Ameriware- US made cookware

maestro said:

I noticed Costco is now carrying (online) a line called Ameriware,
it's discription and 25 year warranty but also the fact that it's
forged in the US certainly got my attention especially after I read in
the WSJ that US steel companies which have survived are considered
some of the very best in the world for quality....has anyone here used
or is familiar with this cookware?

In order for a warranty to have value, that company or comopany
subsidiary must be around for the duration of the warranty. In most
cases today, that's questionable.

Interestingly, they no longer seem to be available through
cookswarehouse.com, for whom they were originally made and by whom
ythey were exclusively sold for years.

You could look at http://www.ameriwareprofessional.com/, or at the
manufacturer site http://www.vollrathco.com/.

Or you could read gardenweb.com:

"Ameriware cookware

Posted by maria67 (My Page)

I purchased this cookware (very pricey) 3 years ago at Fort Rucker AL
and I found it to be mediocre. The handles are very user unfriendly.
The bottom coating is nearly peeled off. The non-stick coating has to
be seasoned every week, and is too easily damaged. The only good thing
about this cookware is the even heat distribution. I would not buy it
again.

Follow-Up Postings:

* Posted by geoffshepherd

Interesting. The pieces they (Cook's Warehouse) are selling now under
the Pro-HG name are made by Vollrath and carry a 25-year warranty from
Vollrath. The interior non-stick is ceramic-titanium reinforced. The
exterior has some other kind of non-stick, but the bottoms are all
machined flat leaving an uncoated aluminum base. I bought a 12-piece
set + urethane utensils for $425 a week ago.

The handles and lids are typical of commercial cookware (Vollrath,
Wearever, etc) available at a restaurant supply. Indeed, Vollrath
cookware is available locally, and the pieces are very similar in
design, just different finish options/sizes and about the same price
as Cook's Warehouse show prices.

As non-sticks go, since finding out from Cook's Warehouse that even
the HG-Pro finish has plastic in it (unlike what the sales rep
claimed), I have my doubts as to ultimate longevity. The 25-year
warranty only covers defects, not wear-and-tear, so whether a loss in
the non-stick properties or peeling/chipping constitutes a defect is
up to the manufacturer (Vollrath in the case of HG-Pro). "

or http://www.cookingforengineers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=129:

"Do you need NSF certified kitchen equipment?
In general, it doesn't hurt to have tools bearing the NSF mark, but I
wouldn't use it as a deciding factor when purchasing gear for your
kitchen. Recently a salesman we saw at Costco pushing Cook's
Warehouse's Ameriware Professional cookware and claimed that the
Ameriware pans were "more durable and safer because they are
government certified for professional kitchens which is why Ameriware
can claim their cookware to be Professional". (While saying this, the
salesman flipped the pan over and showed the NSF mark etched into the
bottom of the aluminum pan.) The salesman then went on to use the
certification as one of the reasons why the pan's high price was
justifiable as professional cookware is expensive. (That last
statement is usually not true. Cookware designed for the professional
kitchen is often cheaper than those designed for the home because they
are replaced on at regular intervals. For example, Vollrath, a
reputable restaurant equipment manufacturer who happens to manufacture
Ameriware for Cook's Warehouse, makes a 12 in. non-stick aluminum pan
that can be bought from a restaurant supply store for $25 while the
comparable Ameriware pan was over $80 with the "show discount". Of
course, the Ameriware pan has a space age titanium-ceramic non-stick
surface... but no one has given me the opportunity to test a
traditional non-stick against the Ameriware non-stick, yet.)"

All in all, it looks like it's overpriced marketing of ordinary pans
you can get at any good restaurant supply store.

-- Larry

Thanks for the headsup, if peeling and cracking is included in the 25
year then it's an excellent buy
but I have never seen this offered before but since Costco is
selling it they will make good on problems but http://www.vollrathco.com/
seems quite vague
on it's Nonstick..not so on SS or Carbon, hmmm