It's Belgian cookware.

It depends on what you are cooking on now. With my old electric range, no amount of money spent on cookware would have made a difference. I spent $$$$$$ on a new kitchen and added a gas cooktop, and even with my old pots and pans, I cook better now.

Spend your money on a remodeled kitchen, and let here spend her money any way she wants.

I would go for the cooktop. I spent the big bucks on an induction cooktop and I use several of my old pans quite succesfully.

Also, after you pay off your remodel, you can start building your "perfect pan" collection, one at a time, if you want. There are lots of great pans besides Demeyere. And they don't all have to be the same brand.

I think it depends on what you're cooking on (the cooktop) and what you're cooking with (cookware). If you're cooking with All-Clad over a wood fire then upgrade the cooktop. If you're cooking with cheap cookware on an adequate cooktop then I think upgrading the cookware is the best choice. I have a lot of high-end cookware but I drool over the Demeyere Atlantis pictures.

We got an induction cooktop and upgraded cookwear to Demeyer and Le Cruset. I think the Demeyer is great stuff, But I would make sure you have a cooktop you are happy with first. After all you can buy cookwear a piece at a time as budget allows. No way to get a cooktop a burner at a time.

You can instantly tell the difference between Demeyere and even the top mass production cookware (Faberware, all-clad, etc). It's in the metals they use and the contruction of the vessel. Sturdy thick bases. Thin, heat speading walls, pouring lips, etc.. Best cookware I've ever owned.

They are worth the extra money. I do not think I'll ever have to purchase these again - ever. They cook more evenly, faster, they have a finish you can't destroy and come as clean as the day you took them out of their box.

Spend as much as you can on a great cooktop (I suggest Thermadors CIT265DS), and then save some money and go for the good stuff. You won't be sorry.

Much wisdom here. Another vote for a great fire, then build your pan collection. I don't know your situation but my own renovation took this old kitchen from cave to cuisine. I had some pretty decent pans pre-remodel but they could only do so much on those ancient coils.

So many great cooktop options out there, gas, induction, configurations galore. Tough but delicious decisions. But good fire comes first!

Which line of Demeyere do you prefer (and why?)?

I bought Atlantis, for both functional and aesthetic reasons. The functional reasons are the Silvinox finish (it really is holding up a LOT better than my other SS cookware), and the full-diameter copper disks. Aesthetically, I like the looks of the cast stainless-steel handles.

The copper disks do a wonderful job of spreading the heat, and are very responsive to changes in heat.

And two more points, that are true of all Demeyere: I really like that there are no rivets that I have to clean around. :-) And I like that it goes in the dishwasher. (If fact, they recommend putting their Silvinox-treated cookware in the dishwasher, because the strong detergents do a better job than you can do by hand. And the finish is made to stand up to it.)

I bought some pieces of All Clad SS prior to our remodel and I did see a difference in the end results even on my old coil JenAir range. I also bought a few Wusthoff Classic knives (of the hand forged brands these fit my hand the best) and I certainly enjoy prep work more now. As a matter of fact I have reffered to them as the best thing in my kitchen.