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I love to cook, and I am shopping for some cookware for my personal use once I get out on my own. I have been looking at Amazon mainly, since they seem to be the retailer behind many of the other sites I've found.
My brother gave me a Calphalon everyday pan for Christmas, and I really like the look and feel of it. I haven't actually used it yet , so I don't have a complete opinion yet. It is hard anodized as opposed to nonstick or stainless. This is the set I have my eye on. It's not cheap, but I don't really want cheap.
I'm thinking nonstick is a bad idea, as I hear that the coating isn't very good for you when it inevitably flakes off.
Any comments about this or any other brand/construction are much appreciated.
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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My very favorite stuff (expensive, but lasts forever, unlike the modern non-stick items, which -- as you comment -- inevitably wear down and flake off) is Le Creuset enamelled ironware. I was lucky enough to find a small set for insane price of $40 at a thrift store, and I was totally sold with the first use. Got to use a full set when at a friend's, and I was in heaven.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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I really like my Circulon cookware, it is hands down at LEAST as good as they claim it is, which is rare. Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Le Creuset! But, um, try to find it used (got mine at a garage sale for $25); it's as expensive as heck. And a couple of cast iron skillets. A big stainless steel stock pot and maybe a couple of other stainless steel pans. (I'm a big fan of variety.) Get a roaster while you're at it. And some Corningware. And also one or two non-stick skillets, just because there are things you can do with them that others just can't do-- just never use them on heat higher than med-high.
And get yourself some good knives. I know a guy who sells them... Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The Le Creuset stuff really is too expensive for a recent grad with no income. Looks good though. Maybe I should go check out the thrift stores around Atlanta. I'm also going to take a look at the Circulon brand, which I have seen several times on Amazon.
Honestly, I'm shooting for a "My First Kitchen" set that won't fall apart on me in a year.
KQ, I made the embarassing mistake of buying a Farberware knife set a few months ago. It's sitting here awaiting use, and I am constantly reminded of how bad a purchase it was. I bought a Chicago 8in chef and 6in Santoku for everyday use, and I've been quite happy with them. I do love knives though... so perhaps I can be persuaded. Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Cast Iron skillet - try the Lodge Logic line. Cheap, good for almost anything except sauces which need a nonreactive pan, and dar near indestrictibloe unless you wash it with soap.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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For your stock pot, get any big cheap pot. Your money is wasted on a high-end one. You want your saute pans and sauce pans to be the good stuff. Like Dag said, cast iron is swell, and lasts and lasts. You can cook in it on the stove, and then go and put it in the oven, too. Cornbread comes out best when made in an iron skillet. Oh! The crustiness!
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Amazon has the Lodge Logic stuff cheap. Cool, thanks Dag!
Tante, I had a feeling that the saute/sauce were the ones I wanted to spend the cash on. Thank you for the confirmation.
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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If you get cast iron, make sure you do the break in seasoning like they tell you to in the instructions. I have a cast iron wok that is so well broken in that it is essentially a non-stick pan and will never rust. I clean it with oil and a wooden wok-cleaning wisk, then oil it lightly after every use and it is my favorite pan.
I have another cast iron pan that wasn't broken in properly (not my fault), and it's a complete frustration to use, and if I look at it sideways I have to scour the rust out of it and try to reseason it...again!
For production stuff, the high-end Calphalon is fantastic, IMHO.
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Thrift stores and garage sales are always great places for picking up cheap-but-good cast iron pans.
Posts: 2911 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Is there a way to start an old cast iron pan over from scratch? I was thinking I would just clean it really well, and do it as if it was a new pan. But the cleaning might take more than just soap and elbow grease.
quote:Is there a way to start an old cast iron pan over from scratch? I was thinking I would just clean it really well, and do it as if it was a new pan. But the cleaning might take more than just soap and elbow grease. Who is Alton Brown?
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Bob, I've had similar problems with second-hand cast iron pans, and I've just scoured the heck out of them with steel wool and soap, dried 'em real good, and then started seasoning as if they were brand new. It worked perfectly fine.
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Horray for cast iron. If it is old and rusted you can clean it with anything, steel wool, wire brush, wire wheel on an electric drill, small charges of high explosive, anything! Then start over. It works just like true repentenance.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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Yeah, I'd definitely recommend it. It just gets too hard to scrape all the food off the burners. And soups -- fuhgedaboudit.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I have never gotten cast iron to season right. I've followed the instructions exactly, but still everything I cook in it tastes like nails. So I gave it up. I prefer stuff you can put in the dishwasher, anyway. They get sterile in there.
My favorite cookware is Revere with copper bottoms and stainless steel insides. As long as you don't burn it, it will last forever. I still have some in regular use that I've had for decades. It's not too expensive, but good quality, and it performs well.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Most of what my mom has is Revere - and it does hold up quite well. My only concern with it is that it doesn't have that heavy feel that I like so much.
Mom's most recent set is Wolfgang Puck (stainless), and I enjoy using it. Heavy too!
