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drew
Radiant
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA

drew

Premium Member

Decent Cookware

I am sick of our garbage collection of 1 non stick pan and a few other pots and pans that are mismatched, etc.

Can anyone recommend anything decent? I'd heard T-Fal was OK, but seeing them at Amazon for $80 for a 12 piece set makes it seem kind of cheap.

TIA.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

I would go to a department store and check out the variety, check out the materials and thickness.

What do you want?

Aluminum with teflon coating? Cast iron? Copper? Stainless steel?

drew
Radiant
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA

1 edit

drew

Premium Member

Easy to clean is a must. My wife and I are laaaaaaaazy in the kitchen. I know cast iron requires all kinds of special treatment from when I still lived at home.

We have some stainless (or are they non-coated aluminum?) pots and pans right now but I really don't care for them that much.

Probably teflon coated pans, but I'm open to suggestions.

Edit to add: Also, we aren't looking to spend a fortune and we don't have much storage space, so getting pans that can be used for many things versus very specialty ones probably isn't a good idea.
tcope
Premium Member
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT

tcope to drew

Premium Member

to drew
I can't recommend a certain brand but the old rule is true here... you get what you pay for. If you want _good_ pans then you are going to need to pay for them. My recommendation is to get 2 good sauce pans and two good pots. To be honest, this will probably be enough for you. You can always add later but probably won't need to.

I'd also recommend picking up a cast iron pan and read how to correctly season it. It's not difficult. You can then clean it with a little oil and salt or if not very dirty, a light scrub is usually enough. They hold their heat well and will _never_ wear out.

You can also use the cast iron in the oven which is something else to consider.... pots and pans that can be placed in the oven. While this is not really important, its something to consider.

The other consideration is what type of stove you have.

drew
Radiant
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA

drew

Premium Member

I'm looking specifically for frying pans, whatever the kitchen name for that is... I'm happy to buy in a set or individually.

I don't need "good" though if reasonable... Decent. Doesn't need to be something I'm passing down to my daughter, you know?

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

You can get very decent cookware at any department store.

Try Kohl's. If you have Kohl's Charge, you might get a 30% off coupon.

drew
Radiant
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA

drew

Premium Member

Any brand suggestions? Any thing I want to look for? Stay away from?

I just don't believe that it's quite that simple. Or maybe it is and I'm over thinking this.
tcope
Premium Member
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT

tcope to drew

Premium Member

to drew
Maybe not that keep around that long but why not pick some out with that in mind? Why should you need to replace pans? They really can last a life time and more. I'm just pointing out that you may want to look for very good quality and avoid buying a big 10 piece set... as you probably don't need that many. Buy a very good set now and then you don't have to replace them every few years. But I hear you... no need to spend $100/pan as you really don't need something like that.

If you buy a cheap Teflon coated pan you will probably end up replacing it after a few years. Better to spend a little more and keep it longer. Limiting yourself to 4 pans should probably put you right in the price range you want to be in.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue to drew

Premium Member

to drew
If you don't want to spend too much money, it's not that hard to buy on price. Try to stick with one of the name brands and not something celebrity like "Rachael Ray" or "Emril".

drew
Radiant
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA

drew to tcope

Premium Member

to tcope
So it's safe to buy on price then?
tcope
Premium Member
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT

tcope

Premium Member

Somewhat... but as mentioned above, big name brands means you are paying for the name... not just quality. I can't recommend any particular brand but I would recommend searching online for info on what you should be looking for. Such things as copper coating (I think better heat distribution), different materials and how they react to heat, etc. You should also consider you're source for heat, electric coils, gas, etc.

Pans with lids are also something to consider. Most of mine don't have lids but it would be nice if they did. I usually just use foil.

So it's not just a certain pan you should be looking at... you need to consider how it will be used as well.

Anonymous_
Anonymous
Premium Member
join:2004-06-21
127.0.0.1

4 edits

Anonymous_ to drew

Premium Member

to drew
i use nothing less then Cast iron when frying somthi

my cast iron Surface is so slick not even burnt on cheese will stick

Cast iron USED!!1 FTW

old type Pre-Teflon age

well seasoned cast iron pan will be many times slicker then Teflon crap

i'd stay away from newer cast iron as they use Teflon coating

drew
Radiant
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA

drew to tcope

Premium Member

to tcope
Yeah, that's why I'm asking here. I figure there's gotta be a couple people here who know what they're doing on a stove.

I have an electric stove and don't see that changing any time soon. I want lids.

hitachi369
Embrace Your Rights
Premium Member
join:2001-10-03
Cincinnati, OH

hitachi369 to drew

Premium Member

to drew
Do you ever plan on baking with your cookware?

drew
Radiant
Premium Member
join:2002-07-10
Port Orchard, WA

drew

Premium Member

No.

hitachi369
Embrace Your Rights
Premium Member
join:2001-10-03
Cincinnati, OH
(Software) pfSense
Switches Trash Bin
Ubiquiti UniFi AP

hitachi369

Premium Member

I have a farberware (»www.amazon.com/gp/produc ··· _product) set I bought on amazon and it has held up well. I use metal utensils and the non-stick is doing ok on most of my pans. The lids are glass and interchangeable, ive dropped them many times with no issues.

My only issue was the skillet/frying pan was not big enough, I just bought a larger one from Target.

LoPhatPhuud
MVM
join:2002-01-06
Albuquerque, NM

1 recommendation

LoPhatPhuud to drew

MVM

to drew
My basic cookware is anodized aluminum that I bought as a set from Sam's Club a few years ago. Great stuff, non-stick. But I also have special items as well.

