Cookware

[blake5676]

I'm sure it's been discussed before but after 15 years of using this site everyday I still don't care for the search function...so sue me.

That being said, I'm in the market for some new cookware. It's the one thing I've never really "grown up" from my college days. Pretty sure we have 3-4 frying pans and pots that are non-stick and more than 10 years old. They work fine, but I'm bored and feel like buying something and cookware caught my imagination.

What's the best? Not trying to spend $400 per piece, but fine paying money for good stuff. It seems as though stainless steel is the consensus but looking for opinions from those that own it. Based on my limited research, it sounds like All-Clad is probably the most popular and a middle ground on price. I've also read about Made In for a cheaper option and Demeyere being in the "high end" for home cooking. What say ye, CP?

I'm not a chef and don't pretend to be, but I'm guessing its time I get rid of my cheap old non-stick stuff and maybe that'll make me get more into cooking and different dishes if I have nicer shit.

[threebag]

Hexclad

[In58men]

Originally Posted by threebag

Hexclad

Absolutely ****ing not.

Better research that shit before you spend hundreds on junk.

[blake5676]

Originally Posted by threebag

Hexclad

I see tons of ads for this, but it appears to be something they just pay famous people like Gordon Ramsey a lot of money to stick his face on. Not saying it's crap, just seems like the consensus is that stainless is best.

[kepp]

Cast iron skillets and stainless pots/pans.

[Mr. Plow]

Bought this set a little over a year ago and we've been very happy with it. Handles stay cool; doesn't scratch; and cleaning them up is easy.

Greenpan Ceramic Nonstick set

[DrunkBassGuitar]

Just get a fairly basic set of stainless steel pots and pans and maybe a 2 or 3 quart stainless saucier. they will last the rest of your life, shit is indestructible and will be enough to cook just about anything

as far as non stick you really only need like 1 since they last about 10ish years if you treat them nice, they're good for eggs and fish but even the most well made nonstick will eventually have to be replaced

[A Salt Weapon]

I’m pretty happy with the hexclad stuff I got a couple years ago when I was having the same dilemma as you.
Not for eggs though, need a regular nonstick for that.
Enameled cast iron is also not bad, pain to clean though, and I’ve yet to see a difference.
The Costco set also wasn’t too bad.
Hexclads non scratch ability is pretty nice. Stuff will stick to the stainless parts so you still need to use some liquid or oil, if you care.
The hexclad just feels better than the cheap tfal stuff.

Now that said, the original hexclad brand is slightly better than the knock off ones however probably not enough to justify the price difference. While I am happy with them I also wouldn’t spend the money again, or maybe I would, idk I didn’t pay full price for them and I didn’t buy a full set or anything. Just the 4-5 ones I wanted.

Also I did an explanation, I took the hexclad 2qt pot and a cheap tfal 2qt pot, put the exact same amount of water in them, put each one on the same size gas burner on the range. Started at the exact same time. Each pot started boiling at the exact same time. So there is zero benefits performance wise. They look cool, and match the hexagon tile I did in the kitchen.

[blake5676]

Originally Posted by DrunkBassGuitar

Just get a fairly basic set of stainless steel pots and pans and maybe a 2 or 3 quart stainless saucier. they will last the rest of your life, shit is indestructible and will be enough to cook just about anything

as far as non stick you really only need like 1 since they last about 10ish years if you treat them nice, they're good for eggs and fish but even the most well made nonstick will eventually have to be replaced

This is the direction I'm leaning. I'm thinking an smaller and larger pan and smaller and larger pot. I already have a Lodge cast iron but literally everything else I have is nonstick and the bottoms of some are starting to look bad. My main point was to see if anyone had strong opinions from experience on one manufacturer over another. Thanks for the input!

[myselff77]

Originally Posted by kepp

Cast iron skillets and stainless pots/pans.

Second this. I bought a basic Lodge cast iron pan a few years back. Absolutely hated the thing because pretty much everything stuck. Then I went down the Youtube rabbit hole watching videos on sanding down cast iron pans and properly seasoning. I finally gave it a try and it was a complete game changer. If you are DIY capable, I'd suggest that route with any cheap cast iron pan.

I recently bought an all-clad pot from their factory seconds sale that they seem to constantly have. Saved a pretty good amount of money. The pan had pin head sized dent in one spot that really impacted nothing. I've liked it so far, and will probably get another one at some point.

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow

Bought this set a little over a year ago and we've been very happy with it. Handles stay cool; doesn't scratch; and cleaning them up is easy.

Greenpan Ceramic Nonstick set

Those look pretty good. I need to replace my pots and pans as well. I'm set with knives. I finally replaced my crappy kitchen knifes with a Wusthof block set. If I would have know what a difference it would make, I would have done it years ago.

[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by blake5676

This is the direction I'm leaning. I'm thinking an smaller and larger pan and smaller and larger pot. I already have a Lodge cast iron but literally everything else I have is nonstick and the bottoms of some are starting to look bad. My main point was to see if anyone had strong opinions from experience on one manufacturer over another. Thanks for the input!

Sams or Costco usually have a quality set for reasonable price.

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by blake5676

I see tons of ads for this, but it appears to be something they just pay famous people like Gordon Ramsey a lot of money to stick his face on. Not saying it's crap, just seems like the consensus is that stainless is best.

My fiancé and I were gifted a couple Hexclad pans by her parents, and they're not total junk - the heat distribution is solid, and they're less sticky than a standard stainless steel pan which can be nice for sauces and for keeping clean - but I'd say it's not a full replacement for either a non-stick pan (as others said, you still do need to use a bit of oil) or stainless steel (the non-stick parts mean you shouldn't use it over high heat).

We enjoy cooking on them for the most part, but a mid-range stainless steel will do everything a Hexclad can and then some, and will cost less.

[Canofbier]

Not that you asked, but on the subject of knives: I don't think you actually need a big block of them, because you can do just about anything with a good chef knife. I bought a chinese-style cleaver like the one below a couple of years back and use it for just about everything except maybe super-fine paring knife work.



Garlic cloves tremble when I pull that bad boy out.

[Monticore]

I liked the all-Clad pans I have used so far .