Need some decent pots & pans options

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mizzou

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2008
9,734
54
91
Can't find the old thread...

Looking for some decent WITHOUT the non-stick teflon coating, which eventually flakes away or stops working after a few weeks.

something inexpensive like this....I'm sure me (or my wife) will at some point destroy even the most professional t1000 steel whatever so I'm not interested in top of the line.

http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-C798SC64...steel+cookware


....but it seems stainless steel may leak nasty stuff just like teflon can also be harmful

So...

1. Stainless steel
2. Cast iron
3. Anodized aluminum
4. Aluminum
5. Teflon
6. Enamled cast iron
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,474
9,972
136
For stainless my favorite is Revereware. I like cast iron. I have a pretty big one I use every day. I do have one teflon square griddle style flat pan with a handle that I've had for must be 20 years and it somehow has never lost it's abilities, and boy a few times I've heated that sucker as hot as you can imagine, high flame indefinitely, by accident. Still works fine. Is it poisoning me? Maybe, don't know. I use it exclusively to toast flour tortillas, not crisp but almost, makes a great burrito. I don't use aluminum except on rare occasions. I do have some aluminum pots and pans, but I generally didn't buy them, they were left by former roommates.

The handle broke off my cast iron large skillet some years ago and I fashioned a fix for it which includes a wrapping of rubber from an old inner tube. Thus, I don't have to use a potholder with it. Normally, cast iron skillets need to be handled with pot holders. There's something special about cast iron. It distributes the heat more evenly than other metals, it's so thick. Has a lot of heat capacity, so it takes longer before it's ready to add something, by the same token when you turn the heat off it keeps cooking for a while, which other metals don't. I like this effect. I have a large flat cast iron griddle-pan that I use for over-easy eggs, to fry a patty and such. It was left here many years ago. It had a rough surface, which I smoothed by sanding with an electric Makita sander! I really like it. Heats evenly... I have a gas range. Yes, I need to use a pot holder with it.
 
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NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
2. I like cast iron but you have to know how to take care of them and be dedicated to washing them by hand, never a dishwasher. You also have to know how to build up the seasoning to a good non-stick level and then maintain it. That being said, cast iron is my fav cookwar, most used in my kitchen e and it is very versatile. Its probably the "healthiest" cookware since you dont have any non stick coating like teflon to flake off and accidentally ingest. I try not to use cast iron when cooking acidic foods or dairy items since those are supposed to react with the seasoning.

1. Stainless Steel is my next go to pot when I don't want to use cast iron. Almost as good heat retention as cast iron. Can be easily washed with soap or in a dishwasher. Lighter than cast iron and no seasoning to worry about.

3 & 4: I dont like aluminum for cooking performance reasons. Alot of people also say cooking with aluminum runs the risk of Alzheimers. Whether this is true or not, I'm not sure but I've gotten rid of all of my aluminum pots anyway.

5. Don't like teflon since the coating always fails after a year or so. Plus most teflon pans are cheaply made and most of the time made from aluminum which I dont like. In any event, my cast iron pans have such a good layer of seasoning on them that it is like cooking on teflon.

6. I do like enameled cast iron and it makes great dutch ovens. This also gives you the heat capacity of cast iron but without needing to worry about the seasoning. These make great roasting pots or sauce pots.
 
UglyCasanova

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
I have a Calphalon set that I enjoy. If I were to buy again I might go a different route, but overall they are nice.
 
DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
Personally, I've found it better to get what I need, rather than a large set of one type. Cast iron frying pans, a large 12 or 14 inch non-stick frying pan, a small non-stick frying pan for omelets. Yes, I can use the cast iron, but the smaller size is better. A large stock pot, with two sizes of basket strainers that fit inside. And, a couple of sauce pans, that I don't care what they're made of. Except for a metal spatula, none of the utensils are metal. A combination of silicone or plastic, and bamboo. I don't want my wife or kids (when they visit) scraping the finish on the non-stick pans.
 
MagnusTheBrewer

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
24,122
1,594
126
Buy individual pans for what you need. Sets really don't save you any money and buying pots and pans for looks is just silly.
 
Hayabusa Rider

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,268
126
I bought the set of 3

I got them on a better sale, but it's still a good deal.

If you watch cooking vids of professionals and know what to watch for you'll see carbon steel used often. Can be made quite non stick.
 
slugg

slugg

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2002
4,723
80
91
I thought I wanted cheap cookware, until I realized that it really does make a difference to have the good stuff. I don't think you need to spend $1k on an AllClad set, but cookware is not something you'd want to go completely cheap on.

I have almost the entire Calphalon Contemporary set, and I must say, it was money well spent. Food practically cooks itself in this cookware. Heat transfer is very even and consistent. The lids also work perfectly without any splattering, suction-cupping, or vibrating; they float, balanced on a thin layer of steam. They're dishwasher safe and oven safe, too. Oh, and that includes a lifetime warranty, even if the non-stick surface flakes off. The Calphalon Contemporary set is available in stainless steel, non-stick, and some pieces are also available in cast iron.

One major key to maintaining pretty much any cookware set is to just have good cooking implements. Basically, stay away from metal spoons, spatulas, etc, if at all possible. Wood + various plastics are the way to go.

Slightly off topic, but don't be cheap on knives, either...
 
