The roasting pan for the holidays.

All-Clad's Specialty roaster is single-ply polished stainless steel with a bonded base that resists warping, and handles fixed with stainless rivets. The 13 by 16 inch pan takes a large turkey, and the pan and rack together go in the oven and under the broiler.

Single-ply matters less in a roasting pan than in a skillet. The oven does the cooking, and the pan's job is to hold the bird, catch the drippings and survive years of high heat. Where you will notice it is on the stovetop: gravy made across two burners needs a little more attention than in a fully clad pan like the Made In or the Le Creuset below.

It is dishwasher safe, which few roasters are, and carries All-Clad's limited lifetime warranty. It will not work on induction, and the rack is rated to a lower temperature than the pan.

Mauviel has worked copper in Villedieu-les-Poeles in Normandy since 1830. The M'Heritage 150 is 1.5 millimeter copper bonded to an 18/10 stainless steel lining, 90 percent copper and 10 percent stainless. The large pan measures 15.7 by 11.8 inches and 3.1 inches deep, and comes with a rack.

Copper responds to heat faster and spreads it more evenly than anything else on this list, which is exactly what you want when making a pan sauce across two burners. It is also the only pan here that people put on the table. A roast carved in a copper pan at the sideboard is part of the meal.

The costs are real. It must be hand washed, the copper tarnishes and needs polishing if you want it bright, and it needs a separate interface disc for induction. Mauviel offers the same pan with cast stainless, cast iron or brass handles, and the cast iron versions are usually the least expensive. Skip it if you will not polish it or look at it between holidays.

Made In's roaster is 3-ply stainless clad and large: the pan measures about 18.5 by 12.5 inches and 6 inches tall at the handles. It weighs 8.6 pounds on its own and 10 pounds with the rack, and it is heat safe to 600°F.

The handles are the reason to choose it. They stand vertically above the rim, so there is room for thick oven mitts, and Made In designed them so a sheet of foil can seal over the whole pan for braising a brisket or holding a roast.

At 18.5 inches it will not fit every oven, especially 24 inch ranges and older wall ovens. Measure first. Made In recommends hand washing.

Le Creuset is known for enameled cast iron, but for a turkey this stainless pan is the better Le Creuset. It is triple layer with an aluminum core running from base to rim, a titanium-infused stainless exterior meant to resist scorching and discoloration, and a dripless pouring rim that makes it easier to tip the drippings into a separator.

The rack is nonstick coated. It releases crisp skin cleanly and is dishwasher safe, though nonstick coatings do not last as long as bare stainless. The pan works on all cooktops, including induction, and is oven safe to 500°F.

Skip it if you roast above 500°F, or if you want the whole kit to last as long as the pan does. A replacement stainless rack is cheap if the coating wears.

The MultiClad Pro roaster is tri-ply, a pure aluminum core under brushed stainless, which is the construction that matters for stovetop gravy. Cuisinart rates it for turkeys up to about 18 pounds, and it works on induction.

It has riveted stainless handles, a solid stainless rack and a drip-free pouring rim. Overall it measures about 19.3 by 12.1 inches with handles and 5.2 inches tall, and Cuisinart backs it with a lifetime warranty. It often sells well under list price at authorized retailers.

The handles sit low and close to the pan, which makes a full pan awkward to lift with bulky mitts. Buy it if you roast twice a year and want the pan to go on the stove afterwards.