Cooking Pans

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I get non-stick pans from sam's club- commercial Teflon coated and as soon as I see chips I toss it- coating is very durable and I never get the pan hot enough for it to off gas and they are cheap. The aluminum is pretty heavy so heats pretty evenly

For searing and high heat- I go to cast iron or stainless.

Unless you have issues with high iron in your blood- cast iron is great and very safe and last forever- you just have to know how to clean and season properly.

For stainless- if you can get the triple cladded stuff, heavier and retains heat better,
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
I use cast iron or enameled cast iron for virtually everything. The only thing it can really "leak" into food is iron, which isn't a problem. They're non-stick, easy to clean, and about as durable as possible.


+1
 
Fissler stainless steel pressure cooker pots and pans are awesome. German-made, heirloom quality. Their base is so thick they're practically non-stick.

Carbon steel pans are nice, too. Le Crueset enameled cast iron started out as Descoware. Sometimes you can get good deals on old Descoware on Ebay.
 
Wow, that Tramontina stuff at Walmart linked is indeed amazingly cheap if it's indeed close to All-clad or the cuisinart stainless in quality. I see it's aluminum core and not copper, but it could work well I imagine.

The All-Clad and Cuisinart I like are copper core. This is my favorite pan (discontinued now):

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-922-28H-Everyday-Stainless-11-Inch/dp/B00004S9F3/ref=cm_rdp_product

Some day I need to buy a more complete set of All-Clad copper core or similar. The heat transfer is so much faster, the heat more even, you can really get better results with it and "taste" the difference.

One thing I do to keep the stainless non-stick/low stick is I actually polish it with mag wheel polish when needed (Mother's Mag and Alum. Polish). I use it a lot and it's been over a year and still great, only need to do that if I screw something up and burn it - e.g., set it on a burner left on, etc (did that once).
 
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In brief:
1) I use cast iron when I want the finish only it can deliver (I forget the name of the great tasting crunch cast iron gives)

2) All-Clad is my go to pan Thanks to sis and bro for gifting them to me.

3) I like the idea of using a La Creuset enameled casserole for whatever you want (browning chicken etc.).

4) Examples of the "new" dusty green non-stick you see on cooking shows I've seen in stores are all INCREDIBLY FLIMSY.....complete garbage.

5) Years ago I used and loved a glossy (smooth as glass) enameled pan my aunt had chipped and discarded. It was the "original non-stick" in my book. Alas, I finally dropped it and a huge chunk of the glazing broke away. I never saw any pan like it anywhere. Believe me, I looked.
 
Cooks Ill. rated the T-fal 12" Pro skillet as tops. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=psdc_289829_t1_B009HBKQR0
Some have complained about a "bump" in the middle however. You do need to be careful about overheating it and "shocking" it in cold water after use when it's still hot.

I have a cast iron skillet I've used for decades and it works great.

I also recently bought my first tri-clad skillet (WS) when on sale and it is fantastic! Heats very evenly on electric coils and the 12" size has lots of room. Expensive, so buy when on sale.

Cooks Ill. also tested several tri-clad skillets years ago.
 
Originally Posted By: cutter
Originally Posted By: Oro_O
Wow, that Tramontina stuff at Walmart linked is indeed amazingly cheap if it's indeed close to All-clad or the cuisinart stainless in quality. I see it's aluminum core and not copper, but it could work well I imagine.


There's an in-depth testing between the two.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/equipment-the-all-clad-vs-tramontina-skillet.html



that is a very good review, thanks for the link.
 
Yes, thanks for the link. I couldn't quite imagine the Al. centered stuff performing up to the Cu.

I have read some professional chefs say the really prefer the Cuisinart Copper to the All-Clad (and it's cheaper). So that would get the price ratio down a hari, but it's still double at least I'd think.

On a related note, that author (Lopez-Alt), I recognize him. he had to write a funny mea culpa a while ago for bashing deep-fried turkey; apparently he did it fairly poorly and then took a thrashing online about it! To his credit, he re-did it and ate crow. Can't find a link right now but it was amusing. We all make mistakes sometimes, good to own them.
wink.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR

What do you guys think about "Cook N Home 12-Piece Stainless Steel Set" from Amazon for $42 ? It is 18/10 stainless steel and second best seller in cookware sets on Amazon.


Well, there's over 1k reviews so perusing them is going to give good feedback, but I looked at the link and thought a few things:

1) That is a really stupid set; it is basically 6 pieces that get you 3 you will use - 1 fry pan, 1 small sauce pan, and four other pans only which one of is different enough to be of use. So three of the pans (6 pieces with lid) are totally redundant.

2) I can't imagine delivering decent quality at that price, but maybe somehow they do.

3) The Tramontina kit at 8 pieces/$110 is still a better overall value than this at $42 because you have 5 tested pieces you can really use vs. the redundant pieces in this (amazon listed) kit, with only 3 distinctly different pieces.

I can put together a way more complicated meal, make more things, etc. with the Tramontina kit vs. the cook n home kit just based on the contents, quality aside.

And with stainless cookware, quality counts. because if the center heating element (copper or aluminum) is not well done, the stuff burns and sticks and is a nightmare. that is why All-Clad and Cuisinart Copper is highly regarded - the copper lets the stainless cook evenly and avoid hot spots.
 
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Thank Oro for your input. I agree with you that "quality counts", that why I asked for inputs.

Currently we have non-stick cookwares, since they are more than 12-15 years old Teflon is pealing off. I may buy a stainless cookware set for my wife as Christmas gift.
 
A well season carbon steel smooth surface will slide off like teflon when dealing with eggs. Carbon steel is a high heat quick surface cooking when you want crisp veggie and eggs. The difference with carbon steel and cast iron is when heated the cast iron tend to hold more heat for quick heating cooking. Too much heat may penetrate deeper so for quick surface heat searing carbon steel is the way to go. You don't want watery stir fry with a stainless steel.

I'd ditch the teflon and look at carbon steel. It's my go to pan for stir fry and eggs I haven't found any pan that can match it for end results.
 
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Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: cutter
Originally Posted By: rsylvstr
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-8-P...re-Set/19581112


Whoa, it's gone down in price. That's a great buy for something that almost replicates All Clad in performance.

What do you guys think about "Cook N Home 12-Piece Stainless Steel Set" from Amazon for $42 ? It is 18/10 stainless steel and second best seller in cookware sets on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TIN...d=ATVPDKIKX0DER



Really dislike glass lids. They can break, don't like them in the oven even if it says they're okay, they can break.
 
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