Need pots and pans recommendations

[aggieamy]

Right now I'm using hand-me-down pots and pans that were my MIL's. They're the type that are all suppposed to be non-stick but in one of the pans it's started to come up so I threw it away. Another one I just boiled dry and ruined. They also aren't great quality to start with so DH is thinking about getting me some news ones. I want this set of pots and pans to last me forever. My grandmother and her friends talk about using the pans they got as wedding gifts so I know it's possible to get excellent quality ones.

 

Any recommendations? Anyone out there just love their cookware?

[Parrothead]

Cast iron skillets and a set of high quality stainless pots is what I have. I do not expect to ever buy another set of either. I may add to the cast iron collection though.

[Lara in Colo]

check out the show: America's test kitchen, they always try to find the best stuff, and the best value. They try out different brands and make judgements of them.

 

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment-reviews/

 

Lara

 

Here is just cookware http://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment-reviews/index.php?document_activeCategoryName_2_3_0_mv=Cookware

[JFSinIL]

I still use the Revereware I got 24 years ago as wedding presents - I had asked for that brand since that is what my mom had used for years so I knew they were good. I also have a heavy flat skillet for pancakes, etc. and a porcelain-lined dutch oven (Lodge).

 

The Revere is stainless - I just let 'em soak with a bit of water in them and EVERYTHING comes right off no matter how "stuck" it may seem at first. I do have a couple cheap-o small non-stick skillets for scrambled eggs, etc., and simply replace them when the coating starts to "go".

Edited June 4, 2011 by JFSinIL

[milovany]

Cast iron skillets and a set of high quality stainless pots is what I have. I do not expect to ever buy another set of either. I may add to the cast iron collection though.

 

:iagree:

 

 

I've started picking up cast iron for my kids, now (for them to use in their homes someday). I find it at Goodwill -- I like the older, broken in stuff better than the newer stuff. I'd like to get a s/s soup pot next.

[LaxMom]

We just returned all of my Calphalon One (100% failure rate) and got their tri-ply stainless instead. We use that, cast iron, and some Revere Ware I've had for 18 years.

 

My dad still has the "waterless" stainless they received as wedding gifts. In 1969. Eta: come to think of it, *I* have a pot that my mother had before they were married...

Edited June 4, 2011 by MyCrazyHouse

[Tohru]

We only use cast iron and Calphalon tri-ply here. I expect that all my cookware will one day be used by my great grandchildren :D

 

One of our cast iron skillet was made in the early 1900's. The newer ones aren't sandblasted smooth like the older Griswold or Wagner ones. There is definitely a difference between the new stuff and old stuff.

 

For Calphalon, the tri-ply is great for sauteing and cooking. None of them have any stains and the glass lids are oven safe to 450 degrees. But they are VERY pricey. I bought our set one piece at a time over the course of several years.

[Tarreymere]

I got lucky and picked up a number of cast iron skillets at a yard sale, and I bought a few more cast iron pieces. I love them. Storing them, however, has been a challenge. I usually put the pieces I am not currently using on top of my woodstove in a sort of decorative fashion. The rest have to stay out on my stove, my poor fragile mobile home cabinets don't like them.

[SunD]

I have cast iron, stainless steel, and a few cast aluminum pieces (Magnalite). My mom has always used cast iron and Magnalite, so that's what I started with. I added the stainless steel to my collection because it's so much lighter and heats faster than the heavier cast iron and aluminum.

 

I got the stainless steel set on super sale at JCPenney, and the cast iron and Magnalite can be really pricey, so I've picked it up here and there at yard sales and thrift stores.