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Wife told me to buy a new set, as our 9 yr old Anolon set is no longer "non-stick".
Looking at sub $200
Considering ceramic/copper...and will always wash any pot we get by hand.
Need to be oven safe (prefer at least up to 400 degrees).
*will most likely buy from Amazon (for their easy return policy).
https://www.amazon.com/Copper-Pots-P...kitchen&sr=1-4
Wirecutter is sort of the easy button for this stuff. Yes, it's probably not 100÷ bias free, bit have had decent luck. Used to be better prior to their acquisition.Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorboy
thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-cookware
Why the full set?
http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Clas...-garden&sr=1-5
Got this set as a wedding gift and love it. I worked in restaurants for a bit. Durable, professional feel, the nonstick surface feels bulletproof, oven safe up to 450*.
^^ Nonstick pots are just an insanely dumb idea.
Don't get a set, get individual pieces that you need. Stainless pots and carbon steel frying pans (for the latter, look at Lodge. Dirt cheap and will last generations).
Get just one $20 nonstick pan for eggs if you must.
I am not going to put together a list but you should be able to put together a serviceable collection for $200. The only real advantage to a set is interchangeable lids.
All three of our pans and our two small pots need to be replaced. The only salvageable one is the dutch oven/soup pot.
Non-stick for the pans, especially with a 16 yr old and 14 yr old cooking. Lots of scrambled eggs and shredded hash-browns.
I do like the idea of buying separate items...as I don't think our pots need to be non-stick.
But the interchangeability of the lids also helps.
mcphee's Calphalon link is essentially what we have now...and we like it....and the straining lid could be great (mac n cheese and ramen are kids' favorites).
How so other than buying off brand bargain bin pots? Just hand wash and use plastic or wooden utensils and you're good to go for a long time.Quote:
Originally Posted by RootSkier
Because nonstick shit is bad for you and rather than "a long time" stainless pots will last literally forever. You can put them in the dishwasher, you can put them on the grill, you can put them in the oven, you an use whatever utensil you want, etc.
If you ever might trade up to an induction stove gets pans that will work. I like these Zwilling Henckel ceramic non-stick (it's not like teflon, you can do all the stuff Root mentioned with them, but they're not super non-stick, just slippery) like these on amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/ZWILLING-Sp...5844913&sr=8-2
They have all different sizes and style, you can build a set. Gonna end up over $200 though but not by too much if you don't go crazy
SS or CI
Agree with Root. Had nonstick stuff for a while and got tired of replacing it. Decided to try the stainless route . Picked up a nice stainless set on closeout somewhere for just north of $250 if I remember right. It’s been going strong for several years now and it doesn’t get any special treatment. Everything goes in the dishwasher except for knives and the two cast iron skillets (1 large size and a smaller one).
Can’t ever seeing the need to replace any of it.
I did pick up a cooper nonstick pan for eggs for Christmas just to use as an egg pan but really the stainless has been fine. Bet you could put something together for your $200 budget.
+1 stainless
If I were doing it all over again, I'd splurge for a full set of All-Clad Triply Stainless. Then just get a <$30 nonstick and replace as needed for eggs and other nonstick stuff. You could get a set of Cuisinart multiclad stainless for under $200. Just make sure it's the full cladded, not just the bottom clad cheap-o stuff.
I'd beware any full set of nonstick stuff, unless it's verified hard anodized with no added chemicals. Everybody freaks out about PFOAs in their nonstick and many companies now make PFOA-free pans, but they replaced the PFOAs (which we know all the bad stuff about) with other chemicals that we have no idea how they work and what dangers they have. I stick to stainless and cast iron.
I'd be interested in any science based study that links non-stick cooking pans to illness or disease.
Buy me a set of life long knives for 2 bills.
Seriously though, 3 all clads and you don't anything else. I don't think that comes in where you want it, but does it? I reach for my saute, my stock pot, and my I don't know how to describe it, big sauce pan, 80% of the time.
I can slick an egg, make a sauce, do a steak, make a whole fucking meal, I can do anything in that pan. All of them, actually.
I love our Ozeri Ceramic cookware.
It doesnt matter how careful you are the non-stick always get scratched somehow and starts to lose the coating
I would go for 1 non-stick fry pan just for cooking eggs and plan on replacing it, just get a set of SS pots n pans, they will last forever
I have to use a cast iron fry pan at the GF's to cook eggs and once you figure it out they don't stick ... much
We went for a basic cuisinart set of Al clad stainless steel, added a big saute pan also from cuisinart, have 3 sizes cast iron, and a mess of le creuset roasters, braisers, and a stewpot. Except for the le creuset, everything else totalled less than $250CAD. The cast iron and le creuset is near indestructible, and if anything happens to the cuisinart, it is easy to replace with the near same and keep it looking like a set.
Have fun shopping. Whatever you go for, the kitchen cookware is a fun place to build, and except for non-stick (it never lasts), it is hard to go really wrong. And there is a thread buried somewhere here that goes over many of the various sets, including copper clad silver.
I have a pair of calphalon nonstick omelet pans--8 and 12 in--that I only use for eggs. I have a 14 in nonstick pan for crepes because I can't lift a 14 in Carbon steel or cast iron pan. Other than that 90% of my frying is in CI or CS. I like the CS better. For pots I don't have any nonstick, mostly cheap stainless and one big ss all clad I got a great price on. We also have a few of hard anodized aluminum pots and pans we got as a wedding present--36 years old--which I used sometimes.
