I was intrigued, since that seems to be the universal description, so I ran it down. The All-Clad site even says "porcelain" but doesn't explain. A customer review on Cooking.com says "heavy, non-metal insert". Here's a description from Metrokitchen.com: With the All-Clad Copper-Core porcelain double boiler insert, you can melt chocolate or gently reheat foods with confidence. This duo features a 2 quart sauce pan made of five layers of metal, including a core, copper layer to generate optimum heat distribution and conductivity. The 1.5 quart insert has a porcelain base to be placed over gently simmering water. You'll gain optimal temperature control of delicate ingredients without the threat of scorching or burning foods. This set comes with two lids to fit each piece individually. The All-Clad Copper-Core porcelain double boiler insert includes the following items:* Exterior pot is a 2 quart All-Clad Copper Core sauce pot* Insert is white porcelain with a capacity of 1.5 quarts* The porcelain comes with a stainless ring that fits around it. This ring has a handle to make the insert easier and safer to remove from the exterior pot* All-Clad stainless lid* Fully-clad All-Clad Copper Core cookware is made in the USA. Lids are currently being made in Asia. AHA! Progress! Then I found a much better picture on good old Houzz: Here's another view from Jlhufford.com It's a porcelain bowl grafted onto an All-Clad pot handle! It's actually a pretty cool design. It gets to be their signature stainless steel, but still a perfectly non-reactive interior. They have a larger one that they say is non-reactive because it's 18/10 stainless, and that's sort of true, but the porcelain is better. :) The picture at Chef's Arsenal that confounded you is probably of that bigger insert. OTOH, the shape isn't the most convenient looking. I haven't found a picture of the interior, but, for whisking, a true bowl shape works better, and, especially, a wider opening so you have room to work sideways, rather than up and down. Pyrex, Duralex, Arc and Anchor Hocking all make appropriate glass bowls. :) They're often sold as cheap open stock at grocery stores that have housewares sections, and they also come in nesting sets. Very useful things to have around. I have the Arc set, an extra from the "Arcoroc" days that was my mothers (most useful size and most used) and an extra set of the four smallest. You could check the market for a good bowl to use as a double boiler. :)

Oh, right, the 22nd is a Sunday...the big prep day. Should be a relax day, lol. But no, it is a multi-task day. Not sure of your family favorite recipe, but my winter lasagna is much more dense and rich compared to my late summer veggie lasagna.... When i do the winter version i make a crockpot chili at the same time as they use similar ingredients except for the spices and final additions... For the lasagna i do all the prep, the sauce, caramelized onions and mushrooms, etc. , and 'build it' and bake just 1/2 hour short, chill, and top with cheese and fridge, covered. I can finish the baking the next day or two days later... Three days is a stretch, but if chilled in the coldest part of your fridge it should be fine. Or prep all the 'layers' and keep them cold and in the fridge and do a final quick assembly the night before?. Three-four days for left-overs is not a problem...my limit is three, DH will go four, lol. You don't want to serve left-overs, so if you bake it 2/3ds and get it cold fast in the coldest part of your fridge and do the final bake Christmas day, it will taste fresh. The only trouble is if your fridge get so much action and is full and not holding a good cold temp...from opening often by family members off school and work, things will spoil faster, so crank it colder for x-mas week and all your foods will be fine. If you have snow like we do, bake it and chill it in a snow pack under the casserole dish to chill quick. Extending a dish for later serving is really all about how well you get it cold fast, then keeping it chilled...

The extended family get-together would do a name draw at Thanksgiving. I really didn't like all the obligatory gift giving and decided to opt-out from it. I give gifts to people whom I wish to give and people that want to give something to me will also. Generally I've discouraged it. I've started giving gifts during the year when I see something that I know someone needs or wants and it would make a nice gift, especially when on sale or clearance, I get it for them. I also like to take people out to eat or something like that as a "WTH" gift or make some baked goods. It's far more personal and more appreciated than the obligatory trinkets that sit on a shelf, are re-gifted, garage saled or thrown away.

Pies are made when the time allows. This year I didn't work Wednesday so that was pie day. If I had worked I may have started earlier and made one each night..When ever I make them they will be "FRESH"! Pie/cake dessert is FRESH until it's cut in to! hahahahah But then I am a do what can be done ahead kind a gal. Last week we baked a turkey--stuffed so my stuffing is done and my gravy fixings ready. The mashed potatoes casserole is done and frozen at least a week early. Cranberries--two kinds were made Monday. All there is to do today is the fresh fruit salad and DH will grill/smoke the turkey we will serve. The daughters are all bringing the rest--done before they got here earlier this week. I have soup and pulled pork done and waiting for the meals for the rest of the weekend. I made an egg bake and over night oats and a variety of sweet breads for breakfasts. My kitchen is too small, cooking is too messy and time consuming to do it while company is underfoot.