Demeyere vs All Clad Cookware, which is better? Demeyere is a Belgium cookware manufacturer that has been in business for over a hundred year. In 2008 they were acquired by Zwilling. If you look at their line of cookware, it actually shares a lot of similarities with Zwilling Sensation Line. Most notably, the silvinox finish and the rivetless features.

All Clad is an American cookware manufacturer that has been in business for around 50 years. Since that time, they have pioneered the fully cladded design. It has been so successful, that pretty much all the other manufacturer use some variation of it. However, since there is so much competition, does All Clad still reign king? The Demeyere Industry 5 is very similar to All Clad d5 line. Both have 5 layers and you can generally find them around the same price. This article will compare and contrast the two pan and see is one is better than the other.

Demeyere Industry5 vs All Clad D5 Quick Summary

Categories	Demeyere Industry5	All Clad
Performance	Great	Great
Colors	Brushed	Brushed and Polished
Brand Awareness	America and Europe	America
Weight	Mid Weight	Mid Weight
Country of Manufacturer	Belgium	America
Thoughts	A well designed pan. Handle is better than All Clad but the pan is more like a saucier. Not really a traditional Skillet.	Classic example of how a frying pan should be. Low sides and rolled lip to promote evaporation. Handle is still horrible.
Reviewed Cookware	Demeyere Industry 5 9.5-inch Skillet	All-Clad D5 10 inch Fry Pan

What is Fully Cladded

A fully cladded cookware has sheets of metal stamped together. The thickness of it is uniform from the base to the rim. Manufacturer rolls different layers of metal into one. And then they stamp it with a hydraulic press to give it shape. The end result is a pan with uniform thickness. The benefit to this design is that the heating pattern will be even throughout the pan.

Fully cladded cookware also lets you use the best properties of different metal. For example, Stainless Steel has a low thermal conductivity but wont stain or react with acidic food. Whereas aluminum has a high thermal conductivity but will react with acidic food. By placing the stainless steel on the inside, you get the benefit of stainless steel, while maintaining the thermal conductivity of aluminum.

Disc Bottom Cookware

Before fully cladded cookware became main stream, disc bottom cookware was all the rage. A disc bottom cookware is a heavy disc fused to the base of the cookware. Doing this will improve the pan overall heat capacity, letting it sear food better. If the cookware base is thin, heat is loss rapidly and you will steam your food.

While this sounds great, there are some inherent issue with this design. Most notably is that the bottom and the side will heat up at different rates. The sidewall will heat up considerably faster while the base will remain cool. What will happen is that food near the walls will burn. While the center, it will barely be warm.

Another issue is durability, disc bottom cookware do not last as long as fully cladded ones. Maybe you overheat it or maybe you accidentally bang it. The base can be separated from the pan. Because of this, Fully Cladded cookware is preferred over disc bottom cookware.

Demeyere Industry5 vs All Clad D5 Design

Demeyere currently has a line called the Industry5. It matches the All Clad D5 line in terms of configuration. Both have 5 layers of metal and both are great for searing food. We will do an in depth comparison between the two.

Demeyere vs All Clad Handle Design

The design of a handle affects how comfortable the cookware is. If you cook in a professional kitchen, a poorly designed handle will cause aches and sores. It can also affect how easy it is to maneuver the pan.

Demeyere Industry5 Handle

I am really impressed by how their handle is designed. Instead of rivets, they welded the handle to the pot. This gives a seamless interior which makes things easier to clean. On the base, there is a Y heat choke to prevent heat transfer. Combine that with the stainless steel handle, the chance of it heating up on the stove is unlikely. The handle is also textured so that you can maintain a grip even if your hand is greasy.

The one issue that I have is how square and wide it is. It is simply not comfortable for long cooking session. It does have a slight taper to allow for a more comfortable grip though.

The good thing about this design is that it gives you more control over the pan. While a rounded handle is more comfortable, it can rotate in your hand when you turn it.

All Clad D5 Handle

All Clad on the other hand, they have one of the most hated handle in the industry. It has a center divot which forms a cup. This cup will push the two sharp edges into the palm of your hand. Many people avoid all clad because of this design.

The good thing about this is that it lets you maintain control of the pan. When you turn it, the handle will latch onto your hand. The chance of it rotating is low. It also stays cools for a long period of time.

Recently, I have been seeing new handle design by All Clad. This has a rounder base that does not hurt as much. You can find it on their C4 and ltd cookware line. Every once in a while, you might find it in the d3 or d5 line. Even though it is better, it is still not perfect. Ironically, their Thomas Keller Line have one of the best handle I have ever used.

