Emerilware by All-Clad

Does anyone here have experience with the Emerilware stainless cookware? Specifically the 14 piece set that Bed Bath & Beyond sells. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=111609
If I could afford it I’d go with the All-Clad stuff but I just can’t swing it at this point and I’d like to replace my non-stick cookware because the Teflon is coming off. Or if anyone has another recommendation I’m open to that too.

Emerilware isn't fully clad like All-Clad (natch) and has thinner construction. Of the 3qt saute pan, Cook's Illustrated says:

"Slow and steady was this pan’s motto, but it’s not for the weak of arm—that composure comes from heaviness, more than a pound heavier than the next lightest pan. But the real deal breaker was the time it took to preheat: "Who wants to wait seven minutes every time you sear steaks?""

And like knives, buying a cookware set will usually give you things you won't need and omit some that you do. For example, the Emeril set gives you an 8" & 10" fry pan, but not a 12", which is far more useful. 1 qt & 2 qt saucepans aren't really good for all that much, either. And, the 3 qt casserole is the same as the 3qt sauce pan but with different handles.

What I would recommend is going to cookwarenmore.com and getting All-Clad seconds. For about the same cost, you could 4 pieces that would pretty much give you everything you need.

Emeril set: $299.99+tax = $330.74

MC2 10" NS frypan: $74.80
MC2 12" frypan: $78.20
MC2 3.5qt saucepan w/ loop: $98.60
MC2 4.5qt saucepan w/ loop: $105.86

= $357.46 - 20% off for buying 4 pieces
= $285.97 (no tax), $310.87 w/ shipping

MC2 12" frypan: $78.20
MC2 3.5qt saucepan w/ loop: $98.60
MC2 4.5qt saucepan w/ loop: $105.86
MC2 6qt stockpot: $136

= $418.86 - 20%
= $334.92 (no tax), $359.73 w/ shipping

I'll also strongly endorse cookwarenmore.com's factory seconds. We've bought several pieces there, and they're nearly indistinguishable from brand new. Most of them seem to have a single scratch on the exterior.

They periodically have bigger sales, 20-30% off their normal prices, so sign up for the mailing list.

A few thoughts:

If you cook a lot, I recommend buying high quality pieces. The Emerilware isn't that great. I'd buy the real All-Clad (or other similarly high quality pieces). If you can't afford a full set, buy a few pieces now and add later.

I disagree that the 1qt and 2qt pots are not useful. I use mine all of the time for sauces, rice, oatmeal, etc. You really have to know what pieces you need, and to know that you need to think about what you are going to cook. So, if you haven't already, take a step back and think about what you cook and then determine what pieces you'll need.

The rule of thumb is that sets of pans and knives offer a lower cost than buying pieces separately, but you'll end up buying more pieces than you need. This isn't always true, though, because the sets vary from store to store, and manufacturer to manufacturer (for example, the All-Clad sets at BBB are generally different than those at Bloomingdale's). If you find a set that has a lot of pieces that you'll use, it can be a great deal. The other issue of knives and cookware is that you don't always need the highest quality version of each piece. For example, you want the highest quality chef's knife. But you don't need the similarly high-quality paring knife and bread knife. The Forschner paring and bread knives are quite inexpensive and, in my experience, perform as well as the much higher cost versions from Wustof. With pans, you don't really need fully-clad stock pots or roasting pans. You also don't need All-Clad non-stick pans. Lower cost versions of these will do very well.

You mentioned looking for non-stick pans. The issue here is that the nonstick coating doesn't last that long, even if you are careful not to scratch it. So it doesn't make sense to buy an expensive All-Clad nonstick pan for $100+. The metal is designed to last a lifetime, but the nonstick coating won't. I have two nonstick frying pans made by Vollrath that have aluminum bases and nonstick coating on top. You can get these at Northwestern Cutlery, among other places. They cost about $35. I've had one for about 7 years and the nonstick coating is just starting to shows scratches and not be as "nonstick" as it should be. Aluminum is a great material because it heats evenly (which is why most of the All-Clad lines have a layer of aluminum in between the stainless steel layers).

For more information on cookware, see http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=25717

Darren72 wrote:You mentioned looking for non-stick pans.

I was actually looking to replace my non-stick. I just don't like the thought of ingesting teflon.

Great advice and cool site. I'm glad I didn't rush out and buy the Emerilware.

