All Clad and Wusthof owners pls advise

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I would someday like to have a nice set of pots/pans and knives. ( never had either not straight out of TJ Maxx). When I try to compare between the types of All Clad or Wusthof I am kind of at a loss as to the differences and the great price variance. If you own either could you tell me which particular line within the brand you chose and why. Thanks!

[smiles33]

First, my disclaimer that DH does all the cooking, so this is secondhand advice.

When we married 7 years ago, we registered for a set of Wusthof Classic knives, the All Clad stainless steel saute pan, Le Creuset Dutch Oven, and Calphalon Commercial nonstick fry pans (8", 10" and 12"), wok, and sauciers/sauce pans to stock our kitchen. In the intervening years, DH took over all the cooking and has decided:

1) he hates the Wusthof knives. I think they work fine but he loves these special Japanese knives ($100+ each!) that are sharper and lighter, so they don't tire your hand

2) He uses the All Clad less than 1/month as he braises/stews/roasts more in his Dutch Oven and corningware, which have larger capacities.

3) He prefers the Calphalon cookware. They have a great outlet 2+ hours from us, plus they have a lifetime warranty. I returned a roaster pan whose nonstick lining failed after 3-4 years and they replaced it with a new one!

So long story short, I think it depends on the way you cook and what you cook. Nicer "trim levels" may mean better warranties, as I know Calphalon's cheaper line at Target doesn't have the lifetime warranty and don't have the same "heft" so I think they're made with presumably inferior materials. I'd also recommend buying individually instead of the full sets unless you really will use everything in the set.

HTH!

[TonFirst]

I have many Wustof Classic series knives, and I also have a Global knive and another Japanese knive, and I love the handles on the Wusthof classic knives. They are very comfortable for me no matter how much chopping I'm doing.

I have the anodized All-Clad pots, and I would NEVER buy the anodized finish if I could do it over again. They MUST be hand-washed or the finish looks terrible. I would absolutely buy the stainless or the MC (brushed stainless) finish. Yes, I know that ideally, they should be handwashed, but when I've made a big batch of marinara or chili, my lord, it would be nice to stick that sucker in the dishwasher! I have a couple of small All-Clad stainless saucepans and a small stainless skillet and it is great to be able to stick them in the dishwasher after making eggs or soup or whatever for the kids.

[katydid1971]

I've bought most of my pans piece by piece and it seems like the stainless is the one you can find the best deals on. I also wanted something that was dishwasher safe. I use mine everyday and think they are wondeful. I have the classic wustof knives. I traded in a bunch of wedding gifts (ten years ago) and bought the knife set. Since I have added one extra knife (the santoku knife). Here is what I use and don't use, I use the santoku and the bread knife all the time, the slicer once or twice a year and a Cutco utility knife constantly. I don't ever use my chef's knife, its just too big for me. I also don't really use the two small knives that came with the set. I wouldn't mind a second Santoku.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Thanks for your replies! I am very surprised that pp's dh prefers Calphalon to All Clad, it certainly would be cheaper for me so worth checking out. I am sad to have just called the WS outlet that used to have deals on All Clad and it is out of business but I do see a place on line that sells seconds. I will have to check out the Wusthof Classic, thanks all!

[spanannie]

I would someday like to have a nice set of pots/pans and knives. ( never had either not straight out of TJ Maxx). When I try to compare between the types of All Clad or Wusthof I am kind of at a loss as to the differences and the great price variance. If you own either could you tell me which particular line within the brand you chose and why. Thanks!

I have a full set of Wusthof knives, and they are just fine, but the knife I LOVE is a Kyocera ceramic knife from Sur La Table. I pretty much use only this one knife now. It's awesome! Can't help you on the pots/pans; I'm in the same boat myself.

[MmeSunny]

I would not buy a knife set. A lot of money wasted on knives you don't need/use.

Most people can get by with two or three knives: an 8" chef's knife, a small paring knife and a bread knife if you cut a lot of baked goods. 10" chef knives are more popular, but for women especially, there's a lot more control with an 8". You can also "get in there" a lot easier with a smaller knife. You don't need all the rest unless you are a really serious chef or have to filet fresh caught fish, etc.

