Uh oh, my fave All-Clad pan scorched- Help!

[stuck in Hartford County]

A few months ago I accidentally scorched my favorite 4-quart sauce pan. It cleaned up with nary a spot, but now it doesn't seem "right". It comes to the boil much too rapidly, and cooks unevenly! When I saw how much it costs to replace it, I nearly had a coronary! Has this happened to anybody else? I can't live w/o this pan- it's so darn versatile!!!

--Laura

[mpalmer6c]

Consumer Reports ran a "torture test"
by leaving pans on high heat for
half an hour. Stainless steel pans did
not generally fare well, with scorching
and loose rivets (one that did come through
unscathed was All-Clad copper).

If you find that cooking qualities have
also been affected, alas, you probably
need a replacement.

As others suggest, Cookware & more is
probably your best vuy. I got an All-Clad
sauce pan at 40 per cent off that had
only a hardly noticeable scratch. Barring
overheating, it should last for decades.

[mcsheridan]

I feel your pain. I love my All-Clad pots and pans. There are a few online sites where you can purchase "irregulars" for about 33% off, and some brick-and-mortar outlets have items at 50-60% off, but I can't vouch for either.

[Leepa]

Cookware and More, the All-Clad online outlet, is great. Yes, they're seconds but you can rarely find what the problem is. Usually a tiny little scratch or something. The folks that work there are helpful and terrific to deal with. I'd definitely call their toll-free number and speak to them directly. The people who answer actually work in the store so they know what's in stock and what is in good shape. Once I was ordering a saucier and the woman who helped me told me that what they had in right then wasn't the best and to wait for the next week's shipment. She went ahead and did that for me and a week or so later I had my pan.

I can't recommend them enough. Also twice a year they have an open-stock sale where all their cookware is an additional 20% off their regular 33% discounted price. You can't beat it. Unfortunately, the next sale isn't until the fall.

[mcsheridan]

Thanks for the info. I'm not currently in the market for anything, but by the Fall...who knows? Going to take a look at them now and bookmark them for later on.

[DGresh]

honestly that sounds rather odd; hard to imagine how scorching it could "ruin" it; those things are pretty indestructable.

[mcsheridan]

Depends on how high the heat and for how long the heat was maintained. The clad construction could have been affected.

18. What will void my All-Clad warranty?
• If your All-Clad is used on high heat for an extended period of time.

• If your All-Clad is left empty on a heated burner for an extended period of time, the metals may separate and cause extreme damage to your All-Clad.