Abbio vs All-Clad vs Made In vs Calphalon: Comparing Cookware Brands Old and New

What to look for when buying high-end cookware like Abbio or All-Clad

Several factors come into play when evaluating high-end kitchen equipment, and your pots and pans are no exception. Everyone’s needs are going to be different, so consider the following criteria when evaluating products from providers like Abbio or All-Clad:

Price – which cookware is most affordable?

We’re listing this at the top because cookware can get pricey fast. The range for pans and skillets is pretty shocking. Amazon has T-Fal non-stick skillets for under $20, and Ikea offers a low-end skillet for even less. But an All-Clad 4112NSR2, on the other hand, goes for almost $200 — 10x the price for something that theoretically performs the same task. Believe it or not, there’s actually much more expensive versions, like the All-Clad copper core, but there’s no way I’m getting my hands on one!

The point is: price matters to most of us, and it goes without saying we are all looking for the most affordable cookware with all the bells and whistles we can’t do without. So let’s talk about what those might be.

Durability – Which cookware will last?

We all have that special utensil — probably a knife — that has to be treated with kid-gloves. You know, the one that can’t go in the dishwasher nor be dropped nor sneezed on, lest it chip. And every time friends come over, you have to snatch it away before they put it in the dishwasher or use the tip to open a can of beer or whatever…

Okay, maybe my friends aren’t all that classy… but THAT ASIDE: if you’re investing hundreds or thousands of dollars into a cookware set, you are going to want it to last a longtime, and not fall apart the moment an untrained guest takes hold. Sooner or later, somebody is going to drop a pot, or take it off the hot burner and put it directly under cold water… or, most likely, use a hard utensil on the nonstick surface.

Bottomline: your set needs to be able to take abuse. And, if you really like to cook, you want to be able to focus on making the meal – not babying your pans.

Convenience – which cookware is easiest to clean?

Cooking is fun, but cleanup? Not so much. Your cookware has to be easy to clean. And it shouldn’t require any super strange maintenance rituals. For example, you can read this 5,000 word article on cleaning copper pots, or you can just get pots that don’t require special maintenance.

Abbio’s cookware, for example, can be cleaned with normal dish soap and water,  and supposedly is also dishwasher safe, although they don’t recommend it since hand washing will allow it to last longer.

Reactivity – which cookware is healthiest?

When it comes to cookware, chemistry is important. Some materials can leach into your foods or react with the acid in your tomato sauce, which obviously isn’t ideal for your health. Assuming you don’t want to eat too much copper (trust us, you don’t according to a study from Clemson University that says “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautions against the use of unlined copper cookware for general cooking…because some foods are capable of dissolving metals, and in sufficient quantities, leached copper can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”

Aluminum is also not great with acidic food. It can be treated to be non-reactive, like Calphalon’s hard-anodized aluminum. But stainless steel — not aluminum — has become the ideal minimally-reactive material for pots and pans. It doesn’t scratch easily nor leach into your sauce. Read on to learn about its pros and cons.

Distribution of heat – Which cookware is best for cooking?

The feature that might actually help make you a better (or worse) cook is how well the pan distributes heat. Different materials transfer heat around better than others, which means some are able to cook your food more evenly.

So what’s the best material for even distribution of heat? Experts love copper and aluminum, but not stainless steel. However as we just mentioned, copper and aluminum leach bad stuff into your tomato sauce. Thankfully, manufacturers have figured out how to coat aluminum and copper in stainless steel, giving you the best of both worlds. All-Clad is the best known, and probably the original, at using a “cladding” technique to bond stainless steel to aluminum and copper, but modern DTC brands like Abbio also offer quality cookware with aluminum cores.

Matching your range – Which cookware is best for your kitchen?

If you have an induction stove top, you need pans with some “magnetic” properties. If a magnet won’t stick to the pan, it probably won’t work on an induction cooking surface. And if you want to take your pot from the stove to the oven, you need to make sure that it’s rated to withstand high enough temperatures to prevent plastic handles from melting!

Brands like Abbio have some pots that are rated to up to 500 degrees, so you can feel good putting them into the oven (although you’ll need to remember to use cooking mitts, since those metal handles will be hot!).

Aesthetics – what’s the best designed cookware brand?

Does it matter what your cookware looks like? On one hand, not really. But on the other, it feels great to work with beautiful tools. It signals a higher level of dedication to a craft. Some cookware companies have invested fortunes into their brand and product, so “displaying” the pans during a dinner party can be a fun conversation starter.

The choice to invest in aesthetically pleasing cookware may also depend on pot/pan storage — are they hanging from a rack in plain view? Or tucked away in a cabinet out of sight? Ultimately choosing how much to value the visual appearance of your pans is personal.