The melting point of aluminum is 660 C; the melting point of copper is 1083 C. I doubt that you can heat a pan to either of those. Demeyere does indeed have frying pans, both nonstick and regular, that will stop heating at around 485 F. This feature only works on induction cooktops; it works because the magnetic material in the pans is designed so that it is only magnetic below that temperature. It would seem that they would work very well for the absent-minded cook. But, they are quite expensive, and do require induction. My current philosophy for nonstick frying pans is to go cheap so that I don't mind replacing them when they wear out. I currently like the Johnson Rose Crown Select (from Instawares and other retailers) line for this purpose. I have a 10" (I think) frying pan from them that has seem pretty heavy use for the last two years, and it is continuing to hold up pretty well. I'll probably need to replace it in another year or two. I like the Demeyere Atlantis line for other purposes. So far, I have had no problem with damage from overheating. There have been a couple incidents where things have burned on, and I have been amazed that the pan has cleaned up to pristine condition after a brief soak in soapy water.

Close, but the distinctions are a bit different than that. In both lines, certain pieces have disk bottoms; these are the pieces such as saute pans and saucepans that don't really benefit from straight-gauge construction. (Indeed, conducting heat up the side is quite possibly a bad thing, not a good thing, in pans with vertical sides.) In these pieces, Atlantis uses copper-disk construction, and Apollo uses aluminum disks. In addition, Atlantis uses full-diameter disks, which prevents hot spots in the corners. In other pieces, like rounded sautueses and frying pans, both lines use clad aluminum construction that is very similar to All Clad's, expect that they use thicker aluminum. The lines also differ in the handles. Apollo has loop handles that are formed from SS bar stock, and long handles that are made from rolled SS sheet stock. Atlantis has cast SS handles, that are very attractive in design. Both lines feature the Silvinox surface treatment of the SS, which makes it harder and more chemically-resistant than normal 18/10 stainless.

No your not. I am 69 lift weights almost retired and love to cook. So I buy a set of All-Clad hard anodized frying pans. I have read much about their process of making pots/pans which I believe is nearly top of the line esp., for heat distribution. I am an engineer and have been in manufacturing of things way more critical than all-clad pans. I have to say the engineers that designed their cookware should be reprimanded or fired. The design is not user friendly and esp., for someone whom is weak in the fingers and wrist. I tried them and tried to like them. My wife said she will not use them. What did I do? In the trash can they went. All-Clad obviously, does not listen to their customers. This site is not the only place for this complaint. Oh ya did the pans perform well as far as cooking-a resounding YES! They need to make a oval handle like others have. Someone is stubborn or has no clue of the physics of leverage. And it's very difficult to email them. They make it hard to do.

"Question: would I notice any difference between the stainless steel sautier and the copper-core stainless steel sautier?" Probably not. From this site (important for you to read all of it): Copper with an Interior and Exterior Lining of Stainless Steel - Otherwise similar to Copper with an Interior Lining of Stainless Steel, but the copper is fully clad in stainless steel. - Due to manufacturing considerations, the copper layer in fully clad cookware is often significantly thinner than the copper layer on comparable interior-lined cookware. This can negatively impact both evenness of heat and heat capacity.[...] Aluminum with an Interior and Exterior Lining of Stainless Steel - This design, with an interior thermal layer completely surrounded by other metals on the inside and the outside is often called âÂÂfully clad.â - Otherwise similar to Aluminum with an Interior Lining of Stainless Steel, with the addition of an exterior layer of stainless steel. - Due to manufacturing considerations, the aluminum layer in fully clad cookware is often significantly thinner than the aluminum layer on comparable interior-lined cookware. This can negatively impact both evenness of heat and heat capacity.[...] If you read through the entire article and the accompanying FAQ, you'll see the author prefers All-Clad's MC2 line (aluminum exterior/s.s. interior) over everything else in their range. And if you go that route, you'll find much cheaper brands of aluminum exterior/s.s. interior cookware in commercial restaurant supply stores. Others will weigh in, I'm sure...