Posted on Aug-04-2009
All-Clad Master Chef 2 2-Quart Saucepan
If you are a serious cook who wants serious quality cookware, then All Clad is a great option. If you are not 100 percent familiar with All Clad, here is a brief description of what you can expect from them...All of their lines have a full aluminum core (which provides excellent heat retention and distribution) and stainless steel interiors (which offer an easy to use, non reactive cooking surface). It is the best of both worlds combined in one piece of cookware. The difference between the various lines of All Clad is simply the exterior surface...stainless steel (obviously their Stainless line), anodized aluminum (the LTD line), Copper (Copper Chef line), Stainless with an added layer of copper in the core (Copper Core), and brushed aluminum (the MC2 or "Master Chef 2" line). They are all, in my opinion, excellent cookware, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the Master Chef 2 line, which this saucepan hails from are:
1)The brushed aluminum exterior gives it added thickness and heft. In my opinion, this provides better cooking qualities than most of the other AC lines (except for the LTD which is even slightly thicker). While all lines of AC perform beautifully, I feel MC2 has slightly better heat retention and distribution. I enjoy the cooking experience a little more with MC2 than I do with the stainless line.
2)It costs less. I think we all agree that's an advantage!
However the main disadvantage of the MC2 line, in my opinion, is strictly cosmetic. Straight out of the box, the saucepan will look beautiful, but over time, it's exterior will undergo intense marring. It doesn't matter how much you baby your cookware, these pans scratch horribly and discolor very easily. I don't care what anyone says...I have tried every trick in the book to rid my MC2 of their ugly discolorations, and nothing works. And as far as scratches go, once they're there, they are there for good. If looks are a big issue with you and/or you keep your pots and pans on display in your kitchen, bear in mind that these pans take quite a beating. These just will not have the striking beauty of the stainless or copper core line.
As far as this particular saucepan, it's definitely a winner. With the thick aluminum core and exterior, you will definitely enjoy the performance that this pan will offer you. Your sauces won't scorch as easily as lower quality pans and you will find you will have much more control over your cooking with a pan like this. It is certainly a joy to cook in it, as is all of All Clad cookware. And the accompanying stainless steel lid is durable and tight-fitting, everything a lid should be. Do bear in mind that this saucepan is not like a typical two quart saucepan. Most 2 quart pans are wide and short. This pan is tall and narrow. (It doesn't even measure 6 inches across and is smaller in girth than my 1 and a half quart saucepan). The advantage to that is you will get less splatter and less evaporation with a pan of this shape, but to me, the narrow girth of this pan is a distinct disadvantage. I cook on Thermador burners which are very wide. The flame on my burners completely devour this pan and I have to use a medium to medium low heat setting at the most or the flame will lop up the sides of my pan. If you have pro appliances with wide burners, then this will be an issue for you. You will either have to use a low flame or invest in a simmer plate. This fact, along with the exterior marring, is what made this pan lose a star for me. However, if I were to rate this pan solely on performance, then it would earn five stars all the way! Even with the drawbacks, I'm still a very proud owner!
Model: 7202
The second generation of All-Clad's Master Chef line (MC2), this cookware combines brushed aluminum with stainless-steel accents for a contemporary look. Like All-Clad's other renowned cookware collections, Master Chef provides serious and professional cooks with all the virtues that make All-Clad's worldwide reputation unsurpassed. Key to its high performance is a three-ply, bonded construction. Sandwiched between the exterior and an 18/10 stainless-steel interior is a thick aluminum core that spreads heat evenly across the bottom of the pan and all the way up its sides. The interior is highly polished so it's stick- as well as corrosion-resistant. Handles, rivets, and tight-fitting lids are all gleaming stainless steel.
This classic, straight-sided, 2-quart saucepan illustrates the Master Chef line's stylish yet practical design. Because the aluminum core extends up the sides, foods cook uniformly in the pan, even though it's 4-1/4 inches deep. And because the interior is nonreactive, tomato-based sauces and other acidic foods won't taste metallic. The pan's polished 18/10 stainless-steel pan and lid handles are riveted for strength and grooved on the top for comfort. The long handle (holed for hanging on a hook or peg) stays cool on the stovetop but won't be harmed by an oven's heat. Master Chef cookware carries a lifetime warranty against defects and should be hand washed. --Fred Brack
- Classic, straight-sided, 2-quart saucepan
- Stainless-steel interior; handsome brushed aluminum exterior
- Pure aluminum core for even heating
- Comfortable lid and stay-cool pan handles riveted for strength
- Lifetime warranty against defects
List Price: USD 115.00
Lowest Used Price: USD 80.99
Lowest New Price: USD 92.00
My wife loves it ...
and that's all that counts! That, and the item appears very durable, with lifetime warranty.
Nice pan
I've only had this pan for about a week now, but so far it's been just what I needed. I've used to to warm cream and, along with a metal Amco mixing bowl, serve as a double boiler, where I prefer a pan taller than it is wide, and it's worked just fine. I don't think the appearance is as attractive as the stainless or even the LTD lines, but it's not bad, really. Performance matters more, anyway. Plus, I found this pan mis-marked at Dillard's for a mere .75, so I wasn't going to pass it up just because it isn't shiny on the outside. A pan of this size and shape is very handy to have, and I would buy this one again without hesitation...even though I personally would rather have the stainless, mainly because I wonder how well the exterior will wear.
Excellent construction for it's purpose. Buy It.
I chose to try the Master Chef 2 construction because it is the line used in the Food Network's 'Iron Chef America' kitchens, and I wanted something to replace both a very old, very thin stainless steel pot and a newer, but very, very heavy Calphalon anodized aluminum pot. As with everything else I have gotten from the Master Chef 2 line, this piece does a better job than anything of the same size and shape which I have replaced. I have both the 2 quart saucepan and saucier, and find that I really need both. The saucepan is superior for straight cooking, as when making rice or blanching small vegetables, but the saucier is superior for, you guessed it, making sauces, risottos, oatmeal, and anything else which requires constant stirring. And, you often need to do both at the same time, so they make a very nice team.
Awesome little pot . . . .
The high sides on this pot make it great! perfect pot for sauces, oatmeal, etc.
![World Cuisine Blue Round Enamel Cast-Iron Dutch Oven, 6.75 Qts. [World Cuisine]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31H0pFSSYtL._SL160_.jpg)