Demeyere vs All Clad Shape

The shape of a pot or pan affects the performance of the pan. A wide base lets you sear food in less batch. A lower sidewall promotes evaporation of liquid. All of these thing are factor to consider when selecting a cookware. This section will primarily review the skillet’s shape.

Demeyere Industry5 Shape

The shape of Demeyere Industry5 skillet resembles that of a french skillet with added features. Most notably is the rolled lip and taller sidewall. The interior is rounded to allow for easy whisking and tossing. The major downside to this design is the height of the sidewall. It makes it difficult to turn food with a spatula. It resembles more like a short saucier pan.

The upside to this design is that it will hold more liquid. You can also toss food a little easier, but that requires skill on the cook. Overall, its a good design, just not for a frying pan. I would classify this more as a specialty skillet.

All Clad D5 Shape

The shape of All Clad skillet is the gold standard on how a frying pan should be. It has low flaring side that promotes evaporation of liquid. It also allows you to easily turn food. The rolled lip lets you turn food with ease. It also have ample space for searing food. Overall All Clad skillet is more well designed.

Demeyere vs All Clad Lid

A lot of people dont pay attention to the lid. But a good tight fitting lid, can prevent evaporation of liquid. It can also help you steam food and accelerate cooking.

Demeyere

I am simply amazed by the design of their lid. It is incredibly heavy duty and thick. I think it shares the same thickness of their pot. This is great because it means that the chance of steam escaping is lower. Quite frankly, no other manufacturer makes lids of this thickness anymore. Not only that, they have a “Thermo Lid” technology, which basically means double wall. A double wall surface prevent heat from getting transferred. It will stay cool for longer and reduce the chance of burning your hand. The brush finish is a nice touch as well.

All Clad

All Clad lid is great and I never had issues with it warping. However, it is also considerably thinner than Demeyere. Although it does its job, it is simply not as good as Demeyere. Demeyere wins this round.

Demeyere vs All Clad Exterior and Interior Finish

The exterior and Interior finish of a cookware affects how easy it is to clean the pan. It can also affect how much food sticks to the pan. Although with stainless steel cookware, how you cook the food is more important.

Demeyere

Both the interior and exterior is brushed. For the interior, there is a common train of thought that rough surface promotes adhesion. For cast iron cookware, those collectors want a smooth interior because they think that makes it more non stick. When in reality, it is the seasoning that makes it non stick. A rougher surface will actually maintain the seasoning better than a smooth surface. This same principle can be applied on the a brushed stainless steel interior. If you are so inclined, you can even season it.

The exterior is interesting, they claim that they have a proprietary silvinox finish. Apparently they used a “electrochemical surface treatments that removes iron and impurities” to prevent surface stain. While it may be true, I personally believe a brushed finish is actually more beneficial in preventing stains and gouges. The knicks and scratches will be hidden by its inherent design. More than likely, the pan will build up oil stains and that will darken it regardless of the Silvinox finish.

All Clad

The interior of all clad is a simple conical design. It was most likely done by a lathe. Overtime, it will get scratches and marred. In this instance, a brushed interior is actually better. A scratch on a brushed interior is more well hidden.

On the exterior, they will have either a polished or a brushed finish. Scratches can and will occur over time. If you can, I would try and get one with a brushed finis. The d5 line are usually brushed.

Interesting enough, All Clad cookware with a polished exterior actually have a brushed bottom. This was probably done to promote heat absorption. A shiny reflective surface deflects heat.

Fit and Finish

Fit and Finish for both cookware is excellent. You are unlikely to find flaws or nicks anywhere. You wont be disappointing with either brand.

Demeyere vs All Clad Thoughts

I got to say, I am really impressed with Demeyere. I did not expect this level of quality from their cookware. From the rivetless handle to the finish, it is simply amazing. They are definitely giving All Clad a run for its money. Although I do like their skillet, I would still say that in terms of cooking performance, All Clad is better. And the only reason for this is because of its shape. On a traditional skillet, you need a low flaring side like All Clad. Demeyere skillet is more like a cross of a skillet and a saute pan. However, in terms of all other aspect, demeyere is better. But if you want a skillet, go for All Clad. For other cookware, like the sauce pot, I would probably go with Demeyere.

I hope you enjoyed this Demeyere vs All Clad Cookware Review. If you would like to see more, please visit our Pots and Pans Review page.