We just replaced our dilapidated electric cooktop with ceramic cooktop. Apparently the recommended type of cookware for a ceramic cooktop is a heavy gauge, perfectly flat bottomed Stainless Steel pot or pan. Does anybody have any recommendations that fit the bill?
All-Clad is going to be the standard response, as it should be. Very well made, myriad choices of style, size, etc. and they are American made.
For something different I might suggest Mauviel Stainless. I have several pieces and I love them. They are heavier than the All-Clad and don’t come in as many variations though.
http://www.metrokitchen.com/mauviel-mcook-stainless-cookware" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
you can get all-clad seconds here and save a bundle
http://www.cookwarenmore.com/display.php?cat=48&zid=1&lid=1&cartid=201001295238319" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
they are not warped or anything like that, they just have blemishes on them of which you’d be hard pressed to find and none of which you will see after a few months of use.
For random allclad and calphalon finds, go to your local Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, or Homegoods to browse. Return every other week or so when there is new inventory. Some pans may have scratches but that is merely cosmetic. Prices will be cheaper than cookwarenmore.com.
Valid alternatives to allclad stainless steel (while a good product, it has a lot of marketing behind it and with it high prices) are the Tramonitina clad cookware, Kirkland clad cookware (Look in Costco), and the Calphalon Stainless Steel lineup. If you absolutely must buy a set, I would probably recommend the Kirkland set.
When buying any Calphalon stainless, make sure you get the “Tri-Ply”. It has an aluminum sandwich (like All-Clad) all the way through the pan, not just on the bottom.
With All-Clad, bear in mind that the stainless steel exterior line is distinctly thinner than the MC and LTD lines. I’ve seen a stainless 6 qt (13") saute pan that is badly warped on the bottom… no good for a ceramic cooktop.
All-Clad. We have a ceramic cooktop, and I’ve been nothing-but-pleased with our All-Clad copper cores. I would recommend following David’s suggestion of stepping-up above All-Clad’s bottom line.
Following up on my previous post, I went to a Homegoods today during lunch and bought a 12" AllClad LTD2 fry pan for $80. Normally $180.
have you considered an induction range? Might be a great option versus ceramic and its still electric.
all-clad stainless 12" for $95 - 20% ($76) if you buy 3 pieces of all-clad
http://www.cookwarenmore.com/display.php?cartid=201001295238319&zid=1&lid=1&psku=5112&mode=sp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
not the LTD but I don’t care for that line. I have only MC2 or Stainless lines
We definitely considered it. However, we were told that the electrical line itself couldn’t handle the amps and we’d be forced to run a new line from the breaker box in the garage to the stove in the kitchen.
In the end our ultimate goal is to have a gas cook top installed. The long term plan is to extend our kitchen out into our patio area and create an indoor/outdoor kitchen. We’ll run a gas line from the street to the new foundation extension before it’s poured.
We bought one 12" All Clad tri-ply skillet tonight to take the line for a test drive.
I can’t help on this one. I’m not allowed in the kitchen. I did see a receipt go through once for All Clad. Carrie’s kitchen has a Thermador commercial gas cook top and char broiler.
My wife went to culinary school and insisted on All-Clad when we remodeled the kitchen and converted electric to gas. We love them. I chose to quote this recommendation as we picked up many of the Fry Pans and Sauce Pans at Marshalls and TJ Maxx with minute blemishes for a fraction of the cost of new - some of the Stainless, LTD and Copper Core line. Having used them 5+ years, you can’t tell them from the ones we bought new.
Demeyere cookware from Belgium.
Demeyere Cookware - YouTube" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
OK boys and girls…I guess I need you to teach me how to cook all over again using this new All Clad Stainless Steel frying pan. I cook breakfast for the family every morning. So far I’ve cooked bacon, sausage and Canadian bacon. When I cooked the bacon and sausage both stuck to the bottom of the pan and therefore the eggs I cooked afterward were stuck to the bottom of the pan. I preheated the pan to bring it up to temp. I even put a light layer of oil in the bottom once to see if that helped. Had the heat set to 70% so I thought that would be plenty hot enough to keep it from sticking. What am I doing wrong folks? Should I just give up and go back to my Eazy Back Oven? 
All Clads answer to breakfast woes:
I have two Calphalon One 8 inch jobbies just for breakfast duty.
All-Clad just doesn’t work well when you need a non-stick pan … and 70% heat is probably too much for it, too … I rarely turn heat on our electric range up above 50% when using our All-Clad, and have never run into any issues with not enough heat. Do what Mike and I did, and buy one or two Calphalon non-sticks for eggs and other non-stick cooking needs.
I cook bacon and sausage in All-Clad, but I cook eggs in nonstick or an old, well-seasoned anodized Calphalon pan. Bacon cooks well if you put it in the pan before heating. Sausage and many other foods will stick to the pan for the first few minutes, then release after the cooked surface browns a bit. If you try to turn it before it is ready, the food will tear. Agree with Brian that 70% sounds a bit high.
Recent induction top convert. Old All clad skillet too warped to work well, so bought DeBuyer and boy do I love it! Treat like cast iron, season first, clean relatively quickly after use with mild soap, then put a little canola on cooking surface and put away. Eventually develops a patina that becomes as non-stick as most teflon skillets. Very heavy duty—will probably be in my will. Mike