All Clad's New French Skillets

Details, details.

The differences between All-Clad's new French skillets and their standard frying pans might not be immediately apparent, but in High End Cookware Land, it's these little nuances that we're paying for.

Which style do you prefer? We went to a cookware store to do our own side-by-side analysis. The results after the jump ...

The new French skillets offer a wider cooking surface and are slightly deeper (the 7" would be perfect for poaching an egg!). The shape of the French skillets also makes them more crepe friendly.

Taylor from The Brooklyn Kitchen told us that the French skillets lack the lip found in All-Clads standard frying pan. We've also heard from cooks who like that the French skillets are slightly lighter than the frying pans.

Both lines feature 3-ply bonded stainless steel construction and strong steel rivets to keep the handles attached. All-Clad French skillets are available in 7, 9, 11, and 13 inch versions, while their standard frying pans are sold at 7, 8, 10, 12 and 14 inches.

For now, the French skillets are available at introductory prices at least 20% off their list prices. If you're looking for some pans and the differences between these pans aren't a concern, this might be the time for you to try an All-Clad. They are available at The Brooklyn Kitchen, Amazon.com,
Cooking.com
, Sur La Table, and other kitchen retailers.

(Images: Amazon.com)

Comments (11)

All Clad is highly overrated. For a great value and amazing performance and handling, look into the Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel series.

I am going to disagree with the ALL CLAD overrated comment..I LOVE it.... but what I will say is that if you have a Skillet and a Saute pan already, I do not see the need for the French skillet.

den,

I'm not saying All Clad doesn't produce quality products, all I'm saying is that you are paying for the name All Clad and that Calphalon Tri-Ply will give you the same performance and sturdiness at roughly one third of the price. I also like the see through glass lids from Calphalon a lot better than the metal ones from All Clad. Some of the new design handles from All Clad are also very awkward to handle imo.

When I bought my first set of pots and pans - as a poor grad student - I was sure I'd have to get new ones eventually. I bought a 10-piece set of Cuisinart Chef's Classic stainless steel pots and pans at Sam's Club for under $100. 5 years later, I'm still happy with them - no burning or hot spots, even on my gas stove! And the price can't be beat!

jarobinson1 ,

On another hand I've used your pans and there's a world of difference between those and All Clad or Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless. I'm glad they work for you but these are in a different category.

AHEM...back to the topic at hand...

-- anybody try the French skillets, and how do they compare to the regular line???

"The shape of the French skillets also makes them more crepe friendly."

Good luck making crêpes in a stainless steel pan. :)

JoeBelt, I'm interested in your comment about the AllClad handles. I've heard that from other people too. What is it about the handles that you don't like? I know the heat can travel up them ... anything else?

It's these new handles that I'm talking about:

http://tinyurl.com/64u26w

I find them to be very uncomfortable and not ergonomic in the least.

These handles are very uncomfortable. I tried them the other day. They just don't fit in your hand. Awkward pressure points. I'd like to know how they arrived at that design!

Yep, I'd love to know who works in their ergonomic department.