, go look at them in person somewhere, don't just use the internet and take people's word for things. With windows, the fit and finish really matters and you can't get a feel for that on the net. One thing to check when you look at them is how much of the unit is wood. I ordered some Andersen 200 series windows and doors in stain-grade pine. The wood is nice, but at ordering time I didn't notice that the frame and tracks are plastic composite. The white frame would have contrasted too much with the cherry-stained wood I had planned, so I ended up painting the wooden parts white. Laura