buying a good set of pots, pans and skillets

[ProudGrandma]

can someone direct me to a good, affordable set of pots, pans and skillets?  Or at least a brand to look at...or to avoid?  

thanks.

 

[gardenmom5]

we've gone  through a lot of different cookware over the years. some I like, some I despise. my favorites are my all-clad d5 (which I adore.  swoon.  I find them as seconds as it doens't affect performance but is much nice for my wallet), but work very well.  I also have an (all-clad d5) 9" lined omelette pan that is not allowed to be used for anything but eggs.   heads will roll . . . .the stainless pieces will last forever.  I have a couple for specific purposes with the non-stick lining - those have a shorter life-expectancy.

 

 

I went through reviews and technical specs.  there are a scant handful that are made similarly to the all-clad triply (for less money)

for reasonable for what you get.  

both are tri-ply stainless, same thickness as the all-clad triply   (I prefer the french classic)

Cuisinart french classic (straight rim, made in france) OR

Cuisinart multiclad pro. (rolled rim, made in china)

both are oven safe to 500.

I have a couple of each of them.  (in sizes where I'm not dealing with delicate performance.) 

there is also a same-thickness as the AC from tramontina - but I don't know which line it is, and I don't own any.

 

I also have a few pieces of lodge cast iron.  I like my griddle and dutch oven. (we also have some 9" frying pans, which the boys use more than me.) and lodge is virtually indestructible and you can pass them on to your grandkids.  don't let them sit in water or they will rust.  which can be cleaned - but is a pain.

Edited September 26, 2018 by gardenmom5

[SamanthaCarter]

You can get good stainless steel purses at TJ Max if you don’t care about matching. Get stainless and maybe a ceramic coated Dutch oven, stay away from aluminum and non-stick. Get single piece metal handles riveted on. My favorite is just the standard all-clad. 

ETA: purses???

Edited September 26, 2018 by SamanthaCarter

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Do you prefer stainless steel or non-stick? 

I like non-stick.  I had a Cuisinart anodized aluminum non-stick set for several years, and loved them.  I gave them to my son when he moved out, so I got myself what I thought was the same thing.  Wrong.  The newer Cuisinarts were smaller, thinner, and generally cheaper.  I gave them to my daughter when she moved out (she doesn't cook much, and she lives alone, so they're fine for her).  

I found a set at Sam's Club that's anodized aluminum, nonstick, professional cookware, just like my old Cuisinart set.  They're heavy, and the non-stick works like a dream.  There are two skillets, three sauce pans, and two stock pots, with glass lids that have cool-touch handles.  They only cost around $160 for the whole set!  I highly recommend them.

[Selkie]

I have a set of Cuisinart stainless pots and pans that I've had since 2006 (just looked it up on my Amazon orders ?). They are awesome and have held up so well. I can't even imagine how many thousands of times they've been used and they're still in perfect shape.

[Zoo Keeper]

I've been very, very, very, happy with my set from Sitram; they are stainless steel, with copper bottoms, riveted handles, pouring lips, and are oven safe.  This set has taken a beating  heavy daily use for 12+ years and scrubs up beautifully.  My set is not the professional grade, but I've been very happy. 

 

[SamanthaCarter]

9 hours ago, Patty Joanna said:

If I had it to do over, here is what I would get.  

A 10” Demeyer fry pan. An 8” nonstick fry pan for eggs.  A 12” sauté pan, two two-quart saucepans from Sur la Table, KitchenAid or AllClad, a 3 qt and an 8 qt enamel Dutch oven (I got Le Crueset).   

No one set has the feature you need in every pan.  

Good advice. 

[LuvToRead]

I love my All Clad, but I have 2 cast iron skillets I use quite a bit.  The only issue with All Clad and cast iron is they are heavy.  

[amyx4]

I've owned Revere Ware pots and pans since college. I don't own any of the new items. Only the really old stuff. If you have a second-hand shop perhaps you could look there? or ebay?

In a fire/flood I would have a hard time leaving them behind ?

Here's one on ebay but I would never pay $45. This pot would be $15-20 a the second hand shop.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Revere-Ware-6-Quart-6-qt-Stock-Pot-with-Lid-Pre1968/153174949023?hash=item23a9f03c9f

[marbel]

10 hours ago, Patty Joanna said:

<snip>

No one set has the feature you need in every pan.  

