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.
I think there are two mindsets in BIFL communities that somewhat diametrically oppose each other. There’s the “I’m tired of buying cheap crap that falls apart when I use it; recommend me an economical drop in that I can mildly abuse and it won’t fall apart,” and there’s the “I have some money and want to spend it wisely on really nice stuff that my descendents will fight over because it’s so nice and still going strong.”
Obviously there are others and it’s a continuum, but I think a lot of people talk past each other because they might recommend e.g. hugely expensive heirloom pans for your great grandkids to admire, when what OP wants is something that can take a beating from randos and still work fine or be recoverable. Or, conversely, someone else might be looking for that recommendation of beautiful sauciers to proudly have on display on their pot rack, and what they’re recommended is crusty thrift-store lodges that they have to refinish themselves.
I think those are where it started from but the BIFL sub degraded into a community built around obsessive buying of the “right” stuff.
I have a cheap nonstick pan. I use it like five times a year. I’m fine with that. Regular stainless pots and pans will last well over a decade unless you start dropping them on the floor twice a week, even if they’re not as fancy as the stuff that gets advertised as BIFL. It’s not that complicated