The ultimate fry/saute pan hunt continues

[midnight armadillo]

My latest addition to my cookware is a 1.25 qt vintage Le Creuset saucepan from Ebay. It's bright orange, quite festive looking, with a wooden handle. It cooks great, but is heavy and my wife doesn't want anymore cast iron pots because of the weight. However, the enameled interior is very easy to clean which got me thinking...

I've now come across the Chantal brand of cookware. Enamel over carbon steel, works on induction (for my future fantasy stove), lighter weight than LC, enameled in and out, comfy-looking handles. Does anyone have any experience with this? I plan on buying another small saucepan soon to test out the brand I'll pick up for a nice saute or fry pan.

The candidates are one of these Chantal pans, or a tri-ply stainless steel pan from De Buyer.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. Enamel vs stainless steel ...... apples and pears, if not oranges .......

The tri-ply is likely the more durable choice. Enamel is a great choice, too, but harder to maintain over the long haul. The tri-ply is pretty much indestructable. The enamel can chip and some might discolor with prolonged use.

In terms of cooking, the enamel on steel Chantal stuff will react more rapidly to fire changes as the steel is fast to heat and fast to cool. The tri-ply will be a bit slower. But, as a practical matter, the two are pretty close, so that shouldn't really be your determinate.

In the end, it probably all comes down to your own personal aesthetic and sensibilities. Both will do a credible job for you.

If it were me, I'd go for the tri-ply.

Both Chantal and De Buyer are good manufacturers.

[midnight armadillo]

3. Durability is a good point

Our cookware currently lives in a floor-level cabinet, perfect for our nearly-3 year old to play with. Hm, storing slightly fragile enameled pans might not work too well there.

Well, maybe I'll get a small fry pan from Chantal for the somewhat non-stick nature, just to see what it's like.

[NMDemDist2]

2. I have some vintage Belgium DescoWare

they were bought out by LaCresuet in the 80s I think

it's a nice set and sounds a lot like your pan but your SO is correct, they are HEAVY even compared to my cast irons. the enamel is crazed and chipped in places but doesn't seem to affect the cooking and they do made lovely crispy bits on both fried and baked goodies.