What’s your favorite brand of BIFL cookware for induction?
I'm looking to upgrade my kitchen with industrial-quality pots and pans. After about a month of searching, I came to the conclusion that the most important requirements are:
- 3-ply (or 5-ply). Fully clad (not just the bottom disc).
- 18/8 or 18/10 stainless steel on the inside
- 18/0 (or 200- or 400-grade) magnetic stainless steel on the outside.
- Thick layers of metal (ideally >= 3mm of aluminum)
- Strong, serviceable rivets on handles (not welded)
- Handles on both sides of the pot (helper handle)
- Handles have a hole in them on the end (for hanging)
- Fits a 28 cm (or 11”) lid (easily replaceable standard size that’s interchangeable between metric and dumb units)
- Top rim should either have a pour spout or flared lip (for easier pouring)
- NSF certified
From what I’ve read, stainless steel isn’t a very good conductor (NIST says that aluminum transfers heat 16x better than stainless steel). But stainless steel is a better surface to cook-on, because it’s less reactive and won’t absorb flavours. So, 3-ply sandwiches a thick aluminum layer between two different types of stainless steel (nickle-free [eg 18/0 or 200- or 400-grade] on the outside, which – though less corrosion resistant -- is important for it to work on an induction cooktop) and either 18/8 or 18/10 on the inside.
5-ply is also a thing, but my research suggests that it doesn’t really matter how many layers. What’s more important is the thickness of the material.
And that’s why I’m here. Because, confoundedly, the manufacturers of these pots don’t seem to even know how thick the layers of their 3-ply cookware is!
Ideally I’d just find the technical specifications of their cookware on their website, make a spreadsheet, and then buy the one with the thickest material (or close to the thickest, depending on my trade-off between quality vs weight & cost).
But I’ve called maybe a dozen manufacturers, and none seem to know the specifications of their own cookware :(
So, fediverse, I ask you: does anyone know what the thickness of the layers in these manufacturer’s 3-ply cookware is? Otherwise, what’s been your experience? How do you feel about these brands? Is there some other one (not listed) that you prefer?
- Browne Thermalloy
- All-Clad
- Made-in
- Tramontina
- Cuisinart
- Other?
Edit: I should be clear that I’m specifically asking about 3-ply or 5-ply stainless steel cookware. This is for a community house, so I need something that can be (ab)used by housemates who don’t know or care for the seasonings on the pans. And I don’t want cast iron, because it’s more likely to break the glass-topped induction cooktop.
You may or may not have luck with secondhand pots and pans. If it were me, for the right price, it wouldn't matter if they got abused.
My frying pans from Made In are great, but they have no helper handles. They heat very evenly and I have had great results. I was able to make eggs in my uncoated pans and I very often did not have problems with sticking. (This was not the case with my old frying pan that bit the dust. Uneven and lots of sticking.)
Cuisinart and Tramontina are both pretty great. I have a stock pot, a 8 quart pot, and sauce pans from these brands. Not super expensive and can handle some abuse. I got the recommendations from Serious Eats and am happy. I would recommend you look at these if you want to buy new. I got these to replace hand-me-downs and secondhand stuff I got that was thin and single ply. Couldn't afford All-Clad. When I got them, I thought I was going to be counting the days until I could replace them, but after using them, I'm in no hurry. I haven't measured, but they are thick and haven't shown any signs of warping.
Whatever you do, do not get anything with nonstick coating. You need to baby it and it still wears out too fast.
Made In makes a universal lid that may interest you. My partner doesn't have the patience to find the right lid so she uses it a lot.
I agree that helper handles are great for larger capacity cookware but it would seem more cumbersome for smaller items like an 8" frying pan or a smaller saucepan. You can get a 12" frying pan with a helper handle, but smaller will be difficult to find. You could look into saute pans, which are very versatile and usually have helper handles.
Depending on how much money you're willing to spend, I would go with a relatively inexpensive set/get a few individual pieces from Cuisinart or Tramontina. In my experience, their stuff is awesome for the price. I haven't regretted my purchases from them.