All-Clad D5 Stainless Steel Set, 10-Piece

Outstanding!!
We moved into a new house, and, lo&behold, it had an induction cook top. So, the old aluminum-bottom Farberware wasn’t gonna cut it. I’d been wanting some real cookware anyway–our old set was from our 50-yrs-ago wedding presents, had served us well, but had some issues, chiefly cracking handles. You’d think you could get replacements, but not so. But I digress. These All-clad pans are the bomb. I don’t care that much about their looks, but they look great. And they work better than any pots and pans I’ve ever owned. Just fabulous. Tight lids. Solid handles. Perfect balance. The no-drip edge really doesn’t drip. And the heat distribution—wow, it’s really outstanding. I’m used to my old cast iron pans, which are pretty great, but still have some hot spots here and there. Not these All-clads, they’re about perfect.Yes, they’re expensive. But in this case you really do get what you pay for. I’m sure there are good options for less. But I’ll remember those terrible Farberware handles, and their ugly warped bottoms, for the rest of my life, and, I already can’t remember how much I paid for the All-clads. I couldn’t be happier with them.Incidentally, if you’re considering induction–quit considering and take the plunge. I’ve been a gas cooktop guy all my life, and have hated every electric stove I’ve ever used. But induction is best of both worlds. You get instant heat, but easy clean. I can put a quart of water on one of these induction burners and it’s boiling in a couple minutes. My massive cast iron egg pan is ready to go in the time it takes to get the eggs out. I often boil a little water on the stove to wash a dish or two, coz it’s faster than waiting for the hot water at the tap. Good thing the smooth glass top is easy to clean, coz it’s super easy to have a boilover. The heat comes on so fast and so hot; it takes some getting used to. I’ll probably never go back to gas.

100% induction compatible.
These are the best pans the wife and I have ever purchased! We recently purchased an induction range, one of its features is a compatibility test. When ran, every pan shows 100% compatible. I was worried about the pans not being non-stick. One of the tips while searing is when the food stops sticking it is ready to flip and I found that to be absolutely true! Perfect sear on chicken and steaks. It took a little getting used to cooking on med to med high. I am used to cranking up the burner and moving the pan around to get an even cook. With these pans there is no hot spots the heat is evenly distributed over the entire cooking surface so there is no need to crank up the heat. I believe these will be the last set of pans we will ever buy. Love them!

After 3 decades of hefting Le Creusets around it was time to give my arms a rest. They were always great when I used gas but now I worried about dropping a pot on the ceramic surface of my cooktop. I’d used them for so many years I had to relearn a few things when making the change.First off, a concern I had was heat control after years of cooking with gas. That’s turned out to be no problem — at all. These pans heat up in a fraction of the time, at a much lower setting, and are nicely responsive. I find med-low the new favourite setting while the ‘high’ setting now gets reserved for boiling water — and even then it gets turned down to hold a nice roll because these pans conduct heat so very well.So there’s been important relearning about temperatures and settings.The other thing to overcome was the problem with sticking. I invested in a Fluke no-contact thermometer and had a bit of fun getting the water ball drop test down pat — and what a huge difference that makes! The only thing I will not do with these pans is fry bacon, for that I’ll gladly wrestle with a seasoned cast iron.Over the decades, Le Creuset offered more shape options than are in the D5 range and, while the tall-sided pots in the D5 range are great, I’m kinda short and we’re only two in the house, so low and open pots are my go-to preference. I had to go outside the brushed D5 range to the D3 line-up (which are also very well made and beautiful but have a shiny exterior) and added a 6 Qt pot along with the 1 and 2 Qt sauciers. I indulged a bit more by adding in the little 0.5 Qt sets of ramekins, cocottes, oval bakers and gratins which are great for making single serve items, especially desserts.The handles are quite long, compared to what I was used to, and more angular. It didn’t take long to feel the benefit of their size, they make these pots perfectly maneuverable. My hands are rather small and not ‘strong’ but these are designed to be very well balanced and everything that needs to has two handles to work with. I invested in the silicone grippers which made a big difference for my small, wobbly hands, and use these mostly for grip because the handles do not hold heat. Where my LC handles would get as hot as the pot, the D5 stays comfortably cool. I understand how the shape of the long handles feels too angular for comfort, and can feel especially painful for smaller hands, but read how they were intentionally designed with ergonomics for a solid, safe grip from underneath. Once I have the silicone in place to help my small grip, the handle design becomes natural and feels really sturdy. I did get a couple pots/pans from Le Creuset’s stainless steel line up before turning to the All-Clad line. I like the feel of the comfort handle on the Le Creuset SS — they are softer shaped, just as long, and also don’t hold the heat. But, if my hand is wet then that comfy rounded handle quickly becomes a hindrance for getting a solid grip which could become a hazzard.The brushed finish is why I chose the D5 line-up over the D3. As beautiful as the Le Creuset SS is, their high gloss chrome-like finish will drive me a little nuts keeping clean. As it turns out I had to get a few D3s, and there are those little add-ons, which all have polished exteriors — but the All Clad ‘polished’ is not at all like the mirror-like finish on the Le Creuset, which is a relief.Having both D3 and D5 models I can see the differences in manufacturing, styling and features, and there are benefits of choosing cookware from both ranges depending on specific needs. These are built to last, beautifully. After being invested in Le Creuset for decades (and a huge fan of their quality) it was a bit of a mindset adjustment to change brands when the LC SS line up is out and really nice, and is what I started out making the switch to SS with. But, after a lot of research and looking at all the variables, I feel really happy to make the investment in All Clad going forward.

We purchased a new conduction stove and many of our old pots and pans won’t work. As it turns out…Amazon had these on a special offer. They are the most expensive pots and pans we’ve ever purchased. But….we absolutely love them! So beautiful to look at, very well thought out design for handling and cook like a dream. Highly recommended.