Kitchen pots and pans... Need suggestions

mustangmike6996

mustangmike6996

Club Member
We are overdue for some pots and pans. Before I venture out and shop I wanted Motowns advice. What brands are best bang for the buck? What material do you prefer?

We have a couple cast iron pans that I like to use, she uses the usual aluminum non-stick T-Fal (and other mixed/matched strays that we have accumulated over the years)

Im looking for something that isnt a cheap pile of shit but I dont want to spend $1500 on copper pans. I dont mind spending a bit more IF they are worth it.
 
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Whatever you do, don't get non stick/Teflon coated stuff. It will chip and peel then the pans are junk. You also can't put them in the dishwasher. Just get stainless and be done with it. You could take that stuff in the garage and clean it with a wire wheel and brake parts cleaner if you needed to.

--Joe
 
So I was speaking with a women that refurbs copper pans for chefs. She said le creuset was the only cookware to consider. Everything else has questionable quality issues. Her pans sell for $800 to 2k each. Nice women to speak with and get some info. I have circulon from costco we have got a few sets in the last 10 years. Gotta love costcos return policy.
 
soap said:
Whatever you do, don't get non stick/Teflon coated stuff. It will chip and peel then the pans are junk. You also can't put them in the dishwasher. Just get stainless and be done with it. You could take that stuff in the garage and clean it with a wire wheel and brake parts cleaner if you needed to.

--Joe
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The mistake people make with Teflon is using metal utensils and too high heat, that combination causes the coating to flake off. If you use wood or plastic utensils and don't crank the heat, the coating shouldn't flake off.
 
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jspec said:
She said le creuset was the only cookware to consider.
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Oh shock - the expensive stuff she sells is the best, she says.

That is good stuff and I have a few of them but certainly isn't needed across the board.

For sauce pans / non-stick I really like :

Calphalon Contemporary Hard-Anodized Aluminum Nonstick Cookware

http://a.co/5W4Zkeh

http://a.co/gLVbZNt

http://a.co/0gCPwYS

I think it's also great to have a couple cast iron and at least one All-Clad skillet such as http://a.co/fa1r3fz ..

All of the above are in my kitchen and are used several times per week. The All-Clad skillet above is handy for searing, baking, etc. To me it's important to have at least one high quality skillet that you can sear meat as well as stick in the oven for baking.

Happy cooking.
 
So the more I think about it the more I remember. So Copper pans are then best for holding heat and even heat. Most cookware today is aluminum which does heat fast but doesn't hold heat well and is prone to hot spots. The cast iron pan heat evenly and holds heat well. There was some issue with stainless too but I don't remember now. The woman I was reffering too said they do not make good copper cookware anymore it is kinda of a lost art. Who knows. Ask me about electronics or cars. I only cook eggs !
 
I've got a copper pan, it's definitely nice. But for everyday use I have never had an issue with the ones mark posted.
 
jspec said:
There was some issue with stainless too but I don't remember now.
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Stainless is a poor conductor of heat and doesn't transfer heat very well, but there are trade-offs with any piece of cookware. I prefer carbon steel myself, it has most of the benefits of cast iron but lighter in weight. Both are seasoned in a similar manner. If you have a gas stove, you'll be better served by carbon steel or cast iron since you have the BTUs to make them most effective. When I cook steaks, I get my pan hot enough that a droplet of water will vaporize instantly.
 
Check out Costco. You can always return them if you don't like them or there are any issues.
 
You can't buy Teflon-coated cookware anymore.

We have $4,000 worth of All-Clad original stainless (not the M2), and that's after the sweet deal Macy's usually has once a year during their twice-a-year 25% Friends and Family sale (so you get 25% off, and if you buy a lot of All-Clad you get a bunch of other All-Clad crap for free). Yes, we have tons of duplicates but we started out with one or two of everything. I have a couple pieces of their copper stuff but to be honest they're not worth it as far as I can tell (I'm not a professional). It takes up a lot of cupboard space but it's worth having a lot because you have no emergencies when cooking where you are struggling to get a piece washed while cooking. I always thought the butter warmer pot thing was stupid until I used it. It's a bit to stomach $100+ for a frypan, saucepan, or sautepan... until you realize it will outlive you even if you abuse it. The only thing you can't do with it is leave it sitting in water where the lip is in the water. If you do, it will corrode the aluminum between the two pieces of stainless due to galvanic corrosion. It is dishwasher safe though, and it does work on an induction cooktop.

Only the original All-Clad or the copper items are worth buying. The rest of it will disappoint you for the money. A good way to tell if you're going to be disappointed is if it doesn't have a serial number on it.

All-Clad's nonstick stuff isn't all that great for the price. I'd rather use French (impossible to find anymore) T-Fal or their above-average Chinese frypans if I need nonstick and this is the one we use currently:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GWG0T2/

It's difficult to make eggs or hashbrowns or a lot of other things with a cheap aluminum or stainless pan if you're on an electric range... unless you use a lot of real butter or some kind of oil. So, it does change your cooking habits. A higher quality piece of equipment, like All-Clad, makes it a lot easier to cook without nonstick on an electric range.

Once in a while All-Clad has a sell-off of their overstock/returns/blems:
https://homeandcooksales.com/
Years ago they used to do it once a year. I think they're doing it quarterly now.
 
I am not a brand guy, but I look for certain characteristics in a pan and get the cheapest I can find with that feature.

- For saucepans, I look for pans that have extra thick bottoms. You want a big slab of metal down there to help spread the heat evenly. They make some that are two piece, or other stamped pans are just thicker on the bottom.
- Next, you always want a good non-stick for eggs and such. I buy pretty much the best $20 pan and then throw it out and get a new one every year or so. Those things just don't last, I don't care how much you spend.
- Finally, everyone needs a good cast iron frypan for doing cooking where you go from stovetop to oven. Nothing makes that switch like cast iron. In the winter, I can do steaks indoors on cast iron that taste awesome.

That is what I have in my kitchen.

-Geoff
 
mdhmi said:
You have good taste. Excellent pan.
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It is pretty awesome. We have the French version of it also, but it's getting kind of ugly (rivets are corroding) and probably pushing 10 years old. This Chinese version WILL warp. My Mother-in-Law is a kitchen destroyer (she is the only person I know that can make a kitchen look like a tornado hit a flea market when making pancakes) and has managed to ruin one of these per year. I get to laugh about it, then buy a shiny nice pan and send the ruined one home with her. If you stumble upon a nicer one, I'd like to know about it.


I've found this works good for 2 eggs (8"). My wife eats eggs and I don't.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016MBRBGQ/
 
WhiteHawk said:
...cast iron. In the winter, I can do steaks indoors on cast iron that taste awesome.
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Exactly the same here. Try doing it sous vide & doing a reverse sear. It's incredible!

wrath said:
...My Mother-in-Law is a kitchen destroyer (she is the only person I know that can make a kitchen look like a tornado hit a flea market when making pancakes) ...
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ProTip: pick up / put away as you cook. I load the dish washer as I cook. By the time the meal is done pretty much everything is put away other than the skillet that is still cooling down.

For someone who cooks every day that's really important.
 
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