Let's Talk Cookware!

[BarbaraS]

Hey All,

What do you cook with?

What do you like/dislike about your cookware?

If you had limitless means, what would you cook with?

Barbara

[cjs]

Oh my, what a complex question, Barbara.

Roy started buying pieces of AllClad for me a number of years ago for Christmas/B'day presents, so I have a nice collection which I love. They are probably the easiest pots and pans to clean that I've every worked with.

I love my cast iron - can't imagine frying catfish or chicken in anything else.

But, I also love my restaurant supply skillets that get banged around a lot and are easy to replace.

The extras that I have are: a really cheepo 6 qt. pot that I use only for heating FoodSaver pouches of food, altho up here the water isn't as hard as in California, so guess I really don't need it anymore.

And I finally bought a double boiler to use - Calphalon (sp?) because eating our main meal mid-day, we almost always have a bowl of soup at night, and it's so relaxing to just put the soup in it and let is slowly defrost and/or heat.

And, of course, can't forget my wok - it's hanging on the wall so I use it much more often than when it was on a pantry shelf out of sight.

Probably a hell of a lot more info than you wanted, but that's pretty much my cooking regime.

[Mare749]

I have some of this and a few of that. For over 30 years, my Lodge cast iron dutch oven and skillet have been two of my favorites. Also have 2 pieces of Le Creuset, which are very nice, but IMHO a bit over-rated, expecially considering the price. But....they are red and I love how they look!

More recently, I got a nice set of non-stick cookware from Sam's Club and use them a lot. They are a nice quality and not overpriced.

Last year, my daughter's starting buying me Cuisinart Pro Stainless Steel, so now have 3 pieces of that and love it!

My least favorite is a set of Revere that Ron bought many years ago. It's fine for boiling just about anything, but not for frying.

Unlimited means, it's hard to say, but probably wouldn't all be the same because I would want to try something new all the time!

[Trixxee]

I also have a variety of stuff. I bought a 10 piece set of stainless steel pots & pans from Costco about 6 years ago that has served me well. I have two Le Creuset dutch ovens and one large frying pan - I really like the cast iron purple frying pan - browns everything so nicely. That was not cheap but I had been wanting one for years. And I have a bunch of cheapo non stick skillets also from Costco that get replaced about every two years. I think the three pack is $29.99.

I used to have a lot of Circulon stuff but that all got relegated to the RV. For some reason I got sick of them - probably because I don't think you're supposed to put them in the DW and I did for years and the finish on the outside is icky looking and feeling.

[Gourmet_Mom]

I have a nice heavy set of Faberware I got many moons ago that has served me well.

I also have an Emeril sauce pan that I love, but I hated his skillets. (Dang autocorrect...LOL!)

I got a huge Cuisineart skillet recently, that is wonderful for frying.

I love cast iron, but I can't use it on my flat top.

If I had an unlimited budget, I'd probably go with AllClad, though.

[cjs]

I had Farberware for years also, and loved it - in fact so much I think we've bought sets for most of our kids and 3 or 4 grandchildren to get them started.

[Old Bay]

We were lucky--we had started a set of All Clad and a dept store closed out all their All Clad because they decided Emerilware would sell better. The All Clad went on sale for 75% off!!! We finished our set and then had wedding and Christmas gifts for years. Love the All Clad. Also have some well seasoned Lodge cast iron skillets, a wok, two Le Crusets, a copper bottom paella pan, and a non stick pan we replace every couple of years.

[BarbaraS]

Well, as I've said before, I've got the Calphlon Commercial non-stick and have had it since '98 or '99, I believe. Calphalon did right by me and replaced both of my frying pans and my 3Q saute pan when the non-stock coating failed and I give them props for that - they weren't cheap pans. But now I'm noticing my 2Q saute pan is pretty badly discolored and the 3Q saute pan has marks on its surface even though I use either wood or Calphalon utensils. So I'm considering replacing just those two items, all my pots and the other fry pans are okay.

Bill, does your All-Clad have a SS or non-stick surface? If it's SS, does food stick to it?

And BTW, thanks everyone for your posts and info!

Barbara

[Lorraine]

I woulde be lost in the kitchen without my cazuelas and Paderno pots. The cazuelas, I have a S/M/and L, and use them several times a week. As for the pots, they are from a PEI company. I have various size stock pots, the weight is fabulous, nothing ever sticks, we love them.

[Old Bay]

My AC has a SS surface and makes beautiful fond--It's hard to make something "stick". My 3 qt saute (chefs) pan is my favorite and was my first AC. Best cookware I've ever owned!