Pots and pans come up fairly often on this site, and I just wanted to put in a plug for the saucepans I've used for the past year or two: they're Berndes Tricion. It's the Berndes answer to All-Clad - they are very, very thick and heavy pans, and come with a lifetime guarantee. I also really like the heatproof glass lids (we had some trouble with the knobs retaining water and then dripping after washing in the dishwasher, but this went away by itself after a few uses) that allow you to see your food while it's cooking. We bought our pans separately on Amazon and made our own set of three: the 3.5 quart, the 2.5 and the 1.5 - I use my 6-quart enameled cast-iron casserole for anything large. I don't feel the need to own any other stovetop cookware other than a cast-iron skillet and a couple cheap non-stick pans.

Also, the 11-pc Tricion set is about $100 less than the All-Clad 10-pc set. (Berndes has a number of types of cookware, be sure it's the Tricion, I can't speak to the other types.)

Got it - sorry that I misunderstood you.

For what it's worth, I think the dangers of teflon on overestimated by the public. Most normal cooking applications with teflon are completely safe. The basic guideline is not to preheat a pan that has nothing in it (like oil or butter) for more than a minute or two on high heat; you can go a bit longer on low or medium heat. For most things, you'd use medium heat anyways. If the coating is chipping, you probably want to replace it anyways. But apparently small pieces of teflon will pass through you - if that's any source of comfort. Finally, I find that I really only need the nonstick pan for eggs, and maybe a few other things. You can use a well-greased stainless steel pan for most things and the food won't stick. Just be sure to keep the food moving when you first put it in the pan.

Darren72 wrote:I disagree that the 1qt and 2qt pots are not useful. I use mine all of the time for sauces, rice, oatmeal, etc. You really have to know what pieces you need, and to know that you need to think about what you are going to cook. So, if you haven't already, take a step back and think about what you cook and then determine what pieces you'll need.

I too use all of my varied size saucepans quite frequently, largely because I poach a lot of fish in extra virgin olive oil. The fish needs to be completely submerged in the oil, and since the oil aint cheap, I want to use a right-sized pot so that I can use as little oil as possible to accomplish the task. Depending how many people I'm cooking for, I'll take out the one, two, or five quart pan (the big dutch oven for the rare occasion on which I poach fish for a large group).

In general, however, I am in agreement with the notion that these pots 'n pan and knife sets are a poor value. You're better off figuring out exactly what you need, then buying those items separately.

Mhays wrote: I also really like the heatproof glass lids.

I also really like the glass lids, which is one thing I didn't like about All-Clad. All the sets I've seen have solid lids.

Darren72 wrote:For what it's worth, I think the dangers of teflon on overestimated by the public.

Probably true but I would not use non-stick at all, ever, if I had pet birds. Which I don't, so it's kind of a moot point, but the teflon thing still creeps me out. I have one non-stick pan for scrambled eggs and that's it. No more non-stick bakeware, nothing. I probably won't replace scrambled egg pan when the non-stick gives out on that.

I'm going to look into the Berndes since I'm shopping for a 3-ish quart right now.

I have a couple of pieces of Emerilware that the Chow Poodle picked up for a good price at Marshall's a few years ago (a sauté pan and a 4 - 5 quart saucepan). I haven't found much real-world difference between these pans and my genuine All-Clad pieces in every day use. being an effete snob, I probably would never have purchased them if it were up to me, but they seem to work just fine in any case. I've had both pieces for at least six years and they are holding up just fine.

Since your link is to BBB web site, make sure you have one of their 20% off one item coupons if you're going to buy something this expensive. I just used one this weekend to get yet another Henckels knife for our set. The coupons aren't good on some items, and specifically mentioned Wusthof knives, but was OK for the Henckels. I'm sure it's something in the terms the various manufacturers have regarding their pricing.

I could have got the knife online a tad cheaper than BBBs price, but after the discount, and even with the McHenry sales tax, BBB came out cheaper.

j r wrote:Since your link is to BBB web site, make sure you have one of their 20% off one item coupons if you're going to buy something this expensive. I just used one this weekend to get yet another Henckels knife for our set. The coupons aren't good on some items, and specifically mentioned Wusthof knives, but was OK for the Henckels. I'm sure it's something in the terms the various manufacturers have regarding their pricing.

