All-Clad Emerilware?

Emerilware is made by all clad and looks to be some great stuff. My wife is getting a set for Christmas, so I can only relay what I have been told. We have a few all clad pieces, and it is time to get a new "set"
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We have been using the 10 pc set of hard-anodized nonstick Emerilware daily for almost five years. We rarely eat out for dinner, maybe only a couple of times per a month over the past few years. We've put this cookware through the ringer. 5 years in our house probably equals 10 years of use for most homes.

This was our first time to step up to some decent quality cookware. With better cookware, you get a much higher level of performance. There is a bit of a learning curve, but like a BGE, it is well worth the effort.

After 5 tough years, our Emerilware is showing some wear. We do hand wash and try to take care of it, but the finish does eventually get stained, especially on the outside and bottom of the pans. (Think a BGE would stilll look new after 5 years?) Some staining doesn't impact the performance at all.

We do have a problem with the nonstick coating in our 6 qt stockpot. I think this is probably our fault, but the coating has come loose from the center of the pot. We use that stockpot to do pasta, so I'm guessing that using full high heat to boil 5 quarters of water finally took its toll. All-Clad tells you not to use high heat. I'm going to send it in for an evaluation on a warranty replacement. All in all, a stainless pot would probably have been a better choice for that piece but, of course, we bought it as a set.

What would I buy if I had to buy new cookware today?

I guess it depends on the circumstances.

Most of the top brands have a set in the $200-$300 price range and I would expect only minor performance differences between them. In addition to All-Clad Emerilware, Calphalon has the Simply Calphalon series. All-Clad has their Master Chef 2 set. I'd put them all in the same class. I am very satisfied with the value of Emerilware, but you can certainly get good results from any of them.

If my budget were limited to $300 for cookware, I'd grab a stainless set of Emerilware, a nonstick omelette pan, a cast iron dutch oven, and a carbon steel wok. Just those pieces would probably cover 95% of my daily cooking needs.

On my next purchase, I will probably take a long, hard look at the All-Clad copper core set and other sets in the $500-$800 price range. Not peanuts, but considering how much we use it, it would be money well spent.

Would I get the nonstick finish again?

Probably not.

The coating is usually the part that eventually fails. The only piece must have an nonstick coating is on the omlette pan. Stainless would almost always be fine on everything else. Also, opinions vary on whether there are health risks associated with nonstick coatings.