Best Pots and Pans to buy??
Ed Lee
Greetings,
My wife and I would like to replace our rather
sorry assortment of pots and pans and are wondering
what the net wisdom in this area might be. There is
a rather vast and dizzying array of products such as
Circulon, Calphalon (sp?) and others that carry high
price tags. We'd like to purchase items that will
last a lifetime, so if we must spend the big bucks,
so be it. Experieces, FAQ pointers will all be
appreciated.
One last thing (cringe, flame retardent suit on),
are any of this products dish washer safe? I've made
bold statements in the past about trying to purchase
things for the kitchen that will not be damaged in
the dishwasher. Any chances here?
Regards,
Judith O Wagner
Ed--
My personal "thing" about pots and pans is...don't buy a "set"
of anything. We cook a lot--different kinds of foods--and have
a lot of different kinds of equipment. It includes French
tin-lined copper, Le Creuset, Claphalon, cast iron, Cuisinart,
etc., etc. We use 'em all and probably would be dissatisfied
if *all* of them were calphalon, for example.
I suggest you think about what kind of cooking you do and buy
individual pots and pans as appropriate. Each piece might
cost a little more than if you bought it in a set, but there's
*always* at least one piece in a set that you would <never>
in a million years use. Evens out!
Have fun shopping!
Judy Wagner
jwa...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Marilee Marshall
brand of cookware manufactured in the US or Europe. For my money I
would look for a good solid weight multi layered stainless steel
lined set that works together to make even larger or customized
shapes. This means they all have to be the same brand.... as a
basic starter group. I have a 8 quart pot that can be inverted over
the large skillet to accomodate a turkey, as a dome roaster. Aside
from the extremely expensive gourmet shop source, the very best is
actually sold "direct". I've got about 3 sets now, the best being 5
ply (aluminum, copper center; for excellent heat conduction. And
stainless inside and out for ease of cleaning). It can be put into
the dishwasher, the only down-side is that the handles turn dull
colored. Most stainless pans have a residual in the bottom after
washing, and periodically I use Kleen-King or Bon-Ami for Stainless
cleanser (DO NOT USE REGULAR CLEANSER) it needs to say it's for
stainless and/or copper.
If you need a reference for a salesperson in your area, call Carl
Wampler in San Jose, CA at 408/268-9231. I've done all my
acquisitions through him, and found him to be very flexible in
prices, honest as can be.
Alexandra Schmidt
If you are willing (and able) to consider the pots and pans an investment
(in every sense!) I recommend Le Creuset enameled cast iron. My mother has
cooked in hers for more than 25 years and they are still beautiful and
serviceable. They're quite heavy and respond well to temperature changes,
and yes, I put mine in the dishwasher. Most of the other brands of pots/
pans I've had (briefly, back in student days) have not been 'top of the
line', e.g. Calphalon or Chantal or something like that, so I can't draw
much comparison there.
The Dutch ovens and saucepans have sort of a smooth finish on the inside,
and the frying pans have a black nonstick liner that seems to hold up very
well (I cite my mother's pans again, mine have only been in use for a few
years).
. . .Alexandra
Jane R. Deering
For all-around range cooking, I would recommend Revere stainless steel
pots and pans. My mother's are nearly 25 years old, and they're in
great condition, looking as if they'll last another 25 years with no
problem. I've got some myself and they're all I could ask for in
stainless steel. They come with either copper bottoms or aluminum
bottoms - we've found that the aluminum (a newer style) works slightly
better at fast, even, heat distribution; but it really doesn't make
that much difference. All styles work great. Am I sounding effusive
yet? They deserve it.
I've inherited a Le Creuset saucepan from my mother (cast iron coated
with ceramic). It's a little scratched from many, many years of use,
but it still works very nicely. I've yet to burn anything in it,
including normally delicate items such as chocolate and butter, and it
cleans up really easily.
The Revere ware is definately dishwasher safe, and as I remember the Le
Creuset is as well (I don't have a dishwasher, but I believe my mother
put hers in there and if so, it's certainly none the worse for the
wear). Still, I would recommend you clean both by hand at least well
enough so there's nothing sticking to the bottom, etc. when you put it
in the dishwasher, since the dishwasher won't get that stuff out well
and it will build up - and it's much easier to clean when it's fresh!
The Creuset should be cleaned carefully so the ceramic doesn't scratch,
but it's really fairly sturdy and not too difficult to clean anyway.
Revere ware just gets shinier the more you scrub! =)
Jane Deering
fury...@dartmouth.edu
Lee M. Bollard
These all have stainless interiors, with your choice of exteriors. Aluminum
core, thick. Stainless handles that don't get hot riveted w/stainless
rivets. Stainless lids. They are built to last forever.
The outer finishes available are (in order of increasing cost)
1. Brushed aluminum
2. Shiny Stainless steel (these work w/induction burners too)
3. Greyish black anodized (pretty)
4. Copper (pretty expensive)
These pans are worth the effort of looking into.
Regards,
Lee Bollard
HP Spokane Division
bol...@hpspkla.spk.hp.com
rlwil...@gallua.gallaudet.edu
I basically use three types: Analon for things that might stick,
La Creuset for slow cooking and caphalon for things that really require
even heating. Although they don't get much use, I always enjoy my good old
cast iron ware too...
skip
Kenneth Staffan (x37507)
>If you need a reference for a salesperson in your area, call Carl
>Wampler in San Jose, CA at 408/268-9231. I've done all my
>acquisitions through him, and found him to be very flexible in
>prices, honest as can be.
