Check out the cast iron ones in person and see how large they are - it's up to you to decide how big you need it for what you cook.

With regard to your Revere pan, just turn the flame down. For most things you really don't want to crank the 22K burner up to maximum. Use it at maximum for boiling water, stir frying or quick searing. I know it's a tendency with a new range to want to crank it, but the trick for most things is learning how low to keep the burner, not how high.

I use my 15" Lodge pan almost every day to cook for my family of 7. I adore this pan. It's hugeness means it has good recovery time when searing; I don't think it's too big for 4 portions. It is a breeze to clean-- usually I just wipe it out. I would not want to scour SS. I plan to get a second big Lodge pan when my BS arrives so that I can take advantage of my two 22K burners.

I can't imagine using cast iron for day to day cooking, especially a 15'' cast iron--way too heavy for this boy!!

All-Clad is a no brainer if cost is no object. It's an investment that will last a lifetime and if you can save up it is a worthwhile purchase.

Cooks Illustrated, my bible for cooking reviews, ranked AC first, but suggested two alternatives as best buys for 12'' skillets:

Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless 12-Inch Omelette Pan at $65 and

the Farberware Millennium 18/10 Stainless Steel 12-Inch Covered Skillet at $70

but this is from a 5 year old article.

I have a Gourmet Standard saute pan, which is similar in construction to the AC, but was about 40% less. It was also highly rated by Cooks. It's a beautiful pan but the handle wiggles just a tad, something none of my AC pans have ever done. But, it's worth a look if you want a triple-ply pan, which is generally regarded as the best design. It's available from a variety of online sources that you can Google.

I think for people who like to cook on cast iron, there really is no substitute. The 15" Lodge really is ginormous, but it pretty much just lives on top of my range so weight isn't really a problem. Like morton5 said, you just need to wipe it out to clean(I know non-cast-iron-users are probable saying ewww right now) Very rarely does it make it to the sink to get scrubbed, then re-seasoned.

I own the Calphalon Tri-Ply, but really only visiting cooks ever use it. HTH.

i like my all-clad ltd, but it was all wedding gifts and i can't see spending that kind of money when it's coming out of my own pocket.

i *LOVE* my french steel pans. they need to be seasoned, but anyone familiar with cast iron will know what to do. they cook like cast iron, but they're lighter and have the more traditional saute pan shape. they hold heat amazingly well and clean up very easily once they're seasoned.

nobody seems to know about these pans. i discovered them when a chef i used to work for ordered me 50 of them for the restaurant i was running.

oh, and the bonus? they are *cheap*. about $50 for a huge 15" in diameter pan, and less for smaller sizes.

here's a link to a good one. i own a few different brands.

Here is a link that might be useful: french

Is the 12 inch size adequate for let's say cooking four good-sized hamburgers or chicken breasts at the same time.

whoops, after re-reading your post, it struck me that a more ideal solution would be for you to get a cast-iron or anodized aluminum grill/griddle that straddles two burners. saute pans aren't really the best shape for cooking burgers or chicken breasts, as the sloped sides really cut down on your surface area.

get one of these:

it's got ridges on one side for 'grilling' and it's flat on the other side for griddling. it's great for larger-scale applications like cooking for a big family. i've had mine for about 12 years and it only gets more well-seasoned as i use it. like all lodge products, it's built like a tank.

Here is a link that might be useful:

better link below

Here is a link that might be useful: this goes to the actual product listing

Cast iron is great but add me to the list who wouldn't want to have to lift a bigger one more than occasionally.

I love All-Clad and think it really is worth the money. If you take care of it (I handwash all of mine), it will last you forever and be a pleasure to use between now and then. I have conventional steel A-C omlette pans that are years old and still let an omlette slide right out like melted butter. I have 1 & 3 quart sauciers that heat the liquid from the sides as well as the bottom which is what you want if you're reducing a sauce, boiling sugar or making jam. Love 'em! And they all still look great.

I was looking at the monster sauté pan recently at Sur la Table and I saw that SlT now has it's own brand that looks for all the world to me like A-C with a different name on it. The price was significantly lower. ...but still hefty.

