537551 Thu Jul 10 17:27:42 -0700 2008 21 41 Cookware 0 3857878 I have yet another cookware question with regard to my wedding registry. I wish I found this site sooner, I have learned so much already though! So, I've read up on the stainless clad tri-ply Tramontina that Walmart sells. It looks very appealing to me and the price is just fantastic. Most of the reviews I've read recommend it, but I did read one review which found the Tramontina to be thinner than All-clad, thus leading to hot spots on the saute pan. Has anyone here used both brands? If so, please share you thoughts. I also have a slight concern about the Tramontina being made in China. Is my concern totally unfounded when it comes to stainless cookware? Thanks for your help! Thu Jul 10 17:27:42 -0700 2008 207870 mrs.corgi 1 3859087 I went through this same process several months ago when I wanted to buy some multiclad cookware for use on my new Wolf gas range at home. I had planned on buying the Kirkland (Costco) set made by Tramontina as it's well thought-of but they no longer carry it (same goes for the sister set sold as Member's Mark at Sam's). I ended up buying a set of store-branded triply on sale at Surlatable and supplementing with several pieces from Walmart's Tramontina line as I just couldn't stomach the All-Clad prices. Also, I didn't like the feel of the All-Clad handles. The Wal-Mart Tramontina pieces do seem very slightly thinner; however, they seem to clean up better than the more expensive, heavier cookware from Surlatable. I am currently remodeling the kitchen at our vacation home and putting in a DCS gas range. I'm going to buy the Walmart Tramontina set without hesitation for this location. It really is good stuff at a great price. You can also buy individual pieces to add to your set. Some people don't like to buy a set at all but I like the pieces in this set. I will add a 2-quart saucepan and the 8 qt. stockpot with pasta insert to my set (both also sold through Walmart. com). A skillet is not available at Walmart as far as I know; this is where you could upgrade to All-Clad (or Calphalon triply - good performance for less $$) if you don't mind mixing your pieces. I thought that the Walmart Tramontina line is made in Brazil, not China? Fri Jul 11 06:39:59 -0700 2008 3857878 208758 koigirl 2 3859465 For some reason I thought the Walmart Tramontina was made in China. Walmart.com lists the country of origin as USA and/or Imported, so no help there. Fri Jul 11 08:24:42 -0700 2008 3859087 207870 mrs.corgi 2 3859922 I bought the Costco Tramontina tri-ply set for my daughter and she loves it. According to the label on the box, it was made in Brazil. Fri Jul 11 10:27:33 -0700 2008 3859087 10644 Nancy Berry 1 3859094 Also wanted to add: I haven't noticed any hot spots. I am going to end up outfitting two kitchens for much less than the price of one starter set of All-Clad. Fri Jul 11 06:42:11 -0700 2008 3857878 208758 koigirl 1 3859624 Thanks for asking this question! I'm in the process of registering as well! Tramontina is supposed to be Brazilian made, but walmart.com doesn't specify that exactly. Perhaps the boxes in the store do? Does anybody know if the clad Tramontina is induction capable? Right now I'm sold on the All Clad because its American made and induction capable. But if the Tramontina is induction capable then there is no reason to buy the All Clad! (My friend is from Brazil so I'd be supporting her homeland - hehe) Fri Jul 11 09:06:46 -0700 2008 3857878 203400 sarawithanh 2 3859752 I've seen Tramontina pieces in the local Wal-Mart that were made in China, Italy and the United States. Fri Jul 11 09:38:47 -0700 2008 3859624 172334 Jennifer_B 2 3860039 I have a 12" all clad Tramontina skillet made in China (love it!) and tested with a magnet for induction capabilities. Magnet doesn't stick; not induction capable. Fri Jul 11 11:06:27 -0700 2008 3859624 13683 Dee S 2 3863563 Here is a list of induction compatible cookware: www.induction-cooktop.com/iccookwarepans.html Sat Jul 12 19:37:02 -0700 2008 3859624 203355 macic 1 3861526 The triclad Tramontina line sold at Walmart is available only at their website, at least in my area (North Carolina). It is made in Brazil; my boxes indicate this. The Tramontina available in Walmart stores here is the 18/10 stainless line. Maybe that's what you are seeing. There is another more expensive Tramontina multiclad line available at other stores online that is made in China. Fri Jul 11 19:38:05 -0700 2008 3857878 208758 koigirl 1 3864533 I decided to go ahead and give the Tramontina set a try since it is at my local Walmart. I don't have any All Clad to compare it to, but it seems very nice. As mentioned the set is composed of smaller sized pots, however the set I am replacing is a non-stick Wearever of the same size. My set of the "Gourmet" Tramontina all-clad tri-ply is made in China, which is the only thing I don't like about it. I'm going to keep a few of the All-Clad pieces on my registry, like the 3 qt curved side saucier. It will be interesting to compare the two brands side by side. Sun Jul 13 10:14:14 -0700 2008 3857878 207870 mrs.corgi 2 4013705 I realize mrs.corgi made the decision to purchase Tramontina cookware from Walmart but I feel like I have add a little to this discussion. We cook on a true commercial stove (Vulcan) in our home. Some of the burners are capable of putting out 30,000 btu's of heat. Our cookware of choice is plain ordinary cast iron. But there are times when we do 10 dishes for a large gathering and we need lots of little pans for reduced serving sizes. We thought of all clad first but were put off by the inflated prices. But then we found the Tramontina pans at Walmart. I'm a tool & die maker. I took my old micrometer into the stores and physically measured the thickness of comparable sized all clad and Tramontina. They were vertually identical in thickness. I'm of the