worth getting nicer pans?

[caedmyn]

I have a set of 18/10 stainless steel Kitchenaid pots and pans.  I’ve had them for almost 15 years and they’ve held up very well.  I keep hearing about the how much better the really nice pans are (Le Creuset, All Clad, etc), and am trying to decide if it would be worth replacing a couple of my most frequently used pans with nicer ones.  I do cook a lot but don’t enjoy time-consuming or fiddly cooking, so mostly I’m sautéing or frying.  My in-laws have high end cookware (from my recollection it looks like All Clad stuff but idk what the the brand actually is) and I haven’t particularly liked using theirs because the handles are slippery (mine have grips) and they’re heavy and hard to move around.  Am I likely to notice enough of a different with nicer pans to make it worth buying them?  The set I have is similar to this one https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-Stainless-Steel-10-Piece-Cookware-Set/dp/B000LZ9YY2 but the bottoms aren’t copper and he handles are a bit different.

[Pen]

No. If you like your pans and they are comfortable for you they should be fine.  If you get into cooking with more techniques or need a different size try a “nicer” one and see if you really prefer it. 

[Bootsie]

If you like what you have and it is working well for you, then it probably isn't worth it.  I have several Staub (a competitor to Le Creuset) that I really like.  They heat evenly; it is very difficult to get my current stove to heat at a consistent temperature, so it makes a difference to me.  The lids fit tightly so it is good for self-basting, and they can go from stovetop to oven.  But, they are going to be heavier than what you are used to  

[bethben]

I had a set of pots where the handles eventually came off.  I started slowly replacing pots and large pans with All Clad.  I'm not sure I would have if my old pots and pans were still intact.  BUT, I will say that I do love their versatility.  They work like Dutch ovens.  I make sourdough in one of my medium pots and can fry up a one dish meal and put it into the oven to finish it off.  I could not do that with my former pots.  I wound up waiting for sales at William and Sonoma and tried to squeak out money from my grocery budget to pay for them.  All Clad are heavy.  I have a large 12 inch (more?) diameter pan and it is a beast!  Really heavy - I can't lift it with one hand.  Now, I'm upgrading my knives.  

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, caedmyn said:

I have a set of 18/10 stainless steel Kitchenaid pots and pans.  I’ve had them for almost 15 years and they’ve held up very well.  I keep hearing about the how much better the really nice pans are (Le Creuset, All Clad, etc), and am trying to decide if it would be worth replacing a couple of my most frequently used pans with nicer ones.  I do cook a lot but don’t enjoy time-consuming or fiddly cooking, so mostly I’m sautéing or frying.  My in-laws have high end cookware (from my recollection it looks like All Clad stuff but idk what the the brand actually is) and I haven’t particularly liked using theirs because the handles are slippery (mine have grips) and they’re heavy and hard to move around.  Am I likely to notice enough of a different with nicer pans to make it worth buying them?  The set I have is similar to this one https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-Stainless-Steel-10-Piece-Cookware-Set/dp/B000LZ9YY2 but the bottoms aren’t copper and he handles are a bit different.

I'm not looking for it right now - but several years ago  a gourmet mag did a cookware review.

All-clad really is that much better.  (I had good quality calphalon, and some other higher, but over, rated brand whose name escapes me.).  My first time making bechamel sauce in my AC 4qt.  . . . . swoon.  It was worth. every. penny.  (I did buy them at TJMaxx, so they did cost less than retail.  I stalk TJMaxx and Marshall's for overstock/seconds.  AC also has a site that sells seconds.  I've even seen unused pans turn up on ebay.)

There are a few that are comparable to the AC, but more budget friendly.

Tramontina triply

Cuisinart Multi-clad pro

Cuisinart French classic.

Cuisinart has other lines that are NOT comparable.

They are the ONLY ones that have comparable construction to the AC triply.    All the only brands that try to "look" like AC, do not have the same thickness in their aluminum core.  That affects how it heats food.  You can use a lower heat to get the item to temperature as it is heating from all around it, not just the bottom.  Heating is much more even, and less likely to burn/scorch what is cooking. 

The set you linked to - has an aluminum disk on the bottom.  AC has an aluminum core that goes all the way to the rim.   2dd has some pans with the aluminum disk on the bottom - they drove me so nuts when I was visiting, I bought a French Classic sauce pan to use while I was there.  She adores it.  I will probably buy an omelet pan for her next.

eta: the long handles on my AC do not get hot, and they're comfortable (I have D5).  I like the French classic handles well enough, I tolerate the Multiclad handle.  I don't own any tramontina triply.