P

Pardus

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2000
8,197
21
81
Check out the WearEver A834S974 Cook and Strain Stainless Steel Dishwasher Safe 10-Piece Cookware Set. The entire set has pour spouts, not found on a lot of cookware.
6140xmvTXNL._SL1500_.jpg
 
herm0016

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,512
1,128
126
12 in cast iron and 10 in cast iron skillets cook about 80% of our food. we have a few stainless sauce pans, one large stock pot, and a le cruset dutch oven.

we cook a lot and love food, this is all you really need.
 
Hugo Drax

Hugo Drax

Diamond Member
Nov 20, 2011
5,647
47
91
We just use Vollrath Wearever aluminum cookware. Not expensive, and takes abuse plus its made in the USA.
 
J

jaedaliu

Platinum Member
Feb 25, 2005
2,670
1
81
My background: I do most of the cooking for my small family of 2. Below are my observations on cookware.

I love my T-Fal spot non-stick pans. They're hand-me-downs from my uncle after he got them back from my cousin when he moved home after college. They're tough (we don't use steel wool/stainless scrubbers, we use the blue scotch brite nonstick-safe scrubbers) and still nonstick after our 2 years of use (after 3 years of out of dorm use by my cousin) Can be found at Marshalls for ~$10/pan. More than disposable teflon, but I would get these for any frying pan usage.

I may be doing it wrong, but the large cast iron skillet isn't really nonstick for us after a year of cooking on it and not touching soap (boil water in it and clean with nylon brush.) Due to the ease of use of the T-Fal cookware, the cast iron doesn't get that much use.

The cooks standard brand at amazon is a good deal for 3 ply rolled lip cookware. We got a large one we use for our soups and spaghetti sauces.
 
Muse

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,474
9,972
136
NetWareHead said:
2. I like cast iron but you have to know how to take care of them and be dedicated to washing them by hand, never a dishwasher. You also have to know how to build up the seasoning to a good non-stick level and then maintain it. That being said, cast iron is my fav cookwar, most used in my kitchen e and it is very versatile. Its probably the "healthiest" cookware since you dont have any non stick coating like teflon to flake off and accidentally ingest. I try not to use cast iron when cooking acidic foods or dairy items since those are supposed to react with the seasoning.

1. Stainless Steel is my next go to pot when I don't want to use cast iron. Almost as good heat retention as cast iron. Can be easily washed with soap or in a dishwasher. Lighter than cast iron and no seasoning to worry about.

3 & 4: I dont like aluminum for cooking performance reasons. Alot of people also say cooking with aluminum runs the risk of Alzheimers. Whether this is true or not, I'm not sure but I've gotten rid of all of my aluminum pots anyway.

5. Don't like teflon since the coating always fails after a year or so. Plus most teflon pans are cheaply made and most of the time made from aluminum which I dont like. In any event, my cast iron pans have such a good layer of seasoning on them that it is like cooking on teflon.

6. I do like enameled cast iron and it makes great dutch ovens. This also gives you the heat capacity of cast iron but without needing to worry about the seasoning. These make great roasting pots or sauce pots.
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I've heard that stuff about aluminum, that it has deleterious health consequences. The evidence I heard sounded anecdotal, but serious. I tend to shun aluminum for that reason alone.

I don't worry too much about the seasoning on my cast iron. I used to, not so much anymore. I mostly just use them. The seasoning gets screwed up, I mostly don't care. I generally add a little oil (olive, the only oil I use in the kitchen with rare exceptions) before adding anything. Don't have a dishwasher. I don't wash my cast iron a lot. The fire kills anything living in it! :) I used to obsess some on the seasoning on cast iron, but it's a PITA to keep it perfect, nowadays I mostly don't bother. If I want, I'll put a pan on a high open flame and fill the house with fumes, burning off the messed up seasoning. I used to coat with a little oil and put in a high oven, repeat to generate seasoning. It's a fair amount of work, and if it lasted I'd do it, but it doesn't last long. I don't see a reason to bother, really, it cooks nicely enough without being perfect.

I use stainless sauce pans a lot! Those, I do wash well. They clean up really nicely.
 
N

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
Muse said:
I don't worry too much about the seasoning on my cast iron. I used to, not so much anymore. I mostly just use them. The seasoning gets screwed up, I mostly don't care. I generally add a little oil (olive, the only oil I use in the kitchen with rare exceptions) before adding anything. Don't have a dishwasher. I don't wash my cast iron a lot. The fire kills anything living in it! :) I used to obsess some on the seasoning on cast iron, but it's a PITA to keep it perfect, nowadays I mostly don't bother. If I want, I'll put a pan on a high open flame and fill the house with fumes, burning off the messed up seasoning. I used to coat with a little oil and put in a high oven, repeat to generate seasoning. It's a fair amount of work, and if it lasted I'd do it, but it doesn't last long. I don't see a reason to bother, really, it cooks nicely enough without being perfect.
Click to expand...

Same here, it is not perfect but it cooks damn well enough. You only need to obsess when the pan is new or you have stripped all of the seasoning off of it and have to start fresh. I also did that as well, let the pan burn on the stovetop and try to build up new layers. I also put it in the oven as well and let it season. When you get to a point when you can cooks eggs on it with minimal oil and it behaves like teflon, thats where I am satisfied. I can cook crepes on mine too. I also sear chick breasts and steak on mine as well with minimal sticking. I have a wok that I just purchased and have begun the wonderful searing process from scratch. Bought a block of lard from the store for this purpose although I hear alot of people have had great and fast results from flax/linseed oil. Going to have to try that.
 
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