You might check that out. But you will never regret having good tools and if you're tempted to buy something that's not up to long-term use, it's very possible you'll spend more in the end replacing it. I know that's what happened to me until I decided to wait until I could get one good piece at a time.

I took the plunge and bought myself my first All Clad pan about four years ago. Boy, did I feel guilty spending so much on the largest pan they make! Now I own the large skillet, small skillet, two sauce pans, a stock pot and a covered soup pot. I have asked for them as gifts, saved up, etc. I can not cook on anything else now. I do my best to take good care of them and see them as an investment. yes, they a a bit of a pain to keep clean. You will not regret buying one.

I also use cast iron, but only for cornbread and biscuits. I may have lived in California for over twenty years, but was raised in the south and taught by my very southern grandmother, that nothing cooks as well as cast iron. I may have to disagree with her, as I love my All Clad!

I have All-Clad, Le Creuset, Revere Limited Edition solid copper and other brands both cheap and pricey in stainless, copper, cast iron and aluminum. I have pans that are tiny and pans that are huge.

Check Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross and Tuesday Morning as well as your local thrift store and eBay. You can find great pieces in any quality range for a great price if you look around.

By the way, if you are burning things to a crisp, turn the burner down. Not everything needs 22,000 BTUs. The arger the volume of food in the pan, the more BTUs you may need to get a proper sear. Some materials get very hot very quickly, others benefit from slow heating.

Buy cookware that meets your needs. Buy cookware that meets your desires. But if the pan is over 12" it should have a handle on both sides for ease of handling.

Best of luck to you.

B

We are actually getting a Wolf range delivered in the coming weeks, so I too have been on the look out for good deals on "upgrading" a few of my current pans. It turns out that Bloomingdales is having a big home sale next weekend--one day, July 26th--and their open stock All Clad is going to be 40-60% off. If you want to consider cast iron, Le Creuset also will be on sale. Personally, I love my Creuset but will probably replace my horrible 10" fry pan with A-C, less heft, and easy to clean. I do love a good deal!

I have All Clad and just love it. Won't cook on anything else other than baking with Emile Henry. I saved up and bought when they were on sale. I highly recommend them. They are great.

We recently invested in french and italian copper (some tin lined and a couple stainless lined) cooking pots and pans and sheesh...what a difference a great conductor makes :) We just love them.

OT - for all you who cook on cast iron, do you remember how long it takes before that awful metallic taste goes away? I've tried cast iron several times, because I hear so many rave reviews, but can't get past the taste.

FYI, I seasoned the first pan by coating it with vegetable oil and baking it in a slow oven for a couple hours. I seasoned the second one the same way, only with lard. The third pan, I bought pre-seasoned, and it said you could just go ahead and cook on it. In every case, I couldn't stand the taste, and neither could my family. Every time, we ended up throwing out the food (steaks or hamburgers).

I feel like I must be doing something wrong, because I can't imagine that people would be raving about these pans if their food had the metallic taste mine did. My experience leads me to believe that cast iron must be a very finicky surface, but I'd still like to try it, if possible.

2 of my favorite things in my new kitchen are my Lodge Logic (already seasoned...YAY) cast iron dbl burner griddle/grill pan and my 15 inch cast iron skillet. The griddle/grill pan sits out on our Wolf rangetop all the time, and the 15 inch pan does sometimes, or slips easily into the bottom drawer underneath, when I decide to use its sister, the 12-inch skillet instead. I cook for 10, so the ability to use a pan actually big enough to make a meal for our crowd is so fun. The 12-inch is used for cooking smaller amounts, like 2 pounds or less of hamburger, or 4-6(?) chicken breasts. So it doesn't feel left out ;-), I also enjoy using the Lodge Logic Dutch oven I found at Costco. The others were purchased from Amazon.

I've been eyeing a SQUARE cast iron pan (I believe it's Lodge but not sure). The shape looks very practical for many things, even cornbread!

joann, did you by chance by a pan that wasn't seasoned? I am attaching a link with information on seasoning. I hope you won't be discouraged from cast iron. There are also wonderful cast iron pans such as Le Creuset that have an enamel coating, although they are pretty pricey.

