I’ve read good things about the Lagofusion line on this forum and that it’s comparable to Fissler for induction performance. It’s a hybrid pan with both a thin clad layer and a thick aluminum base.
I’m wondering what the thickness of the aluminum in the base is and the pan, if anyone knows? I emailed Lagostina and they refused saying it’s proprietary information, lol. Also, a couple secondary questions:
These pans don’t like they have good pouring rims. Can anyone who has one comment on that?
Is the thin clad layer actually at all useful? If it’s super thin, I imagine it wouldn’t really do that much. E.g. does it actually help prevent temperature discontinuities around the edge of the pan where the disk ends (which I note is not like Fissler or Demeyere where the disk goes all the way to the edge of the pan).
Lagostina advertises that line as 7mm total thick in the bottom and with 1,2 mm alu inside the sidewall in their catalogue at lagostina.fr/catalogue
I own the 24cm and 28cm frying pans, no other pieces. There are really no temperature discontinuity concerns along the bottom of the Lagostina frypans. The aluminum does extend well in the bottom already, tapers up, and then there is that thin alu still inside the sidewall also.
I guess there could be about 6mm of aluminum total in the base, in any case, plenty.
I don’t pay much attention to the functionality of my pan/pot pouring lips to be honest, and might suggest to focus on something else than pouring lips if you are choosing a pan/pot, at least they are there. People do get along even without them, and in the previous Lagostina Accademia Lagofusion models, there were no pouring lips.
Thanks! I think I was looking at photos of the older models, which had no pouring rim. Was unaware that had been updated. How do you like the pans and what comparisons do you have, e.g. have you tried Demeyere proline or Falk copper core or Fissler?
I cook on induction, what is the heat source you plan to cook on here with the assumption you are looking for a new (frying) pan?
I just wish they had a 32cm model in Accademia Lagofusion. I own some from all the lines you mentioned. What do you use currently and what qualities are you looking to change or upgrade here now?
Based on your other current threads here I see you have a gas range, at least. I never cooked on gas except in my bbq. Have you considered copper, or just future proofing here, if you move to induction only or want to use the same pans on your induction also or so?
Unless you’re reconsidering your plan to use thick conductive “diverters”, there’s not much point in buying the very thick disk-based pans. In fact, your stated goal of very fast response is somewhat at odds with this construction.
And, since there’d be no need for a thick base, the walls on Accademia are just average for clad.
In fact, your stated goal of very fast response is somewhat at odds with this construction.
Apologies, my other thread with respect to the copper diffusers on gas is somewhat misleading. I actually cook on both induction and gas. For the gas range, I wanted to invest into a 2-3 hyper responsive pans to combine with the diffuser. For the induction, I have a couple of hobs including the Breville Control Freak.
In general, I’m expanding my pot collection and want my main collection to have good performance on both gas and induction. I rent, so there’s a possibility I may not have a gas range in the future once I eventually move.
Right now, I don’t have all that much. What got me through my 20s is below:
A Demeyere Atlantis saucier with exposed aluminum rims that became sharp. Probably going to replace with a Falk copper core since the 1.9 mm of copper there should have better performance than the 2.2 mm in the Atlantis. But I’d be giving up on the rivetless handles and slightly better shape/design.
I had a 11" Demeyere Proline but the aluminum rim also corroded and the rims became sharp. Demeyere accepted back through warranty and gave me a cash equivalent discount for their store (haven’t decided what to buy yet; might just get another 11"). I generally liked it a lot (rivetless handles, excellent searing, pretty to look at), except it was a bit unwieldy and took a while to heat up so there are a few use cases where I might want a lighter pan. Sometimes felt a bit small for larger cuts of meat.
A John Pawson Demeyere sauce pan that I got free because Amazon messed up and shipped it to me accidentally as part of another order and told me to keep it lol. I hate the handle but otherwise seems like a competent pan.
A 8-qt copper core All Clad stock pot that I picked up cheap a long time ago from an estate sale.
Some Lodge cast irons I never touch.
A 7.25 qt La Creuset that I only touch if I’m doing slow cooking in the oven.
I’m quite happy with the Demeyere pieces I’ve had but started wondering if I might get even better performance (particularly on induction) from something like Fissler or Lagostina lagofusion.
I wouldn’t mind having a 2-3 copper pieces eventually for the gas but don’t want to invest in a huge copper collection that I might not have utility for in the future.
What do you use currently and what qualities are you looking to change or upgrade here now?
I listed my goals in another post in this thread just now. Generally, I want to create a main collection of pans that will have good performance on both gas and induction. I understand that limits me a bit because induction is very uneven and that means I need to invest in thick pans if I want evenness (unlike something like gas/electric where the heat source is more even and I could get away with thinner pans). For a second smaller set of pans, I was looking for something like and responsive to combine with copper diffuser plates on the gas. Copper or non-induction compatible pans would be the last thing I’d invest as I’m not sure I’ll have a gas range in the future.
It seems you have done a good bit of searching around information. While you owned the Proline, did you get the chance to try it out on induction then as well, maybe on the control freak? Was it good there for you or a bit lacking in evenness?
If you have no experience with disk based pans, I think you could go for one and see it for yourself, I get the feeling you would be curious to experience it. Then as you are unsure of your future cooktop, one couldn’t hurt and it would work nicely for sure on your current induction as well.
If you plan to mix and match pan constructions, consider getting the larger piece(s) in disk based, as those are where it matters the most. In my experience, cladded pan bottoms should be sized a bit smaller than the induction element to get the best out of them. Same goes for iron pans.
I see you had issues with the eroding aluminum, I haven’t experienced yet, but the Lagostina also has exposed aluminum at the rim and I think its aluminum you see there around the bottom “decoration” as well. Sandpaper might solve the sharpness if it happens, but you could look at Fissler Steelux Pro instead for example if you don’t want to deal with the potential erosion issue. It has the same cookstar base as Profi. The handle is perhaps not nicest, but otherwise a fine pan.
I personally prefer riveted handles, I just feel more secure carrying, lifting, tilting for pours etc. I like how the Demeyere sauciers seem a bit larger vs Falk though.
Give that the 11" Lagostina Academia (according to century life - although it was an older model) and 11" Fissler Profi weigh the same, I would assume the base is thinner than the profi as the side walls would weigh more on the academia and would displace the weight from the base (of course assuming that the handles, lids, etc all weigh the same, which they may not)
If both pans equal the same weight overall, but the Lagostina has cladded walls (which should weigh more than the stainless only walls on the profi), one could assume that the Lagostina has a thinner disc. But it’s just an assumption.
it would stand to reason that the disk itself would be thinner on the Lagostina. But how much aluminum is there betwixt heat and food? And how much material overall?
What I’ve learned over the years is in order to pierce the proprietary BS and know, you have to buy and bandsaw one.
If you know the overall thickness, and you either know some of the internal dimensions, you can generally deduce something. A great example is A-C D3: The SS layers are 0.41mm, ergo…
But it gets more complicated if, e.g., the bottom of the disk is incised, the rim isn’t cut square, the shoulder chamfer is filled, etc.
I once sawed open an earlier-generation hybrid pan that claimed it had a copper layer, and everyone took it for granted. Turns out, it was an ornamental band that only sunk about 3/4" in from the wall.
Deduce what you want, but the second you speculate…
