needing new pots and pans

[ProudGrandma]

If I wanted a new set of pots and pans (and maybe a skillet) is it possible to get a decent set for about $150?  and if so, what set would I buy?? And if I am kidding myself thinking I can get something decent for that price....tell me what options I might have...for a little bit more....thanks. 

[Pen]

For what use / purpose? 

I have a set I love, that’s not terribly expensive.  But my purpose was light weight and space saving.  Most people on here would probably consider it beneath them.  

 

[Carol in Cal.]

If I were buying new pots right now, I would get

—An All Clad 4 quart Essential Pan

—An All Clad 6 quart Essential Pan

—An All Clad 2 quart pot with a ceramic double boiler insert

—An 8 quart no name multi pot with a steamer insert and a pasta boiling insert/colander, and a glass lid.

That would be all I would need for the rest of my life.  I have a lot more misc. pots and pans than that, but those are the most versatile and useful ones I own, and I use them probably 90 percent of the time, the other 10 percent being swapping in for an older, less useful one when one of the Favored Four is dirty.  If I were wealthy, I would buy these four items for every wedding present I need for the rest of my life.  

ETA:  Why I don’t just have these four—because all but the multipot are newish to All Clad, which I was already thoroughly hooked on before the great three came out.  

Why I don’t get rid of the others—I DO use them at times, and I have a hard time getting rid of All Clad.  I have given away all of the non All Clad non multi pot cookware though.  If someone in my extended family gets really into cooking, I’ll probably place some of the little used All Clad with him/her, but there is no one in that category right now.

Why the essential pans are amazing:  They are 2-3X as deep as frying pans or sauté pans, but very wide so food does not get crowded in them and steam.  Somehow, despite their widths, they distribute heat so well that the temperature is quite even throughout.  Because of their depth, there is less spattering onto the stove than with a frying pan.  The lids are close fitting and suitable for big cooktop casseroles and other deep cooking jobs as well.  The handles are very ergonomic for me.

Why the pot with the insert is good—because I like to melt chocolate in a double boiler and have been kludging setups for this for years.  Also great for whisking an egg yolk based recipe over boiling water to thicken.  Nice even heat.  The pot itself is great for heating up soups or spaghetti sauce.

Why the multipot—I mostly use it for cooking pasta, and an All Clad pot that size would be awfully heavy.  Also when we make homemade spaghetti sauce and such it’s nice to have a very large pot to make a big batch.

Key point:  All of these can be washed in the dishwasher except that the big Essential Pan doesn’t fit well in our old dishwasher with the center ‘torch’ arrangement.  I hate washing by hand.  DH does not mind.  So I mostly put them in the DW, unless he gets to them first.  

Other key point:  All of these have extremely smooth bottoms that food tends not to stick to, so clean up is easier than with other brands that I have tried.  

Edited December 14, 2019 by Carol in Cal.

[Pen]

Also, what do you want them made of?  I was going for Stainless steel (in place of heavy glass that was getting to be too hard for my joints to manage).    I did *not*  want a nonstick coating.  

 

[ProudGrandma]

3 hours ago, parent said:

What type of range do you have?  Gas, flat top, induction?

gas

[ProudGrandma]

3 hours ago, Pen said:

For what use / purpose? 

I have a set I love, that’s not terribly expensive.  But my purpose was light weight and space saving.  Most people on here would probably consider it beneath them.  

 

I am curious...what do you have?  All I want is a nice set to cook food for my family.  They do not need to be fancy.

[ProudGrandma]

50 minutes ago, Pen said:

Also, what do you want them made of?  I was going for Stainless steel (in place of heavy glass that was getting to be too hard for my joints to manage).    I did *not*  want a nonstick coating.  

 

I like stainless too...not nonstick...

[Pen]

6 minutes ago, kfeusse said:

I am curious...what do you have?  All I want is a nice set to cook food for my family.  They do not need to be fancy.

 

Magma Products, A10-360L-IND, 10 Piece Gourmet Nesting Stainless Steel Cookware Set, Induction Cooktops https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B99RJS2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_I0u9DbD2HTF9G

I don’t have induction but it has very good flat bottom for my glass top electric.  And it fits nicely in my tiny kitchen.  

 

I am planning to add one skillet with sloped sides, probably an Anolon Nouvelle at least in part for beauty!   The magma has a wok/skillet add on available, but it has nonstick that I am avoiding, iirc. 

[ktgrok]

I have Revereware pots and pans that are decades old and won't die, lol. So maybe not the top of the line, but certainly will last forever. 

[Pen]

Btw I can make stainless cook close with little sticking by first heating to point where water drop balls, then add oil or butter, and then add the food.

[Pen]

1 minute ago, Ktgrok said:

I have Revereware pots and pans that are decades old and won't die, lol. So maybe not the top of the line, but certainly will last forever. 

 

I grew up with some of that.  They were marvelous.

Hang on to yours! 

The new Revereware is inferior. 

[ktgrok]

16 minutes ago, Pen said:

 

I grew up with some of that.  They were marvelous.

Hang on to yours! 

The new Revereware is inferior. 

yeah, I have one pot left that was my mom's when I was a kid, still looks the same as it did. And I have two pots and a pan that are about 12 years old. The bottom of one did warp just slightly - definitely user error I am sure - but there is a difference in how heavy they are. But still - I figure 12 years isn't bad  either. I have no idea if the newer than that stuff is worse?

