All-Clad vs Calphalon: Which Stainless Pan to Buy

D3 is All-Clad's first and plainest line: fully bonded tri-ply, with five metal layers forming three functional ones, two stainless skins around an aluminum and aluminum-alloy core, bonded all the way up the wall. The 10 inch has All-Clad's riveted stainless handle shaped for a chef's underhand grip, a flared edge for pouring and a stainless lid. The listing and All-Clad's page agree: made in the USA with global components in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, compatible with any stovetop including induction, hand wash only, limited lifetime warranty.

America's Test Kitchen's stainless skillet review put the 12 inch D3 through its paces and made it the winner, measuring 2.8 pounds and finding it resisted warping and abuse. The 10 inch is the same pan smaller. All-Clad lists it at $169.99 and sells it at $139.99 on its own site; Amazon's price is about the same.

Buy it if you want a pan that will still sit flat in thirty years and do not mind washing it by hand. Skip it if the dishwasher is non-negotiable; that is the one thing the Calphalon does that this pan will not.

Premier is Calphalon's top stainless line. The listing describes ultra-durable five-layer construction built to resist warping and denting, an aluminum core for even heating across the whole surface, a riveted stainless handle that stays cool on the stovetop, and an oven rating of 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Calphalon's Turbo Temp claim, that it heats up to 30 percent faster, is measured against Cuisinart's Professional Series, not against All-Clad. Target's listing adds that it is dishwasher safe, works on induction and all other cooktops, and weighs 2.8 pounds.

On origin the listing is silent. Target lists the pan as imported, and Prudent Reviews, which phoned Calphalon, reports the Premier collection as made in China, with only Elite and Commercial still made in Perrysburg, Ohio. Calphalon's warranty page lists Premier cookware as limited lifetime, covering manufacturing defects and excluding scratches, dents, stains and discoloration.

Buy it if you want five layers, a mirror finish and the dishwasher, and the origin does not matter to you. Skip it if you want the pan with the test record, the higher oven limit or the American factory; for $10 more the All-Clad has all three, and for $95 less the Tramontina has the dishwasher.

This is the Calphalon that competes on price. The listing describes three-layer construction with an aluminum core, the same Turbo Temp claim as the Premier, a long riveted stainless handle that stays cool, induction compatibility and an oven rating of 450 degrees Fahrenheit, 50 degrees below the Premier and 150 below the All-Clad. The finish is brushed rather than polished, which hides scratches better.

It is the fair comparison for anyone who thinks the Premier is dear: same brand, same core idea, $80 less. What you give up is two layers that independent testing suggests do little, a mirror finish and some oven headroom. Origin is not stated on the listing, and Prudent Reviews' reporting puts all of Calphalon's stainless outside the Perrysburg plant.

Buy it if you want a Calphalon pan and a tri-ply build for about $50. Skip it if you want the strongest warranty record and a pan a reviewer has weighed and warped; the Tramontina at $35 has the test history and a lifetime warranty.

Tramontina's Signature pan is 18/10 stainless around an aluminum core with a riveted stainless handle, a mirror-polished exterior and a satin interior. The listing rates it oven safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, induction compatible, NSF certified, dishwasher safe and covered by a lifetime warranty. At about $35 for a 12 inch it costs less than either 10 inch above.

America's Test Kitchen reviewed a sibling, Tramontina's Gourmet tri-ply 12 inch, and recommended it with reservations: no warping, but a narrower cooking surface than the All-Clad and a heavier pan at 3.2 pounds. That is the trade against the D3. Against the Calphalon Premier it is simpler: the same dishwasher convenience and oven rating, a published test history, and $95 in your pocket.

Buy it if you cook a few times a week, want the dishwasher, or want to learn stainless before spending All-Clad money. Skip it if you want a 10 inch; this listing is the 12.

MultiClad Pro is the Cuisinart line Calphalon's Turbo Temp claim is not measured against; that comparison names Cuisinart's Professional Series. The listing describes triple-ply stainless construction, a cast stainless handle that stays cool and is riveted on, tapered rims for pouring, and a pan that is dishwasher safe, broiler safe and oven safe to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The helper handle makes the 12 inch easier to lift full.

America's Test Kitchen reviewed the lidded version and recommended it with reservations: a roomy 10 inch cooking surface and good browning, but it warped early in testing and wobbled even on a gas burner, and at 3.75 pounds it was heavy. That is the flaw the All-Clad does not have and the reason to think of this as a bigger, cheaper pan rather than a cheaper All-Clad.