Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never had a hard time cleaning my All-Clad pans. I always sear, sauté, etc. in a little oil and/or butter. Brillo pads are fantastic for badly stuck-on stuff, and if there is a lot of debris I use a little plastic scraper first- it's about the size of a credit card. But I seldom have to resort to Brillo or the scraper. A scrubby sponge almost always does the job.

Oh my. I would never give a college student All-Clad. That's a good waste of money. A college student is going to be brutal on pots and pans unless they already knew how to cook and care for cookware before they went to college and even then, some kids will regress and not take the time to care for pans. I recommend getting an inexpensive Dutch oven pot, an inexpensive medium sized sauce pan and an inexpensive non-stick skillet. You can purchase such items as places like Wal-Mart, Target, etc. Replace as needed, but likely the only one that you'll need to replace will be the non-stick skillet which you'll probably replace once or twice during college depending on how much the kid cooks.

If you want disposible pans, go for cheap. Well crafted pans like All-clad are easy to care for and last forever. That is why they are widely used in professional kitchens. If you can afford a nice pan that will last a lifetime, why buy cheap ones that will not perform as well, won't hold up to abuse, and will need to be replaced, at greater overall expense, "once or twice during college?" That's the good waste of money.

The nice pans can last a lifetime, but would your son want it for a lifetime? College is such a transient time. I can see a student giving away the pans if he can't store them when he travels, moves, etc. I'd say save the All-Clad for when your son gets married and settles down.

[Anonymous]

Just go to IKEA and get and inexpensive set of pots and pans. When they go bad (and trust me, they will) you can just toss and start over without any guilt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never had a hard time cleaning my All-Clad pans. I always sear, sauté, etc. in a little oil and/or butter. Brillo pads are fantastic for badly stuck-on stuff, and if there is a lot of debris I use a little plastic scraper first- it's about the size of a credit card. But I seldom have to resort to Brillo or the scraper. A scrubby sponge almost always does the job.

Oh my. I would never give a college student All-Clad. That's a good waste of money. A college student is going to be brutal on pots and pans unless they already knew how to cook and care for cookware before they went to college and even then, some kids will regress and not take the time to care for pans. I recommend getting an inexpensive Dutch oven pot, an inexpensive medium sized sauce pan and an inexpensive non-stick skillet. You can purchase such items as places like Wal-Mart, Target, etc. Replace as needed, but likely the only one that you'll need to replace will be the non-stick skillet which you'll probably replace once or twice during college depending on how much the kid cooks.

If you want disposible pans, go for cheap. Well crafted pans like All-clad are easy to care for and last forever. That is why they are widely used in professional kitchens. If you can afford a nice pan that will last a lifetime, why buy cheap ones that will not perform as well, won't hold up to abuse, and will need to be replaced, at greater overall expense, "once or twice during college?" That's the good waste of money.

Do you remember what it was like in college? Most kids do NOT care for pans well. I've seen many, many college kids trash good pans. Even something like All-Clad and Calphalon, etc are not immune from the abuse from poor equipment, poor treatment and poor habits. When a relatively new cook overcooks something, burns it on, then dumps the whole mess in a sink, then takes a spatula to scrape off the burned material, even a good pan like All-Clad will get ruined. Or a cook who doesn't take the time to grab a wooden spoon and uses a regular stainless spoon to stir food while cooking. Even All-clad non-stick, once you scratch the non-stick surface, it will start to peel like any cheap pan. I've seen college kids ruin $100 pans. How often do you want to replace the All-Clad in college. For every college kid who can take care of good pan well through all four years (or more) of college, I get there are several dozen who won't take care of it and will ruin it. So, do yourself the favor, get them cheap replaceable disposable pans and when they've cooked for a few years, know how to take care of equipment better and get out of college (where they are less likely to be sharing their kitchen and equipment with other college kids), then get them the All-Clad that will last them a lifetime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never had a hard time cleaning my All-Clad pans. I always sear, sauté, etc. in a little oil and/or butter. Brillo pads are fantastic for badly stuck-on stuff, and if there is a lot of debris I use a little plastic scraper first- it's about the size of a credit card. But I seldom have to resort to Brillo or the scraper. A scrubby sponge almost always does the job.

Oh my. I would never give a college student All-Clad. That's a good waste of money. A college student is going to be brutal on pots and pans unless they already knew how to cook and care for cookware before they went to college and even then, some kids will regress and not take the time to care for pans. I recommend getting an inexpensive Dutch oven pot, an inexpensive medium sized sauce pan and an inexpensive non-stick skillet. You can purchase such items as places like Wal-Mart, Target, etc. Replace as needed, but likely the only one that you'll need to replace will be the non-stick skillet which you'll probably replace once or twice during college depending on how much the kid cooks.