Good point about the cleaning. I expect that it takes some work to get the cast iron clean successfully, without ruining the seasoning.
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Swampjedi -- you cannot use soap on seasoned cast iron. You want to wash it hot, with hot water, dry it, and preferably stick it back on the stove for a few minutes to make sure it's dry, and then store it with something blocking the lid open so the inside doesn't hold moisture and rust. You can scrub it with a stiff bristled brush or with salt, but not steel wool unless you intend to re-season it. It's really easy to clean, actually, as long as you avoid soap and abrasives. Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Eljay - that was my point about getting it sterile. I wasn't sure how it worked without soap. Curse my 20th century sensibilities!
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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The lovely thing about cast iron is that you can get it really, really hot. Anything you can't rinse and scrub away will burn off or be killed when you heat it, anyway. Much more effective than hot water and soap, honestly. And then you can sear your food, and lock the juicies and flavor in. If I'm cooking a chunk of meat and I'm not grilling it, I'm almost always using my cast iron pan. They really are wonderful.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I have an old cast iron skillet that belonged to my mother. I remember being very small and getting upset with her for calling it a skillet. I wanted her to call it a frying pan, because skillet sounded too much like skeleton, and scared me. I use it all the time now.
My favorite cookware is Belgique. I bought mine on clearance at Macys, but I got a nice big set for my daughter's wedding on eBay.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Tatiana: I have never gotten cast iron to season right. I've followed the instructions exactly, but still everything I cook in it tastes like nails. So I gave it up. I prefer stuff you can put in the dishwasher, anyway.
Oh good! It's not just me that can't season the stuff. I prefer dishwasher-able stuff too -- but that's just because I'm lazy. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Just ignore the glass ones. I was an idiot in college and bought a set of the Vision cookware glass pots/pans. What a set of garbage.
Posts: 202 | Registered: Aug 2005
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As a former Pampered Chef consultant I highly recommend their products. Everything they sell compares to the big companies like William Sonoma and tends to cost much less, particularly if you are willing to host a show. If you don't want to host or go to a party consultants are glad to take individual orders as well.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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quote:Originally posted by ElJay: The lovely thing about cast iron is that you can get it really, really hot. Anything you can't rinse and scrub away will burn off or be killed when you heat it, anyway. Much more effective than hot water and soap, honestly. And then you can sear your food, and lock the juicies and flavor in. If I'm cooking a chunk of meat and I'm not grilling it, I'm almost always using my cast iron pan. They really are wonderful.
If you're washing your cast iron with soap BACK AWAY FROM THE SINK! Cast iron should not be washed with soap. Simply rinse the pans and grease them with something like crisco if necessary.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Um, andi, did you READ the thread? She already mentioned that.
quote:Swampjedi -- you cannot use soap on seasoned cast iron.
I have a cast iron pan, but it sits in my cabinet. I think I seasoned it wrong because it is sticky. My mom, however, loves hers so much she bought a second one. She makes fabulous pancakes in it. They just moved to a brushed aluminum calphalon for the rest of their cookware.
A midgrade nonstick pan with plastic utensils and no/minimal scouring lasts ~5-7 years in our experience.
Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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quote:KQ, I made the embarassing mistake of buying a Farberware knife set a few months ago. It's sitting here awaiting use, and I am constantly reminded of how bad a purchase it was. I bought a Chicago 8in chef and 6in Santoku for everyday use, and I've been quite happy with them. I do love knives though... so perhaps I can be persuaded.
I'll just say that if you contact my husband, he can talk to you about trading in those crappy knives for some Cutco. 'Nuff said.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Ok, all you seasoned chefs (no pun intended) are probably going to laugh at me, but I have to ask anyway. Are those Ronco knives any good, u know the guy on the infomercial?
Posts: 1412 | Registered: Oct 2005
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I've been pretty happy with stainless, myself.
Update on the cast iron:
The pan I found was not my great-grandmother's. It's in the vinegar now, to help with rust issues. I was able to find a 6in pan that did belong to her, though.
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I am going to pull them soon, and dry. Then I'll give them a light coat of oil until tomorrow.
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Cutco knives are overpriced- to put it mildly. Why should I pay $60 for one, stamped steel knife? I'm sorry, but if I'm going to drop that kind of cash on kitchen knives, I'm going to buy the real deal. Fully forged, high-carbon steel.
Cutco uses subversive and fraudulent sales methods to push their rediculously marked up tripe. Have you ever seen their product comparisons? I saw some sales material where they showed how sharp their knives were compared to Henckels's products. They showed a rope being cut by a Henckel's chef knife and a serrated Cutco knife. The person cutting was sawing back and forth with both knives. Of course the serrated knife is going to cut faster! Rediculous! One chop and that Henckels knife would have been through that rope faster than you can say "Slimy Salespeople" or "Pyramid Scheme."
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, so I don't have a complete opinion yet. It is hard anodized as opposed to nonstick or stainless.
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