| Type | Private, limited liability company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer Goods |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Founder(s) | John Ulam |
| Headquarters | Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Products | cookware, ovenware, kitchen tools, kitchen accessories |
| Parent | Groupe SEB |
| Website | all-clad.com |
All-Clad Metalcrafters is a manufacturer of high-performance bonded cookware with headquarters in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. The company markets its cookware to department and specialty stores in the United States, Canada, Germany, UK and Australia along with premium All-Clad bonded ovenware, kitchen tools, and a growing assortment of kitchen accessories.
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All-Clad has its origins in Composite Metal Products, Inc., founded in 1960 by metallurgist John Ulam. Ulam partnered with aluminum producer Alcoa in 1967 to create Clad Metals, Inc., at which point he began to adopt the process of cladding dissimilar metals to create cookware products. All-Clad Metalcrafters was established in 1971 to sell this cookware.[1] Bloomingdale's picked up the brand two years later for its upscale housewares department. In 1988, the company was purchased by Pittsburgh Annealing Box Co.,[2] and was later bought by Groupe SEB in 2004.[1]
All-Clad has been issued the following patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):
| Patent No. | Issue Date | Patent | Inventor | Assignee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3350772 | Nov. 07, 1967 | Methods of cladding stainless steel to aluminum | John B. Ulam & William C. Camp | Composite Metal Products, Inc. |
| 3363307 | Jan. 16, 1968 | Method of making electricall heated cooking vessels | John B. Ulam | Composite Metal Products, Inc. |
| 3445630 | May 20, 1969 | Composite cooking vessels | John B. Ulam | Composite Metal Products, Inc. |
| 3495735 | Feb. 17, 1970 | Non-stick utensils | John B. Ulam & William C. Camp | Composite Metal Products, Inc. |
| 3909591 | Sept. 30, 1975 | Cooking vessel | John B. Ulam | Composite Metal Products, Inc. |
| 3919763 | Nov. 18, 1975 | Method of making a cooking vessel | John B. Ulam | |
| 3952938 | April 27, 1976 | Method of making multiple member composite metal products | John B. Ulam | Clad Metals, Inc. |
| 4103076 | July 25, 1978 | Clad metal product of Cu, Al and stainless steel | John B. Ulam | Clad Metals, Inc. |
| 4167606 | Sept. 11, 1979 | Multiple member clad metal products | John B. Ulam | Clad Metals, Inc. |
| 4246045 | Jan. 20, 1981 | Multiple member clad metal products and methods of making the same | John B. Ulam | Clad Metals, Inc. |
| 4347722 | Sept. 07, 1982 | Method of making a cooking vessel which has surface ornamentation | John B. Ulam | |
| 4646935 | March 3, 1987 | Induction cooking utensils | John B. Ulam | Clad Metals, Inc. |
| 6109504 | Aug. 29, 2000 | Copper core cooking griddle and method of making same | William A. Groll | Clad Metals LLC |
| 6267830 | July 31, 2001 | Method for making a copper core five-ply composite for cookware | William A. Groll | Clad Metals LLC |
| 6360423 | March 26, 2002 | Stick resistant coating for cookware | William A. Groll | Clad Metals LLC |
| 6427904 | August 6, 2002 | Bonding of dissimilar metals | William A. Groll | Clad Metals LLC |
| 6544669 | April 8, 2003 | Cryogenic treatment of cookware and bakeware | William A. Groll | Clad Metals LLC |
All-Clad purchases its metals only from US suppliers, bonds them at its own rolling mill on-site at its headquarters in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and then forms them at the same location into high performance cooking vessels.
In recent years, All-Clad has begun outsourcing some of its manufacturing to overseas partners (e.g., China).
The areas in which All-Clad does not manufacture in the USA include:
All-Clad cookware features a signature stay-cool handle that is riveted to the body of the cookware. The long, stay-cool handles are designed for a lifetime of use. Pure 18/10 stainless steel is used for every All-Clad cookware handle and the rivets are made from high-yield-strength stainless steel that is treated to remove iron that could cause corrosion.
All handles are highly polished including the Master Chef 2 collection, which has a sand blasted look to match its brushed aluminum finish. The LTD collection has this sandblasted look only on the interior groove of the handle. Copper-Core and LTD2 handles feature a forward stop underneath, comfortably formed into the same high quality stainless steel.