Buy a full tang knife--blade should go all the way through the handle. Be sure to try it out. Everyone's hand, wrist and arm size and strength are different. You want something that feels light, yet substantial and BALANCED in your hand. Practice cutting with it in the store. Get a cutting board and rock it. See how it works. Good knives feel like an extention of your hand.

Buy the best that you can afford and a honing steel. Use the steel after every/every other use. Keeps them nice and sharp. When they dull, send them to be resharpened. Most people don't have the experience/knowledge to really sharpen a knife at home manually (I am in this group. *sigh*). The home sharpeners can really jack up your knives if used incorrectly. You don't want to spend $100 on a knife and kill the blade. They will come back so nice and sharp and beautiful from the professional sharpeners, it will be like having new knives again.

[spanannie]

1) he hates the Wusthof knives. I think they work fine but he loves these special Japanese knives ($100+ each!) that are sharper and lighter, so they don't tire your hand



You must be talking about the Kyocera ceramic knives I mentioned in my pp. OMG they are awesome! I don't use anything else anymore and they are worth every penny. I only have one, use it all the time, and need more!

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Annie I thought Kyocera was a telephone! I will have to check those out!
Anyone know if non-stick surface is ever necessary in a skillet or can you do omelets without non stick, the All Clad non stick seem to get hit or miss reviews.

[spanannie]

Annie I thought Kyocera was a telephone! I will have to check those out!
Anyone know if non-stick surface is ever necessary in a skillet or can you do omelets without non stick, the All Clad non stick seem to get hit or miss reviews.

There is a phone called that, too . . . don't know if they are related.
http://www.surlatable.com/product/collections/kyocera/kyocera+ceramic+santoku.do?search=basic&keyword=kyocera&sortby=ourPicks&page=1

Others here may disagree, but I tried going w/o any non-stick and I just couldn't do it . . . there are certain things I just must have a non-stick pan for!

[smiles33]

He has 2 ceramic knives, a Kyocera and a Boker, but these are special with a weird mosiac pattern on them. I'd go look but am NAK.

OP: DH only used the All Clad stainless, so his preference might just be nonstick over stainless. FYI, I do all the cleaning, so he doesn't care if it's hand wash only.

[maylips]

Anyone know if non-stick surface is ever necessary in a skillet or can you do omelets without non stick, the All Clad non stick seem to get hit or miss reviews.

We started buying All-Clad when we lived near a W/S outlet and would purchase one piece at a time. I love the stainless steel pieces, especially the pots - we have one non-stick pot that I use because of the size, but hate because I have to hand wash and I'm leery of the safety of non-stick.

However, that being said, we also have a non-stick skillet to go with a regular skillet and I'm VERY glad we have that. I bought a regular small skillet that's really small - the kind that we make one grilled cheese or cook one egg, etc. I was replacing a non-stick and now realize we NEVER use it because it's not non-stick. So I would recommend getting at least one non-stick for omelets, etc.

Am ready to upgrade my knives but $100 each?!? Yowser. I'll have to think about that....

[BeachBum]

I have several all clad pieces, but like my Emeril Ware pro-clad just as well. It is 3 ply instead of 7 but is made by all clad too.
For non-stick pans (I have 1) I buy cheap and replace often. They always scratch etc.

[m448]

When we registered for our wedding we registered for calphalon but after about 5-6 years we passed them on to my sister and bought a stainless wolfgang puck set. I do a lot of cooking, and larger portions so I needed bigger pots that my set offered. I can't stand pot sets that seem like they have a lot of pieces but most are teeny omelette and sauce pans. I also use some cast iron pieces, some enameled cast iron and a few restaurant supply omelette pans.

As far as knives go I have various knives including one 6" wusthof chef's knife that even my big and tall husband prefers for the handling vs. a larger chef's knife. Most people buy them too big and then complain about heft. I also have some knives my husband had before we got married (10 years ago) and a super simple sportsman issue type chef's knife. I do sharpen my knives at home using a chef's choice 460 which does both straight edge and serrated. The sharpener is simple, has positioning so that you keep the blade at the right angle and I usually only have to do my knives every 4-6 months. Which is why I can love the cheapo sportsman knife, my husband's infomercial ginsu and my wusthof just as much - a sharp edge makes a difference. I bought the sharpener on www.cooking.com about 3 years ago.