Yep. I've had sets and found that there was always something that went unused.  

I have mostly All Clad which was bought a piece at a time. I love it; also love my LeCreuset dutch oven (not sure what size). We have some cast iron but I don't use them because no matter what I do to clean them, they get messed up.  (I don't need cleaning advice; my husband uses them and cares for them; I just ignore them.)  We have some nonsticks from Costco which get used regularly.  And a cheap revere ware stockpot that my husband brought to the party when we got married. It only gets used for pasta and popcorn.  We got rid of his other revere ware pieces.  

Heavier is better, mostly, unless it's so heavy you can't lift it.  We have another pan I hate; a huge Le Creuset skillet that is cast iron but enameled over and with a "nonstick" surface that isn't.  It was a gift. That's another one only my husband uses.  I hate that pan and can barely lift it. 

[BeachGal]

1 hour ago, amyx4 said:

I've owned Revere Ware pots and pans since college. I don't own any of the new items. Only the really old stuff. If you have a second-hand shop perhaps you could look there? or ebay?

In a fire/flood I would have a hard time leaving them behind ?

Here's one on ebay but I would never pay $45. This pot would be $15-20 a the second hand shop.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Revere-Ware-6-Quart-6-qt-Stock-Pot-with-Lid-Pre1968/153174949023?hash=item23a9f03c9f

 

Same here. I have fond memories going to Target to buy my first set of pots and they were all the copper-bottomed Revere Ware. That was around 1990 and they've held up very well, even surviving the times I burned things to a crisp (luckily, not my house!).

My problem is finding a good non-stick pan for eggs. I have a smallish Lodge pan but eggs still stick. We use a non-stick but I hate thinking about all the chemicals we're probably ingesting as well. Any good non-sticks out there?

[mmasc]

33 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

 

Same here. I have fond memories going to Target to buy my first set of pots and they were all the copper-bottomed Revere Ware. That was around 1990 and they've held up very well, even surviving the times I burned things to a crisp (luckily, not my house!).

My problem is finding a good non-stick pan for eggs. I have a smallish Lodge pan but eggs still stick. We use a non-stick but I hate thinking about all the chemicals we're probably ingesting as well. Any good non-sticks out there?

I bought these in June and specifically got them for cooking eggs. So far they have worked beautifully and are super non-stick. I can’t speak for how they’ll hold up long term yet though, but so far so good!

https://smile.amazon.com/GreenPan-Paris-Ceramic-Non-Stick-Frypan/dp/B01L96L354?crid=MZ9JF5WVPKTF&keywords=green+pans+non-stick+cookware&qid=1537973382&sprefix=green+pan&sr=8-10-spons&ref=mp_s_a_1_10_sspa&psc=1

[ProudGrandma]

I wondered about those....we saw them advertised on TV and questioned if they were any good.  Anybody else have experience with these?

[BeachGal]

8 minutes ago, mmasc said:

I bought these in June and specifically got them for cooking eggs. So far they have worked beautifully and are super non-stick. I can’t speak for how they’ll hold up long term yet though, but so far so good!

https://smile.amazon.com/GreenPan-Paris-Ceramic-Non-Stick-Frypan/dp/B01L96L354?crid=MZ9JF5WVPKTF&keywords=green+pans+non-stick+cookware&qid=1537973382&sprefix=green+pan&sr=8-10-spons&ref=mp_s_a_1_10_sspa&psc=1

 

Thank you! I'm going to give those a try. It can't be healthy for my family to be eating the non-stick coating.

[Rachel]

I have had this Green Life ceramic pan for about a month: https://smile.amazon.com/GreenLife-Ceramic-Non-Stick-Frypan-Turquoise/dp/B00N5F9NMS?crid=3FEW280TSSQMK&keywords=green+skillets+nonstick&qid=1537975829&sprefix=green+skill&sr=8-8&ref=mp_s_a_1_8

It is fantastic for eggs!  I’ve made eggs in it almost daily and they truly do not stick. Apparently ceramic pans don’t have a lot of longevity so consider that when buying. The only downside to this pan is that it is made in China, I’m always a touch nervous about cookware made in China but decided to buy it anyway. 

