Saute pan advice

[lyssaflin]

I am looking to replace my nonstick calphalon saute pan with stainless steel. I have seen several of the all clad vs. Demeyere posts, and I know that either of them would be fine for my needs, but I am interested in the weight. I have a Le Creuset saute pan which is great, but I rarely use it because it's just too heavy.

Thanks.

[Buckethead]

Demeyere is heavy, so is All-Clad. I'd follow chuckl's and Cary's advice and get a Sitram (the Profiserie line is good and inexpensive) saute pan with an encapsulated disc bottom. The fully-clad design is wrong for a saute pan anyway, since most of the cooking usually done in a saute pan involves the pan's bottom, not its sides. There are also several good lines of cookware that can be found at TJ Maxx, Ross, etc. that would be fine, if the weight of the pan is the main issue you won't want to buy a pan through the mail, you should really handle it first.

Also, the type of handle used can make a big difference in how heavy the pan feels in your hand. Look for something with beefy, tubular steel handles, not thin handles.

[lyssaflin]

Thanks. I looked at Williams Sonoma today, and they had an All Clad french skillet that seemed very similar to the saute pan, but a little lighter. They also had a new line called Lagostina which was significantly cheaper, but I don't know about the quality. I will check out the Sitram.

[chuckl]

keep in mind that if you're replacing a nonstick pan with stainless that stainless will invariably stick. Sticking is great for sauteeing and making a sauce, but it can be disappointing if you expect it to to have the properties of a nonstick pan. On the bright side, you will be able to safely saute at very high heat.

[Cary]

If you are concerned about weight, any of the saute pans with a thick encapsulated base (no need to fall for the multilayer-metal bases marketing) and then stainless steel cooking surface/sides. Try some of them out at your local sur la table/williams sonoma/bed bath beyond, then go to marshalls/tjmaxx/ross to see if you can find some bargains.

[chuckl]

a stainless steel pan will always be significantly lighter than a comparable size cast iron pan. you couldnt go wrong with eithr of those choices. Sitram also makes a nice saute pan and as you know there are lots of cheaper alternatives too

[jaykayen]

You just have to go to a store and try it out. The handles are different, right?