The cooking surface of All-Clad stainless cookware is made from a proprietary formulation of 304 grade stainless steel specially adapted to meet All-Clad specifications regarding grain size, texture, alloy content, and other physical properties. The primary benefit of stainless steel over other metals is its non-reactive nature so that all you can taste is the food. Several pieces feature a nonstick finish coated on top of the 18/10 stainless steel.[3]
All stainless steel used by All-Clad is certified to meet National Standard ISO 9000 (International Organization for Standardization)and ASTM A240 (testing and standards) for all 304 series stainless steel intended for use with food. Every "melt" by All-Clad's steel suppliers is tested and certified to meet the ASTM 240 (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards.[3]
All-Clad is available in a variety of exterior metals and finishes. Individual choices can be based on kitchen style, frequency of use, dishwasher safe requirements, and/or cooking methods.
| Collection | Construction Type | Exterior Material | Interior Core Material | Interior Cooking Surface Material | Cooktop Compatibility | Cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brushed Stainless Steel Pro | Bonded 5-ply | Brushed magnetic stainless steel | Stainless steel sandwiched between pure aluminum | 18/10 polished stainless steel | All cooktops; optimal cookware for induction | Dishwasher safe, excluding pieces with a nonstick cooking surface |
| Copper-Core | Bonded 5-ply | Magnetic stainless steel | Copper sandwiched between pure aluminum | 18/10 polished stainless steel | Currently all cooktops; originally NOT induction compatible | While hand washing is recommended, Copper-Core is dishwasher-safe. |
| Cop•R•Chef | Bonded 3-ply | Copper | Pure aluminum | 18/10 polished stainless steel | Gas, electric, and ceramic; NOT induction compatible | Wash by hand; Dishwasher use is not recommended |
| LTD | Bonded 3-ply | Hard-anodized aluminum | Pure aluminum | 18/10 polished stainless steel | Gas, electric, and ceramic; NOT induction compatible | Wash by hand; Dishwasher use is not recommended |
| LTD2 | Bonded 5-ply | Dishwasher-safe hard-anodized aluminum | Pure aluminum sandwiched between stainless steel | 18/10 polished stainless steel | Gas, electric, and ceramic; NOT induction compatible | All-Clad LTD2 is dishwasher safe, excluding pieces with a non-stick finish. |
| Master Chef 2 (MC2) | Bonded 3-ply | Brushed aluminum alloy | Pure aluminum | 18/10 polished stainless steel | Gas, electric, and ceramic; NOT induction compatible | Wash by hand; Dishwasher use is not recommended |
| Stainless | Bonded 3-ply | Magnetic stainless steel | Pure aluminum | 18/10 polished stainless steel | All cooktops including induction (with the exception of a few pieces in the collection) | Dishwasher safe, excluding pieces with a nonstick cooking surface |
In 2000, All-Clad partnered with television chef and personality, Emeril Lagasse, to develop his exclusive line of signature cookware, named Emerilware.
The Emerilware Stainless line was designed to provide solid performance at a nice value. The base consists of stainless steel, with aluminum and copper for excellent heat conductivity and performance. The base disk is surrounded by an exterior of polished stainless steel for easy cleaning and durability. The cooking surface is non-reactive stainless steel, and the pans are finished with ergonomic stay-cool handles that are securely riveted to the pan. For easy visibility, lids (for pans that come with lids) are made of tempered glass with a stainless band.
By the end of 2000, Emerilware had exceeded all of All-Clad's publicity and sales projections and was contributing to one half of the company's 40% growth. By 2005, the Emerilware Stainless 10-piece set had become the single best selling cookware set in America. Emerilware extended its product line assortment to other specialty items such as cast iron cookware.
Each year in June and December, All-Clad Metalcrafters holds a seconds sale near its headquarters in Canonsburg. Although originally held at the factory, the sales have moved off-site in recent years and most recently have been held at the nearby Washington County Fairgrounds in Chartiers, Pennsylvania. The two- and three-day seconds sales feature All-Clad cookware, bakeware and utensils that display dings, scratches or other less obvious defects and are subsequently available for 40-70% off retail prices. "A lot of people will look and can't find what's wrong with the pan," said All-Clad Marketing/Communications Coordinator Melanie Tennant..[4] Ms. Tennant said every piece manufactured by All-Clad will be available at the sale, although second-quality Emerilware will no longer be sold at the sale, because it is now being manufactured by an All-Clad sister company in New Jersey. Shoppers have developed certain strategies to get the best pieces for the lowest price. Many times, that involves camping out at the fairgrounds before the sale begins, since only a certain number of shoppers are allowed inside the buildings at any one time. Cooks from all 50 states have attended the seconds sales, some obsessively."We have people who plan their vacation around this," Ms. Tennant said. Some All-Clad fans say that part of the lure of the sale is its secretiveness. They say the company doesn't heavily advertise the sales, so it's always a challenge to prepare with sometimes less than one week's notice. However, Ms. Tennant says that the company does advertise with local media and for the June 2009 sale sent out 23,000 postcards to customers on its mailing list to notify them.