[tylersmama]

I have and love the plain stainless All-Clad. I've been using it for 8 years now, and it looks practically brand new. It all goes in the dishwasher, with the exception of my one non-stick piece, a 12" frypan. FWIW, that's the only piece of All-Clad that I would NOT buy again. The rest of the set will last forever, but nonstick coating wears off, so it's just not worth it to spend that much on a non-stick piece. There are much cheaper, but still nice frypans you can get...Cooks Illustrated recommended one a while back, I can't remember what it was right now. Maybe a Calphalon?

I completely agree with avoiding the copper or the brushed anodized lines...way too much maintenance/work to keep them looking nice. My plain stainless are no brainers for maintenance.

I have a set of Henckels knives and have been happy with them, although I might go with Wusthof were I to do it again. You probably want to think about getting a knife sharpener. Even the best knife goes dull eventually. I have one of the Chef's Choice knife sharpeners (again, on a Cooks Illustrated rec) and it's great. Really easy to use, and keeps the knives SHARP.

[squimp]

I'd go to a gourmet kitchen store if you have one and ask them to explain the difference between all the pots and the knives, and then make a decision. We bought all our stuff at the local store, to support it, and they actually had good prices. We bought a pot set and bought individual knives - it just happened to be the easiest way to get good kitchen stuff. Before that I had grad-student-thrift-store ware, so this was a huge step up!

With the knives I started slow - first a Henckel professional series paring knife, then an 8" chefs knife, and we use those 80% of the time. We also have a very cheap ($20) serrated "ever-sharp" Henckel bread knife, and a carving and sudoku knife (that's not the real name, but it sounds funny and I can't remember the real name - santoku?). I eventually bought a knife block to keep them all in for $20 and a sharpener.

For pots and pans, we bought a set of all-clad anodized Al on the outside and stainless on the inside. They are workhorses - we've had them 10 yrs and I expect to have them forever. Stainless outside is prettier, but I would feel compelled to keep it clean all the time! Oh and Barkeep's friend is fantastic for cleaning pots - oxalic acid power.

[leeni8]

I have a set of Wusthof Classic knives (purchased as a wedding gift from Crate and Barrel) and I LOVE them! The two I use most are the all purpose ones so after three years, I need to have them sharpened (tried the sharpening steel but no luck). Contacted Wusthof to find a vendor in my area so that I don't nullify the warranty. Be aware that they just moved and were hard to get in touch with for a long while. Also, I've HEARD (can't confirm) that some are made in Germany and others elsewhere so make sure you get the ones made in Germany!

[nellonello]

We just traded our Calphalon for All-Clad Stainless Steel and couldn't be happier. We love that they can go in the dishwasher. Every once in a while we shine them up with a bit of BarKeepers Friend and they look brand new. We have added a couple of non-stick All-Clad to our set. We got ours on sale through Macy's and they were willing to change up the set a bit so that we got exactly what we wanted.

For knives we love the Shun Classic knives for everyday use. We also have a couple of the Kyocera ceramics. Good knives are worth the investment if you like to cook.

[kransden]

I bought my Wusthofs in Germany in 2001. I love them. They are almost the only thing I have in my kitchen that isn't dishwasher safe.

[Kestrel]

Another opinion, for what it's worth.

I'm a professional prep cook, and I've seen a lot of knives over the years. What I choose to use are 6" Wusthof classic chef and 7" Wusthof Santoku. I'm a fairly small person, and I feel I have more control in the smaller size knife than the big, heavy 8" version. I rarely use the 8" anymore, except on big squash or watermelons. Most of the pros I see these days use Global, they're much lighter. Mostly, use what fits well in your hand. Many restaurant supply stores are open to the public, and the prices on good knives tend to be much better than fancy retail stores.
I do, however, use paring knives. Like all the prep cooks I know, I buy them a half-dozen at a time from a restaurant supply store (about $5 each), use and abuse them, and throw them away when they get chipped or dull.
A fillet knife is useful, too - mine is a no-name brand from a sporting goods store.
Just please, don't put a good knife in a dishwasher!


