Mauviel M'Cook 5 Ply Stainless Steel 5210.13 0.9 Quart Saucepan with Lid, Cast Stainless Steel Handle

excellence

Its a Mauviel. What can I say? The metal finish is to perfection, seamless. Most other pot or pan they just stick an extra piece to the bottom of the pan, which doesnt conduct heat that well. This conduct heat well, and I am able to easily push up the temperature for searing or browning.

Stainless-steel handle specific remarks below…After EXTENSIVE analysis of various cookwares, including thermal-infrared imaging, computer modeling of heat diffusion, and analysis of the chemical reactivity of the metals -- I concluded that these Mauviel M'cook pans are the best stainless-interior plans on the market, much better than AllClad and even better than the much lauded copperware.These pans are well made using a high-quality five layer process. The layers are, from exterior to interior: magnetic stainless, pure aluminum (very thin), aluminum alloy, pure aluminum (very thin), 18/10 non-reactive stainless. It's the pure aluminum that is very good at conducting heat, but don't worry about the the thin aspects, it doesn't have a significantly negative impact. The aluminum alloy core gives more structural stability than the pure aluminum core found in some tri-ply, and has a slightly lower thermal expansion coefficient that might help prevent warping (a big problem in the AllClad line).Although I was not able to do a micrographic analysis of the bonding, my hope is that French metallurgical manufacturing tradition is better than what is currently being done with Chinese-made or even US-Made AllClad. I have detected delamination of layers in some of the AllClad frying pans I owned, which led to very uneven and spotty heating. So far, I haven't noticed that with these.I have three major complaints:1. The lids: (a) The lid handles are thin and tiny and heat up pretty fast; they basically must be lifted with a pot-holder. This is difficult because the handle is small and tricky to grab through a fat pot-holder. (b) They do not fit snugly. After a while you get used to this, but with my previous cookware they fit like a glove. (c) The shape of the lid is rather bumpy and harder to clean, although a minor annoyance.2. The main handle is thin and uncomfortable unless you grab it just right. Near the pan the handle is concave up (rather like the AllClad handles) and if you place your thumb there and wrap your hand around the bottom, then it's OK. The remainder of the handle then goes underneath your wrist and forearm. This adds stability, but it means you have to grab these pots quite close to the body, and that is also where they get hot.3. With the exception of the extremely expensive Matfer Bourgeat line, panmakers have stopped polishing their interiors. Interior finish is, however, important to resisting corrosion. Yes, stainless steel does corrode, specifically from salt -- and guess what, food is salty. The unpolished interiors act as places where salt residues stick and begin to pit the pan. The Mauviel are not as bad as some. The worst offender in the high-end lines is Demeyere.All in all, I think these are as good as you can do these days. And the aluminum is MUCH lighter and more enjoyable to use than the copper -- and performs basically as well. Indiscernible in my testing with infrared cameras.

Looks well constructed but so small that it’s uses are very limited. Maybe one 12oz can capacity and it’s hard to stir the contents without spilling.

It's a great pan. It is a perfect size, exactly what I was looking for in purchasing it, slightly smaller than a 3 qt pan. It's extremely well-constructed, very sturdy; the handle is one of the best handles I've used on a pan, well-angled and sized. The pan heats well, heats evenly, and acts as a good energy buffer between the range and the food being cooked. The pan itself is exactly what I was hoping for.The only downside is the lid (I would give 4.5 stars if I could, but the pan overall is better than 4). Although the lid doesn't fit tightly, it fits snugly enough, with enough weight to hold in steam but also enough give to let it escape and prevent boil-overs. The problem with the lid is that it gets extremely hot, far hotter than any other lid I own. I'm not really sure why it heats more than other lids which are similarly constructed, but it does. I have to remember to use a potholder with it or it burns. The upside is that the lid is also very sturdy, like the pot, and fits well, so it's not all bad. A small price to pay in my mind for a pot that can't really be substituted.