[Pen]

8 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

yeah, I have one pot left that was my mom's when I was a kid, still looks the same as it did. And I have two pots and a pan that are about 12 years old. The bottom of one did warp just slightly - definitely user error I am sure - but there is a difference in how heavy they are. But still - I figure 12 years isn't bad  either. I have no idea if the newer than that stuff is worse?

 

 I have a flat glass-top stove so a little warping makes a pan fairly useless for me, might be fine if on another stove.  

I’m sure I engaged in more user error as kid with no warp result, but trying to be careful as adult they still warped. 

 

[KungFuPanda]

Do you care if they match?  I think a cast iron skillet and dutch oven are essential.  They work on the range and in the oven, will last forever, and give you really even heating no matter what type of stove/oven you use.  They do NOT have to be expensive.  These two pieces and a few pots can get you through anything.

[wintermom]

I am a huge fan of cast iron for frying.

I am less picky about pots. I'm not completely thrilled with the pots I have. It depends what you do in your pots. If it's most liquid, then I think it's mostly dependent on the size you need. 

[Liz CA]

Revereware is good.

You could also piece them together and start with a cast iron skillet (Lodge) - they are inexpensive - under $50, then I would stalk Le Creuset for super duper sales and get a nice pot. Those are two classics you will likely never regret having. 

I am not a QVC shopper and cannot remember how I got to the website but I got a smaller Le Creuset there last year for under $100. You may need bigger stuff if you have a larger family. All Clad is next best choice IMHO if you don't care for cast iron ware.

QVC Kitchen Items

Edited December 15, 2019 by Liz CA

[amyx4]

I have a gas stove. I only ever have had Revere. I still have the pans I bought for my first apartment right after college. No regrets. 

The original stuff can be found at second-hand shops. It's on ebay but a bit pricier than local shops. An internet search will tell you how to identify the original stuff.

[matrips]

Over the years I ended up back with my Revere Ware pots from my first house.  I had an expensive (to me) hard-anodized set for my wedding gift, but they ended up getting scratched and stuff over the years. I find I love my Revere Ware after all.  Lol!  And I just bought these skillets from Costco and they’ve been awesome; they were $59.99 on sale. https://www.costco.com/henckels-international-tuscany-3-piece-fry-pan-set.product.100485544.html

I do not claim to be a chef though. 🙂. I just cook for our family so it seems fine to me.

[gardenmom5]

I don't buy sets - they frequently only have two or three pans I actually use, and a lot of stuff I don't.  different materials have different properties for cooking.  

my favorite runs from comparatively inexpensive, to not inexpensive  

lodge - cast iron

all-clad. D5 (some non-stick for eggs/cream sauces.)  a few small things in triply.   (I never pay retail.  frequently I'll buy seconds, as they cook and clean the same.)

     There are pans of equal thickness of the layers (as measured by calipers), but cost much less.  Cuisinart makes two.  Multi-clad pro (rolled rims, made in china).  French classic (straight sides, made in france.)

if you take care of them - they will never need to be replaced.  how they cook - really is that different.

 

I watch - and will occasionally find pieces for very good deals. 

eta: just to add, I've had all sorts of pans over the years.  from cheap aluminum, revere, dept. store calphalon, ?brand? hard anondized, scan-pan.  when I made my first item in an all-clad (Cuisinart makes two that are comparable - for far less), there was no going back.  the performance difference was huge.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by gardenmom5

I love my Chantal enamel on steel cookware that I got as a wedding gift.  It has held up really well and I love the colors and the glass lids for the pots.  I wouldn’t buy a whole set.  The are making it in Germany again.  I don’t like cookware from China.

I couldn’t live without my cast iron skillets - one large and one small.  Lodge is good, but mine are antique hand me downs from older relatives.  I think you can find them at estate sales.

I have an oblong le creuset such oven that my mom got me for a steal at the outlet.  I use it for cooking corn on the cob, making jelly, cooking a roast, etc.  Someday I will inherit my mother’s cast iron Dutch oven that is bigger than mine (she got it from her neighbor growing up and it previously belonged to that lady’s grandmother-it has to be at least 125 years old) but she told me I can’t have it until she dies, hence the reason she bought me a new one.

 

 

 

[gardenmom5]

Just an FYI: lids.

I used to love glass lids, because I could see.   I've since learned.  that glass sucks up a lot of heat, and that takes away from heat otherwise used for cooking.  Even the ones with a metal rim, still dont' fit the pots as well as a good metal lid (which heats fast - and holds it.)   

when the lids are sitting on "closed" - I get more steam with glass than with metal.

 

[Pen]

It might help to analyze what your needs/wants are.  

Budget you seem clear on.

Storage space would be another factor .  

Type stove you have and how flat you need pot/pan bottoms to be.   Hugely significant if you need bottoms to be very flat.  Even newer All Clad may have issues with bottoms not flat.  

Clean up. 

What  you want to be cooking, how much at a time, etc.  

 

Or even how you’ll cook it— for example, American style scrambled eggs in a pan or Gordon Ramsey type in a pot?

Huge pots of pasta and home cooked pasta sauce? Or big stir fries?  

 

There’s a current “limited time deal “ I saw on Amazon for a 12 piece Cuisineart set for $159 (probably a China made set) that might meet your needs, and at your budget...   My set is close to your budget...