I could have got the knife online a tad cheaper than BBBs price, but after the discount, and even with the McHenry sales tax, BBB came out cheaper.

I have several of the coupons, but I'm thinking about going another direction. I already have 3 stainless stock pots so buying a set with one would seem to be redundant. I'm thinking of buying open stock to replace my old non-stick.

Has anyone seen or tried the new Pro-Clad Emeril line...the promotional materials certainly make it seem an upgrade from Emerilware (and it's not actually called "Emerilware"), and they talk about tri-clad construction, but I can't seem to find any confirmation that it's full-clad. It may just be a gradual repackaging, I don't know.

But it seems like every year or so there is some All-Clad imitator that is full-clad, works well, is considerably cheaper, and then goes off market. Like the Gourmet Standard, or whichever that Cook's Illustrated rated so highly in, I think, 2006. I don't remember what it was last year.

I really want a tri-clad saute pan. I can't bring myself to spend the nearly $200 All-Clad charges for theirs...gimme a break. I'm tempted to go for the Emeril Pro-Clad, but one other question, too, I guess...the largest size is a 4 qt/10 inch (which seems the predominant All-Clad size, too). I really wanted a 12-inch, but no Emeril option here. Do people with a 10-inch/4 qt find it gets too crowded if you're cooking for more than 2?

Emeril does have the glass lids, which I really like on my Berndes non-stick.

And speaking of Berndes, I can vouch for the lifetime warranty, which is especially awesome for non-stick where the coating occasionally wears away. We've had the set for about 10 years, with one replacement each of our most frequently used pans. Didn't know they made a stainless line, but I'll definitely look into it.

Aaron Deacon wrote:I really want a tri-clad saute pan. I can't bring myself to spend the nearly $200 All-Clad charges for theirs...gimme a break. I'm tempted to go for the Emeril Pro-Clad, but one other question, too, I guess...the largest size is a 4 qt/10 inch (which seems the predominant All-Clad size, too). I really wanted a 12-inch, but no Emeril option here. Do people with a 10-inch/4 qt find it gets too crowded if you're cooking for more than 2?

Hi,

The Henckels Classic Clad 5 quart saute pan seems to fit your needs at $110.

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodd ... OGLE306718

Tim

Since your link is to BBB web site, make sure you have one of their 20% off one item coupons if you're going to buy something this expensive. I just used one this weekend to get yet another Henckels knife for our set. The coupons aren't good on some items, and specifically mentioned Wusthof knives, but was OK for the Henckels.

I know this is *slightly* off topic but for anyone that gets BBB coupons in the mail like it's going out of style: you can ignore the fine print on exclusions as well as the expiration dates on them. Their customer friendly policy has always been to let you use the coupons on anything in the store (including Wustof, All-Clad, etc) and you can use them anytime. (Just used a couple that expired over 2 years ago last month, the cashier didn't even raise an eyebrow.)

The only rule they do strictly enforce is that you can only apply one coupon to one item, which is why I stockpile the coupons when they come in the mail. So, if you're buying 5 things, bring 5 coupons.

PitaChip wrote:The only rule they do strictly enforce is that you can only apply one coupon to one item, which is why I stockpile the coupons when they come in the mail. So, if you're buying 5 things, bring 5 coupons.

Will they actually take multiple coupons on a single transaction? I've always thought not, but never tried.

j r wrote:

PitaChip wrote:The only rule they do strictly enforce is that you can only apply one coupon to one item, which is why I stockpile the coupons when they come in the mail. So, if you're buying 5 things, bring 5 coupons.

Will they actually take multiple coupons on a single transaction? I've always thought not, but never tried.

They definitely will take multiple coupons. I was doubtful, too, but used eight coupons to buy eight items when we moved into our apartment. I think all the coupons had expired, too.

My parents also recently had a great experience with a broken coffee maker. It was a few years old, but BBB replaced it with a new one, even though they didn't have a receipt.

Ronna

You should also know that BBB will always take expired coupons. My neighbor wanted to pick up about 20 items for her niece's bridal shower, so I handed her all the coupons I had, many of which were expired. She saved a bundle and her niece was thrilled with her gift.

Suzy

Fortune smiled on me yesterday and I got a refund check from my insurance company because they over charged me. I jumped onto Cookwarenmore and placed an order for some All Clad last night. I ordered 12 pieces and spent just over $500 dollars. Happy Birthday to me !