[TechWife]

There are always one or two things in a set that don't get used in our house. The last time we bought pots & pans, we did it open stock and only bought what we would use. This also meant we duplicated some items because we use them a lot and having two saucepans of a particular size is helpful when cooking a meal. Other items, we didn't purchase at all. We purchased some items at Williams Sonoma and others at a discount kitchen place and one item at Target. We have a mix of T-fal and Calphelon. It ended up being just a little bit more than buying a set would have been, but with the advantage that we use everything regularly and we didn't have to get rid of things we knew we would not need.

[gardenmom5]

17 minutes ago, TechWife said:

There are always one or two things in a set that don't get used in our house. The last time we bought pots & pans, we did it open stock and only bought what we would use. This also meant we duplicated some items because we use them a lot and having two saucepans of a particular size is helpful when cooking a meal. Other items, we didn't purchase at all.

the advantage that we use everything regularly and we didn't have to get rid of things we knew we would not need.

this.

we buy things we actually use.  I did a lot (not all) at tjmaxx and marshall's because I could get my all-clad with some good discounts.  not always in stock - but I'd take five minutes to stop in and see what they had.  (1dd would be interested in pieces they had that I didn't want.)  some I found at a seconds place online.

 I want stuff I actually use - and that can include multiples of frequently used pans. 

I had one anondized non-stick that I loved the shape/size  (narrower, and taller) - but the stupid non-stick wasn't very good quality and I'd have to toss the pan.  I searched for a replacement with those dimensions - most were wide/shallow.  that was when I got into the cuisinart triply.   

2dd is into convenience cooking (crockpot/instant pot) - she has average pots and pans with the disk on the bottom. I got her a cuisinart triply sauce pan, and even she noticed a difference to the one with the disk on the bottom.   I will probably be buying her stuff so I have some decent cookware to use when I come.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

18 hours ago, Selkie said:

I have a set of Cuisinart stainless pots and pans that I've had since 2006 (just looked it up on my Amazon orders ?). They are awesome and have held up so well. I can't even imagine how many thousands of times they've been used and they're still in perfect shape.

 

Would you mind going back to Amazon to grab that link? :D 

[bethben]

I started replacing my most used pots one at a time with All Clad as it went on sale.  It's heavy, but I feel like it will last my life time.

[TravelingChris]

We replaced almost everything with All  Clad since we have lived here.  We do have cast iron too still and also an Enamel Coated dutch oven.

[happypamama]

I love my cast iron, most of which is Lodge. 

 

For stainless, my Revere and Farberware stockpots and saucepans have held up for twenty years and are still going strong. 

[Selkie]

3 hours ago, Tibbie Dunbar said:

 

Would you mind going back to Amazon to grab that link? ?

Unfortunately, the link just takes me to a page that says "Discontinued by Manufacturer". It is the Cuisinart 77-17 Chef's Classic 17-Piece Cookware Set. There is a newer version of the set on Amazon with glass lids instead of the stainless lids that mine have, but it doesn't get very good reviews.?

[Lang Syne Boardie]

42 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Unfortunately, the link just takes me to a page that says "Discontinued by Manufacturer". It is the Cuisinart 77-17 Chef's Classic 17-Piece Cookware Set. There is a newer version of the set on Amazon with glass lids instead of the stainless lids that mine have, but it doesn't get very good reviews.?

Thank you for checking!!

[Pippen]

11 hours ago, amyx4 said:

I've owned Revere Ware pots and pans since college. I don't own any of the new items. Only the really old stuff. If you have a second-hand shop perhaps you could look there? or ebay?

In a fire/flood I would have a hard time leaving them behind ?

Here's one on ebay but I would never pay $45. This pot would be $15-20 a the second hand shop.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Revere-Ware-6-Quart-6-qt-Stock-Pot-with-Lid-Pre1968/153174949023?hash=item23a9f03c9f

 I have my husband's grandmother's set of old Revereware pots and I love them.  At first I couldn't wait to upgrade them, but then I tried Calphalon and soon came back to my old set.