Buy individual pieces you need, unless you have a designer kitchen that guests can see and you want all your cookware to match.
And a couple of aluminum backpacking pots that are 50 years old.
My uncle used to sell cookware sets on the road. He got them for 5 dollars, went into bars and gas stations and the like and told the owners he was finishing a road trip and had a couple of sets he didn't want to take home. "I sell these for $150 but I'll let you have them for 10 to get rid of them." He fed a family that way for a number of years although he didn't see them much.
Over heated tephlon makes parrots "pine for the fiords"Quote:
Originally Posted by 4matic
Topic as hell to birds if it vaporizes at all.
Copper clad and SS. Had a set of Revere Ware that my mother used by entire life, which she got from her mother. Was going to give it to my kids, but it didn't survive the fire. Even old Revere Ware isn't that tuff. Wife replaced it with Mauviel 1830. a couple pieces will quickly pass your $200 limit, though. Shit keeps me in line, getting hit by it makes a cast iron pan look like a pillow.
have you seen this documentary yet?? Its not about cookware but it is about Teflon.
The Devil We Know
Do you wear Gore-Tex?Quote:
Originally Posted by shaggy433
Is it better to boil piss in a pot or a kettle?
I only cook in Arctyrx
Depends whether you have a pot to piss in.Quote:
Originally Posted by mcski
I bought their Tremontina recommendation for $220 this spring, and I’ve been happy with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by char_
I have a full calphalon set. The non-stick pans are garbage. The coating is way more fragile than cheaper pans I had in the past. The stainless pots and pans that came in the set are great. I like my big pasta boiler / strainer / steamer combo. I do like the set because the lids are interchangeable. I like the glass lids, it’s nice to see through.
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
More importantly, it depends on what kind of pot you.piss on... sativa, indica, hybrid? I suppose it depends on your mood.Quote:
Originally Posted by 4matic
A watched pot never boils.Quote:
Originally Posted by nickwm21
I got a pair of all-clad hard anodized non-stick pans a few years ago, and been pretty happy with them. The coating has held up well, and the pans have some heft to them to spread the heat well.
Would also recommend a good size stock pot in SS. In addition to the numerous uses it serves, it can be used for sous vide if you ever get one of those.
Basically I have a combination of cast iron and SS pots and pans. I do have one ceramic coated pan for certain uses, frying up hash browns most notably.
In addition I have a rice cooker, a crock pot and the sous vide device.
I got this set as a wedding gift. Have since expanded on it quite a bit with other copper, stainless, cast iron, and carbon steel but I still use these pants everyday in the kitchen.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Calphalon-C...w/264555422997
Is copper difficult to clean (not in terms of scrubbing...but being very gentle with it)?
SB?....is ceramic non-stick? what about upkeep? Are you worried about scratching it?
Wife is asking to stay away from Non-stick, but still need a slippery surface. IMO...that leaves me with the choice of copper and ceramic.
Bought this a few months ago. Essentially it's Caphalon non-stick, but at a fraction of the price. This is hands down the best deal in cookware.
https://www.costco.com/kirkland-sign...100494015.html
Yes, as I understand it ceramic is intended to replace teflon non stick. So far it is very durable. You have to use it on med to low heat. No real special maintenance that I am aware of.Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorboy
The only copper pan I have is a double ring Revere ware, its mainly SS with the copper cladding on the bottom. No special care there either. This one is a family hand me down and it is the large skillet so I do not have much call for using it.
You can’t properly deglaze a non stick. If technique matters. I mostly agree with Root.Quote:
Originally Posted by mcphee
Egg pan(s) non stick. Every thing else stainless. My last 8” egg pan came from Costco. Cheap. I also have a 10” and 12” non stick for frittata and fish.
Teach your kids to let the pan warm before adding fats (butter, oils, etc) and you won’t need non-stick.
With teens, I would not consider nonstick to be the better choice as they are apt to use whatever spatula is closest.
X2 for calphalpon. I have a full set that was actually handed down to me. Amazing cookware that is well made. Even the lids are strong and durable. They last a long time if you take care of themQuote:
Originally Posted by nickwm21
I hand wash the copper stuff but there don't seem to be any particular restrictions in terms of cleaning other than not putting it in the dishwasher. That said, I don't use copper polish favoring, instead, to just let the patina accumulate. Just a blue scouring pad and some dawn inside and out.Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorboy
The cooking surface of copper pans is generally covered with something else, usually SS. You would only be cleaning copper on the outside. I use a plastic scrubber made of a bunch of individual plastic threads on all my pots and pans, regardless of what they're made of.Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorboy
A large stock pot is a great idea. I have one big enough for a whole turkey carcass to fit into so I don't have to break up the turkey. I had cleaning up after thanksgiving.
One problem with nonstick and ss surfaces is that it doesn't sear well and doesn't tolerate high heat. Don't know about ceramic.
Like Peruvian says heat the pan before adding fat, but also let the fat get hot before adding food. A chef I watched do a paella demonstration said wait for the oil to smoke. I sometimes do that. My paella still sucks, but it doesn't stick.
wutQuote:
Originally Posted by old goat
.......
You have two choices with copper. Just wash as usually and let it patina, or take 15 seconds and sprinkle Kleen King on the copper and gently rub it with a sponge. It will shine right to, no effort involved as long as you do it each time. It takes no more time then normal cleaning. I use it inside and out as it is a more effective cleaner then dish soap.