SWR: Pots and Pans

Hey ladies and gents,

FW and I are slowly but surely starting to register. Being the bachelor and bachelorette we have been, we are replacing much of our kitchenware with better stuff. And so for you folks that like to cook out there, we would love thoughts on what to get and why:

1) non stick
2) stainless steel
3) pre seasoned cast iron


tia

--the stealth groom
(giving meat eating, sports watching, whiskey drinking guys a voice on liweddings since 10/06)

i would say non-stick... obviously it's the easiest to clean but you just have to be careful with how you clean it and be sure to use wooden or plastic utensils when you're cooking (don't want to scratch the bottom of the pan/pot and ruin it).

SS is good, but I wouldn't want an entire set of SS. And Cast-iron is a biitch to clean, and they say you're not really suppossed to clean it with soap which is kind of yucky, IMO. Good luck!

ETA: I hear the Rachel Ray set is great! If you like bold colored pots and pans.

i LIVe for my circulon non stick
they work great

I registered for All-Glad Stainless Steel 10 piece set and two caphlon non stick frying pans, a all clad stainless steel tall pot with steamer insert/pasta insert with lid, a non stick wok.

Me and FH love to cook and I have done much research and found these pots were perfect for us.

I say aways do a mix especially with the frying pan. The only reason to have a non stick frying pan is to sear meats and make sauce reductions not for frying a egg that is what non-stick is for.

i think all the non-stick are stainless steel.
i like the ones with the glassy top! i wish i would have registered for those! little does DH know im buying a new set ver shortly! who cares that ive only had my set since april 06!

i love the ones by emeril - the glass [clear top ones] faberwear now puts them out too..personally, i love farberwear the best. my mom and MIL still have them and use them from their bridal showers!!!

:)
hth

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Posted by TeddyFrogsDivaBride

I consulted with our best man,who is a chef, asking him what would be best for someone who cooks, but is not a chef, and he suggested I stick with what I registered for, which is what he uses at home, which is (how many whichs is's can i get in here? ha!) the calphalon one nonstick anondized cookware. I did register for a couple of cast iron pieces at crate and barrel, but that is so i have one for making some adventurous things..good luck!!! :)

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This is what we got but the non-nonstick version. Anodized aluminum is already nonstick - I didn't want it coated with teflon and believe me you don't need it. These pots are great. If you can afford it, copper or copper core are supposed to be the best. Something about the way copper transfers heat, but they're super pricey and the anodized aluminum is like the next best thing in terms of heat transfer. I think stainless steal is hard - I've had it before and it's very hard to clean, it's not non-stick, and it does require seasoning (or at least my pots did) - it's a lot of work and my cooking results are much better on the anodized aluminum. We also have a few cast iron pieces (it's not hard to season a cast-iron frying pan - you do it once and then you never clean it - use coarse kosher salt and vegetable oil instead of soap and water) - you need a grill pan and/or a frying pan (for indoor steak cooking), and a dutch oven. America's Test Kitchens did a survey of dutch ovens - the pricey cast iron ones (Le Creuset and one other brand - maybe All Clad or Calphalon, I forget) were the best by far so it's a worthwhile investment and great for one-pot meals. You can sear meats in it and then finish the stew, soup, chili, whatever on the stove or in the oven. I don't know if the cast-iron dutch oven needs seasoning - I don't have room for it so it is still in the box at my MIL's house until it's time to throw away my old one (which is not cast iron and it's not going to hold up for long either). Ah, the joys of living in NY - my kitchen can't hold all my kitchen stuff. HTH.

Caution: foodie on the premises!

I LOVE to cook.... and even when I was single, did a lot of research on pots and pans, with cost as no object. My goal was to get the perfect pot for each application.... and pots that would never have to be replaced. So, several $K and 3 years later, I can report the following:

Le Creuset cast iron are fantastic casserole pots. They heat evenly, and in general, things don't stick too much. They also are great 'on the stove' pots, since the sides also conduct heat. Just never scrub them with a brillo pad.... I recommend purchasing a 5L (5qt) for cooking casseroles for about 4-6 portions, and a larger 8L (8qt) for parties, roasts, or lots of leftovers....

Cast iron skillets are REALLY necessary for searing meat. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it definitely has to be treated properly (seasoned, heated after rinsing to dry off...). The heavier the better, as long as you both have good wrist strength! Mine are still not seasoned enough for eggs not to stick.... so you need an additional frying pan for stuff like that. I recommend one 12 inch skillet. (might as well get a head start and get preseasoned... although it is still BARELY seasoned...)

The best stovetop pots are completely clad. All Clad is excellent. (I bought a european brand dahlstrom from hackman, which looks a bit more modern, but behaves identically to all clad). All clad's steel surface is inert (so tomato sauce won't taste metallic), yet the aluminum core prevents hot spots. They're expensive, but well worth the price. If you envision cooking frequently in the future I recommend registering for an 8 qt, 5qt, 3qt, and 2 qt pots, along with a wide frying pan (12-14 inches) with a lid.

I consider nostick a double-edged sword... It is not good for you. The teflon actually DOES absorb into the food. A medical study published that all americans have teflon in their bloodstreams... and attributed it to the cookware used since the 80's. As a medical researcher and an avid cook, this disturbs me greatly.... Everyone CLAIMS it does no harm, but I know that just means no one has found out how it affects us. Afterall, it's nearly impossible to experimentally determine since we can't find americans without it in the blood, so no negative controls exist!

I admit I have 2 teflon pans, one I use for omlettes, and one I use for crepes, but I feel guilty every time I use it. The surface DOES wear off over time, even on the most expensive pots, so I would avoid spending a lot of $$$ on nonstick. My 2 pans are midpriced (TFAL and equivalend), and I consider them 'disposable'.

I also don't recommend anodized aluminum, becuase the outside surface scratches and stains like crazy. The pots will look ugly in no time. Usually they are also $$ and nostick, which means their inside surface will wear off after 3-5 years of heavy use. It also may react with acidic foods....

a year or 2 ago, Alton Brown published a kitchen equipment book which goes into these things, along with many gadgets.... I recommend it!

hope this helps