Edited October 24, 2020 by gardenmom5

[Arcadia]

I did replace my wok twice this year because the non-stick coating did not last under high heat stir fry. Now I use a wok without non stick coating.

[catz]

If you don't like to cook, new pans aren't likely to spark joy.

I have a set of All Clad (skillet, saute pan, 3 sauce pans, 1 stock pot, 3 covers) plus a wok and a huge stock pot.  I have 1 Le Crueset Dutch Oven.  I don't have any non stick, but I do have a small and a large cast iron skillets (cover for the large) and a cast iron 2 burner griddle.   I have had all for over 20 years and I can't see I will ever need to replace.  

So I am a huge fan, but if you  aren't likely  to cook more and are happy with what you have it's a pretty large investment to switch.

[Lecka]

It wouldn’t be for me.  
 

If you think you are interested, you can start with one thing and see if you like it more.  
 

From a recent thread — my bowl set doesn’t have pour spouts, and I have poured things since reading that thread and thought “a pour spout would be nice right now.”  But at this point I still like what I have more than I want to get new bowls to have the pour spout.  If I find myself thinking “I could just put this whole bowl in the freezer” that would probably push me over!  
 

 

[Corraleno]

7 minutes ago, Lecka said:

It wouldn’t be for me.  
 

If you think you are interested, you can start with one thing and see if you like it more.  
 

From a recent thread — my bowl set doesn’t have pour spouts, and I have poured things since reading that thread and thought “a pour spout would be nice right now.”  But at this point I still like what I have more than I want to get new bowls to have the pour spout.  If I find myself thinking “I could just put this whole bowl in the freezer” that would probably push me over!  
 

Why can't you put your existing bowls in the freezer?

[Shoeless]

If you didn't like the All Clad that your in-laws have, you probably won't like them if bought for yourself. 

[Lecka]

16 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

25 minutes ago, Lecka said:

 

Why can't you put your existing bowls in the freezer?

I don’t think they are freezer safe. I definitely could/would for less than 24 hours or so, but actual freezer-safe bowls exist.  
 

I don’t really freeze doughs and that’s all I can think of I would freeze for very long, from one of my bowls? 

[Frances]

3 hours ago, Pen said:

No. If you like your pans and they are comfortable for you they should be fine.  If you get into cooking with more techniques or need a different size try a “nicer” one and see if you really prefer it. 

I agree. I cook all of the time and for many years we had revere ware. My husband and son would often complain about the pans when they cooked. My MIL gave us several high end pots and pans for Christmas gifts the last two years. The only positive difference I’ve noticed is they stay flat and don’t vibrate when boiling water. The negatives are that they are much heavier, don’t have the smallest pan I use a ton (I actually kept that one revere ware pan) and really don’t heat up any faster, like everything I read claimed they would. The most ridiculous one in my mind is the large roaster. It weighs a ton, takes up tons of storage, and is extremely difficult to clean.

I found a much bigger difference and bang for the buck by researching basic, less expensive essentials (spatulas, oven mitts, meat thermometer, etc) and buying the most recommended of those.

[Pippen]

3 hours ago, Pen said:

No. If you like your pans and they are comfortable for you they should be fine.  If you get into cooking with more techniques or need a different size try a “nicer” one and see if you really prefer it. 

I agree to stick with them if they're working for you. When we got married I was cooking with my husband's grandmother's old Revere Ware. They worked find but I had Calphalon envy and after a few years pieced together a set. Within six months I was back to using the Revere Ware. I used them happily for 32 more years until this past spring when I had to buy a new range and they didn't work well on the glasstop. 

[marbel]

I have a few all-clad  pans and love them, but they replaced some very cheap thin pans that were warped and thus cooked unevenly. 

I would not feel compelled to buy new pans if mine were working well. Other things to spend on lol.

[Ausmumof3]

My old ones fell apart when I got a dishwasher around 8 years ago so I did get new ones with some gift vouchers I have for a birthday.  They are really nice to cook with but it’s probably not worth upgrading if yours are reasonable quality.

[City Mouse]

I got Revereware when I got married. I decided to upgrade when we moved 9 years ago, and donated the Revereware. That was one of the biggest mistakes I ha e ever made.