BlueStar Cookware – review

Two weeks ago I received an email from Wendy of SmartClick Advertising asking if I would be interested in evaluating a set of BlueStar cookware.  To be honest, my initial thought was how could this possibly compare with the set of All-Clad d5 I already use?  After doing a bit of research on the company I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw.   I have wanted cookware by All-Clad for years and last year I finally got my wish.  The thing is, I didn’t do my research to see if there was another company out there – all I was interested in was getting the new d5 pots and pans.  With any major purchase John and I consider, we always do our homework…well nearly always.

As a side note, John has loved the Aria flatware by Christofle long before we met and when we went to purchase it three years ago, the sales lady at William Ashley’s asked if we had heard of Puiforcat.  We looked at each other and simultaneously said no.  She went on to describe how the high-end silversmiths (2 cousins) established in 1820, initially supplied surgical blades to hospitals and from there went on to recreate 18th century cutlery.  Puiforcat produces their flatware in France so that was key for us (support the local community).  We did a 180 and immediately fell in love with Puiforcat Cardinal collection.

waiting for me on the doorstep
My point about the above is that our focus can be so firm it can blind us to being open to other opportunities.  My research on BlueStar quickly went from curious to excitement as I discovered not only do they manufacture cookware but have an amazing line of ranges all made in USA with distribution throughout Canada and the US!  Their ranges remind me of La Cornue (artisan manufacturers of kitchen ranges with culinary architecture), a line I’ve been eyeing for a few years.  Similar to La Cornue, you can buy a hand-crafted BlueStar ready-made range or have one custom built.  Click on the following links for more information:

 

The evaluation?  At first glance I really like brushed stainless steel (my favorite)…even the lids are brushed (d5 is not).  The handles on the cookware are pleasing to touch and feel better in my hand than the d5.  One pet peeve I have with d5 is that the handles on the lids get so hot I have to use a pot holder when removing the lid.  My first test was to see how the BlueStar lids would react to a pot of boiling water.  They were warm but not hot and I was able to remove the lid with the aid of a pot holder.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:  My conclusion? It’s still early days and I have to do more rigorous testing but I like these after using them and would consider ordering more pieces. I do, however, like how the d5 pots and pans are all stamped on the bottom with sizes, measurements etc and my only recommendation would be to see this on the BlueStar cookware.