I also have cast iron skillets (2) that were my mothers. I have no idea how old they are, but they are well seasoned. And a rolled steel wok that is over 20 years old and well seasoned. The cast iron and the wok never see detergent. Salt and paper towel at the most if something is stuck on.
60127178 (banned)
K.U. Sweet 16
join:2001-02-15
Wichita, KS

1 edit

60127178 (banned) to drew

Member

to drew
I second the Farberware suggestion. I have also had my mom pick up older Corningware dishes at yard sales for very little cost. Those work great in the microwave..My sister has a set of Le Creuset enamel cookware and she swears by it. Very $$ but it will literally out last her.

Nightwing
This is it boys,this is war
Premium Member
join:2002-04-08
CT

Nightwing to drew

Premium Member

to drew
Make sure you match the pans you want to get with the type of electric stove (coil,flat top,induction etc).With my flat top stove I found I need to get frying pans with a thick bottom, otherwise the pans tend to warp.

dandelion
MVM
join:2003-04-29
Germantown, TN

1 edit

dandelion to drew

MVM

to drew
Not sure the price today, but my Mom and grandmother used, I also have and see no wear and tear on any set: »www.revereware.com/ .. I also use cast iron for frying, some my grandmother had but you can still occasionally find in garage/estate sales.
edited to add: some have had gas stoves, mine is electric.

madylarian
The curmudgeonly
Premium Member
join:2002-01-03
Parkville, MD

madylarian to drew

Premium Member

to drew
Good cookware is not cheap. This is a nice set.

Some other quality brands:

Emerilware
Anolon
Scanpan
Farberware
Swiss Diamond
Calphalon
Cuisinart
AllClad

mady

heliox
Not at the table Carlos.
Premium Member
join:2000-11-28
Corona, CA

heliox

Premium Member

I just bought an Emerilware 5 qt saute, 8" Anolon and a 5qt La Crucet Dutch oven. I'm very happy with all three.

I was very please with the Anolon. The Emeril is copper SS sandwich. All was reasonable with a 20% Bed Bath Beyond coupon.

I tossed my anodized Caphalon crap.

Antonica
Premium Member
join:2002-09-02

Antonica to drew

Premium Member

to drew
We've used T-Fal for awhile. I love them, they really are non-stick, just make sure you don't use metal spoons/silverware to stir with :P.

Also thought it was unsafe to cook with aluminium pans...

LoPhatPhuud
MVM
join:2002-01-06
Albuquerque, NM

2 edits

LoPhatPhuud to drew

MVM

to drew
Anodized aluminum is safe. It is hardened and classed as non-reactive. It is naturally non-stick. Mine has no coating applied.

If I were to do it over again, I would buy stainless steel and ignore any non stick coating. But that is just a personal preference.

see here: »environment.about.com/od ··· ware.htm

javaMan
The Dude abides.
MVM
join:2002-07-15
San Luis Obispo, CA

3 edits

javaMan to Gbcue

MVM

to Gbcue
said by Gbcue:

If you don't want to spend too much money, it's not that hard to buy on price. Try to stick with one of the name brands and not something celebrity like "Rachael Ray" or "Emril".
Oh, I don't know. I bought a set of Emerilware some time ago and love it. I've even bought a non-stick omelet pan (anodized aluminum) and a 10" non-stick frying pan (stainless). It is the best cookware I've ever owned. The heat distribution is excellent and the non-stick hold up better than anything I've owned in the past. It may be a "celebrity" brand but it's made by All Clad. You don't get much better than that. I highly recommend it. I've found bottom line that you get what you pay for when it comes to cookware. You don't have to pay a fortune but if you're sick of cheap cookware then you should be ready to make an investment in what will last.

DanHo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-20
Seattle, WA

DanHo to drew

Premium Member

to drew
Check Costco or Sam's. They usually have complete sets (pots, pans, etc) for reasonable prices. You can also keep an eye on the Bon Macy's ads. They usually have some good deals and sometimes you can find coupons for additional $s off.
drslash (banned)
Goya Asma
join:2002-02-18
Marion, IA

drslash (banned) to drew

Member

to drew
We have a stainless steel set we got at Sam's Club. They have a thick, heavy bottom. I like that for even heat distribution. I've had them several years and they will last many more years. We usually buy one good teflon pan and replace it when it wears out.

Nick
Purveyor of common sense
MVM
join:2000-10-29
Smithtown, NY

Nick to drew

MVM

to drew
I don't cook as much as others probably but you can't go wrong with:

Calphalon
Le Creucet
AllClad
Any decent thick bottom stainless
Cast iron

While non-stick teflon coated stuff is easy to use and clean, I prefer stainless. And ironically, I wind up using a wok quite a bit. It's very versatile from steaming to frying or making soup

TheGeeze
Premium Member
join:2002-07-17
united state

2 recommendations

TheGeeze to drew

Premium Member

to drew
You want decent cookware? Don't mess around, do what I did. All-Clad. »www.all-clad.com/

It's simply the best.

ravencajun
Premium Member
join:2004-08-12
Houston, TX

ravencajun to drew

Premium Member

to drew
I go with what has been used for generations down in South Louisiana where I am from and that is Magnalite. It is just hard to beat a good set of Magnalite pots. They are ones that do get handed down, I have some from my grandmother and mother. It is all I buy. So many people lost their magnalite during Katrina.
Here is an example with a lot of 5 star reviews to go with it
Magnalite Classic 13-Pc. Aluminum Cookware Set