Need new cookware suggestions

Mark Williams

Mark Williams

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Deb and I have decided to buy some new cookware as a gift to each other this year instead of spending money on useless gifts.

Any suggestions on a good high quality set?

Thanks fine peoples :D
 
All the top brands like All-Clad, Calphalon, Anolon have several lines at varying price ranges. I have a few pieces of Calphalon Non-stick that work fine and are machine washable - they were fairly cheap. I have an Anolon 10" omelette pan, hard anodized, that I picked up for about $10 on a clearance rack.
 
All my good ones are All-Clad, they are very nice. But why do you want a set ? Many sets have items that I don't need or want. Pick carefully for just items you will use.Many of mine are seconds since my brother lives near the factory which has a couple of sales each year.You'd never know they arent perfect. So now I have All-Clad pans and Shun knives - it's a wonderful world !!! Of course added to that is the fact that I know how to cook , gadgets don't substitute for skill.
 
We did extensive research on this topic a few years ago. My wife is a personal chef and is very picky about her pots and pans. We chose All-Clad stainless, as it is virtually indistructable and is also dishwasher and oven safe. Yes we spent a lot of money, but it will last forever. The insides are non-stick and are very easy to clean, in fact, burned noodles or rice in the bottom almost wipes out after a little while soaking in water. We do have a non-stick fry pan (from All-Clad) and it has worn quite well over the years. We have a pot rack that hangs over the island and the stainless pans are very nice to look at. The outsides are easy to keep clean using "Bar Keepers Friend" abrasive powder, even burnt oil will come off with it.

If I did not have the money to spend on All-Clad, I would get the stainless steel pans from Costco. Make sure anything you buy is 18/10 stainless. I have heard great things about the Costco pans, but you have to buy the set and you can add to your set later.

Ready
 
All Clad is excellent. I've been getting by with some heavy duty Tramontina open stock stainless pans. For non-stick. I buy a cheap aluminum one. Usually Wearever. Replace it when it starts showing scratches. They're cheap but cook well.

I require that my pans have metal handles so they can go in the oven under the broiler. Having a pan or pot that you can't double up in the oven is not worth having.

A fair amount of cast iron in my cookware too. Not the best for everything, but useful.

Phil
 
My father has some old cast iron pots and pans, I think they were either my mothers grandmothers, or my fathers grandmothers. These are old, but my father just cooked some breakfast for himself this morning in it. I'll find out what brand they are. My father has gone through a lot of teflon coated pans, but these old cast iron pans have lasted through camping, hunting, fishing, hiking and are now getting a well deserved retirement in my parents kitchen.
 
Huge thumbs up for Le Creuset cookware. Cast iron with an enamel coating. Fantastic stuff!

-Bob
 
My wife was a buyer/manager of a very large houseware department and she only recommends All Clad. Good advise, though, not to buy a set, just go with the pieces you use most.

Win
 
I've just looked up and read about All Clad - never heard of it before. It looks nice, but how does it perform compared to cast iron or coated cast iron, particulalry regarding sticking and even heat distribution?

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
I have loved my Scanpans. Check them out. Lifetime guarantee. Great heat distribution. You can heat them up like crazy, and they are relatively non-stick, then plunge them in cold water to clean them which makes it very easy to clean. No other pots are designed to be cleaned this way.
 
Bob W said:
I've just looked up and read about All Clad - never heard of it before. It looks nice, but how does it perform compared to cast iron or coated cast iron, particulalry regarding sticking and even heat distribution?

Best Wishes,
Bob
Click to expand...

There are coated with smooth stainless steel so nothing sticks to them. Heat distribution is good in cast iron because it tends to hold heat and release it slowly so once you get your cast iron heated up it has fairly good heat distribution. All-Clad has an aluminum (or copper) core that conducts heat very quickly. In the better lines, the core extends up the sides so the heat is conducted up there - this leads to extremely even heat distribution.
All-Clad is very good cookware.
 
Thanks for the info.

My mother always used the cookware with the copper bottoms, and man did that stuff scorch food, and everything stuck to it. I know it was partially "operator error", but not entirely.

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
LODGE LOGIC. I can't believe that it took me all the way into my 40's to see the light and buy this stuff. The bare minimum you should get is a 5 qt. Dutch oven, a 10" skillet, a 12" skillet, and a good stiff brush for cleaning. Maybe a bigger Dutch oven for cooking up big ol' batches of stuff. If it wasn't for my wife, I'd have thrown out ALL of the rest of my pots and pans. I no longer use them.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
My father has some old cast iron pots and pans, I think they were either my mothers grandmothers, or my fathers grandmothers. These are old, but my father just cooked some breakfast for himself this morning in it. I'll find out what brand they are. My father has gone through a lot of teflon coated pans, but these old cast iron pans have lasted through camping, hunting, fishing, hiking and are now getting a well deserved retirement in my parents kitchen.
Click to expand...

I have a set of Berndes aluminum non stick (a gift from my parents) that I've replaced under warrantee because the non stick coating was flaking off.

I'm considering cast iron as well.

Lodge Logic makes a line of pre seasoned cast iron cookware, reasonably priced:

http://www.lodgemfg.com/

Not all that expensive, except for the dutch ovens.
 
mycroftt said:
There are coated with smooth stainless steel so nothing sticks to them. Heat distribution is good in cast iron because it tends to hold heat and release it slowly so once you get your cast iron heated up it has fairly good heat distribution. All-Clad has an aluminum (or copper) core that conducts heat very quickly. In the better lines, the core extends up the sides so the heat is conducted up there - this leads to extremely even heat distribution.
All-Clad is very good cookware.
Click to expand...

While I agree that All-Clad is good cookware, it is not true that "nothing sticks to them." Plenty sticks to them and it is hard to clean without scratching them up over a period of time.

I like Scanpan because they already look butt-ugly and you won't mess them up when you clean them with something that would scratch stainless steel.
 
I have has a lot of expensive cookware but very little beats the Kitchen Essentials stuff at Target. They are heavy anodized aluminum and are great. I especially love their sauté pans. Good stuff for very little money.
 
All Clad is great stuff. I have a couple pieces.

That said -- I'd bet I use my Lodge cast-iron as much, if not more often overall. Note that you can find All Clad discounted on eBay, and at TJ Maxx.

Alton Brown does a nice rundown of pots & pans in "I'm just here for the Food". You might check out "Gear for your Kitchen" as well.

#1 - 12" cast-iron skillet (I prefer 10.25" Lodge Logic)
#2 - 5qt casserole (I use an All-Clad 5.5qt Dutch Oven)
#3 - 8" nonstick frying pan (mine's a 7" Scanpan)
#4 - 3qt Saucier -- mine's All Clad
#5 - 12" Saute pan -- got mine at Sam's Club
#6 - Dutch Oven - Lodge
#7 - 10" stainless frying pan -- another one from Sam's Club
#8 - 8-12qt stock pot -- Sam's club

I mainly reach for the #1-#4.

Additional vessels not on "the list" are a 2qt saucepan (Sam's again), Lodge 14" pizza-stone and Lodge quesadilla pan.

Mike
 
I used to work at Linens N Things and sold cookware. All-clad is good stuff, but I recommend Calphalon. Hard anodized aluminum is tough and heats up evenly, and Calphalon's handles don't heat up on the stove. I have a ten piece set of Calphalon Commercial Hard Anodized. I would have gone with the Commercial non-stick set, but I got a fantastic deal on this one.

As mentioned above, if you go with stainless cookware, make sure you get one where the copper or aluminum core extends up the sides for even heat distribution.
 
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