Cookware Advice (Long, sorry)

DH asked me what I would like for Christmas from him this year and after some thought, I decided on a new cookware set.  Right my pots and pans are mismatched:  what I had, what has been donated to me out of pity, etc.  I had a large nonstick Calaphon pan and it was my favorite.  But bad things happened and now it is no longer with us.  (Let's just say it was involved in an accident.  ) 

So now I am faced with deciding on a new set, in a less than 100.00 USD budget.  Which rules out  my favorite, Calaphon, unless I just get a frying pan and maybe one other piece.  I have been looking at a set of ELO (?) which doesn't have a large frying pan and would normally be way out of my price range, but I found it on sale.  Don't know much about it, since it is fairly new to the US market.   I normally lean towards nonstick and like things that are dishwasher safe.  I've never had good luck with stainless interior, but maybe it was the brand.  Can't do a poll because I don't know how to set one up. 

While we're on the subject, my aunt taught me a good tip for removing stuck or burnt in food, etc.  Fill the bottom of the injured pan with water.  Take a new dryer sheet and use it to clean the pan.  Sometimes it does take a couple of them, depending on how bad off the pan is.  It works like magic.  Then wash the pan thoroughly.  (Dryer sheets are poisonous to cats, so I am thinking they can't be good for humans, either.)

Any advice would be appreciated.  I won't be on again until late tomorrow or Sunday (Secret Santa business, very hush-hush ) but I will be checking in then.

I recommend Tramontina. I have a set and the whole thing was about $150. I know, that's a bit over your budget, but it's really good. Tramontina is what I call Poor Man All-Clad. It's the 18/10 stainless, tri-clad. I've had it now for about four years and honestly, I love it. It's not nonstick, but I don't use nonstick anymore, except for one pan that I use for omelets. It cooks beautifully and it cleans beautifully. You can put it in the dishwasher, if you want.

I have one piece of All-Clad, a saucier that I use for gravies and saucies. I put it on the counter right beside a piece of the Tramontina. I swear you can't tell the difference! They're both very heavy, they're both very pretty, and they both cook beautifully. That's the truth. I believe Tramontina is oven-safe to 450 degrees, but I'm not sure about that....I don't often use my cookware in the oven. I use cast iron cookware for the oven instead.

I subscribe to Cooks Illustrated and several years ago, they did a review on cookware. All-Clad came in first....no surprise there. But Tramontina came in second! And the only reason it wasn't in first place is because the sizes are just a wee bit small for bigger families. But it's just Rick and me here, and we're fine. And to be honest, we're even fine when I do large dinner parties. It's just not an issue with us. Oh, and the saute pans do not have lids. Another no biggie for us and I have universal pan lids, so I just use them.

Here's a WalMart link to show you what you would get for an 8-piece set: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-8-Piece-Cookware-Set/5716478  That's my set right there....I've had it for a few years now and I enjoy cooking with it. There is a 10-piece set as well, I believe. You can also buy it at Target. I'm sure you can check it out at Amazon, too.

Like I said, I'm really happy with Tramontina. It's not made in the US, like All-Clad. But I simply cannot afford All-Clad and I can't justify the price that it costs.

This is just my opinion and I'm sure there are a lot of other cookware sets out there that other people love just as much.

And as an aside, do NOT buy the most expensive nonstick pans! Most of the nonstick surfaces, no matter what the manufacturer says, will not last longer than a few years. It's simply not worth spending a ton of money on nonstick pans. I have one cheap nonstick pan that I use solely for omelets and frittatas. Everything else is cooked in my Tramontina.

Keep in mind that if you look at Tramontina, you need to look at the 18/10 tri-ply or tri-clad stainless version for the best results. IMO.

I have a set of Cuisinart Multiclad stainless and it's awesome!  For around $100 you won't get a whole set, but I'm sure you could pick up a few essential pieces.  There seem to be some good deals online.  (The big 12 piece set is on sale on amazon now for $200-ish.) I started with the smaller set and I've added a few more pieces on an as needed basis.  I actually PREFER it to All Clad, which I've had occasion to use at work.  It's not as heavy, and I find the angled handle on the All Clad uncomfortable- the handle on the Cuisinart doesn't stick up so much.  I've never had problems cleaning it.  For anything that really requires nonstick, I have one big cheapo nonstick skillet and it's enough for me.

Like Winchester, I've decided against buying expensive non-stick pans because the coating doesn't last long enough to be worth the investment in my mind.

Tramontina is made in Manitowoc Wisconsin which they use the old Mirro facilities.

I do not like a "matched" set unless you know you will use all the pieces.  I have collected my cookware slowly over the years- mainly hard anodized Calphalon.  I do have a nice All Clad 16" skillet and covet a Le Crueset pot but I have a knock off which is working well.  I have some cast iron pans to.

Just my two cents!

I have such mismatched cookware,it's a hoot to look at what I use.But,I have picked them up here and there,mostly flea markets or clearance somewhere,and they are all my favorites and wouldn't trade them for anything!I have to say that last year for Christmas,hubby gave me a huge Paula Deen chicken fryer,and it's really a nice skillet.Cooks well,cleans up well.It's the only piece of her cookware that I have,but I know WalMart,and others as well,sells the sets,and I think they're pretty reasonable.And pretty.There's my penny for a thought!

I have Tramontina fry pans and Wolfgang Puck stainless steel sauce pans. Both are awesome if you can find them for a price within your budget. The Wolfgang Puck has a very thick stainless bottom so it disperses heat very well. Both of these were recommended by my dear friend who is a chef when I told her I wanted something closer to chef quality but affordable.

I cook a lot and the Tramontina's have held up well (for being non-stick pans) for about 7-8 years. I was going thru other non-stick fry pans every 1-2 years. In the long run it was cheaper for me to spend a little bit more on these pans.

I don't remember what we paid for these, but I do remember that I sold my old set of Revere Ware copper bottom pans on e-bay and got enough from that to buy most of these.

Thanks all for the advice.  I am going to do some serious shopping as soon as my asthma gets better.

My sister and I pitched in and bought my mom a Paula Dean cookware set and she LOVES them.  We got her the red ones and now each Christmas or birthday she wants more things from Paula Dean's collection. So far we've gotten her a big casserole dish and a couple of  smaller ceramic dishes that makes perfect personal size lasaugna.  Clean up on the pots and skillets are so easy. Pretty much the only thing you have to do is use a paper towel and wipe them down. No scrubbing required. Of course if you makes something extra gooey and messy, there's a little more work to clean them but overall cleaning them is a breeze. They're also very pleasant looking, we got her the red set and they look stunning. She's had them for I think about 4 years and they're still like new.

Dottie bought a set of West Bend cookware before we got married.  One of the first big arguments we ever had, her going into debt for that.  Now, 38 years later, we still have it and it's holding up fine.  Of course, a basic set today approaches $2000.

You could go down and buy a set at Wal-Mart, or you could go someplace and start buying high-quality stuff.  For $100, you can get a pretty decent set at Costco or Sam's.  In fact, I happened to notice them going by them yesterday.

I use a mixmatched set as well

But everyone around here loves Paderno.

www.paderno.com

Anybody remember the old Club cookware? That was my first set of cookware and it was wonderful stuff. Nice and heavy and it worked great. I had it for a long time and, in fact, still have a few sauce pans....no lids. I still use one of the sauce pans when I make candies because I like the way it handles the syrup. You can still find pieces on eBay.