All-Clad Copper Core vs D5: copper or steel at the core

Both lines are five bonded layers with stainless steel inside and out, clad all the way up the sides. Copper Core’s layers are stainless steel, aluminum, copper, aluminum and stainless steel, and All-Clad sells it on heat control: rapid, even heat from edge to edge. D5 puts a steel core between the two aluminum layers, and All-Clad calls it its most even-heating line. You can tell them apart at a glance: every Copper Core pan shows a copper ring around its side.

Nearly the same six pans with four stainless steel lids. Both sets have 8- and 10-inch fry pans, a 3-quart sauté pan and an 8-quart stockpot. The saucepans differ: Copper Core’s are 2 and 3 quarts, the same as All-Clad’s D3 set, and D5’s are 1.5 and 3.

Copper Core is polished, with long handles cut out in the middle so they stay cooler, All-Clad says. The D5 set we list is brushed, with oversized double-riveted handles and flared rims for pouring without drips.

Both go in the oven and under the broiler to 600°F, and All-Clad warns that long spells above 500°F can discolor stainless steel without changing how it cooks. Both work on any stovetop, induction included, are hand wash only, carry All-Clad’s limited lifetime warranty and are made in its Pennsylvania factory with global components. All-Clad gives neither set’s weight in a form we can use.

Choose Copper Core for the copper layer’s quick, even heat and a 2-quart small saucepan. Choose D5 for All-Clad’s most even-heating line and a brushed finish with bigger handles. If the extra layers don’t matter to you, D3’s three-ply set holds the same six pans as Copper Core.