Review on All-Clad LTD 9-Piece Cookware Set: Nonstick Fry Pan Included! by Laura Thomas

I got this set as a wedding/Christmas/birthday present from my mother. I did a lot of research before deciding on this set. I read reviews about other sets, compared prices and materials. You name it, I tested it. I've even read various cookbooks and tried to learn as much as I can about good cookware. Here are some of the basics I learned. Good cookware should last a lifetime, it should heat EVENLY, it should have a solid warranty, it should be beautiful and it should be expensive (because you get what you pay for!). Why did I choose the All Clad LTD 9-Piece Set? All Clad has several ranges of cookware. ALL of them have aluminum cores (and in case you haven't figured it out, aluminum is a GREAT conductor of heat). So why OOO? LTD cookware is made from stainless steel (which is great because it's the strongest metal of all), a pure aluminum core, and a beautiful dark gray hard-anodized aluminum exterior. Why hard anodized aluminum for the exterior? Well, while aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat (second only to copper), it's not very durable. But good old science has found a way to make aluminum stronger without sacrificing its heat-conducting properties. This is an electrochemical process that "anodizes" aluminum. Hard anodized aluminum is actually stronger than stainless steel! So when you get cookware with an 18/10 stainless steel interior, a PURE aluminum core and a super strong and super beautiful hard anodized aluminum exterior, you're getting the best of all worlds. This set itself is almost perfect. how the pieces go. My only complaint is that the soup pot is too small. BUT. a frying pan, a non-stick frying pan (which by the way has the AWESOME non-stick surface I've ever used!) and two pans for the pot - AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL items. I've added to this set since I bought it. I bought a steamer basket (which fits a large pot), a 7" skillet and a 1.5 liter saucepan. Everything LTD and everything is PERFECT. I have absolutely no complaints about the parts themselves. Water boils. faster in these pieces than any other item I have ever used. And more importantly, it heats up EVENLY. You won't look into the pot as it begins to boil, and you'll see bubbles rising from one side only. Pot. Bubbles rise evenly from the entire bottom of the pan. Oh, and did I mention the aluminum core extends ALL the way to the sides of the pan? The heat from the burner is ALL transferred to the top of the pan, heating it up incredibly quickly! Overall, all the clothes are a perfect 10. Other sets (MC2, Copper Cook, etc.) also look pretty good, but they have theirs Cons The LTD set is perfect and beautiful. I highly recommend it.