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Great advice here so far..
I have an induction stovetop so I bought mostly Calphalon tri-ply stainless, which is pretty, cleans easy, stacks well, and is very durable but doesn't weigh a ton. (No more cast-iron for me.. I never got it right anyway.)
A Le Creuset dutch oven, a perfect saucier by Emeril, and a 40yo porcelain-enamel pot that still works and looks great. Plus the usual mix of pasta, sauce, and stock pots to round it out.
BUT, I need at least one non-stick for eggs+ and my choice is Circulon with the ridges that really work well.
If a pot or pan does not work for me it is no longer in my kitchen.
As a side note to my previous post, I would never buy non-stick. If you somehow scratch the coating, the pan is toast and needs to be replaced. I have a cheap set of stainless pots and pans which we picked up during Christmas from Macy's for about 75 bucks. We've had it for about 10 years now with no problems at all. Of course, it is stainless so you really have to go out of your way to ruin it. Also, we cook eggs on our SS pans with no issue. It is about getting the pan to the right temp and making sure you don't leave your eggs on too long.
I notice my all clad SS have a problem with food sticking on them after cooking, like frying eggs, they always get stuck to the pan, whereas with other SS pans that are no name, I don't have that problem as much.
I notice my all clad SS have a problem with food sticking on them after cooking, like frying eggs, they always get stuck to the pan, whereas with other SS pans that are no name, I don't have that problem as much.
I've had this happen when my SS pans weren't perfectly clean (like, seared a steak prior ~ yes I use high heat on the Tramontina pans without ill effect beyond coloring). Looked and felt clean, but when I took to the cooking surface with some BarKeepers Friend and a sponge it came away a little brown, suddenly it would release eggs again. You're not going to Hurt anything by trying this.
I do notice that I have a much harder time with my folks All Clad and eggs, but I just assumed it was me being impatient and not really being comfortable with cooking on induction.
Sooo OP, even more confused yet? Ready to go raw-food only and abstain from cooking ever again?
I notice my all clad SS have a problem with food sticking on them after cooking, like frying eggs, they always get stuck to the pan, whereas with other SS pans that are no name, I don't have that problem as much.
When cooking protein (like eggs) in a skillet, two things you gotta do.
1) Use a little oil. Just a bit. A little olive oil will not hurt you.
2) Put 'em in there and then keep your cotton-pickin' hands off them till they form a skin on the underside. Once that happens you can move them around. If you keep fooling with the food instead of leaving it the heck alone it will stick.
Like I say, all our mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, etc., all used plain old cast iron skillets and didn't have a lick of trouble. Stainless steel pans are much the same way. Just do the cooking. If something sticks a little bit, so what? Scrape it out and let it soak 15 minutes and scrub the rest off with a plastic scrubby or some steel wool. Big deal.
If you had eaten a few of my mother-in-law's meals (cooked on an old cal-rod electric stove, in Farberware pots and Corning casseroles, etc.) you would realize that all these fancy kitchen doohickeys have but one purpose: to separate you from your money. What they don't do, is improve the quality of the results.
After 28 years we are tossing the last remaining pieces of the cookware we got when we were married plus various pieces we’ve gotten over the years. After researching we’ve decided to invest in All clad. I was all set to get the Stainless steel. Tired of dealing with non stick having to be replaced. We went to two different places to look and one place recommended the stainless steel and also getting a couple non stick fry pans to use for eggs and things like that. The second place we looked recommended the non stick for everything. They said the non stick can be thrown in the dishwasher and they’ve never had anyone have issues with the non stick costing being ruined or coming off and you could even use metal utensils on it. We left empty handed as now I’m more confused than ever. The thing about stainless steel is i can scrub it down with an sos pad if it gets grime on it. I’m sure i can’t do that with the non stick. I’m so tired of the outside of my pots and pans being grimy!
Anyone have experience with either and can recommend one Over the other ? We’ve waited a long time to replace and expect to have this for another 28 years ( or more)
We have both. We got the stainless steel for our wedding (various people got us a piece or gift card which allowed us to get all the pieces we wanted) and last November we picked up 5-6 pieces of the non-stick from Marshalls when they got all the good stuff in for Black Friday.
The non-stick is definitely higher quality than regular non-stick pans and the weight of the pots is much more substantial. They will scratch if you don't use appropriate utensils. We only handwash our pots and pans so cannot vouch for dishwasher. That being said, the non-stick are not good for cooking recipes where you need to carmelize or other specific cooking techniques.
The regular stainless are great although sometimes they can be tough to clean and you need to overhaul with bartender's helper to keep them looking good.
I recommend that you definitely invest in the All-Clad - we do not ever expect to need to upgrade the stainless and only the non-stick if the surfacing wears out. If I had to choose, I would really think about the sizes and shapes you use the most and what you usually cook in them. Then I would buy a-la-carte so that you can get a mix of the stainless and non-stick to meet your needs. Of, you can do what we did and commit to one and then add the others later.
Definitely keep an eye out at places like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Homegoods and you occasionally see All Clad at a discount.
Farberware for all saucepans and stock pots. Stainless steel inside, so you can scrub it with anything you want, and things like tomato sauce won't corrode or pit it. They only have about 3 different lids, so you don't have to find the exact lid that fits the exact pot/pan. Our set of Farberware has some pieces that are 45 years old and look and function as new. The Farberware skillets are really good too, and I use them sometimes as a backup to the cast iron (like if I need to do two things at once). I don't know why anyone would use anything else.
Cast iron skillet in the std size (9"?) By the way, the Farberware large lid also fits perfectly a standard size iron skillet, so that's what I use when I have something poppy in the skillet.
Giant cast iron skillet for sauteeing large batches.
Use the fold-up steamer baskets for steaming, just put into an appropriately sized Farberware.
Non-stick pans are for people who don't know how to cook. I guarantee you they will not hold up like stainless or cast iron.
The only issue we have at present is that you can't buy new Corning cornflower casseroles, and every few years another one gets broken. No one has released any casseroles since the discontinuance of the Corning ones that are anywhere near as good.
Anyway, that's what I would do, and not get all wound up in high priced trendy pots and pans that won't actually perform any better.
I bought a Farberware set for my hope chest in 1981. Now I have to keep a screwdriver on hand to screw the handles tight a couple times a month. But, yes, I love the quality.
I hear this a lot, and you are probably right, but my greatest weakness is impatience. Yes, I'm bad.
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Ready to go raw-food only and abstain from cooking ever again?
Yes, I'm bad.
