# Emeril ware



## dreed3 (Nov 24, 2008)

Hi

My brother-in-law offered to buy me a 14 peice Emeril ware set from HSN. I've always thought when it comes to cookware, "you get what you pay for". Is that a pretty good thought process?

I think his stuff is pretty good, right? Its made by ALL-CLAD and is oven safe as well.

One thing I read ppl complaining about, is the "difficulty" of using stainless. Is there something different about using stainless cookware? What am I not understanding?

Any advice would be great!!


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

You're getting this stuff for free, and I very much doubt it's garbage, so don't look a gift-horse in the mouth. In fact, I rather like the looks of this set. Pricey, but that's not your problem.

That said, I would suggest that you read this article. It will tell you a great deal about different kinds of cookware, their advantages and disadvantages.

As you will see, it's true that stainless is not a great metal for cookware. But this isn't straight stainless: it's a complex sandwich with stainless on the outside only. The idea is that you get all the advantages of stainless (i.e., it doesn't stain much) with the advantages of copper and iron (thermal conductivity, heat retention, etc.).

I find that the oven-proof thing is quite useful, as it makes braising and even roasting, especially roasting smaller things, a lot easier: you don't have to haul out a huge roasting pan just to roast one chicken, but can use a saute pan or even a skillet instead. This not only makes cleanup and handling easier, but you actually get better results because the chicken isn't shielded from the oven.

Do not expect that because this is stainless, it will never stain. It will. But it won't stain much, and care is pretty trivial.

Glass lids are useful primarily if you are cooking something for quite a long time. At first, steam promptly fogs the lid. But after several minutes or more, depending on what you're doing, the liquid actually forms sufficiently large droplets which run down the surface that it's sort of like looking through a car window in the rain (without wipers, obviously): it's pretty distorted, but you can see. I find that this is primarily useful when you want a very slow, steady simmer, and want to be sure you don't have a real boil: the glass means you don't have to lift the lid to check, which helps. Good for rice, too.

Would I buy this set? No. I already have equal-quality pans to everything in it that I'd want, and there are a number of things here I wouldn't touch, like the little wok (although it is a useful pan for making certain sauces). But you're not asking if you should buy it, but if you should accept it as a present. YES, is my answer. But then chuck out everything that is actually replaced by it. And eventually, sell the odd piece that you don't use. The point is, don't think of it as a block, a permanent set: think of it as 8 separate pieces of cookware (6 of them with lids).

Oh... and happy holidays!


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## dreed3 (Nov 24, 2008)

Oh, I guess maybe I came across wrong. He offered to buy it vs. another set he saw at Macey's. A Wolfgang Puck set that was less quantity for less $.

I just want to get a good product. I guess HSN has some deal to break it up into 4 payments, so he said he doesnt mind paying whatever for it, (within reason, i'm sure)I just dont want to overpay for junk. ya know?


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

I'm pretty sure it's not junk. All-Clad does make a good product.

The pieces look good to me, on the whole. I guess the question is how much of this stuff you've already got in fairly high quality. If you already have a great deal of very good equipment of these sizes and shapes, you don't need this set at all -- it'd be a waste. If you have mediocre equipment, I think you're getting a pretty good set here.

Granted that this is high-quality equipment, which I'm pretty sure it is, the question isn't what other set to compare to: the question is what you already have that will be replaced or merely duplicated.


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## bubba (Dec 10, 2008)

I'll chime in on this one. At its price point Emerilware is very good quality. I bought my mother the anodized nonstick set awhile back and I have to say I was impressed by it. It seems better made than other most cookware in this price range.


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## dreed3 (Nov 24, 2008)

Right now, my cookware basically consists of a set of T-Fal stuff my grandmother bought me about 10yrs ago. Most of its in good shape. The teflon is still looking good. The biggest skillet is a bit scratched up. It consists of 3 skillets & 3 pots.

I also have a big (14" maybe?) Calphanlon skillet that I love, but that "someone" scrubbed with a brillo pad to make it come clean...dont get me started on that one! 

And I have a big stainless stock pot or 2.

And a cast iron skillet.

Of course there are a couple other mismatch pots in there too.


I love the idea of having a matching set! They look pretty, seem like high quality, and I'm ready to jump on board, but like I said, I just wanted to make sure this wasnt some set that was overpriced bc of the name on it!


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## marye (Sep 20, 2007)

Hi!

I think you'll be very happy with the Emerilware. It's nice stuff. It's made by All-Clad, but it has different featues than original All-Clad cokware. As mentioned earlier, Emerilware has glass lids while All-Clad has metal. Also, Emerilware has disk bottom construction (a disk of conductive metal is sandwiched into the bottom of the pan) whereas All-clad is fully clad. But, both types of pans function well and do a good job. So, I say 'Go for it!'. And, enjoy your new pans!


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