On Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 9:20:02 AM UTC-7, pltrgyst wrote:
> On 6 May 2007 08:18:22 -0700, maestro > wrote:
>
> >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 cookswarehouse.com, for whom they were originally made and by whom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/f...pic.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

Yes Larry, so true. All god points. pass on this stuff! Even Volrath reps are not proud of this line. The company reps I talked to wanted to differentiate the Ameriware from the other lines they manufacture under their own label. And they do not carry any with the same composition becsue it's not good enough to even carry the Wearever line.