As for pans... can't really answer. I don't have a "set", just specific pieces I've picked up as I went along. Real steel baking sheets, an old 12 gallon steel stock pot, a great $12 wok I've had for 15 years, ect. When you find something you fall in love with, buy it! I do have a couple of cheap Revereware 1 quart saucepans that I use to heat leftovers, and really messy stuff (like carmel sauce, or honey), because I can throw them in the dishwasher.

[Percycat]

When my DH an I were married, we went to a WS and looked at knives. We chose Heinkles Professional S series because we both liked the way they felt in our hands. We received several knives as gifts. Since then, we have also acquired a few Wustoff Classics. My husband's favorite knife is a Wustoff Slicer.

I agree with the advice given by mmesunny about not needing a set. I use my 8in chef and paring knives the most.

I also recommend you look at Caphalon knives (yes, for knives.... not just pans. : ) )

You can get them at BBB. My parents and I bought several knives for my sister and her husband and another set for a lake house. We bought the contempory model. They feel really great in our hands and do a great job cutting. The knives are made as well as the W and H brand, but cost a lot less.... plus, you can use your 20% coupon.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/search/search.aspx?nty=1&dim=1&N=4294966650&AggBy=0&sstr=knives&order_num=-1

[kijip]

We like Global knives the best for non-ceramic options. I have had Henckels knives and my dad has Wustof and I prefer Global. And I only really need 3 knives total (Chef's, small slicer and a bread knife) and we cook a lot. I agree with the previous posters, the sets are a waste of money. I would rather spend a lot of a very high quality knife than a lot of a decent quality set. The only knives I might want to add at some point are a filet knife and a cleaver but right now I just settle for having fish filet cut at the store and then attacking any remaining pin bones with needle nosed pliers. And I don't truly need a cleaver but it makes some tasks like splitting chickens and working with bigger bone in cuts, easier.

I am a cast iron girl through and though so I have no input on the All Clad. We have one stainless sauce pan, a Le Creuset enameled pot for pasta, a pressure canner and a huge water bath canning pot I use for broth and soups. Everything else is cast iron.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I like both both All Clad SS and Cuisinart SS. Cuisinart is just as good, but less expensive...

[kijip]

I like both both All Clad SS and Cuisinart SS. Cuisinart is just as good, but less expensive...

I don't think so. My Dad gave me a full set of the SS Cuisinart when I moved out on my own, a little more than 10 years ago. I am a good cook, and a careful one and none of those pieces are still in my possession. It was ok stuff, but IME not something that was going to last a lifetime. True, marrying a man that did not know how to cook (only bake) did not help them, a couple I am sure were the result of J's misuse.

[wellyes]

Consider the famous Victorinox Chef's Knife (http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-8-Inch-Chefs-Fibrox-Handle/dp/B000638D32/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1247486807&sr=8-3). It is $30 and it always matches the much more expensive Chef's knives for function (Cook's Illustrated, Consumer Reports, I think Alton Brown too). I heard about it for years, in the days before Amazon you had to go to a restaurant supply store to get one. It doesn't look like anything fancy but it really is superb.

[almostmom]

I have both some non-stick and stainless all clad and calphalon. I think they (non-stick and stainless) are both good to have. For eggs and fish and things that you don't want to use a lot of oil or butter, the non-stick is great. It lasts a long time on these more expensive pans. Mine are mostly still going after 8 years of very regular use. And a non-stick contemporary non-stick that DH bought for me 2 years ago from Calphalon that got all nicked up somehow I just sent back with a note, and last week a new pan was sent to me. Yeah! I think the warranty makes those pans worth it. Now I'm wondering if I can send back any others!

So I think one good 12 inch and a 6 or 8 inch non-stick are very useful, and then a bunch of stainless, like a big saute with sides, some pots and a chef's pan.

[Jen841]

I love my W knives and my All-Clad pots and pans I got for my wedding in 2000.

I did take a knife class at a local cooking school that tells a variety of brands to test what I would want. I was down to the W or Henkels forged sets. I was picks about my sets b/c I wanted to make sure I would use everything in them. Ironically shopping around I got full sets of what I would by individually at a package/set price. I did end up with an extra pan I barely use, but that is ok with me.

