Dacor Signature Gourmet Cookware 7-Piece Collection

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		Signature Gourmet Cookware 7-Piece Collection Product number: AHD7S-1 Manufacturer: Dacor List price: $549 Warranty: Lifetime Dimensions: 1.75-quart saucepan: 13-1/2" x 6-3/4" x 3-1/2" (lid: 6-3/4" diameter x 2" high); 3-quart saucepan: 16-1/2" x 8-1/4" x 4-3/8" (lid: 8-1/4 diameter x 2-1/2" high); 3.5-quart saucier: 18-1/4" x 10" x 3-3/8" (lid: 10" diameter x 2-1/2" high); skillet: 18-1/4" x 10" x 2-3/8" Weight: 1.75-quart saucepan: 2 lb 2.9 oz (lid 8.7 oz); 3-quart saucepan: 3 lb 6.9 oz (lid: 11.4 oz); 3.5-quart saucier: 3 lb 9.8 oz (lid: 14.5 oz); skillet 3 lb 8.5 oz Composition: Stainless steel, aluminum Made In: China
Type: Cookware
Color: Silver
Apparent goal:	kids	gift/registry	home kitchens	restaurants	everywhere
Intended audience:	novice	advanced beginner	good home cook	gourmet	professional
Diet/nutrition:	does not apply	scary	empty promises	helpful	essential
Green?:	not especially	neutral	mixed blessing	earth friendly	green!
Innovative:	step back	standing still	progress	trendy	genius
Problem solving:	no better	baby steps	solid steps	giant steps	a revelation
Competition:	outclassed	follower	in the pack	strong challenger	likely champ
Utility/Quality
Ease of use:	impossible	frustrating	OK	simple	child's play
Intuitive:	Ph.D. required	barely	logical	effortless	brilliant
Instructions:	missing	incomprehensible	adequate	unnecessary	excellent
Quality:	cheesy	questionable	good	years of service	impressive
Parts to lose:	inevitable	some/many	one-piece	self-storing	not a problem
Power source:	none	hands	batteries	outlet	cooktop/oven
Clean-up:	nightmare	wipe clean	soap & water	scouring pad	dishwasher
Does it work?:	not at all	adequately	well	very well	perfectly
Availability:	airfare required	online	kitchen store	department store	supermarket
Packaging
Easy to open?:	impossible	maddening	tolerable	good	opens itself
Green?:	fills a landfill	huge waste	passable	minimal waste	impressive
Economy
Time saving:	time wasting	not really	modest	substantial	huge
Labor saving:	less efficient	marginal	a bit	noticeable	remarkable
Money saving:	money wasted	none	$	$$	$$$
Beats the old way:	worse	no change	better	definitely	entirely new
Where will it live?:	garage/attic	drawer	cabinet	countertop	pot rack
Summary
Fulfills ambitions:	falls short	almost there	satisfies	exceeds	home run
How often used:	once/twice	≥daily	≥weekly	≥monthly	≥yearly/holidays
Worth the space?:	no	does not apply	w/unlimited space	w/limited space	absolutely
Need it?:	a luxury	discretionary	basic equipment	for serious cooks	get it
Value:	ouch!	a little pricey	worth splurging	on the money	a deal
Overall rating:	skip it	fair	good	very good	excellent
Comments: These are the pans against which we measure other pans. They heat evenly, they cook beautifully, they are beautiful, they never let us burn the roux – something we were confident we could do in any pan. The 7-piece set includes: 1.75-quart saucepan with cover 3-quart saucepan with cover 3.5-quart saucier with cover 9.5" skillet (no cover, but the saucier cover also fits this pan) The pans are made of five layers – T304 stainless steel (top-quality, with more chromium than lesser grades), aluminum, aluminum alloy, more aluminum, and more 18/10 stainless steel. A quarter-inch aluminum disk is impact-bonded to the base under hundreds of thousands of pounds of pressure, and covered in more stainless steel. Little holes in the stainless steel covering the base, which Dacor calls "Hot Dots," partially expose the aluminum disk to direct contact with the flame or burner. Heat is conducted through the dots to the pan more quickly (15% faster than the best other pans on the market, according to Dacor), and more evenly. The lids are made of stainless steel. Our criticisms are modest. They are heavy. Good pans are supposed to be heavy, but these may be a little heavier. The handles (which do stay cool) are a little narrow, and some of our cooks have had a hard time turning a full pan to pour out its contents, because it wants to stay level and they have not been able to grasp the handle firmly enough. They have had to use a towel or a rubber jar opener to get the leverage needed to tilt the pan. Wider handles would help. Like any pans in this category, they cost a fortune, but you will never spend a cent to replace them, either. Really, these pans are as good as they come.

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