Best Cookware? (restaurant, skillet, cooker, tomato)

[BlueWillowPlate]

I've been looking through old threads but nothing quite answered my question.
Not all, but several of the pots and pans from when we got married have, after 25 years, gotten pretty beat up and I threw them out.
We'll probably all die of some dreadful disease because they were that SilverStone teflon stuff.
I'm not crazy about cast iron; I do have a huge calphalon griddle, pasta pot and small calphalon soup pot, but nothing in between.
Does anyone have a favorite type of cookware? What's the scoop on stainless steel?
Is All-Clad worth it? I just need a couple big frying and/or saute pans.
I like to cook but am not a fancypants gourmet.

[southernlady5464]

I'm not crazy about cast iron;

May I ask why not? I adore cast iron for some things. Granted it's not for everything but there are some things you can't cook without cast iron.

I use an inherited set of Revere Ware from my Mother.

I would love a set of Calphalon. Liz

[Ohiogirl81]

I've had stainless Revere Ware for 20-some years; it's fine for most cooking, easy to clean, and is a huge improvement over the enamel-clad stuff I bought when I got out of college (it was so pretty! It just didn't stay that way).

I like cast iron for frying, on the rare occasion that I fry something.

[Cattknap]

All Clad is usually rated #1 in Consumer's Report and Cook's Magazine - the heat distribution is perfect, so foods tend to cook evenly and the cookware lasts forever. Revereware is great for some things - not the best for browning or for slow cooking and everything sticks like crazy. There is nothing better than cast iron for browning it is superior. I love Le Creuset also (porcelain lined cast iron) for slow cooking, cooking eggs, baking, etc. So I have a little of everything - what I use to cook in depends on what I'm cooking.

[southernlady5464]

Revereware is great for some things - not the best for browning or for slow cooking and everything sticks like crazy.

I can make fudge in it when I can't in anything else. Liz

[sunsprit]

as above, it really depends upon what you're cooking and how interested you are in the results. you don't have to be a "fancy" chef to enjoy good cookware.

I'm very partial to cast iron as we can use it on the gas range, in the oven, and on the wood cookstove (which is a real pleasure to use during the winter months). My favorites are Griswold, Wapak, enamaled Griswold, and Descoware. We do some cooking for larger get-togethers now and then, so I have the largest Griswold griddles and Oval Roasters that they made ... bought from a historic hotel/restaurant auction that used them commercially for over 50 years. With care, all the cast iron will be used long past my grandchildrens' need.

Other than that, a few decent stainless steel pots for tomato based sauces will suffice for all your needs. Be sure to get ones with heavy bases to evenly distribute the heat.

Since our homes are at 6,000 and 9,000 feet elevation, a good pressure cooker comes in handy for some items, too.

I stay away from the miracle non-stick finished cookware. I prefer the flavors from real butter and olive oil in my cooking.

My cooking runs the gamut from classic country french, italian, portugese, mexican, spanish, chinese, japanese, cajun, vietnamese, country american, and creole. I try to stay with the simpler dishes, but cajun and creole (especially) take a long time over a slow fire ... perfect for a woodstove in the winter months. We eat a lot of soups, stews, bar-b-que, stir-frys, and roasted foods.

[taylor400]

I had a set a Emeril's stainless steel pots and pans, and I loved them, except they were very hard to keep clean (they were not non-stick). I now have a set of cookware from The Pampered Chef. I only wanted the skillet that came with the set, but had to get the whole set to get the one I wanted. I am SO glad I got the whole set. They are great to cook with, and super easy to clean up. I recommend them to anyone.

[South Range Family]

I have a Calphalon 8 1/2 quart stew pot that came in the mail for free. I love that thing. It's fantastic. When it's time to get more, I'll add to my Calphalon collection.

[VillageLife]

I prefer using stainless steel pots and pans than non-stick cookware because I heard so much about Alzheimer's disease. I have been using stainless steel for 2 years now.

[Mooseketeer]

I'm afraid I love the cast iron /enamel "Le Creuset", it's excellent for heat distribution and will last about 10 generations if looked after ! They are hard wearing and attractive too but of course quite expensive and very heavy. A slightly cheaper option is "Le Chasseur" which is very similar and if I remember correctly is made by the same company as "Le Creuset".