All-Clad 6-Qt. d5 Brushed Stainless-Steel Sauté Pan
• $385
• Williams-Sonoma
I was searing beef in this huge pan last week, prepping for my polenta dinner party, and just thinking about what a great pan it is. My husband bought it for me a few years ago, on sale at Cookware 'n' More, I think, for fraction of the price I have listed here. But it would be worth it at either price; it's a huge pan with tons of surface area for searing meat and starting stews. It's nice to have one big, wide pan like this in the arsenal.
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Love at first sight...until I saw the price!!!
I received this same pan as a wedding gift but in the tri-ply stainless steel, which is more affordable. The d5 line came out as an upgrade, but as a very candid and knowledgable sales associate said, there is little difference between the two. Faith is right, the pan is wonderful! I made a big batch of homemade tomato sauce last night--less splashes on the stovetop compared to using my saute pan.
I have the same pan, but made by Cuisinart (bought a whole set off Amazon for like $125 a few years ago -- tri-ply and a great deal!!!). Love this pan, its so useful for browning meat, as you said, and it goes straight in the oven too. Never knew how much i would love this until i owned it!
This is the most-used pan in our house (the plain SS version). Definitely worth the investment.
I have the plain stainless steel version and it was on sale for $80! Check Sur La Table for a lot of sales. I love this pan. It's been such a workhorse.
Still anxiously waiting to see your finished kitchen renovation!
wmichaeljones I know! I didn't mean for it to take this long, but my camera has been in the shop and so haven't been able to get final pics. Cross your fingers for a speedy recovery!
For those who are considering one of these pans, remember to check your sink for cleaning area. I originally got a very similar one, except it has two short handles rather than a long handle and a short handle. I was disappointed until it came time to clean it. There's no way I would have been able to wash a pan that size with a long handle in my apartment's double sink with bog-standard faucet. If you have a deep sink or one of those faucet hose attachments, you're good to go. But if you can only find this in the short handles variety (or if the short handles variety is cheaper) go with that - you won't be disappointed! The cooking surface is fabulous and a good quality one will heat evenly.
Cookware & More is having their 20% off sale on All-Clad Irregulars - I bought a couple irregular frying pans last year and whatever makes them irregular is imperceptible to me. The 6oz irregular saute pan is $160 on sale.
http://www.cookwarenmore.com/
Whoops - 6 quart saute pan
We buy our All-Clad a piece or two at a time, every Cyber Monday after Thanksgiving. Usually 50% off and no shipping. And, since they last a lifetime, no need to rush to buy the set all together.