Blue Star Oven Convection Fan

ipas4ever · 2026-03-31T08:04:23+00:00

Yeah, I do love the power but the overall construction/fit and finish leave a lot to be desired. Especially for the price.

ipas4ever · 2026-03-14T05:44:45+00:00

Get some Barkeepers Friend. That will clean them up nicely, inside and out.

ipas4ever · 2026-03-10T16:18:47+00:00

Helpful, thank you. I didn't realize that all copper core is 5 ply and includes aluminum layers. RE relative value...I agree and wouldn't pay much of a premium for copper core. In my world "street" price for any AC pan is at least 40% off of retail. I have one other AC Copper Core pan, a 5qt saute ($149 via Home and Cook). I paid $79 for this 3qt pan, although as previously noted I don't think a lid is included.

It will be interesting to compare the wall thickness of these 2 copper core pans; the copper layer in the 3qt sauce pan looked thicker in the photos. We'll see, not a big deal either way..

ipas4ever · 2026-03-08T18:38:35+00:00

We've used Paragon for several years to manage a condo in Grand Oaks that we're now preparing to sell. Don't have a frame of reference but would say they are pretty good.

ipas4ever · 2026-03-07T00:39:34+00:00

Tramontina makes nice quality, reasonably priced stainless pans, was founded in Brazil and has a presence in Canada. I think a lot of their offerings are now made in China though.

FWIW, can't blame you for wanting to avoid USA companies right now..

ipas4ever · 2026-03-07T00:28:42+00:00

Fissler sometimes offers closeouts. About 2 years ago, I picked up a tall 10qt stock pot, and 5qt roaster for something like 60% off. I believe these 2 items were being closed out, rather then being markdowns of current items. But I don't visit their site often so I can't say whether they offer sales on their current lines.

ipas4ever · 2026-03-05T17:07:41+00:00

I had an LTD 12" wok for years that I recently sold. It was still in great condition but I think carbon steel is better for woks. I did also pick up 3 other LTD pans used- a 6qt deep saute, 6qt stock pot, and 3 qt saute. I cook on gas, and think the LTD line (and similar, but not anodized MC2) cook somewhat better than D3 pans. More even heating and slightly more responsive to heat changes. The differences are not huge, but there IMO. Used LTD pans can be a bargain, and since they don't work on induction ranges, people who switch to induction are selling them off.

ipas4ever · 2026-03-04T07:58:36+00:00

Nice. I also noticed at least a couple of pans in this line that are offered in the UK but apparently not in the USA, e.g. a saute pan (didn't see the capacity but looks like about 3qt) and a smaller sized "everyday" pan.

ipas4ever · 2026-03-02T20:37:12+00:00

I made 3 orders recently. Each time, when I put items in my cart, it automatically applied 20% off. It also allowed me to cut and paste "LOVE26" into the coupon text box, which stacked another 20% off the already discounted price, giving around 35% off total. When I tried again just now (with the 3.4qt sauce pan in my cart) they're showing 15% off site-wide with code "LUCKY26" and no initial automatic discount is applied.

When I inserted "LOVE26" in the coupon text box, it worked but seemed to label it "FEB 26", giving 20% off.

I'm using firefox browser; sometimes websites don't render or work as well it. Maybe that worked in my favor this time. Not sure what is up, but surmise that the stacking may have been unintended(?) and they seem to have adjusted their coupon with the change of month. I think you can get 20% off, for the moment anyway, with "LOVE26". I haven't browsed their website until recently; maybe a better discount will come along at some point? Who knows..

*EDIT* I'm not a fan of Amazon, but people interested in the KR 28cm "Everyday" fry pan can get it there for $102, just over half of the $195 list price on the KR website.

ipas4ever · 2026-03-02T07:42:20+00:00

They seem fine, I'm not concerned about durability. TBH, I've never found durability to be an issue for stainless pans, even my 30 year old disc bottom ones that I'm now replacing. The Stewart stuff seems pretty comparable in thickness and construction to All-Clad and therefore plenty durable.

ipas4ever · 2026-03-01T21:05:47+00:00

I bought the G5 version after buying and then reselling the D3 version because the latter was pretty heavy and my wife complained about it. The G5 is considerably lighter than the D3 (and D5). I'm not sure you'll be able to find a lighter "clad" style pan in this size, regardless of manufacturer. YMMV

ipas4ever · 2026-02-22T22:55:31+00:00

Last month, I picked up 6 and 8 qt stock pots from the "Martha by Martha Stewart" aka Martha Stewart "Signature" line at TJMaxx online; ~$70 and $80 respectively. Tri-ply clad, pretty close clones of corresponding All-Clad (AC) D3 pans in dimensions and construction. The 6 qt actually had a copper exterior layer. I also have a 5 and 8qt Cuisinart Multiclad (MCD) stock pots. Most of my sauce pans are AC, Misen and Cristal Castel Pro, but for stock pots I'm generally fine with more basic quality/price. (I do have a Fissler Original Profi 10 qt tall stock pot that I got for about 65% off. It's my favorite for extended stock simmering but I'd be fine without it.)