You never mentioned any brandnames for the cookware...
Dominic Cusanelli
come in all shapes and sizes. I frequently use the wok
and the large fry pan - and they're great!We bought all
the pieces we own from QVC on the TV - at a very substantial
savings from department store prices.
Bruce M. Binder
> If you are willing (and able) to consider the pots and pans an
> investment (in every sense!) I recommend Le Creuset enameled cast
> iron. My mother has cooked in hers for more than 25 years and they
> are still beautiful and serviceable.
Speaking of enameled cast iron (and mothers), I have an enameled
cast iron pot that my mother gave me that is made by Descoware
(sp?). She had it for at least 25 years and she still has two of
her own. Has anyone else heard of this brand? Is it still
available somewhere? How expensive is it?
<bruceb>
___ __ __ ___
( ,)( \/ )( ,) Bruce M. Binder (619) 546-9509
) ,\ ) ( ) ,\ Locus Computing Corporation bru...@locus.com
(___/(_/\/\_)(___/ San Diego, California ...!ucsd!lccsd!bruceb
Marilee Marshall
Bend called Royal Queen. If you need something specific, he has
access to a number of other gourmet manufacturers.
marilee
June Kostkowski
HOORAY!!!!! FOR QVC!!!!! I love that channel. My husband swears if or cable
company discontinues subscribing, QVC will have to file bankruptcy if I can't
shop with them. I have LOTS of T-fal. My only complaint is it dents very
easily if you drop it. Otherwise, it's great! Before I discovered QVC, I
bought my daughter a set of T-fal for a wedding shower gift, I paid $169 for
an 8 piece set. Four months later when I discovered QVC, I bought myself a
10 piece set for $79 and change.
Tim Bieling
>
>Greetings,
>
> My wife and I would like to replace our rather
>sorry assortment of pots and pans and are wondering
>what the net wisdom in this area might be. There is
>a rather vast and dizzying array of products such as
>Circulon, Calphalon (sp?) and others that carry high
>price tags. We'd like to purchase items that will
>last a lifetime, so if we must spend the big bucks,
>so be it. Experieces, FAQ pointers will all be
>appreciated.
I have a tiny set of Bourgeat (9" "omlette pan", 12" deep fry pan,
2 qt pot and 4 qt double handled pot) which set me back about $450
at the time I got them (current list for them is over $800). They
are copper exterior, stainless lined with cast iron handles. I've
seen them used on some of the "Great Chef's..." shows. They heat
very evenly (on my gas stove) and are easy to clean.
Drawbacks - they are VERY EXPENSIVE (I recently priced the 9" omlette
pan at about $140), the copper exterior tarnishes (I don't mind that
unless something dribbles over - then I polish them), they are VERY
heavy.
Plusses - good heat distribution, all metal (stove to oven use), can
double as a weapon :) (don't drop them on a foot!)
>
> One last thing (cringe, flame retardent suit on),
>are any of this products dish washer safe? I've made
>bold statements in the past about trying to purchase
>things for the kitchen that will not be damaged in
>the dishwasher. Any chances here?
I wouldn't recommend putting these pots in the DW because of the
cast iron handles - they will rust if you do that. (I learned
the hard way)
If you are looking for "top of the line" cookware, the Bourgeat
line will last a lifetime. Just expect to pay top dollar for a
reasonable set.
-Tim
Richard Chycoski
>
> For all-around range cooking, I would recommend Revere stainless steel
> pots and pans. My mother's are nearly 25 years old, and they're in
> great condition, looking as if they'll last another 25 years with no
> The Revere ware is definately dishwasher safe, and as I remember the Le
> Creuset is as well (I don't have a dishwasher, but I believe my mother
> put hers in there and if so, it's certainly none the worse for the
> wear). Still, I would recommend you clean both by hand at least well
My mother's Revereware is about 40 years old, and has the older style
bakelite handles. (The newer Revereware has plastic handles.)
The dishwasher did a real job on the bakelite, with is now dull and pitted,
due to the strong dishwasher detergents. (They received about 15 years of
automatic dishwasher 'processing'.) The stainless and copper portions are still
in reasonable shape, though. The later plastic-handled Revereware may fare
better in a dishwasher.
One thing - *never* put aluminum in the dishwasher! It reacts with the strong
detergents, and the reactions can damage (pit) your stainless as well.
We have 'Governor's Table' (from the Bay, I think that it's a house brand) all
stainless set, and some Corning 'Visions' pots. I like them both, especially
now that we have a gas range. (I used to burn things a lot on the electric
range, especially in the Visions pots!) The Visions pots are nice for zapping
in the microwave, too. We also have a couple of other miscellaneous pieces, one
is a large stainless frying pan with a very thick bottom, made by 'Supreme
Aluminum'. It's one of my favourite pans because it distributes the heat well.
Oh yes, the notes that came with the 'Governor's Table' ware suggest that you
shouldn't use the dishwasher, as it might eventually dull the finish. I suspect
that this is more due to interreactions with other items in the dishwasher, but
I don't know enough about the chemistry involved. We usually hand wash these
pots and pans, just to be safe.
- Richard Chycoski
ric...@sfu.ca