re: Let's discuss cookware sets: le Creuset vs All clad copper

Get a bit of all of them. Winco is a good aluminum line that is cheap, Staub, LeCreuset is great as well and so is All Clad.

Don't buy a set. Buy one at a time as you need them and buy whatever brand you like for that particular pot or pan. I have all of the above and a few Mauvel as well

all clads and enameled cast irons are not meant to serve the same purpose. all clads are for higher heat, faster cooking.....skillets, sauce pans, small boiling pots, etc. enameleds are for things that are more "slow cooking," i.e. gumbos, stews, oven braising, etc. i use my enameleds for deep frying as well.

theyre all diswasher safe. all clad copper core you can use a pot scratcher to clean the grot off. pot scratchers are a big no-no on enameled cast iron.

Staubs are better pots than le creuset IMO but i would not use them in a dishwasher (the inside is bare seasoned cast iron)

I have lots the standard All-clad 3-layer cookware, a few Le Creuset pieces, and some solid copper antiques and some cheap commercial aluminum/non-stick cookware. According to my FLIR camera there is very little difference between how evenly the All-clad heats vs the solid copper over gas. Solid copper responds somewhat faster but only by a few seconds. Over electric coil the All-clad did better, the copper transferred heat such that you could see the coil pattern easily through the base. Over my induction cooktop the All-clad reacted similar to over gas but with a clearly defined torus area and the cast iron was less defined and less even. I doubt the copper All-clad or the newer 5-layer stuff would do enough better over the regular All-clad to justify the cost difference to anyone not a professional chef.

I buy stainless from the restaurant supply store.

What are the difference in braising in enamel cast iron an regular cast iron?

I recently bought a Cuisinart Green Gourmet skillet: hard anodized aluminum with a ceramic coating, and it's the best thing we have used in a long time. Wife uses it every day. Cooks well. Cleans easily. No contamination.

No need to buy the whole set, although I would not oppose...........just buy a 10 inch and a 12 inch and be done with it. You will never use anything else again.