The All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan is what I consider the "baby" of the saucepan line, though there is a 1/2-quart model as well as a one-cup butter warmer. The one-quart pan is about as low as I care to go in the All-Clad limbo I play.  
 
 
Starting Out Small  
 
I did not start my All-Clad cookware collection in a small way by any stretch of the imagination. I bought a set, but I lucked into a low price and couldn't pass on it.  
 
If I hadn't had that kind of luck, I would have started out with the All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan, a dependable, often-used size pan in my kitchen.  
 
Many a "non-gourmet" meal simmers away in this handy piece of aluminum clad in stainless steel. When pregnant with my first child, I craved ravioli, and not the home-made or even frozen variety . . . Chef Boyardee and I became chummy for many months, and his concoction (no, I don't want to know what's in it) simmered to preservative-laden perfection within my All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan.  
 
So too, condensed soup schlogs into this gleaming beauty. Add a can of water and presto! Chicken noodle soup (in a pinch . . . and with just a pinch of actual chicken).  
 
 
No Way, I'm No Gourmet -- All-Clad Doesn't Belong in My Kitchen  
 
Don't let anyone try to convince you that All-Clad cookware is "yuppy", for those who have everything, or "out of the regular person's league". It's pricey, yes, but beyond that, it can be the cookware that allows you to enjoy cooking. You just may become a gourmet, if that's the direction you want to go.  
 
Why is this All-Clad sauce pan so good?  
 
First, the construction of the All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan is top quality. The heat conducting metal, aluminum, is at the core of each pan. Surrounding the aluminum is a layer of stainless steel -- inside and outside. This makes a three-layer, bonded piece of cookware that heats quickly, holds the heat, cooks evenly, and looks fantastic while doing it. And the part that isn't supposed to heat -- the stay-cool handle -- doesn't get hot, unless you use the All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan in the oven.  
 
A short summary of the All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan:  
 
 aluminum core for excellent heat conducting purposes  
 stainless steel surrounding the aluminum core (3-ply construction)  
 stay-cool handle  
 oven-safe  
 energy-saving (requires lower heat throughout cooking than does other pans)  
 All-Clad lifetime warranty covering manufacturer's defects  
 
 
What you don't get with this All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan  
 
 a lid (Usually All-Clad saucepans come with a lid. Mine didn't. Lids are available separately for about $25.)  
 scorching food, unless left on too high heat for too long  
 "hot spots" in the pan that burn or scorch  
 difficult clean-up . . . very little elbow grease required  
 
 
What's the Big Deal about This Sauce Pan?  
 
Right now, the big deal is that I bought another one of these for $25 as a "try me" deal at Amazon.com. It's a much-used size in my kitchen, and it makes sense for me to have two of them. At this price, I couldn't pass! No lid on this one, either, but that's okay (the regular price on the 1-quart is roughly $60).  
 
Aside from my luck running over once again, you'll find that the All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan, after getting to know it's abilities on your particular heating elements, won't run over when you're simmering a serving of soup, making a sauce or doing up a vegetable for dinner.  
 
The key to success with this pan, like any other, is to know its capabilities when matched with your cooking appliance, whether it be gas or electric. I can set a pan of soup on the stove, bring it to a boil and then set it at just about the lowest setting (gas range) and know that the soup will just barely simmer. With my former cookware, I had to adjust the heat often, even after owning the pans for years. I thought something was wrong with me. I'm not perfect, but those pans were even less so!  
 
 
Is This Pan Right for Me?  
 
You have to know your cooking needs before making any cookware purchase. If you don't make pancakes or grilled cheese, why own a griddle? The same goes for various sizes of pots and pans.  
 
If you have a family of 6 and you rarely make small amounts of anything, the All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan may not be for you. But for some purposes, like melting butter, making glazes or few-person servings of soups or vegetables, the All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan is the perfect size and you'll use it often.  
 
Other than the sizing issue, there's no question that All-Clad is right -- if you want your cooking endeavors to be easier, more satisfying and deliver more wonderful results than you've ever had, it's not only right, it's the only choice.  
 
 
The All-Clad Limbo  
 
What is the "All-Clad Limbo"?  
 
Maybe you don't know that tune now, but once you begin seriously contemplating an All-Clad purchase you will. Maybe you're there now.  
 
When you make the purchase of the All-Clad Stainless 1-Quart Sauce Pan and begin to use it, you'll get results with your cooking that make you wonder. What you'll wonder is, when will you pick up your next piece of All-Clad?  
 
As the "Limbo" begins, you begin asking yourself, "Which piece do I want to get next?" And the tempo quickens when you see the words "Sale" or "Special Offer" in conjunction with All-Clad cookware. The beat goes on.  
 
 
Do you hear the music?  
 