Thanks for all of the advice ! ! !

This deal is now dead. Sorry folks!

Amazon has the All-Clad Stainless fry pans in 8", 10", and 12" for pretty great prices right now, with free shipping:

8" Stainless, $49.99
10" Stainless, $59.99
12" Stainless, $79.99

These pans are going for $49.99, $71.40, and $91.80 respectively at cookwarenmore.com for second-quality pieces.

gleam wrote:Amazon has the All-Clad Stainless fry pans in 8", 10", and 12" for pretty great prices right now, with free shipping:

8" Stainless, $49.99
10" Stainless, $59.99
12" Stainless, $79.99

These pans are going for $49.99, $71.40, and $91.80 respectively at cookwarenmore.com for second-quality pieces.

I placed my order already and I looked at Amazon a few minutes ago and the prices are back up unless I want a used pan, which I really don't.

gleam wrote:This deal is now dead. Sorry folks!

Amazon has the All-Clad Stainless fry pans in 8", 10", and 12" for pretty great prices right now, with free shipping:...

Try using a search engine like http://www.nextag.com. It will find who has the best deal at the moment, and it has 2 other useful features:

1) It will show you a price history graph, so you can see what the pricing has been in the past.

2) It will let you set an email alert when the price drops below your target price. That way you can catch the next sale.

Was watching America's Test Kitchen and they had a segment raating non-stick 12" pans (think it was for those $60 or less). Anyways, the WearEver Premium Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Saute Pan was the winner. Currently $28.xx at Amazon.

I ordered one to try out.

Jamie

Jamieson22 wrote:Was watching America's Test Kitchen and they had a segment raating non-stick 12" pans (think it was for those $60 or less). Anyways, the WearEver Premium Hard-Anodized 12-Inch Saute Pan was the winner. Currently $28.xx at Amazon.

I ordered one to try out.

Jamie

We got this on their recommendation when our last nonstick finally bought the farm. It's a great nonstick coating, and temperature control is very good, but the pan is oddly weighted, and the sides are sloped in such a way that a lot of your food can end up on the stove instead of in the pan.

There is a special promotion for an All Clad 12" fry pan with lid for $89.95 in some internet outlets. Sadly, did not see this at Bed Bath and Beyond where I was hoping to add a coupon to it. Some Amazon sellers have this with no shipping charge.

The promo has been going on all summer so if you are interested I would order soon. I think Sur La Table had a list of a few other All Clad promos so might be worth a look if you are shopping.

I was looking at some other skillets since I don't like the All Clad handles but I jumped on this because of the price that included the matching lid. It will be sitting on the stove so I want a lid to keep out the cat/dog hair and a nice-looking lid is a plus.

Didn't pull the trigger earlier this year, but just now bought this at Walmart.com for $70:



Read a number of positive reviews at Chowhound and elsewhere, sounds promising. We'll see. I like that they had a 12" saute pan with lid.

Wow--nice deal on the saute pan.

The one I bought was the fry pan with shorter, sloped sides. I just hope the total diameter of the fry pan isn't too big to fit another pan next to it on the stove--I found differing measurements on the interwebs.

grits wrote:There is a special promotion for an All Clad 12" fry pan with lid for $89.95 in some internet outlets. Sadly, did not see this at Bed Bath and Beyond where I was hoping to add a coupon to it. Some Amazon sellers have this with no shipping charge.

The promo has been going on all summer so if you are interested I would order soon. I think Sur La Table had a list of a few other All Clad promos so might be worth a look if you are shopping.

I was looking at some other skillets since I don't like the All Clad handles but I jumped on this because of the price that included the matching lid. It will be sitting on the stove so I want a lid to keep out the cat/dog hair and a nice-looking lid is a plus.

The 89.95 deal was in-store at Sur La Table as well.

grits wrote:Wow--nice deal on the saute pan.

The one I bought was the fry pan with shorter, sloped sides. I just hope the total diameter of the fry pan isn't too big to fit another pan next to it on the stove--I found differing measurements on the interwebs.

For those who obsess....the All Clad frying pan is a smidge over 12" in diameter. I saw a couple of reviews that said it was 14" so I'm not sure what that was about. Didn't measure the lid but I think it's a little larger and I did have to do some futzing to get the lid in the dishwasher.