On Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:41:06 -0500, EZ >
wrote:

>Hello, folks,
>
>It's been a while since I've posted here, but I have a problem that
>I'm thinking you can help with. I have an All Clad 10" stainless
>skillet that has turned into a spinner. As in, the bottom is now
>convex, and you can spin it on a flat surface.
>
>I bought this nearly $100 skillet because I thought it was the best
>you can buy, but now it's worthless on my smoothtop.
>
>Can I get a replacement, or my money back, or something? Is this best
>of all pans warranteed in any way, or am I SOL?
>
>Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Well, it's nice to see that things haven't changed around here much in
the few years I've been absent! Lots of replies, most of them helpful,
some not so much.

In any case, All-Clad replied, giving me a return authorization
number, and instructions about sending the pan back for their
evaluation. I have no doubt they'll replace the pan.

As to what happened, I can't really point to any single event that
suddenly caused the pan to warp. It may very well have been warped
from the beginning. When I bought it, about ten years ago, I was using
a gas stove, so I wouldn't have noticed if it was ever so slightly
rounded on the bottom or not. About 2 years ago I moved, and the
coiltop electric stove had the pan tipping toward the handle unless I
rotated the pan a bit, then all was fine. I suppose the indent in the
middle of the coil allowed the pan to rest evenly, but only in one
position. I just figured the pan was handle-heavy.

I replaced the coil top with the most inexpensive smooth top that I
could live with last weekend, and it was then that I realized this pan
now spins. I did manage to cook up some crab cakes in it, and it
worked tolerably well.

I suppose if I did do the damage, it might have happened when, for a
time, I was deglazing the pan with perhaps a half-cup or so of liquid
following browning meat. Perhaps the change in temperature caused it
to warp - I don't know. I wouldn't have thought that adding
room-temperature liquid to a medium hot pan would have caused that,
but I could be wrong. In any case, I have *never* taken any pan
directly from a cooktop into ice water.

In any case, it's probably more pan than I need, anyway. I'm nearing
retirement age, and any serious cooking I do is usually done outdoors
on one of my smokers or grills. The main reason I got the smoothtop
was to please the wife, since we just had granite countertops put into
the kitchen, and the old coiltop just stuck out. With regard to
cooking with gas vs. electric, I won't engage in that debate other
than to say that after 60 years of cooking about half my life with
one, and half with the other, I actually prefer electric, and the
faster response of this new smoothtop compared to the old coiltop
suits me fine.

In any case, thanks for the replies - especially the helpful ones. If
I'm still around here after the six or so weeks All-Clad says it'll
take to decide about my pan, I'll let you all know.