Pots and Pans

[Backroads]

When Husband and I were dating years ago, he became sick of visiting my apartment and only having old cheap cookware to work with. So, gambling on the odds he would later propose to me, he bought me a less-cheap set. Now, years later, the coating is heavily flaking off most of the pans despite the best care.

 

Anywho... what are your recommendations for purchasing new pots and pans?

[Maureen]

In 1978 I bought a pot and pan set from Amway (my friend's brother was selling it). It was for my "hope chest". I am still using it, 34.5 years later (married in 1981). So far only the frying pan died, the handle came off.

 

One of these days I'm going to be in your shoes looking for a new set, but in the meantime, it still works.

 

M.

[NeuroTypical]

I dearly love my set of well-seasoned cast iron.  A couple of skillets, a small and a large dutch oven, 98% use in the kitchen, 2% use on camping trips.  I see cast iron tends to be pretty cheap these days, and you can find them at WalMart, Big R, or online.  

 

Don't put them into the dishwasher.

[beefche]

I've learned how good quality products cost money but in the long run actually save money. So, I buy one pot or pan at a time. It's a lot easier to spend $40 on 1 pot than to put up the "good gracious HOW MUCH IS IT??" that is required to buy a set of pans.

[omegaseamaster75]

Williams and Sonoma has some decent stuff. My personal pots and pans are stainless steel with a copper core and they are great!

 

This is a decent set and should get you started if you don;t want to break the bank:

 

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-d5-brushed-stainless-steel-10-piece-cookware-set/?pkey=ccookware-sets&&ccookware-sets

[pam]

I still have the same pots and pan set that I purchased in 1975.  Still going strong.  Bought from some guy going doing to door at the time.

[Backroads]

I still have the same pots and pan set that I purchased in 1975. Still going strong. Bought from some guy going doing to door at the time.

Now those are what I want...

[Palerider]

I still have the same pots and pan set that I purchased in 1975.  Still going strong.  Bought from some guy going doing to door at the time.

For buying them did they throw in a free set of ginsu knifes ?? Lol

[Backroads]

I dearly love my set of well-seasoned cast iron. A couple of skillets, a small and a large dutch oven, 98% use in the kitchen, 2% use on camping trips. I see cast iron tends to be pretty cheap these days, and you can find them at WalMart, Big R, or online.

Don't put them into the dishwasher.

We have a set of frying pan of cast iron. Perhaps we should get a nice Dutch oven to go with them.

[NeuroTypical]

I still have the same pots and pan set that I purchased in 1975.  Still going strong.  Bought from some guy going doing to door at the time.

 

That stuff can sometimes be found at DI/Goodwill.  I used to go browse every Friday - it took me a few months, but eventually I landed two pressure cookers from the '70's for ten bucks each.  The company that made them still sells replacement parts, so a couple of new gaskets and things, and they're good as new.

 

(I also got a massive wall-fan thing with a hand-painted lifesize tiger on it for my daughter.)

Edited January 9, 2016 by NeuroTypical

[Backroads]

I've learned how good quality products cost money but in the long run actually save money. So, I buy one pot or pan at a time. It's a lot easier to spend $40 on 1 pot than to put up the "good gracious HOW MUCH IS IT??" that is required to buy a set of pans.

When the browsing over the really good stuff reveals grand-plus prices for sets...

Yeah, our strategy is to slowly replace.

[Iggy]

My very first set of cookware was the starter set of Revere Ware. Small skillet, small sauce pan, medium saucepan w/ two lids. My bake ware was Pyrex and cookie/loaf pans that my Mom handed down to me. 

 

The Revere Ware was stolen from me about a year after I moved out of my parents home.

 

In the ensuing years I have used the really cheap, Teflon coated Ware Ever. note: what ever brand you purchase, no matter how expensive it is, NEVER get Teflon.  In the late 70's I got a 10 piece set of cast aluminum. I loved them. Except the handles. They couldn't hold up to oven temperatures. I ended up doing what my Mom did over the years - replacing the knob handles with empty wooden thread spools that had been thoroughly painted with high temp paint. My 1st husband ruined them when he used them to mix resin for coating a table top - there went the two small sauce pans. In the 5 qt dutch oven he mixed quick dry cement so he could patch the crack in the front step. He got drunk before he cleaned it all out and it set up. His Mom bought him (not me the only cook in the house) a set of Pyrex amber pans. Took me a couple of years to get the hang of cooking with them. I like them too. Every 4 or 6 years I take all of my Pyrex (sauce pans, bowls, casseroles) outside, coat them with spray oven cleaner. Let sit for 1/2 of a day, then hose them off. Bring them inside and put in the dishwasher. I am a collector and user of casseroles. I use them in the oven and microwave. The ones I buy from the Thrift stores usually are stained and have baked on stuff. Thoroughly baked on stuff. Cleaning them with spray on oven cleaner makes them look like new. 

 

After that I went through a lot of different brands of pots and pans, buying them piece-meal. Learned the hard way about Teflon - it leaches into your food, flakes & chips off. Ceramic coated will discolor and doesn't hold up either.

 

I bought a Farberware 12" all stainless skillet. LOVE it. Have had it now for about 7 years. Then I bought one of their small pots. Love it too. My next purchase was a 10" skillet. 

