EQUIPMENT REVIEW30 COOK’S COUNTRY • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONSMade In 12" Fry Pan
Model: COOK-12-FRY-SS
Price: $85.00 Weight: 3 lb
Bottom Thickness: 2.8 mm
Cooking Surface: 8.75 in
Height of Sides: 2 inPerformance
Ease of Use
Cleanup/Durability+++
++1⁄2
++Tramontina Gourmet Tri-Ply Clad
12-Inch Fry Pan with Helper Handle
Model: 80116/057DS Price: $69.95
Weight: 3.2 lb
Bottom Thickness: 2.8 mm
Cooking Surface: 8.38 in
Height of Sides: 2 inPerformance
Ease of Use
Cleanup/Durability++
++1⁄2
++1⁄2Cuisinart Multiclad Pro 12" Skillet
with Helper Handle & Cover
Model: MCP22-30HCN Price: $69.95
Weight: 3.75 lb
Bottom Thickness: 2.8 mm
Cooking Surface: 10 in
Height of Sides: 2.13 inPerformance
Ease of Use
Cleanup/Durability++1⁄2
++1⁄2
++Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel
12-In Omelette Pan
Model: 1767730 Price: $69.95
Weight: 3 lb
Bottom Thickness: 2.4 mm
Cooking Surface: 9.75 in
Height of Sides: 2.25 inPerformance
Ease of Use
Cleanup/Durability++1⁄2
++1⁄2
+1⁄2OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pro
12" Open Frypan
Model: CW000974-003 Price: $79.99
Weight: 3.2 lb
Bottom Thickness: 2.7 mm
Cooking Surface: 9.5 in
Height of Sides: 2.13 inPerformance
Ease of Use
Cleanup/Durability++
++1⁄2
++Winco Tri-Gen 12" Tri-ply Stainless
Steel Fry Pan, Natural Finish
Model: TGFP-12 Price: $47.99
Weight: 3.4 lb
Bottom Thickness: 2.7 mm
Cooking Surface: 9.25 in
Height of Sides: 2.25 inPerformance
Ease of Use
Cleanup/Durability++
+1⁄2
++1⁄2Illustration:^ JayLaymanA 12-INCH STAINLESS-STEEL skillet
is the defi nition of a kitchen workhorse.
With its all-metal construction, this pan
goes from stovetop to oven eff ortlessly,
so it’s perfect for cooking thicker cuts
of meat and fi sh, baking skillet pies, and
pan-roasting whole chickens. Our long-
time favorite, the All-Clad d3 Stainless
Steel 12" Fry Pan with Lid, sells for
$119.99, but we wondered if we could
get a comparable pan for less money.
To fi nd out, we bought eight skillets,
priced from $47.99 to $99.99, and test-
ed them against our favorite. All share
its fully clad construction, meaning that
the entire pan is built of layers of diff er-
ent metals bonded together. The All-
Clad, for example, is made from a layer
of aluminum sandwiched between layers
of stainless steel, so you get aluminum’s
speedy heat conduction modulated by
heat-retaining, durable steel.
In each pan, we seared four strip
steaks, and pan-roasted chicken parts
and made a pan sauce. We also sautéed
diced onions and green beans and
pan-roasted asparagus. We washed
each pan by hand and in the dishwash-
er. Finally, we knocked the pans around
to simulate years of use.
While all the pans look similar, our
cooking results varied. About half of
the pans gave steaks a deep sear on the
fi rst side and then struggled to recover
their heat, so the second side was paler
and created sparse fond (and a weak pan
sauce). Why? The cooking surface of
some pans was about 8 inches, which
was too small. This eff ect worsened if
the sides were high and trapped con-
densation. We liked pans with cooking
surfaces that measured at least 8½ inch-
es across. On the fl ip side, bigger pans
were often too heavy. Our highest-rated
less-expensive pans weighed about
3 pounds; none felt as light and bal-
anced as the All-Clad at 2.8 pounds.
Another factor that mattered: handles
that were easy to grab securely (even
with potholders), stayed cool on the
stovetop, and didn’t splay our fi ngers or
twist in our grip. We didn’t like helper
handles; they added weight and threw
the pans off balance.
During our cooking tests, fi ve of the
eight pans priced below $100.00 warped
with routine use. All became dented in
our abuse testing, and three developed
wobbly handles. That left just one un-
der-$100.00 pan with a strong handle,
only minor dents, and no warping.
To understand why our pans
dented and warped, we consulted Mike
Tarkanian, senior lecturer and metal-
lurgy expert in the Materials Science
and Engineering department at MIT.
He explained that thicker pans are less
prone to warping and denting and tend
to cook better, too. When we measured
the thickness of the pans’ cooking sur-
faces, all but one were thinner than the
All-Clad, which is 3.0 mm thick.
Tarkanian also cut into the pans to
reveal the layered construction. A few of
the lowest-ranked pans contained both
thick and thin layers of steel, which
could contribute to warping as diff er-
ent material thicknesses are prone to
expand and contract at diff erent rates
when heated or cooled. By contrast, the
All-Clad pan appeared to have top and
bottom steel layers of equal thickness
sandwiching a thicker aluminum layer.
Bottom line: None of the truly
cheap pans met our standards. A few
of the pans closer to the $100.00 mark
were OK, but none was as good as our
longtime favorite, which also comes
with a useful lid. If you can spend a bit
more, we highly recommend the origi-
nal fully clad skillet, which our tests
proved is still the best: the All-Clad d3
Stainless Steel 12" Fry Pan with Lid
($119.99). It’s an investment, but it will
last a lifetime. Web subscribers can read
the complete testing at CooksCountry.
com/mar19.KEY Good +++ Fair ++ Poor +Stainless-Steel Skillets
A versatile stainless-steel frying pan is the backbone of most kitchens.
But can you get a great 12-inch pan for less than $100?
by Lisa McManus
Comments: Our longtime fa-
vorite still beats the cheaper
competition with its broad
cooking surface; low, fl aring
sides; stay-cool handle; per-
fect balance; and durability.Comments: Didn’t sit fl at out
of the box and warped during
testing. Otherwise good.Comments: A narrow cooking
surface limited the amount
of food we could fi t in this
sturdy, heavy pan.Comments: The large cook-
ing surface warped early in
routine testing and wobbled
noticeably. It browned well.Comments: Steaks browned
well on the fi rst side but less
well on the second. It warped
and dented badly.Comments: This pan felt
balanced, but it didn’t brown
perfectly. Its handle felt short
and fat. It was harder to clean.Comments: It felt heavy, and
testers disliked the feel of its
“bubble-shaped” handle. Its
sides were too tall.9 Pans
16 Tests
- Measure bottom thickness, cooking
surface diameter, height of sides (not-
ing shape), and length of handle - If no lid, check for fi t with favorite lids
- Check levelness of interior surface
- Pan-sear steaks and make pan sauce
- Pan-roast chicken and make pan sauce
- Pan-roast asparagus, using lid
- Pan-roast green beans
- Sauté diced onions
- Wash by hand after each test
- Wash once in dishwasher
- Check interior for warping, using level
- Heat pan to 500°F on stovetop, plunge
into ice water, and check for warping - Whack 3 times on concrete ledge
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED CRITERIAAll-Clad d3 Stainless Steel 12"
Fry Pan with Lid
Model: 41126 Price: $119.99
Weight: 2.8 lb
Bottom Thickness: 3.0 mm
Cooking Surface: 9.5 in
Height of Sides: 2 inPerformance
Ease of Use
Cleanup/Durability+++
+++
+++CLAD
CONSTRUCTION
A layer of aluminum
sandwiched
between layers
of durable steel