opinion that there is a rolling mill somewhere in China that uses the bonding process perfected by All Clad and is supplying the entire industry. Some of the all clad is made in the USA and some in China. Tramontina recently purchased a factory in Wisconsin and now produces cookware in the USA. Walwart sells cladTramontine thru it's website. Walmart also sells American made single wall stainless cook ware in it's stores. How can we, as consumers, possibly keep track of point of origin of products we purchase when materials used, parts used and assembly of finished goods come from multiple countries? Sat Sep 06 14:23:29 -0700 2008 3864533 224261 Sniffles 3 4015108 Thanks for the information. I have had various pieces of Tramontina stainless that I have ordered online from Walmart, plus a few pieces of AllClad, that I received as gifts. I cannot tell the difference between the two. Now that you have cleared that up, I'm very happy to not have to pay those huge prices for All Clad Sun Sep 07 09:51:29 -0700 2008 4013705 115579 Mother of four 4 4015372 There may be no difference in thickness but the Tramontina is lighter weight than my All-Clad or Surlatable pieces which is actually a plus as far as I'm concerned. Interesting to know the thickness is the same and that even All-Clad now manufactures some of their pieces in China. It seems to be that way with almost everything nowadays; even if it's made (assembled) in the US, many of the components were manufactured overseas. I thought the Tramontina prices were too good to be true for triply pots and pans but they really are a great deal for a very low price. In fact, I prefer them to my more-expensive Surlatable and All-Clad pieces because they're lighter and (for whatever reason - IDK) easier to clean up. Sun Sep 07 12:10:06 -0700 2008 4015108 208758 koigirl 5 4609371 The All-Clad stainless steel weighs 2 lbs and 11.5 ounces The Tramontina weighs 3 lbs and 9 ounces So the Tramontina weighs 14.5 more ounces (almost a whole pound). However, when lifting the pan they both appear to be about the same. I plan to purchase an All-Clad stainless steel today or tomorrow and I'll compare both pans. Sun Apr 19 14:04:28 -0700 2009 4015372 277750 krbtv 4 4607515 Are you using the All-clad stainless? Sat Apr 18 15:25:45 -0700 2009 4015108 277750 krbtv 1 4189214 I found some very decent Lincoln Optio (valu-line) at Central Restaurant Supply. I suggest calling for your specific deal. http://www.centralrestaurant.com/ Hey, I beat the pants off of the "Tramontina that Walmart sells" brand, and I feel the Lincoln Optio is of better quality. Thu Nov 20 10:03:29 -0800 2008 3857878 60276 RShea78 2 4608132 Lets put it bluntly - unless you are a really experienced chef with a great feel for how cookware affects your abilities, spending a couple hundred bucks on a well-reviewed cheaper sit is no-harm-no-foul. Try it - if you are getting better, you'll grow to appreciate any weakness, if there are any, and justify the future expense easily, not being concerned about a fairly low sunk cost. If its equal, you've saved a lot of money, or you'll never notice.. Sat Apr 18 21:03:47 -0700 2009 4189214 176367 grant.cook 1 4894704 I've been using one of their saucepans and I'm disappointed, maybe this is one that got made on a bad day. Good nonstick should just rinse free of stuff, maybe some light wiping, but I found that oatmeal did stick albeit not too strongly, I didn't wipe it clean with a few strokes of a Dobie, but after a soak everything fell away. Based on my experience with good Teflon and Silverstone I expect better. I have a department store nonstick meatloaf pan that is many years old and is still better than the Tramontina. Mon Jul 27 13:09:28 -0700 2009 3857878 1097136 outerrealm 2 4896055 I put oatmeal, cheeses, and scrambled egg mixture in the "tacky" category, concerning the ability to adhere to non-stick coatings. My experiences points that one needs to reduce cooking temps to below that of a simmer, (and below boiling) when dealing with those tacky (and scorch-able) foods. Unfortunately cooking at such low temps takes a lot of time, of which may seem like forever... Mon Jul 27 22:39:47 -0700 2009 4894704 60276 RShea78 2 4896500 I believe this entire discussion was comparing All-Clad and Tramontina triply cookware, not non-stick cookware. Triply cookware in general does not have any type of Teflon coating and will not be marketed as non-stick. Tue Jul 28 06:50:45 -0700 2009 4894704 208758 koigirl 3 4897259 True, it is a comparison topic.. but just wanted to add.. I do have 3 pieces of full try ply (not impact bases) pans that are non stick coated. None are Tramontina though, and one is the Pro Clad by All Clad for Emeril. It's a decent little pan. The other are actually from QVC, they had a couple pieces of full try ply non stick coated on clearance so I thought I'd try them for not spending a fortune on non stick. So far, I like them fine. Regarding the All Clad though, I have several pieces now.. and haven't spent the small fortune on them that even their smallest set requires. If you want to try this line, I'd suggest watching TJMaxx and Marshalls. I've picked up several pieces there. There are a lot of sales going on on the LTD line right now, and I managed to stumble into a Dillards who had a few pieces of the Stainless AC on substantial clearance. It never hurts to ask. :) The other pieces of Ply cookware I have are KitchenAid 5 ply. I like them really well also and have picked them up here and there at the discount stores as well. I don't see this line of KA in any major department stores at all. All I can say is take your time and look around.. it can pay off. With all the great info from the cookware boards and review sites, I've been really happy with the various pieces I've found to upgrade my cookware and haven't broken the bank. :) Tue Jul 28 10:38:22 -0700 2009 4896500 1090351 grnidkjun