A few months ago I happened to stumble upon a TikTok chef, aptly named ThatDudeCanCook, with a great personality and fantastic delivery. He prepares food with a great sense of humor, technique and passion. It became a favorite pass time of mine to watch him whip up a dish in the one minute span that he had to work with.
Every once in a while people would comment and ask him what cookware he used and he always hyped All-Clad and how amazing their pans were. Being a marketer I knew that I was being advertised to and this was nothing but another product placement. Yet, I was very curious.
So, long story short I ended up buying an 8 inch D5 Stainless Steel All-Clad pan. I was super skeptical at first and thought to myself that I was manipulated into buying a junk product because some guy on TikTok was pushing it to make a buck. But, boy was I wrong?
This pan is amazing. It is constructed very well and feels solid. The heat distribution is very even as the result of the 5 layers of steel and aluminum that shape the pan. The handle is great and there is no heat transfer to make it hot to the touch no matter how long the pan has been on the stove. I’ve cooked eggs, meats and vegetables in it and they come out great every time. It does not stain that much and cleans very easily.
However, I found only one thing that bugs me about it. At least in the small 8 inch model, the handle appears to be heavy and it tends to tip the pan back. So, you need to be cognizant of that when you put in on the stove otherwise it may tip over if the food you have in the pan is not heavy enough to counter the weight of the handle. Having said that, that seems to be a small tradeoff for a solidly built pan.
Now, these pans are not cheap. The one we got is $125. That is super expensive compared to alternatives you can find in Target, Walmart or other box retailers. However, I’ve noticed that there is a considerable difference between the bargain brands and the All-Clad type cookware. For one they will last longer which in the long run will make their high price worth it. The second and more important reason they are worth it is the enjoyable cooking experience they provide that you don’t really feel or get when cooking with other pans.
Overall, I give their products a thumbs up and looking forward to getting my hands on more of their cookware. I guess I have to start saving up some dough to be able to afford the whole suite.
If you are interested in purchasing their product you can find them easily on Amazon.