List Price: $331.25
Sale Price: $264.99
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This is my second favorite pan -after the Demeyere proline 12.6" frying pan.
It's perfect for boiling small quantities of water (which, admittedly, is my main use), but can step up to the most challenging sauces, soups, and other tasks -just like an SUV which is great for driving to the grocery store but can win the Paris-Dakar rally too. Just having a pan like this does motivate you to try more ambitious preparations.
It's heavy, certainly -stainless steel over copper, but the handle stays cool (cast stainless steel). One of the major features of this pan over other high-end multiclad pans is that the handle is welded, so there are no rivets on the inside to get gunked up with food.
I admit this pan is overkill for most uses, but if you can afford it, this is the best choice for this type of pan.
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This is my third piece of Demeyere cookware, so I expected top quality. Unfortunately, I am disappointed with the surface finishing of the interior sides. Though not a major defect, I consider this pan a "2nd" or irregular.There are very slightly rough concentric rings going around the interior, beginning where the curved sides start, but mostly near the top on the side opposite the handle. If I take my fingernail and rub along the side from top to bottom, I can feel the rings. It is not perfectly smooth like the bottom. Very small, blunt burrs of metal stick out here and there. Perhaps the tool dye used to press the pan shape needed cleaning or replacing before this piece was made, or the operator did not thoroughly polish the pan after it was pressed?
Demeyere's 30-year warranty does not seem to cover this defect. The warranty states: "Scratches to the inside or outside of the stainless steel are not considered production errors."
Oh well, that is disappointing. Anyway, though I expected better quality, it is not enough of a problem to bother with packing and shipping it back to Amazon.com, and I did manage to buy it at a 20% discount (Normal price is $320.) The rest of the pan and the lid are essentially perfect.
I could have inspected it before purchasing if I had bought it locally -albeit at a higher price, plus tax. Since it was Demeyere, I wasn't worried about buying online and assumed that their quality control would not allow a pan with this defect to be sold.
For smoothing out the interior surfaces, I may try some light sanding with 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and/or use some 0000 steel wool.
I have been using the 4qt. Atlantis saute pan for a few years and really like it. I recently bought the wonderful Apollo ProLine 12.6" fry pan locally when I purchased a Miele 30" induction cooktop, which is far superior to the gas cooktop it replaced. I highly recommend the Miele.
I initially thought I would purchase several more Demeyere cookware pieces to go with the new cooktop. However, I am not sure about that, given the considerable expense, and my lackluster experience with this latest piece. Now I will look at alternatives.
Cheers, and have fun cooking and eating with friends and family!
UPDATE 12-10-10: My son pointed out how easy it is to return an item with Amazon.com, so I exchanged it for another one shortly after writing the initial review. Unfortunately, the second sample had the same interior finishing defect. Then, I saw that the Atlantis conical sauteuse pan on display at the shop where I bought the Miele cooktop also has the rough interior. To top it off, neither Demeyere.be nor the US distributor answered my e-mail after giving them ample time to reply. So, I gave up and returned the 2nd one for a refund.
Amazon.com was very fast and cooperative with both returns. I will not be buying any more Demeyere cookware, however, I remain happy with the Atlantis saute and Apollo Proline fry pans. Both are truly excellent.
I purchased the CIA Masters Collection 3 qt. saucier from Amazon.com at less than 2/3rds the price of the Demeyere piece. It performs fantastically! It has full curved sides and a comfortable handle. I think I will get a lot of use out of it and am now considering their regular and nonstick frypans, and perhaps the 2qt. saucier.
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