Sur La Table cookware

I'm looking to add a few stainless pieces (12" skillet, 3-4qt sauce, 3qt sautee) to my collection and saw that the Sur La Table line is on sale. And is a 14" skillet too unwieldly or unneeded for most people ?

Comparing them side by side to the All-Clad the sides are a bit thinner but I like the handles a lot more than All-Clad, which I freaking HATE.

Anyone have any experience w/ them ? I'm not completely opposed to getting All-Clad MC-2, but would probably try and get them from eBay or wait until Northewestern got them back in stock as they are $15-20 cheaper than other brick & mortar stores like BB&B, which basically all charge straight list price. Or is All-Clad really All-That ?

edit: I just saw the old link to the All-Clad 'irregulars' at www.cookwarenmore.com -- what makes them irregular ?

tem wrote:I'm looking to add a few stainless pieces (12" skillet, 3-4qt sauce, 3qt sautee) to my collection and saw that the Sur La Table line is on sale. And is a 14" skillet too unwieldly or unneeded for most people ?

Personally, I've never had any use for any skillet bigger than 12".

tem wrote:Comparing them side by side to the All-Clad the sides are a bit thinner but I like the handles a lot more than All-Clad, which I freaking HATE.

One benefit of All-Clad is that the aluminum core extends all the way up the sides of the pan, giving you better heat conductivity and distribution. If the sides are thinner in teh SLT stuff, perhaps this is not the case. I'd decide if this is a feature that you want, and find out about the core of the SLT stuff.

Best,
Michael

tem wrote:Or is All-Clad really All-That ?

Tem,

In my opinion it is, yes.

Enjoy,
Gary

Personally, I've never had any use for any skillet bigger than 12".

My Calphalon megaskillet was one of my best purchases. But then I'm usually making dinner for four. Anyway, for pancakes alone it was worth it-- making three medium-sized ones at a time instead of one large one means I actually get to sit down and have pancakes before everybody else is done.

Mike G wrote:

Personally, I've never had any use for any skillet bigger than 12".

My Calphalon megaskillet was one of my best purchases. But then I'm usually making dinner for four. Anyway, for pancakes alone it was worth it-- making three medium-sized ones at a time instead of one large one means I actually get to sit down and have pancakes before everybody else is done.

Sounds like what you really need is one of these. Big griddles, I have a use for. Big skillets, nah.

Best,
Michael

I like Calphalon Commercial and Professional lines; the majority of my cookware is comprised of these two lines. Easy to cook in and easy to clean. You can pick up some of the more unusual pieces on Amazon pretty cheap. I have several different manufacturers and like the diversity; Cuisnart Multi-Clad, Cuisinart Chef's Classic (stock pots only), LeCrueset, Lodge cast iron and restaurant supply "got it on sale" items. The most expensive piece I have is a 7 quart oval LeCreuset that I stole for $79 at HomeGoods (right before Christmas too!).

I don't like All-Clad's handles either; they're "sharp" for my hands.

I've got to side with Mike G. on this one. Three or four yrs ago, I saw this covered, non-stick, 14" skillet/saute pan at Costco for, like, $29. Decent thickness, nice fit on the lid, what the hey!, so what if I rarely use it.

But it turns out that I use it way more frequently than one might have ever thunk. For one thing, when I've got to do a rapid reduction on, say, half a gallon of liquidy stuff, nothing beats my big 14-inch.

Besides that, one of The Essential Cooks' Laws comes instantly into effect: if you got one of those X's, you'll use it. For example. Suppose you buy one of those 3-lb bags of spinach at Costco. You can wilt about half that damn bag in a big 14" skillet. And keep your counter/floor free of spinach.

And then there's: "How BIG did you want that batch of fried potatoes to be, Mom? enough for the whole family? You bet, no sweat."

Anyway, you couldn't talk me out of that 14"-er for lots of $$, it's too damn handy to have around.

Geo

thanks for the info ...

from cookwarenmore ... even for "irregulars", can these prices be legit ??

Item Number: 7114
Description:14" x 2-1/4" MC2 Frypan
Price: $90.45 each $72.36.

Item Number: 7203.5L
Description:3 1/2 qt. MC2 Saucepan w/Lid & Loop
Price: $91.12 each $72.90.

Item Number: 7403
Description:3 Qt.-10-1/2" MC2 Saute w/Lid
Price: $112.56 each $90.05.

Item Number: 7112
Description:12" x 2-1/4" MC2 Frypan
Price: $73.70 each $58.96.
Subtotal: $294.26

I guess I'll find out soon enough ... just pulled the trigger.

At those prices, I'll deal w/ the handles !

so it looks like I'll have to wait on the 12" & 14" skillets as the ones they had in stock were, according to the phone rep, "not something I'd want" (too banged up). While I was at it, I added the 2qt saucepan & 3qt saucier to my order Still got the extra 20% off.