All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans hold a place of high esteem in my cooking endeavors. The acquisition of the 12" model to my collection of cookware prompted this review, though other sizes (7", 8", and 10") endure similar use in my home and are of equal quality. Superb skillets/fry pans . . . no doubt, no question and no contest!  
 
 
Dateline: A Mid-Summer's Day  
Place: Flea Market  
Time: for coffee  
 
As I strolled the grounds of a local flea market on a cooler-than-usual summer morning, something caught my eye. A gleam of sorts, almost like a lightning flash, off to one side and at the back of one of the long, church supper tables set up for flea-marketing fanatics (don't look at me!).  
 
Ever feel like you should steal quietly up to a store shelf, yard sale box or flea market table for fear someone else will see what you see and beat you to it?  
 
Maybe you've felt that surge of adrenalin as you hurdle your small child (or someone else's) in effort to beat the imagined crowd thronging to the object of your desire, then halt suddenly, about four steps from the object and try to act casual?  
 
Me? I don't remember what I did, it all happened so fast. But I do remember no one was injured in the process and I came away with a brand-spankin'-new All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan (12 inch) for a whopping $7.50 (actual retail price? about $125). No quibbling, and I didn't even ask for a bag!  
 
 
Not My First Experience with All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans  
 
I admit I am an All-Clad, fan club member, in my mind . . . since they don't have a club. I don't have a card to carry, a poster to hang up in my kitchen, or even a bubblegum card to show for it, but I do have a nice collection of All-Clad Stainless Steel Cookware stowed in my cupboards. I'd display them on a rack if my kitchen would move over and make room for one.  
 
This pan came into my kitchen to support two other All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans as the bottom of the stack, the "support pan" of the bunch, and the "big gun" of the All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan line. It also supports my efforts in cooking to such a degree that I have tossed my copper-bottomed RevereWare pans into my own yard saleable items box.  
 
Oh, and, like its smaller siblings, the 12" All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan does a little sizzling on the stove top and some undercover work in the oven, too!  
 
 
Paying a Premium Price for Premium Performance  
 
All-Clad is expensive. That's no secret, but it is often a drawback to regular people, from the everyday cook to the every-so-often gourmet.  
 
No one wants to put forth this number of greenbacks if they don't have to, but every now and then, someone gets curious and bites the stainless steel. I know I did. Lucked out on a 7-piece set at the price of one pan when a nearby store closed. How's that for a sign?  
 
Now, I look for signs like these: "SALE", "Half Off", "Try-Me Price" and "Seconds". All-Clad, even as a "second" (visual, surface flaws only, such as scratches/nicks), All-Clad Stainless Steel is no second-skimmings.  
 
 
Let the Cooking Commence!  
 
I have already test-driven the 12" All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan, knowing full well what performance I'd get after years of using it's 10" and 7" Stainless siblings.  
 
Sauting and browning is a snap with the All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans. In any of the three skillets (fry pans) I own, I just heat a few puddles of oil until they smoke, add the food to the pan, turn down the heat to medium-high (gas range) and stand back to watch the results, returning now and then to stir, turn or simply admire the results.  
 
I much prefer the All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans to my non-stick pans for sauting and browning because the difference in them is amazing. The stainless works with the moisture in the food better, sealing the outside of the food and steaming away excess moisture with mouth-watering results. Something about the non-stick pans causes the same foods to be a bit more dry. I attribute this to the ability of the stainless surface to "hold" the food until it has cooked away enough moisture to "let go", while with non-stick cookware we'd ask for a refund if the pan "held" the food. I reserve the non-stick for eggs over-easy or omelettes.  
 
The "A" List for the All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans includes:  
 
 All-Clad Lifetime Warranty  
 Long handle for easy maneuvering and better balance  
 Little chance of burning/scorching (unless you leave the pan on high, unattended, for an unreasonable length of time -- you can't expect miracles, even from miraculous cookware)  
 Cooking performance like you've never experienced before. If you're a good cook, All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans make you a great cook, and you'll feel the difference.  
 Looks aren't everything, but you'll see looks of longing by others toward your All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans as they note the gorgeous, stainless sparkle on your stove top, hanging from hooks, or peeking from your cabinets (if you have to stow them, as I do).  
 Above-average customer service for questions, advice and where to purchase  
 Durability far beyond what you've enjoyed with cookware before. Your All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan will receive some battle scars (generally from less-than coordinated moves on your part) and minor surface wear (mostly on the bottom from cast-iron gas stove grates)  
 
That, in slightly-skewed acrostic form, is ALL-CLAD. Add to that list the stay-cool handles and how can you miss?  
 
All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans are oven-safe, though the stay-cool handles will get hot in the oven. Feel free to brown some chicken on the range, add seasonings and/or sauces and pop it into the oven -- all in the same pan. The "don't wash a dish by hand unless you have to (or want to)" motto I uphold is quite satisfied by the oven-safe aspect of All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans. One pan to wash!  
 
 
The "Clad" in All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans  
 
Aside from the shock of the price tag, an All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan will do nothing but please you, both in its attributes related to your cooking and in its ease of cleaning.  
 
Every All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan, no matter the size, offers these things:  
 
 an aluminum core for dependable, even heating  
 stainless steel surrounding the aluminum from top to bottom, side to side and all the way to the end of the handle. No fillers, no coatings, just SOLID stainless steel  
 highly polished finish, that with proper care will look pretty much like the day you bought it after every cleaning  
 no gimmicks, no teasers, no empty promises -- just good, solid, built-to-last cookware  
 
Another solid part of your All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan is the customer service you'll find via e-mail. No "canned" answers, but a real live person with a name to answer your questions!  
 
I used the e-mail service about 5 hours after making my first All-Clad purchase . . . a rainbow appeared on the All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pan after its first use and cleaning. A rainbow . . . horror of horrors! And I have felt so awed by them before this unexpected encounter.  
 
I thought I may have used something out of the ordinary to clean it (Dawn dish liquid and a dish cloth), but learned, through the quick (within hours) customer service reply, that the "rainbow effect" often occurs after the first few uses and then doesn't return. If it's that unsightly in your beholding eyes, sprinkle on a bit of Bar-Keeper's Friend, a bit of water and polish in small, circular motions . . . and the bloom is back on the rose!  
 
That has been my worst "problem" with All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans or any other All-Clad product.  
 
 
Stainless Sanitation, Simply Stated  
 
Dishwasher safe? Yes, but I don't go that route. This is a big deal, as I abhor doing dishes by hand. In the case of cookware, I want to be sure any residue comes off the surface, including grease that sometimes doesn't come off and gets baked on in the dishwasher. A hand-washing of my All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans won't kill me, and I get better results in the end.  
 
Regular liquid detergent and a soft cloth or sponge are all you need to clean the All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans . . . and water.  
 
As far as harsh scrubbers (SOS pads, Brillo, other steel-based cleaning items), the company doesn't recommend using them, and I avoid them anyway. Would you use one of these things to wash your car?  
 
A plastic scrubbing pad works well, and Bar Keeper's Friend really is a friend, and to many other products besides All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans!  
 
 
Don't Settle for Substitutes  
 
If you really are in the market for excellent cookware and are willing to either fork over the cash to pay full price or pay a bit less wait for a great sale (or a lot less and go the "seconds" route), All-Clad Stainless Steel Fry Pans make a wonderful investment.  
 
Over time, they will pay for themselves in the more-than-palateable results you get from them. I no longer look at any other lines of stainless steel cookware -- a big deal for a bargain shopper such as myself. After all, I shop at flea markets, don't I?  
 
 
 
Read some, rate some, COMMENT LOTS!  
