What’s your favorite brand of BIFL cookware for induction?

I’m looking to upgrade my kitchen with industrial-quality pots and pans. After about a month of searching, I came to the conclusion that the most important requirements are:

  1. 3-ply (or 5-ply). Fully clad (not just the bottom disc).
  2. 18/8 or 18/10 stainless steel on the inside
  3. 18/0 (or 200-grade or 400-grade) magnetic stainless steel on the outside.
  4. Thick layers of metal (ideally >= 3mm of aluminum)
  5. strong, serviceable rivets on handles (not welded)
  6. Handles on both sides of the pot (helper handle)
  7. Handles have a hole in them, for hanging
  8. Fits a 28 cm (or 11”) lid (easily replaceable standard size that’s interchangeable between metric and dumb units)
  9. Top rim should either have a pour spout or flared lip, for easier pouring
  10. NSF certified

From what I’ve read, stainless steel isn’t a very good conductor (NIST says that aluminum transfers heat 16x better than aluminum). But stainless steel is a better surface to cook-on, because it’s less reactive and won’t absorb flavours. So, 3-ply sandwiches a thick aluminum layer between two different types of stainless steel (nickle-free [eg 18/0 or 200- or 400-grade] on the outside, which – though less corrosion resistant – is important for induction) and either 18/8 or 18/10 on the inside.

5-ply is also a thing, but my research suggests that it doesn’t really matter how many layers. What’s more important is the thickness of the material.

And that’s why I’m here. Because, confidingly, the manufacturers of these pots don’t seem to even know how thick the layers of their 3-ply cookware is!

Ideally I’d just find the technical specifications of their cookware on their website, make a spreadsheet, and then buy the one with the thickest material (or close to the thickest, depending on my trade-off between quality vs weight & cost).

But I’ve called maybe a dozen manufacturers, and none seem to know the specifications of their own cookware :(

So, fediverse, I ask you: does anyone know what the thickness of the layers in these manufacturer’s 3-ply cookware is? Otherwise, what’s been your experience? How do you feel about these brands? Is there some other one (not listed) that you prefer?

  • Browne Thermalloy
  • All-Clad
  • Made-in
  • Tramontina
  • Cuisinart
  • Other?

Edit: I should be clear that I’m specifically asking about 3-ply or 5-ply stainless steel cookware. This is for a community house, so I need something that can be (ab)used by housemates who don’t know or care for the seasonings on the pans. And I don’t want cast iron, because it’s more likely to break the glass-topped induction cooktop.

  • Chaf@slrpnk.netEnglish
    3·
    12 days ago

    I can’t help with stainless steel pans, but just wanted to add my two cents to

    I don’t want cast iron, because it’s more likely to break the glass-topped induction cooktop.

    I’ve been using cast iron pans on glass-topped (induction or not) cooktops with no problems whatsoever. I don’t see how they would cause more or less damage to the glass surface than other pans.

    But I do understand that they’re not very suited for shared usage with housemates that don’t take proper care of them.

    • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      11 days ago

      While I do have cast iron skillets for my induction cooktop, I get nervous about

      • they are rough/abrasive and the glass is slippery so they slide around too easily, potentially scratching the surface (nothing visible yet though)
      • they can be heavy. While I am not too worried about dropping them, I have put them down harder than I like when a full large skillet is hard to hold one handed
      • Chaf@slrpnk.netEnglish
        2·
        11 days ago

        Sure, those are valid things to get “nervous” about, but that’s also possible with other pots and pans. Usually cooktop glass is hard enough to withstand metal moving on top of it, as long as you don’t deliberately try to scratch it.

        As for the abrasiveness, I have a cast iron pan that’s coated with I think enamel at the bottom only. Not sure how common that is. But I also haven’t had problems with the ones that are not coated.

        The weight is definitely a good point - handling them is a bit more difficult than the “lighter” pans, that can’t be argued away.

      • Nouvellalia@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        11 days ago

        I don’t fling my full cast iron dutch oven around 2 feet above my glass-topped induction cooktop. I’m not strong enough to do something so nonsensical, safely. But, if you have to do that as a mattter of process, you have reason to be concerned.

        As for your question on 3-ply pots, all-clad is phenomenal. You don’t need the 5-ply. Just make sure your roomies know not to throw any sandwiched metal pots in the dishwasher.

      • Chaf@slrpnk.netEnglish
        1·
        11 days ago

        Haha, okay, if you’re juggling with your pans… But I also wouldn’t recommend doing that with other pots and pans, I don’t think the cooktop would handle them that much better.