Celebrity Brands

Celebrity pots and pans hold their own

Emerilware is the brand of cookware created by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse in association with All-Clad Metalcrafters. All-Clad makes two lines of Emerilware: hard-anodized aluminum (nonstick) and uncoated stainless steel (with an aluminum and copper base). In Cook's Illustrated tests, both the Emerilware nonstick hard-anodized 12-inch skillet (*Est. $200 for a 10-piece set) and the Emerilware stainless 12-inch skillet (*Est. $150 for a 10-piece set) are tested alongside others. Experts generally find the Emerilware nonstick cookware average when it comes to performance. In one test the fry pan didn't brown meat very well, but in other tests the cookware is said to be well balanced. Unlike All-Clad Stainless, Emerilware Stainless has a bottom-only tri-ply core, which makes it a bit bottom-heavy. It's clear from reviews that the Emerilware can't compete with its parent company's top-of-the-line cookware. Among mid-range cookware lines,Cuisinart's Chef's Classic Stainless line (*Est. $150 for a 10-piece set) appears to be a better value than Emerilware.

Although it's only available through the Home Shopping Network (on TV or on the web) or at Sam's Club stores, reviews say Wolfgang Puck's Bistro Collection (*Est. $300 for a 25-piece set) offers a good value. A four-millimeter-thick aluminum disk in the bottom of the pots heats quickly and evenly, and one review says the Wolfgang Puck skillets create a nice fond. Owners posting comments to Epinions.com are pleased with this cookware's performance and ease of cleanup. We did find some concerns that the handles get too hot. Wolfgang Puck's cookware is available in sets of varying numbers of pieces, though be aware that the count may somewhat misleadingly include utensils and, in some cases, wine accessories.