If you want disposible pans, go for cheap. Well crafted pans like All-clad are easy to care for and last forever. That is why they are widely used in professional kitchens. If you can afford a nice pan that will last a lifetime, why buy cheap ones that will not perform as well, won't hold up to abuse, and will need to be replaced, at greater overall expense, "once or twice during college?" That's the good waste of money.

The nice pans can last a lifetime, but would your son want it for a lifetime? College is such a transient time. I can see a student giving away the pans if he can't store them when he travels, moves, etc. I'd say save the All-Clad for when your son gets married and settles down.

Yes, this. Or I can imagine someone using the pan as a hammer or some other, equally inappropriate, use.

[Anonymous]

Ok, how about this. DS is a big protein and healthy carb eater. He's neat and responsible but does live with others (who are more likely to order pizza). A typical meal is beef, chicken or pork and a bag of steamed veggies. So I'd be willing to get one or two decent open stock skillets or pots. They might be expensive but not like buying a whole set (which I've never owned). So maybe one all clad skillet and some roasting pan for the oven to make more than one meal at a time (and when his oven is working).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, how about this. DS is a big protein and healthy carb eater. He's neat and responsible but does live with others (who are more likely to order pizza). A typical meal is beef, chicken or pork and a bag of steamed veggies. So I'd be willing to get one or two decent open stock skillets or pots. They might be expensive but not like buying a whole set (which I've never owned). So maybe one all clad skillet and some roasting pan for the oven to make more than one meal at a time (and when his oven is working).

Your money, your decision. Just don't be upset when in 3 years, he is not using the pan because it's been ruined by himself or a fellow student and he needs a new pan. If you don't get him one, chances are he'll get one from Target or Wal-Mart anyways.

[Anonymous]

Money asiide for a moment, I'd like him to be able to make a good-tasting meal. I feel decent cookware is required for that. And no, I won't be angry if the cookware doesn't go to grad school with him.

[Anonymous]

Best things for college - to to Ikea or Marshalls and pick up inexpensive medium size pot with lid, one large non-stick skillet, and a small george foreman (or smilar) grill. Those GF grills are perfect for cooking meat in an apt - - even better if it has some sort of temperature control. Don't spend a lot of $ b/c it will be destroyed, stolen, or given away.

[Anonymous]

DS got a knockoff GF grill for Christmas from somebody. He asked me what it was good for and I said hot sandwiches. I really had no idea you could cook food on it.

[Anonymous]

I never use my cast iron pan. I would also recommend against teflon-coated pots and pans, but that's my personal preference. For things like eggs, we use ceramic coated "eco" non-stick frying pans.

Also, my starter set of pots and pans was from IKEA, and they lasted me 10 years.

[Anonymous]

OP - just saw that you want higher quality. Take a look at Belgique from Macy's. Really affordable, but surprisingly good quality.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, OP, but high-end pans are not a requirement in order to cook a delicious meal. I just now got a few "high end" pieces at age 35. Your son will survive on "nice" Target pans. I promise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, OP, but high-end pans are not a requirement in order to cook a delicious meal. I just now got a few "high end" pieces at age 35. Your son will survive on "nice" Target pans. I promise.

Yes, and I really think he's going to be cooking a lot less than she might think. I remember in college... it was like, "Hurry up, I need to use the fork" (and that was for Chinese delivery!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, OP, but high-end pans are not a requirement in order to cook a delicious meal. I just now got a few "high end" pieces at age 35. Your son will survive on "nice" Target pans. I promise.

I think you misunderstood. I'm not looking for high-end, I'm just saying price point is not a limiting factor. Here's a 20 yr old guy who likes to eat good food and is a big meat eater, and I'm really just trying to facilitate that with as little cookware as possible. Someone here mentioned that for searing meat, you really need the non stick stainless, similar to All Clad (that can be purchased at Marshalls for $20). And he's been cooking at home for 4 years and in a dorm/apartment for a year and a half. This is the first time he needs his own cookware. And, btw, he's never had Chinese takeout. He rarely eats pizza. He's really conscious of what food he consumes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, OP, but high-end pans are not a requirement in order to cook a delicious meal. I just now got a few "high end" pieces at age 35. Your son will survive on "nice" Target pans. I promise.

I think you misunderstood. I'm not looking for high-end, I'm just saying price point is not a limiting factor. Here's a 20 yr old guy who likes to eat good food and is a big meat eater, and I'm really just trying to facilitate that with as little cookware as possible. Someone here mentioned that for searing meat, you really need the non stick stainless, similar to All Clad (that can be purchased at Marshalls for $20). And he's been cooking at home for 4 years and in a dorm/apartment for a year and a half. This is the first time he needs his own cookware. And, btw, he's never had Chinese takeout. He rarely eats pizza. He's really conscious of what food he consumes.

I think it's time.