LOVE LOVE LOVE both and I LOVE to cook. Having the right tools makes it so much fun.

[brittone2]

I agree w/ the poster who said don't buy a full set.

We have two Wusthof knives...a large chef's knife, and a paring knife. That does 95% of what we need. Our cheapo serrated bread knife from a set ages ago still works fine for bread, etc.

We bought our knives on ebay years ago. Obviously there are fraudulent sellers out there, so buyer beware, but we got a good deal from a reputable seller and have been happy with the knives.

eta: ditto on pans. We still have some stainless cuisinart pans from our wedding 7.5 years ago. I use my cast iron stuff the most (2 large skillets, one smaller skillet, a "fish pan" which is like a big rectangular roaster, and a 2 burner griddle/grill pan). I would like a Le Creuset dutch oven or two but am waiting until DH is gainfully employed on more than a doctoral candidate stipend ;)

[AnnieW625]

I only have a full set of Calphalon non stick pans and that's because I got it at BBB when the line was being discontinued in 2003 so I picked up an eight piece set for just over $200!:) We also chose this line because it had glass lids. Had it not been on sale I would've just continued to buy pieces as needed. For non stick my favorites are the 2.5 qt sauce pan for rice, and a 10" frying pan from Circulon for eggs. Honestly I much prefer the Circulon for frying pans and plus they are easier to clean because of the ridges.

I have one basic All Clad 1 qt. sauce pot and while it is nice I find it very comparable in quality to the 3qt. sauce pan I bought from Smart and Final (smallish restaurant supply/warehouse store) for the same price, $40. Just because it's All Clad doesn't mean that it's any better.

As far as knives go I only have a few Henckels knives, which I really like. However be sure to get the ones with two little men on them instead of one because they are better quality per some reviews I have read. I don't have any Wusthof so I can't comment on those. I have also heard wonderful things about Forschner (Cooks Illustrated loves them!) and they are a really good price. Also heard good things about Cutco knives which are bought through sales representives (usually college students). I do agree that unless you are starting from scratch you probably don't need an entire set. Look at what you have and see where you can build from there.

Calphalon Non stick 2.5 qt. sauce pan: http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=99028&PartnerID=FROOGLE&BannerID=PD677

Circulon 10" Non stick frying pan:
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=91588&CategoryID=7711

Henckels (these are the only Henckels I have and the knives I use the most):
6" sandwich/utility knife: http://usa.jahenckels.com/228henckels
Twin Signature Santuko: http://usa.jahenckels.com/219henckels
Twin Signature Paring: http://usa.jahenckels.com/213henckels

I cannot recommend Calphalon knives. I have two that I got with the purchase of the pans in 2003 and I can't keep them sharp at all and I use a knife sharpener before each use. I don't know if they have gotten better over the years, but I don't think I'll ever buy another one. I do like that they are heavy and easy to control, but that's it.

[writermama]

Consider the famous Victorinox Chef's Knife (http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-8-Inch-Chefs-Fibrox-Handle/dp/B000638D32/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1247486807&sr=8-3). It is $30 and it always matches the much more expensive Chef's knives for function (Cook's Illustrated, Consumer Reports, I think Alton Brown too).

Yeah, what she said. I have a Henkles Pro set from Germany (wedding gift, I wouldn't buy a set), but my favorite knife by far is the Victorinox. I have the Chef's and a serrated Bread knife and they both have a better edge and feel in the hand than the much more $$$ Henkles ones. I also have a high rated sankotu that was about $50 -- I like it, but i just rarely use it.

As for pans, again, sets are a waste of money. Look though recipies you like and see what size pans you're actually most likely to use. I have an all clad saute and saucier that I love, but I have never gotten around to getting the sauce pans, because for some reason I just don't like them as much.

[fedoragirl]

I love our Wusthof knives, and I bought most of them from TJMaxx. They are still going strong after 5 years of daily use.
I got a gift of the Japanese style Wusthof chef's knife, and it's beautiful, but it's so sharp that I only use it occassionally.