cookware recommendation

[Anonymous]

You can sometimes find Le Creuset at Tuesday Morning stores.

[Anonymous]

Folks seem to think AllClad is worth it. What about Calpahalon stainless steel or Cuisinart? They are much cheeper and get good/great reviews on Amazon.

[Anonymous]

I registered for All-Clad and have a fortune's worth now. Mistake. I cook frequently and have been very disapointed with it. The handles get hot. How can cookware that costs that much not have temp controlled handles?? I heard Costco makes a verson similar to All-Clad for a fraction of the price and the handels don't heat up.

[Anonymous]

I buy packs of three non-stick skillets at Walmart and replace them every six months, before the non-stick finish starts to wear. The pack costs about $20. I like them much more than my expensive stainless skillets I received as a wedding present.

[Anonymous]

We bought a set of Kirkland stainless steel pans at Costco and love them! Around $200 for the whole set. Almost nothing sticks (provided you heat the pan first, then heat the oil as someone else mentioned). Easy cleanup. Some people say you shouldn't buy a whole set but we've actually used all of the pans, some more than others.

[Anonymous]

We have top-of the-line brand new All Clad. NOT worth it. People swear by it, but still not worth it to me. We LOVE cooking, but not scraping!

Specifically, they are really heavy and their handles get hot (true of any high end brand). I don't know how professional chefs use them.

Come to think of it, perhaps professional chefs know more about about manufacturing? Perhaps their brands are better? Hmmm.....

I expected SO much more for the money, and agree that most who have them buy them for the stauts. We did!

[Anonymous]

Oops. Status.

[Anonymous]

We've had our All-Clad non-stick pans for over 10 years and they aren't worn out yet. We are careful to use plastic on them, and don't put them in the dishwasher. The non-stick coating still looks new and we cook a lot. We also have All-Clad pots. I also have some cheap pots that we use too, that can go in the dishwasher and were lots cheaper so I like that. We only have a few All-Clad pots and we made sure to get the sizes that we actually versus some of the sets have ones we wouldn't use much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks seem to think AllClad is worth it. What about Calpahalon stainless steel or Cuisinart? They are much cheeper and get good/great reviews on Amazon.

I posted before that my Cuisinart sauce pan SUCKS. But the Emerilware Pro-clad ones are great. Emerilware is a bit cheaper than All Clad, more expensive than Cuisinart.

[Anonymous]

Um, people, the handles on All Clad get hot because they're METAL. That's so you can put them in the OVEN.

We've had a set for years and I've never had a problem with the long handles on skillets, saucepans, etc. getting hot, only the short handles on the big stock pot. How hard is it to use a freakin' potholder?

And if you know how to cook, they come clean quite easily. My husband the chemical engineer, he doesn't know how to cook (yeah, make eggs without any butter or oil in the pan) and it's horrible to clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For non-stick, I would recommend a Lodge cast-iron skillet. You don't have to worry about the chemicals as with non-stick coatings, and after you have seasoned it, it is just as as good as a teflon-coated skillet. They are heavy, but not too expensive. I found mine at a Marshalls for under $20.

For just about everything else, I use the All Clad pots and pans that we received as wedding presents. I have rarely had a problem with sticking, and when that has happened, a good soak and some elbow grease have cleaned the pans back to good as new.

Some other foodies I know swear by Le Creuset or Staub. I love the way they look, but they are also quite heavy compared to the All Clad, and the enamel can chip.

This would have been my exact advice! And I third the recommendation for finding these pots/pans at TJ Max. Hit or miss, but a good deal if you can find one.

[Anonymous]

Those of you who hate your Al Clad - any of you want to sell?!

[Anonymous]

I have a set of All-Clad pans and they are one of the best investments I ever made. Never a problem with cleanup - just get some Bar Keeper's Friend liquid or powder cleanser. I also have a Lodge Logic cast-iron skillet which I love. It comes pre-seasoned and it's nonstick. Another nonstick brand I've been very happy with is Anolon, which is reasonably priced and available at Bed Bath and beyond.

[Anonymous]

I hate non-stick pans. If you are careful--never stack them, never use metal utensils--they work OK. However, you are bound to have someone in your kitchen at some point--friend, relative, babysitter--who abuses them and then you may as well throw them away.

I happen to love my 15 year old Calphalon set. They aren't as pretty as they were 15 years ago, but they have lived through roommates and quite a few years of marriage and still do the job.

We also have a 10 or 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet that we use almost daily. Once it is seasoned, it is almost non-stick. It cooks evenly. Goes in the oven. Gives you a workout when you lift it. If space or dollars are an issue, get the big cast iron skillet. It does everything and is quite affordable. You can get it online or at some variety or hardware stores.

As for handles getting hot, we have some great silicone handle covers from Crate and Barrel that are far superior to the leather or fabric ones. I'd rather have pans that can go straight into the oven and use a sleeve than have a plastic handle that can't go in the oven. And I never quite trust the metal handles that supposedly don't get hot.

[Anonymous]

To the OP who asked why you should have both non-stick and regular frying pans - it's a function of what you cook in them. Non-stick is great for omelets or other delicate things but regular is much better for searing a steak or getting crust on a piece of fish. I actually don't use non-stick very much at all and I think they are overused for things they are not meant for.