Want to get a great pan set

[Anonymous]

And want to spend less than 1500
This is for everyday cooking, I want something I can use for everyday cooking and that will past forever.
Recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And want to spend less than 1500
This is for everyday cooking, I want something I can use for everyday cooking and that will past forever.
Recommendations?

I don't know about the lasting forever part, but I love every All Clad item I've ever bought. For some, it might be an inconvenience to wash them by hand, but I do because I know I won't have the money to replace them. Dishwashers can be hard on cookware, even those that say "dishwasher safe."

[Anonymous]

I think the first thing to do is not buy a set. Get a couple saucepans, maybe a lidded saucier, a heavy casserole/dutch oven and an iron skillet.

[Anonymous]

agree with both PPs. I LOVE my All-Clad (although the sur la table house brand stainless is pretty close if you're not a really serious cook, and substantially cheaper). But you definitely do not need a set - you'll end up with a handful of pieces you dont need. I would recommend figuring out which pieces you use most, and buying All-Clad (and maybe a Creuset dutch oven), and then fill in with cheaper stuff for the suff you use less.

For me, the go-to pieces are a 12 inch skillet, 14 inch saute pan (with lid), 10 inch non-stick skillet, dutch oven, and 8 QT stock pot. There is almost nothing I do that doesn't fit in those, except rice (3 qt saucepan, but doesn't need to be a fancy one) and gravy (much smaller pot, like something I would use for a can of soup).

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. What materials should I be looking for? Copper? Stainless steel?

[Anonymous]

Yes, mix and match. For example:

One nonstick skillet, 12" with lid, hard anodized

One stainless steel straight sided deep saute pan with lid, 12 or 14 inches depending on what will fit on your stove with other pans on the other burners

Two medium saucepans, one non-stick, one stainless

Steamer insert for one of the saucepans

One 5 qt Le Creuset Dutch Oven

1 large stockpot with strainer insert


I cook a lot and I think you could get by with these items. With a budget of $1500 you could get good quality. Le Creuset, All Clad for the stainless steel, and Calphalon for the hard anodized, for example. Google to find out recommended construction (for example, type of material and cladding for the bottom of the pans and how the handles are attached to the pot can make a big difference in quality, evenness of cooking and durability)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, mix and match. For example:

One nonstick skillet, 12" with lid, hard anodized

One stainless steel straight sided deep saute pan with lid, 12 or 14 inches depending on what will fit on your stove with other pans on the other burners

Two medium saucepans, one non-stick, one stainless

Steamer insert for one of the saucepans

One 5 qt Le Creuset Dutch Oven

1 large stockpot with strainer insert


I cook a lot and I think you could get by with these items. With a budget of $1500 you could get good quality. Le Creuset, All Clad for the stainless steel, and Calphalon for the hard anodized, for example. Google to find out recommended construction (for example, type of material and cladding for the bottom of the pans and how the handles are attached to the pot can make a big difference in quality, evenness of cooking and durability)

This is almost exactly what I have in my kitchen (but no steamer inserts). Great list. Covers all my needs.

[Anonymous]

We have All Clad and Le Creuset. I actually think the set for the All Clad is the way to go because it is pretty discounted and we use everything in our initial set and have added since. Our All Clad is the stainless steel which works great. Also they do have discounted All Clad at the Williams Sonoma outlet in Leesburg so it may be worth a trip out there. We have a lot of Le Creuset but I'd start with a largish dutch oven and a small saucepan (ours is a nonstick and the lid can double as a little frying pan - single egg size). Those are the ones we use the most.

[Anonymous]

I found this article interesting http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html?pagewanted=1&_r

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I found this article interesting http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html?pagewanted=1&_r

Fabulous article! Thank you for posting the link.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who mentioned washing them by hand. Anyway, many thanks to the rest of you for the great posts--I agree with the suggestions and appreciate the NY Times article. One caution is that I ordered several Calphalon pots/pans through Amazon because my son-in-law recommended either Calphalon or All Clad. I didn't notice that they were made in China and not as heavy as the ones he'd had for several years. I didn't use them right away, and then it was too late to return. They seem to work just fine, but I must admit that their origin concerns me. I much prefer my All Clad.

[Anonymous]

Op here, thanks all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. What materials should I be looking for? Copper? Stainless steel?

20:56 here. Stainless is best. Copper conducts heat marginally better but is so impossible to keep clean, it's not worth it. The reason material matters is how evenly it conducts heat, so that everything in the pan cooks evenly. Aluminum, the stuff cheap pans are made of, conducts poorly and warps, so doesn't last. Cast iron, which is what is under the enamel for creuset, also conducts - and retains - really well.

[Anonymous]

Explain to me Le Creuset... I can use them instead of regular pans?

[Anonymous]

That seems like an awful lot of money for pots and pans. I have the Emeril stainless ones that are just fine and seem to be very durable. I would never have bought them myself but they were a gift and I am actually surprised how nice they are. I use all of them.