A very popular concept in cookware these days is the idea of tri ply cookware, but what exactly is it? Basically it’s the process of bonding three metals together in order to make a pot or pan that conducts heat more evenly. The most popular form of this is stainless steel and aluminum. With this setup, you have a core of aluminum sandwiched in between two panes of stainless steel (hence the tri part).
There really isn’t a specific company that produces this kind of cookware. That is to say, it’s not really company specific… all companies have some form of tri ply cookware in their product catalog. There are different forms of tri ply as well; some use stainless steel, copper, and aluminum but these are generally much more expensive.
One thing you should understand right off the bat is that any piece of cookware that is made out of tri ply material is going to be more expensive then their regular alternatives. The reason why is because the process is more expensive for the manufacturers and the cost for the additional material is higher as well.
So it’s really not just a matter of slapping a fancy label on a box in and charging you more for it; you’re actually getting more for your money and generally in addition to distributing heat more evenly and creating a better cooking environment, these pots and pans will usually last longer as well, which also justifies the additional cost.
Most companies offer some sort of tri ply options, I find that All-Clad is fairly uniform in their use of the stainless steel and aluminum tri ply method on a great many of their products. Of course, as I already mentioned, you can expect to pay much more money for All Clad as compared to just a regular Cuisinart or Calphalon set.
To give you an example, a basic Cuisinart skillet my cost you between $20 and $30 while that same All-Clad model will run you around $100 up to $120. As you can see, it’s quite a substantial price hike but in my opinion it’s well worth it when you consider that the all clad skillet will probably last many years longer and cook better as well.
One thing to keep in mind is the difference between aluminum and copper. For the most part, aluminum is going to conduct heat very much like copper will, but copper is much more expensive. So if you have a choice between the two, I suggest you go with the tri ply that contains aluminum because for the extra cost, you’re not going to see a substantial benefit with the copper. But, everybody has their own opinions about that sort of thing.
At the end of the day, Tri Ply Cookware cost much more but is probably well worth the extra investment. If you spend a lot of time cooking in your kitchen and are a perfectionist when it comes to how you cook, then it’s really a no-brainer. It will be one investment you’ll be happy you made.