Here is a link that might be useful: how to season a cast iron pan

Just a note (or my .02) regarding an anodized aluminum griddle. I got one of these as a wedding gift 6 years ago and it only lasted about 3 before the coating started to flake off. I don't recall what brand it was, but I was disappointed when I had to throw it out.
I have a mix of pots and pans - some good ones (All Clad, Calphalon etc) and some old, crappy ones. I manage to cook with success on all of them. I don't have my new cooktop running yet, but I may find I need to toss some of the old revere ware out due to the high heat, but we'll see.
If you want new stuff I'll second the TJMaxx/Marshalls idea (I got a LeCreuset oval casserole for $25 dollars there one time) - also Macy's and some of the other stores like that often have white sales where you can score a good deal on some higher end cookware.

Edlakin (or anyone else?) I have one of those griddles and never use it. Everything sticks terrible. I am sure I am using it wrong or that I need to season it.

Any tips on how to use this, or how to season it, so that you can sear meat on it without it sticking?

Hi, I don't know where you live, but I bought my All Clad from the Williams Sonoma Outlet in Woodbury Commons NY. They have 40% off sales. Also, All Clad is made in Pennsylvania near Pittsburg, and they have twice a year sales also from the factory. Check on Ebay too. As far as frying goes, you really have to coat it with Pam, or other non-stick spray first and then olive oil or whatever. I love non-stick pans, but after I saw "flecks" of Teflon in our food, they all went in the garbage!

I don't recall how long it took for my cast iron to season-- I've had it for years now, and as I said, use it virtually every day. The seasoning on the pre-seasoned pieces I've bought does not compare to the seasoning of use, so be patient. My CI is black and glossy now, and leaves no metallic taste. At least any metallic taste you sense while the pan seasons is good for you-- it's iron! Seasoning is helped by cooking greasy things like bacon, sausage, or roasting a chicken. Also, I store my 2 largest pans in the oven and leave them there during preheat; that helps seasoning, too.

I don't think the 15 inch pan is so heavy-- I can do a bunch of overhead presses (weightlifting move) with mine, no problem!

Edlakin (or anyone else?) I have one of those griddles and never use it. Everything sticks terrible. I am sure I am using it wrong or that I need to season it.

Any tips on how to use this, or how to season it, so that you can sear meat on it without it sticking?

just follow the instructions linked above under 'how to season a cast-iron pan'.

Just a note (or my .02) regarding an anodized aluminum griddle. I got one of these as a wedding gift 6 years ago and it only lasted about 3 before the coating started to flake off.

there's no coating on anodized aluminum.

Depending on what you use the fry pan for you might want to consider the All Clad saute pan instead. It has straight sides and a cover, and it comes in a variety of sizes (one of which is quite large). I think All Clad (and Le Creuset) are worth it.

Edlakin, I have a side question for you. DW and I received a set of Calphalon anodized aluminum pots/pans for our wedding two years ago. Now all the ones we use (2.5qt pot, 1.5qt pot, 8" saute, 10" saute) have worn through.

If A-A doesn't have a coating, what exactly is coming off? (I only use wood spoons and rubber spatulas on them and wash them by hand.)

Thanks,

ericohly

i don't' know. that's very strange. i can try and find out. what, exactly, is that pan? can you tell me all the info? calphalon what?

i've had a calphalong a-a wok for about 15 years and i've beaten the heck out of it with all manner of metal implements and never seen anything liek that?

is that a non-stick coating?

perhaps i'm incorrect about a-a not having a coating....i assumed, based on the stuff i have, that it doesn't.

Thank you for all your considered replies. The choice of cookware seems to be a highly personal thing. Yes, I do need to learn to turn down the heat more, but I love how fast water boils that I do have the urge to do everything at high heat. I live in the SF Bay Area and a TJMaxx opened in the neighborhood shopping center not long ago and Bloomingdales is easy to get to, so thanks for pointing in their direction. The options are so numerous, I'd like to get one of each, but I am trying to cut down on everything that I introduce back into my almost finished kitchen. Again, thank you for all your responses.

ericohly, I have what looks like the same problem as you (but not as bad) on the same Calphalon pans. For us it is the Teflon coating that started to come off after about two years (this started after my mother did the dishes after Thanksgiving). I have been using my All-Clad pans more and more as this problem because worse and threw out the affected pans.

