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If you know me, you know where to find me: In the kitchen. At a friend’s, at my parents’, at my house, damn it! Sometimes you might even find me in a restaurant kitchen (if I know a cook or two). And it’s not just because I’m naturally drawn to service (it’s the old Italian grandma in me, what can I say), it’s also because I love food. Like really, really love food. I enjoy watching ingredients transform as they are prepared, understanding their origin stories, playing with how they interact with each other. The way I know how to express this fascination and this devotion? Kitchen.
All this to say that I pay a lot of attention to every detail of my kitchen. Thanks to years of restaurant training, I know how to clean my knife every time before putting it down, consistently label and store food in my fridge, and invest in high-quality cookware for high-quality results. So at the end of the day when it comes to essentials in my kitchen, I’m going to spend a lot of money (even if it’s infrequent) to make sure I’m investing in pieces that will last a lifetime. a life and handle anything I throw at them. . A great example of an essential I rely on daily for reliable cooking help: My All-Clad sauté pan.
Of all the kitchen utensil brands (of which there are many nowadays), All-Clad is a name that frequents all kinds of cuisines. In fact, most of us probably grew up announcing the beloved brand as #goals back when we had our own arsenal of cookware. Well, I can’t say my childhood self was wrong. My All-Clad D3 Tri-Ply is truly the most used cookware in my kitchen.
I love a pan. I think this is OG’s all-around piece and still minimizes cleanup – those high walls help prevent splatters on my pan and spills when I overload the pan. The pan’s wide base makes it a perfect substitute for a frying pan when performing everyday cooking tasks like sautéing onions, frying salmon fillets, even scrambled eggs. And thanks to All-Clad’s three-ply construction—two layers of the highest-grade stainless steel sandwiched by a lightweight, ultra-heat-conductive aluminum core—the surface heats evenly and evenly. and never a pain to clean up (even after those scrambled eggs).
Unlike a frying pan, however, the high sides mean this D3 can handle high-volume tasks. Think simple broths, reductions, braises, frying and a million other things. In fact, before I discovered the wonders of an air fryer, I often used my sauté pan to whip up a batch of Sunday morning donuts. It also works wonders for longer cooking adventures like caramel or risotto. Because both of these recipes require endless stirring, the nearly 90-degree angle on the side of the pan makes the effort easier. It’s easy to continuously circulate the entire contents of pans without worrying about bits burning along the bottom or sides.
After a literal decade of use, there are no stains inside or on the underside of my pan. Oh and I have a gas stove, but if you have an induction burner, don’t worry! This dependable essential works on all stovetops. In fact, despite some clear signs of use, like darkening along the seam where the handle meets the base (you know the look of a beloved saucepan), there’s no difference in quality between its first and its 3,650th day of use. There aren’t many kitchen utensils you can say this on!
I know the price is steep, but this pan is not only the most reliable cookware, it will also become your kitchen BFF. Believe me, it’s been mine for years,
