I have a bunch of Mauviel, but it is the heavy copper stuff, so my experience with it may not be completely relevant. It does have the same shape of handle as the stainless Mauviel in your link, so I'll comment on that.

I prefer All Clad handles, and find them a lot more functional. Compared to the Mauviel handles and most cookware handles, the All Clad handles have an unusual "C" shape and are more sharply angled. Other handles, including the Mauviel's, have a smooth, rounded shape and are flatter.

When the pot is empty and your hands are dry, the other handles are nicer. They feel smooth and comfortable and they look ergonomic.

But now fill the pot with water to 1" of the rim, and get your hands wet and slippery with fat, grease, or for testing purposes a bit of soap will do.

Now the other pot's round handle will easily spin in your slippery hands, and your wrists will work hard to hold the full pot level.

The All Clad's weird "C" shaped handle turns out to provide the perfect place to place your thumb, thus preventing the handle from spinning no matter how greasy your hands are. And the All Clad's steep handle lets you brace the butt of the handle against your forearm, taking some weight off your wrist.

Basically, the All Clad handles are well designed for heavy, busy, hard cooking. Their virtues don't show up in the showroom or in light use.

My Mauviel pots are very heavy, more than the stainless ones are, and when they are full I am always reminded how much I prefer the handle on my All Clad.

This post was edited by johnliu on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 3:41

Johnliu,
How can I tell if copper cookware is Mauviel. I bought it years (10?) ago, it was sent from France because I remember paying duty on shipment. Only problem is I can't remember manufacturer. Looks just like Mauviel, heavy copper over stainless with cast iron handles and stamped "Made in France" above and to left of handle but nothing else. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Welcome Jamesepa! I see you just joined today. Hopefully someone can answer the question about your copper pot.

I hope you stop in more often.

Teresa from Minnesota

Looks like an imitation to me.

dcarch

Here is a link that might be useful:

Thanks Teresa. I've got an 8 piece set of this; frying pan, saute pan/lid, stock pot and 2 more pots/lids. Looked all over for documentation, can't find it. Now I'm more curious than anything.

James - whatever you have it looks like a nice quality cookware.

That said, the first thing that jumped out at me was your countertop. I am re-doing my kitchen. The choices are endless or at least it seems. Suddenly the things that jump out of a picture are different than in the past.
Please - don't anyone suggest I go to the kitchen/appliance/whatever forum. If anyone throws anymore choices at me I'm going to lose my mind! :-)

This post was edited by teresa_mn on Mon, Dec 3, 12 at 20:27

Your pot looks like the good stuff. Meaning: thick copper, lined with stainless steel, heavy cast iron handles, made in France. Similar to mine. Some of my copper cookware is stamped "Mauviel", some is not, they are all similar quality and construction. There are numerous companies in France that make copper cookware, Mauviel is just one among many.

Thanks John. I did go on Mauviel website and noticed pots/pans are stamped Made in France in the same place, same lettering and size. Only thing that says Mauviel is on the handle. I think I just wanted to be able to put a name with the cookware, thanks again.

Here's a quote from an exhaustive survey of cookware:

"Things to consider: Although manufacturers of stainless lined copper sometimes claim that their product is better than the competition, in fact Falk Culinair developed the process by which stainless steel and copper are bonded together to make this cookware. All cookware employing this design is made from the exact same materials, regardless of price."

It may well be that it's the exact same item as Mauviel copper but may have been marketed differently.

For more info on cookware than any sane person needs, click the link. (But who said that denizens of this forum are sane? Not I.)

Here is a link that might be useful: stovetop cookware

stovetop cookware.....
Someone had a lot of time on their hands to write that. Did get to the part you quoted, kind of says it all I guess. I'm going with "it's made in France, I had it shipped over".