Wood and plastic are good but the best is silicone. Silicone is very good as it gives just a little so it never scratches, some plastic are so stiff they can scratch. I use wood sometimes, but they are harder to clean than silicone.

All-Clad is sturdy cookware and meant to be used. What good is a saucepot or saute pan if you can't use a wire whisk in it? One of the benefits of a stainless steel cooking surface is that you can use metal utensils. Don't worry about micro-scratches, they won't effect performance and as long as you keep your All-Clad clean it will look great

Those are not scratches, that is the beginning of a beautiful patina.

I'm no expert, but I do have age on my side and I was going to say what Fairegold said!

Good stainless steel is for serious, aggressive cooking. I use anything short of a chisel in mine. If I wanted to have to baby my pots and pans, I'd have gotten some non-stick or anodized stuff. I chose my All-Clad SS so I could use whatever I wanted to cook with, then throw it in the dryer. It really hasn't scratched, but I'd have no regrets if it did, because it would still function great for decades to come.

OUCH Spewey, you mean throw it in the dishwasher, not dryer! That would be LOUD!

Ooops, sorry Jessy, maybe I am on the laundry forum too much.