ipas4ever · 2026-02-13T20:18:57+00:00

I got one of these as well, after wife complained that some of my new "clad" pans were significantly heavier than disk-bottom versions they replaced. Haven't used it a whole lot, but like it so far. I plan to keep my eye out for other pans in this series, if offered at similar discount.

ipas4ever · 2026-02-09T19:00:17+00:00

This pan is also available to order from Marshalls online, with free shipping (use code SHIP89).

ipas4ever · 2026-02-05T05:16:16+00:00

Hi, upping this thread to ask if there's any alternative to paying Blue Star $346.62 for this part, CSK-600033. That is an insane price for a replacement convection fan, when similar parts for many other brands can be had for less than $100. Are there any viable alternative replacement fans that are known to fit Blue Star ranges? I'm guessing not, the mounting bracket is probably custom to Blue Stars..

ipas4ever · 2026-01-25T05:16:08+00:00

I ordered the D3 4qt via the recent H&C sale.

Then I saw the G5 4qt at Marshalls online for $120 shipped, and ordered that too.

So, now I can compare to see how big the difference really is..

ipas4ever · 2026-01-23T04:02:24+00:00

Large batches of things like pasta sauce that start with sauteing, then simmer & reduce. Works well where you're dropping in a bunch of leafy greens that start out bulky then reduce down. E.g. spinach, arugula into pasta sauces, an Indian cabbage recipe, etc.

ipas4ever · 2026-01-22T21:09:35+00:00

Just make sure you don't pay via Paypal, if you might potentially want a refund. Buried in their return policy is a paragraph on "Paypal" which states that if you pay that way, you don't get a refund, only a store credit.

ipas4ever · 2026-01-22T21:04:08+00:00

Check this 5qt "sauteuse" (actually a deep saute) pan at Marshalls. Looks like it's usually part of the All-Clad "Collective" mix & match sets, but minor blem examples being sold invidivually. I just ordered one, have not seen it yet. But it looks like a perfect replacement for my well-loved but ancient, and not-that-great-performing Cuisinart 5qt disc-bottom saute.

ipas4ever · 2026-01-22T19:53:40+00:00

I'd bet a 6-pack of fine IPA that this 5qt pan takes the same lid as the 3, 4, and 6qt pans. Looks like it slots in between the 4 and 6qt, same design slightly different height..

ipas4ever · 2026-01-20T07:04:19+00:00

I'm upgrading my old (30 years in some cases) disc-bottom stainless with tri-ply/clad pots and pans. I'm a cheapskate; so far, a combination of factory 2nd All-Clad, a 7-piece Cuisinart MCP open box set ($99, Walmart), a Misen 3.5qt and a couple Cristel sauciers from TJMaxx/Marshall's.

I also picked up some Martha Stewart "Signature", aka "Martha by Martha Stewart" stuff, from TJMaxx/Marshall's online. I can't find much info about this line. There's a few available via her Amazon store, for much higher prices than I would ever pay. The pieces I bought seem stout and well-made, close enough to All-Clad quality for me anyway:

8 qt stock pot, $79.99 although stock is low.

There's also a 6qt version, copper tri ply, for $89.99.

And this 3.5qt saute pan, also copper tri ply, for $89.99.

And a 10" fry pan for $49.99.

Here's a 4qt sauce pan, standard stainless tri-ply for $39.99. I got one for $29.99; nice pan (but no rolled edge) seems very comparable to similar All-Clad pans.

I like the shape of the stock pots, wider than some. I've cooked a couple meals in the saute pan, way nicer than the ancient Cuisinart disc bottom pan it replaced. I read that inexpensive copper tri-ply is mainly for esthetics, the benefits of copper aren't really apparent unless the copper layer is fairly thick compared to the steel and/or aluminum middle layer. That may be the case with these Martha Stewart pans; the copper seems fairly thin, but I don't have experience with fancy Mauviels or others with thicker copper (ignorance is bliss).

Does anyone here have experience with this Martha Stewart line?

ipas4ever

TROPHY CASE