All-Clad vs Demeyere: Which Stainless Pan to Buy

D3 is All-Clad's original line: 18/10 stainless inside, stainless outside and an aluminum core, bonded rim to rim. The listing says it is made in the USA with global components in All-Clad's Pennsylvania factory, is oven and broiler safe to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, works on induction and must be washed by hand. The handle is riveted stainless with a groove meant for a chef's underhand grip.

America's Test Kitchen named it the winner of its stainless skillet testing, measured a 9.5 inch cooking surface, weighed it at 2.8 pounds and found it resisted warping and abuse testing. That weight is the practical argument against the Demeyere: this pan can be flipped and tossed one-handed by most cooks, and the Demeyere cannot.

Skip it if you want to put the pan in the dishwasher, or if you dislike rivets inside a pan. All-Clad says hand wash only, and the rivet heads are there.

Industry 5 is five layers of metal from rim to rim around what Zwilling calls a thick aluminum core, in 18/10 stainless. The handles are welded, not riveted, so there is nothing inside the pan to catch food or grease. The Silvinox treatment is Demeyere's surface process; the maker says it keeps the steel silvery white, resists fingerprints and lets the pan go in the dishwasher. Zwilling's page rates the pan oven and broiler safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, induction compatible, and made in Belgium with a lifetime warranty.

America's Test Kitchen recommended the helper-handle version. It was roomy, with a 10 inch cooking surface, and browned evenly, but at 4.2 pounds the testers found it very heavy and awkward, and noted small dents after abuse testing. Zwilling lists the helper-handle pan at 4.35 pounds net; the long-handle version on Amazon has no helper handle and sits a little under that.

Buy it if you cook on induction, hate rivets, and want a pan that can be scrubbed in the machine. Skip it if you flip food with a flick of the wrist or have any trouble lifting a heavy pan with one hand.

Made In's Stainless Clad pan is five layers of metal with a 430 stainless outer layer for induction, made in Italy. The maker lists a 12.5 inch rim, a 9.5 inch cooking surface, 1.75 inch depth and 20 inches overall, with a hollow stay-cool handle fastened with stainless rivets. Made In covers Stainless Clad with a lifetime warranty.

America's Test Kitchen weighed it at 3 pounds and recommended it with reservations: good balance and sear, but the testers' pan did not sit flat even when new and warped more than others, a flaw that matters most on induction and glass tops. It is the pan for a cook who wants five-ply and the Demeyere's price is the problem. Our All-Clad vs Made In comparison goes deeper.

Tramontina's Signature pan is 18/10 stainless around an aluminum core with a riveted stainless handle, made in Brazil. The listing rates it oven safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, induction compatible, NSF certified, dishwasher safe and covered by a lifetime warranty.

It is the pan to buy if the $160 to $250 question above makes you wince. It proves the same point ATK made: the clad construction does most of the work, and the names add refinement rather than a different kind of cooking.