 

In 1999, a gentleman who was trying to court me during my separation from hubby #1, gave me a set of WareEver pots and pans [their top of the line products for that era] for that Christmas. They are stainless inside and out. I absolutely love them. I have burned food in nearly all of them. They have cleaned up beautifully using Bartenders Friend powder. Often when food is burned in a pot/pan, food will scorch/burn in that spot from then on. This hasn't happened with these pots. 

 

I keep looking at, drooling over, and coveting [yes, coveting] Calphalon 13 piece cookware. Plus I also want the stock pots. 

 

This would have been purchased two years ago with the interest earned from Husband's Edward Jones Account had not that money been earmarked and used for house & car repairs. Can't do it this year either. Money is needed to complete the exterior house repair and purchase a new stove and refit the kitchen. 

 

You know, Backroads, in replying to you - I have come to realize that I have all the good cookware I will ever need and that the desire to *collect* the Calphalon set is just that: desire aka want, not a need. 

 

Back to your original question: Get the best stainless steel NON-Teflon coated cookware. One piece at a time. OR if you get a windfall of money, purchase the entire set that you can afford. Also purchase & keep several cans of Bar Keepers Friend in your storage. 

[Backroads]

We have a stainless steel stockpot I adore that cleans in a snap.

I am afraid I'm too young to understand what everyone saw in Teflon. By the time I entered adulthood Teflon was the bad guy everywhere.

[Iggy]

I am afraid I'm too young to understand what everyone saw in Teflon. By the time I entered adulthood Teflon was the bad guy everywhere.

Non-stick is what the big to-do was. In my opinion, Teflon aka non-stick was created for those who didn't have a clue how to cook. Yes I used pots and pans coated with teflon, but I didn't purchase them because they were non-stick, I bought them because they were cheap. 

 

The only time I burn food, is when someone comes into my kitchen to "visit & talk" while I am cooking. When I cook, I don't visit. If you want to talk to me, then wait until we sit down to eat, we can talk then. 

[Guest]

I'm an Infomercial junkie and I WANT A GOTHAM STEEL PAN!!! But Mr. Anatess won't let me buy it.

[Guest]

I wonder if pam has waterless stainless steel cookware. We saw demos for those many years ago, and as I do, I found a quality knock-off at a small fraction of the price. I really like them. I have a few other stainless steel pieces as well. That with one large nonstick  anodized skillet (that I need to replace as it's extra-stick these days) seems perfect for me. I've had them maybe 15 years and with not much elbow grease they look almost new. 

 

I'd like to add some cast iron, as per NT's post. 

Edited January 10, 2016 by Eowyn

[pam]

No it's not the waterless kind.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

Teflon aka non-stick was created for those who didn't have a clue how to cook. 

 

Yep, and I was grateful for them!  

 

The only time I don't burn or otherwise ruin food is when I don't cook.  

[NeuroTypical]

Don't forget your Avengers waffle iron.

 

[Backroads]

Don't forget your Avengers waffle iron.

Just yesterday Husband and I decided to Google thr history of waffles.

Not their connection with the Avengers, though.

[Crypto]

Cast Iron is simply the best. {Pans}

It might not be "non-stick" but most "non-stick" pans have specific cooking instructions that if aren't followed will create "stick' anyways. (And if you cook right on cast iron same thing applies)

Pots are a different story though. Some have strange cooking profiles, the way they heat food, because of their shape or composition.

[bytor2112]

We have a set of non stick made by Le Creuset (Forged Hard Anodized Stainless Steel). Life time warranty....good stuff.

Edited January 10, 2016 by bytor2112

[mrmarklin]

Go to Costco and buy restaurant quality kitchenware. You'll have it for the rest of your life. Not cheap.

[Guest]

Go to Costco and buy restaurant quality kitchenware. You'll have it for the rest of your life. Not cheap.

 

Restaurant Depot is even better!

[Guest]

Expensive pots and pans are simply not cost effective.  Do the math.

 

1) Cheap set for $40.  They last for four years.  x 40 years = $400.

2) Expensive set for $1000+opportunity cost. They last 40 years.

 

Even if you have a lifetime warranty how do you know if the company is still in business after 40 years?

 

What if you have an accident and damage them? Abuse is not covered in warranties.  And it is surprising how easy it is to void the warranty.  Washing them in a dishwasher voids most warranties.  Using anything but a plastic tipped utensil will void the warranty.

 

What if the style is no longer in fashion, and you want another set?

 

The only reason to buy a more expensive set is if you prefer something special or it has some special features.

     1) Some have praised cast iron.  I'd also lend my voice to that -- at least for frying pans.

     2) Some pots have special lids that let you strain out the water while keeping pasta in.  I certainly like that feature.

     3) Some people like the light weight of aluminum.

     4) Some people like the slick and classic look of stainless steel -- I really like my stainless steel set.

     5) Some have clear lids so you can keep an eye on it without lifting the lid.

 

So, if you're only about the money, get the cheapest set you can.  You can always change it in a couple of years when you're making more money.  As far as preferences... deal with it for a couple of years until you make more money.

 

How much is too much?  If you look at a set and say "Wow" at the price tag or even moan about it, get a cheaper set and just deal with it.  As you make more money you'll get to a point where you look at a more expensive set and say,"Yeah, we can do that."  That is when you can afford it.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Guest