lacychef
- 5,691
I got this from my director yesterday....thought I'd share in case you haven't seen it. I'm anxious to practice with my stainless saute pan, because I've never cooked with stainless before....I'm ready to learn all about it!
"This came to me from Lisa Donavon, who got it from her director, Exec. Director Cheryl Bovee:
Wanted to pass along some great information about stainless cookware that was shared by my friend and
Exec.Director Dot Dorion. Thanks Dot!!!!
Hi everyone,
I have a friend whose registries include both the Pampered Chef and Bed, Bath & Beyond. I asked her why she chose All-Clad Cookware ($1100 for the 12-piece set). She replied that as a chemical engineer, she is well aware of the Teflon issue, so that kind of cookware was out of the question. She said All Clad has a copper core, which is the best heat conductor. Knowing that our core is aluminum, and knowing that customers are going to ask us how ours differ from All-Clad, I called the Test Kitchen and asked why they chose aluminum instead of copper. Here is what I learned from Jackie in the Test Kitchens (she was delightful on the phone).
They researched and tested numerous forms of stainless cookware before choosing the design used it the Stainless Cookware.
1) Jackie said it's true that copper is the best conductor of heat, however it is also very costly to produce. They wanted to make a line of cookware that was high quality but also affordable, knowing that very few of our customers would pay $1100 for a set of cookware. Aluminum is the next best thing.
2) They found the tri-ply design (stainless, aluminum, stainless) to be very effective. Some cookware types are 5-ply, and some are even 7- and 9-ply. They say that makes their cookware even better. However, the test kitchens tried out all these types and found no difference in how fast they heat or how they cook the food in the pan. The extra layers of copper add additional weight to an already heavy piece of cookware and drive up the cost.
3) The handles on All-Clad cookware get very hot on the stove top, requiring you to use a hot pad/oven mitt. The handles on the Pampered Chef cookware are hollow after you get past the Y-shape (outward, toward the end of the handle), allowing the heat to go from the metal into the air in the middle of the handle. This keeps the handle cooler and takes a little weight out.
4) All-Clad cookware has aluminum lids, so you cannot see inside your pans. Ours are clear glass with high handles so you have less chance of touching the hot lid with your hands.
I just used my little 1-1/2 Qt saucepan to heat up some spaghetti sauce last night and I was surprised at how fast it came to a boil. The handle stayed perfectly cool, not even warm. So I think we will have a set of cookware that is very competitive in the market."
Good to know
"This came to me from Lisa Donavon, who got it from her director, Exec. Director Cheryl Bovee:
Wanted to pass along some great information about stainless cookware that was shared by my friend and
Exec.Director Dot Dorion. Thanks Dot!!!!
Hi everyone,
I have a friend whose registries include both the Pampered Chef and Bed, Bath & Beyond. I asked her why she chose All-Clad Cookware ($1100 for the 12-piece set). She replied that as a chemical engineer, she is well aware of the Teflon issue, so that kind of cookware was out of the question. She said All Clad has a copper core, which is the best heat conductor. Knowing that our core is aluminum, and knowing that customers are going to ask us how ours differ from All-Clad, I called the Test Kitchen and asked why they chose aluminum instead of copper. Here is what I learned from Jackie in the Test Kitchens (she was delightful on the phone).
They researched and tested numerous forms of stainless cookware before choosing the design used it the Stainless Cookware.
1) Jackie said it's true that copper is the best conductor of heat, however it is also very costly to produce. They wanted to make a line of cookware that was high quality but also affordable, knowing that very few of our customers would pay $1100 for a set of cookware. Aluminum is the next best thing.
2) They found the tri-ply design (stainless, aluminum, stainless) to be very effective. Some cookware types are 5-ply, and some are even 7- and 9-ply. They say that makes their cookware even better. However, the test kitchens tried out all these types and found no difference in how fast they heat or how they cook the food in the pan. The extra layers of copper add additional weight to an already heavy piece of cookware and drive up the cost.
3) The handles on All-Clad cookware get very hot on the stove top, requiring you to use a hot pad/oven mitt. The handles on the Pampered Chef cookware are hollow after you get past the Y-shape (outward, toward the end of the handle), allowing the heat to go from the metal into the air in the middle of the handle. This keeps the handle cooler and takes a little weight out.
4) All-Clad cookware has aluminum lids, so you cannot see inside your pans. Ours are clear glass with high handles so you have less chance of touching the hot lid with your hands.
I just used my little 1-1/2 Qt saucepan to heat up some spaghetti sauce last night and I was surprised at how fast it came to a boil. The handle stayed perfectly cool, not even warm. So I think we will have a set of cookware that is very competitive in the market."
Good to know
