The price is right for this broiler insert. The All-Clad 3 quart pot it fits is the pricey necessity. I also bought the steamer that fits the pot too. The quality keeps me coming back to All-Clad. My Hollandaise sauce comes out perfect- every time!!

I never really noticed the inner groove as a "problem" until I read the other reviews. This was part of my first All-Clad set--so nice! Yes, things stick in the groove, but I just use a silicone spatula while cooking and I don't seem to have a problem. I love the capacity and size/shape of this unit. Scrambled eggs come out beautifully in this pot, as does chocolate ganache and buttercream frosting. But sometimes my pumpkin pie filling gets bits of cooked egg if I'm not diligent about stirring out the groove. The width/depth ratio allows me to really get my whisk or spatula inside to work.

Sometimes the dishwasher (horrors, I know!) doesn't get the groove completely clean. I hand-wash it most times anyway, so that doesn't really matter too much to me.

I like the length of the handle, but I wish it were slightly thicker to make it easier to grab when using a pot-holder.

This is a very useful accessory to your All-Clad set, however, it is rather poorly finished compared to the other pieces (mine has some burrs and rough edges on the bottom surface). This piece is made in China and it is my opinion that All-Clad's Chinese-made pieces are inferior to the US-made ones (I own several of each and have compared many others in stores).

Also, as with the Steamer Insert, there is some "slop" in the fit between the insert and the 3 or 4 quart sauce pan.

As one of the other reviews state, the lip that allows the pan to sit on top of the 3- or 4-quart pot creates a recess inside the pan that makes it hard to get whatever you're working on out of the pan, as it gets caught in the recess. The interior should have completely straight sides. Otherwise, it does what it's supposed to.

This is a wonderful double boiler insert with one minor exception. The ring that keeps it from falling into the pan with the water in it catches the food/sauce and therefore is harder to clean and mix. Now having said that, I still love this pan, I just wish the inside was totally smooth. I use it to make chocolate candies/truffles and the stuff melts up perfectly. Controlling the temperature is key when melting chocolate and with stainless steel its easy. I really should own two of these pans but kitchen space is limited.

(fits the non loop 3/4 qt sauce pans perfectly, The 4qt sauce pan with loop it doesn't seat well, as the loop lifts the edge allowing steam to escape.)