Anolon Titanium Non Stick Dishwasher Safe 4-Quart Covered Chef's Pan

Unlike conventional hard-anodized pots and pans, this cookware is dishwasher-safe because its titanium-composite exterior is nonporous. Nevertheless, its virtue of being dishwasher-safe is not unlimited. To prevent pots and pans from discoloring in a dishwasher over time--and to prevent voiding the lifetime warranty against defects--the manufacturer's cleaning instructions about water temperature (120 to 140 degrees F) and detergent (mild, with a phosphate content less than 7-1/2 percent) must be strictly observed. As with most cookware, hand washing Anolon Titanium is the better alternative for ideal care.

I chose this pan because according to my pre-purchase research, Anolon Titanium uses the Autograph coating, the newest/best Dupont non-stick surface, and the titanium-composite outer shell means that the hard-anodized aluminum pan won't be destroyed in the dishwasher, when you use mild gel soaps and moderate temperatures (instructions included with pan). I've previously steered clear of anodized aluminum because I don't want to HAVE to handwash anything--as is evident from the paragraph above.

Good points of this pan:

** It goes in the dishwasher! We use a gel soap, setting the cycle to "Normal" and "Air Dry" -- the lowest temperatures possible on our machine. This size, with loop handle and stick handle, exactly fits the front-to-back space in the lower dishwasher rack. When we take the pan out, we season it lightly with olive oil before using it again.

** Lid is unbreakable stainless, not glass--a feature found only in the Titanium line among the Anolon products.

** Food doesn't weld itself to the cooking surface, so it comes off easily, either in or out of the dishwasher. (Use non-metal tools to maintain the cooking surface.)

** Sides and bottom are equally heavy--means no "hot spots" or "cool spots" when pan is pre-heated at a mid-low temperature setting. Even if you slop pancake batter up on the sides of the pan, the finished product is well-done, if a trifle bent.

** Sides are high enough to accomodate even a sloppily aimed pancake or a rather enthusiastically stirred stir-fry. There are fewer bits of food scattered over the stovetop after cooking sessions.

** The long, slightly textured stainless handle is comfortably shaped for a variety of hand sizes, easy to grip, slip-resistant, and stays cool during the average cooking session. The loop handle is also textured, slip-resistant, and comfortably shaped, but gets warm faster.

** The pan is oven-safe to 500 degrees, though it cannot be used under a broiler. You can start a recipe on the stovetop, finish it in the oven, and not change pans.

** Construction seems sturdy and commercial-quality, very heavy-duty.

Pleas note that most people probably won't need/want something this big and heavy. This is definitely a pan for feeding a crowd--or at least a couple of hungry teenagers and the other folks in the family.

We've not had this pan long enough to give a rating on its durability--the Autograph surface, if properly used, is supposed to be 300% more durable than standard non-stick surfaces. However, we do seem to be using this pan at almost every meal and we are definitely giving the durability factor a test. We'll check back in a year or two...