I am planning on getting new pans when our kitchen is done as I have ordered an induction cooktop and my All-Clad are the only ones that will still work. That griddle/grill is a great idea and I plan to keep a watch for deals on it.

Maxdel, I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Edlakin, those are the Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick. Apparently, they have "hard-anodized exterior combined with multiple coats of nonstick interior," according to Linens & Things.

Reading it again now, they're just anodized on the "outside" of the pan and it's nonstick on the cooking surface. That would make much more sense, wouldn't it? Even then, I'm darn careful with the pans; I figured they'd last more than two years.

They do have a "lifetime" warranty, but frankly, I don't want to wait weeks for replacement pans that might have the same problem.

I'm planning on switching to a cheap set of Cuisinart Chef's Classic for the time being (they seem to have really heavy duty bottoms), and slowly upgrade to A-C and La Creuset.

Thanks for the help!

I have the A-C 4 and 6 quart saute pans and several skillets, and rarely use anything else on top of the stove. I have a lot of the anodized Calphalon and hardly ever use them any more except for a wok and a couple of specialty pans. The A-C is much nicer and just doesn't wear out. For the oven I have some Le Creuset but find I rarely use these either!

Edlakin, those are the Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick. Apparently, they have "hard-anodized exterior combined with multiple coats of nonstick interior," according to Linens & Things.

well, there ya go! it's the nonstick coating that's flaking off.

the only nonstick i've ever owned where the coating doesn't flake off is an all-clad. but, honestly, i don't use nonsticks much. they're supposedly bad when you heat them at high temps and you can really get all the nonstick properties with steel/cast-iron. i use my nonsticks to cook eggs and that's just about it.

I always thought the anodizing meant the non-stick coating wasn't necessary, but I can't seem to find any without it. :-\

you can really get all the nonstick properties with steel/cast-iron.

Oh yes, I know. My wife, however, a different story. She is adamant we have a set of "nonstick."

I'm trying to get her to start using my cast iron, but it's a slow go.

no, not at all. anodizing doesn't make a pan nonstick. it just makes aluminum hard and heavy.

unfortunately, calphalon, like many manufacturers, has cashed in on their name recognition and marketed all sorts of different pot/pan lines under the name "calphalon one", "calphalon gourmet", etc, etc,...to the point where you can't really tell if you're buying a real calphalon pan or not.

it used to be that calphalon pans were raw, uncoated anodized aluminum, which is an excellent surface. i just did a quick google search and i can't even tell which "line" is the one that matches my trusty old stir fry pan that has served me so well. too bad. i guess i'll just avoid calphalon from here on out.

My wife, however, a different story. She is adamant we have a set of "nonstick."

I'm trying to get her to start using my cast iron, but it's a slow go.

tell her about all the research into the cancer-causing properties of nonstick.

Here is a link that might be useful: nonsticks and cancer?

I received the Le Creuset Stainless Steel set as a gift. I had been looking at All Clad but I really like Le Creuset SS and will stick with it. I also have a Le Creuset outlet in town where I can get additional pieces at a fraction of the retail cost.

Here is a link that might be useful: Le Creuset Stainless Steel Set

Heads up to anyone looking for cookware:

I just wandered into Williams-Sonoma in the mall while I was waiting for my husband. They're having a sale and I found copper pans on the clearance table.

I got a covered 2-qt saucier that sells for $360 for $270 and a polenta pan (with an olive-wood stirring paddle) that will double as a 4-qt sauté pan that listed for $425 for $213.

They had other cookware including All-Clad on sale too. Might be worth a trip to the mall for someone. I know I'm going to check out another W-S sometime this week and see what other finds there might be.

I haven't cooked with copper since I lived in France 40 years ago. I'm soooo excited!

They're lined with stainless so they won't need re-tinning and