Reddit reviews All-Clad 4403 Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Bonded Dishwasher Safe 3-Quart Saute Pan with Lid, Silver

A perfect chef's knife is the first place to start (that's my preference, the Wusthof Ikon Classic 8", $160). Go to a kitchen supply store, or even Bed Bath & Beyond, and test drive some steel - see how comfortable it is in your hand, how balanced it feels. If you want to save money for other things, you can't go wrong with the Victorionx Fibrox 8" chef's knife, at an extremely reasonable $40. The chef's knife is an impossibly versatile tool all on its own, but if you want a smaller knife for detailed work, grab a paring knife from whatever manufacturer you choose for your chef's.

A huge, heavy cutting board ($88). For most of my life, I went with the $20 3-packs of plastic OXO or other cutting boards, ranging from small to extremely small - nothing will slow down your cooking more than an inadequately sized cutting board. Things roll off, you pile up your chopped veg and run out of space, you feel constantly crowded, and you can never carve a whole chicken or roast. Buy a piece of non-slip material (usually used for carpets) ($9), place it under the cutting board when you use it, and it will never slip or slide around - more convenient and safe.

A Thermapen. Expensive - it's $100, but it's the fastest and most accurate kitchen thermometer money can buy. A less expensive alternative would be the Lavatools Javelin at $24 - not quite as good, but a damn sight better than any other digital food thermometer you'll get your hands on. This is essential for cooking any meat, deep frying, baking - it will change your game.

An All-Clad Sauté Pan ($129). Also expensive, but an absolute essential tool for everything from sautéing to braising to deep frying. Do not go cheap with your stainless - you can do cheaper than All-Clad, but even heating, comfort, and build quality are absolutely essential.

An inexpensive but awesome nonstick set($164 for 11 pcs). Alternately, you could get a very versatile 12" TFal Professional Total Nonstick, an impossibly stickless, oven safe, dishwasher safe wunderkind.

A 12" Cast Iron Skillet ($34). These are kind of a pain to take care of, but are invaluable for searing, baking, even serving. It'll last you a lifetime if you take care of it.

If you cook in a wider, shallower pan, the liquid will evaporate more quickly, should be enough to let it evaporate before the meat browns. You definitly want to get it out one way or the other (either straining it off or just letting it evaporate), the meat will steam instead of browning with it in there and if you make a sauce or chili it won't taste as good as it should.

testing notes

> The price for our winner is steep ($219.95), but it offered a stellar heating performance, a roomy cooking surface (a good 10 1/2 inches—a more generous expanse than the cooking surface of our favorite Dutch oven, as well as of our recommended skillet), a stay-cool handle, a helper loop, and a snug-fitting lid. But if you can’t bring yourself to spend more than $200 on a pan that you won’t use every day, and you can do with less cooking surface and a slight drop in quality, our Best Buy pan ($79.95) is a good bargain bet.

WINNER
Viking (listed above) - $219.95 as tested.

or

All-Clad Stainless 3-Quart Tri-Ply Sauté Pan - $224.95 as tested.

BEST BUY
Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Triple-Ply 3 1/2-Quart Sauté Pan with Lid - $79.95 as tested

> I don't want one Calphalon Contemporary, one classic, etc.

I wouldn't want any Calphalon anything, either. All-Clad hasn't changed their design in years and years. You can buy that frying pan I linked and then later on get a sauce pan, then a saute pan, then even a non-stick pan if you want, and so on.

They'll all match, the lids from one will fit on another, and they'll last forever. There's no "design series". They just make very high quality cookware and avoid gimmicks.

If you're willing to bump up your budget a little, a 3qt sautee pan is a great choice. I use something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T6J5XY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KYnBDbG48ZB9D for basically everything except what I prefer to use cast iron for. It's way more versatile than a regular 8" or 10" skillet.

ETA All-Clad is has seconds sales pretty regularly and most of my stuff has come from there. https://homeandcookstore.com/index.php/all-clad (SO sorry for the million edits, it is late and reddit hates me)

I don't see the value of a 9.5" saute pan when you have the 10" cast iron.

I'd much rather have an 11" saute pan. something like this. You'll be using it mostly for dishes that need to simmer, and the extra volume will be helpful.

I'd definitely recommend adding a 12" cast iron.

I've got a shit-load of All-clad. I bought them when I was first living out on my own. Adding a 10" cast iron about 3 years ago, more than half of my cooking transitioned to cast iron. This year I added a 12", and that's got my cooking up to probably 90% cast iron.

You can probably get rid of the wok if you get a 12" cast iron, depending on what kind of a wok it is and how you actually use it. I mean, you can stir fry quite a bit in 12" cast iron, most wok's in america aren't real woks (should be heavy and made of carbon steel) and most stoves in America can't put out the power required to really cook in a wok.

Definitely get a small saucepan - 1.5 qt is perfect, and a 3 qt sauce pan or saucier.

I'd get rid of the 10" nonstick.

This is what I'd be building to with your current inventory:

6" nonstick aluminum pan
10" cast iron pan
5.5 qt enameled cast iron dutch oven
12 qt stockpot with an 11" lid.
12" cast iron
1.2 qt saucepan
3 qt saucier
11" saute pan (share lid with stock pot)