New Cookware

I am finally going to break down and buy a new set of cookware.  The set I have now is at least 15 years old, not a high end set meant to last nearly that long and it is well past it's prime.  I have read all the warnings about non-stick surfaces.  Is that all non-stick or just the older ones?

I was looking at some customer reviews on Kohl's website.  The stainless steel cookware has all the complaints that I expected, everything sticks, hard to clean, ends up scratched from resorting to steel wool cleaning pads.  I do like being able to put something in the oven from the stove top in the same pan.

I am willing to spend up to two or three hundred for a full set.  I don't want to spend more than that.  Now that it's just me I can't justify spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a set of high end cookware.

Although I have some All-Clad pieces, my workhorse pans are Tramontina. The stainless 18/10 tri-ply is wonderful stuff. I bought the set--oh, I'd say a good 5-6 years ago, maybe longer than that--and the pieces still look like new. America's Test Kitchen rated the set #1, largely because it's such a nice set and it works. It does what I need it to do. I am very pleased. You can find it at WM and Target for about $150. I call it "poor man's All Clad". It's heavy, which is what you want when sauteing food. Because it's heavy, it doesn't warp. It's oven-safe and it's dishwasher-safe.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/19581112?...67107632&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=81459063152&veh=sem 

This is the set that I have. You can also get the 10-piece set for around $200. A few years ago, we bought a large 5-quart saute pan to go with the set. It's perfect for all kinds of sauteing, but I also use it to make pasta sauces, too. (We bought a Tramontina chicken fryer for my DIL a couple years ago and she is very pleased with it.) But you need to look at the stainless tri-ply 18/10 as that's the good stuff.

Oh, I almost forgot. The frying pans do not have lids. And you can't use the saucepan lids on the frying pans as it's not a good fit. That's the only thing I have against this set. But I have a set of 3 universal lids that I use with no problem. And like I said, it's been 5-6 years with the set. I really like it.

The only thing I use a nonstick pan for anymore is an omelet or a frittata. That's it. It's just Rick and me here and I refuse to spend money on really high-end cookware.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I was so excited when I upgraded my pots!!  In the beginning I had mish-mash pots; cheap ones; all aluminum or non-stick ones. I was constantly having to replace the nonstick ones because no matter how careful you are, the coating still manages to peel off.

I upgraded to a good set of stainless steel pots about 15 years ago and I don't regret it.  They are 18/10 stainless steel which is what you want to look for in a stainless steel pot.  They have metal lids and metal handles, because I also like to put go from stove to oven.

I really wanted a set of Lagostina pots.  However, when I went to The Bay to look for pots, the Lagostina was not on sale.  They were $700.00 which I couldn't really afford at the time. I saw the Govenor's Table set which was regular $700 on sale for $350, so I bought those.

I got the following in the set:

- Stock pot with lid,

- Saute pan (lid from stock pot fits),

- 2 medium sauce pans with 2 lids,

- 1 small sauce pan with lid, and

- 1 steamer that fits on the medium sauce pan.

I don't have problems with food sticking.  But then again the pots are NOT nonstick, so I use oil or cooking spray when I'm sauteing.

So far as them not retaining their shiny finish, stainless steel pots are not meant to have abrasive cleaning pads used on them.  Steel wool will scratch the steel. A green scrubby pad is all you need. However, if you have your pots on display and want them to maintain their shiny appearance, you can use a stainless steel cleaning powder

 

Or one of the methods in the following link:

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Stainless-Steel-Cookware

Like I said, I don't regret the purchase at all.  I do still have a nonstick pot and frying pan, but I've replaced both of those at least 3 or 4 times in the same time that I've had my stainless steel ones.  And both need to be replaced again because the coating is severely peeling off of both.

You can get a really good set of stainless steel pots for $300.  Pots are an investments, so find a good set and wait for them to go on sale like I did.


 

I've been using the same stainless steel pots for over 30 years, and for half of that time I've cooked two meals a day with them. They were moderately-priced, nothing special. They are still going strong and look good. (I also love that they can go into the oven.)

If my stainless is scratched, it's uniformly scratched so you can't tell.   I've never had a problem with food sticking except for now and then when I don't have the pan at the right temperature before adding food. 

I have several Calphalon non-stick pieces.  My first set of skillets lasted over 5 years.  I just broke down and bought new ones, since the non-stick finish was starting to look crummy and not working very well.

I got them from Home Goods for about 1/2 the price you see them in other stores.  Only caveat being you can't guarantee when they will be there or not.

I also have stainless Cuisinart skillets and cook pots, and several cast iron skillets by Lodge which are great for browning.  Add in a couple of Le Crueset and Staub enameled cast iron, big pieces.  Got my biggest one from Home Goods also, had a very small chip in the enamel but it doesn't effect cooking so I grabbed it.

I have a few older pieces of Farberware too, from before their quality went downhill.

I dislike "sets".  I prefer buying separate pieces of whatever and whomever as I need them based on usage.  I cook, A LOT.

I ended up buying another non-stick set, I really didn't want to give that up.  I know I paid extra for a name but they are a really nice set, much nicer than what I have even when they were new.  They aren't on the Kohl's website even though I bought them there.  I did find them on the web though.  

http://babytoboomer.com/2013/04/29/cookware-bobby-flay/

Those look really nice Denice.  I've heard good reviews of his cookware.

Nicely riveted!

I think he is probably careful about the quality of the cookware he puts his name on.  I am sure a large percentage of his income comes from Food Network and his 'monetary value' to them would go down if the cookware with his name on it is cheap and doesn't last very long.

It looks really nice Denice! And all useful pieces too.

I made an omelette in the skillet and it came out actually looking like an omelette not kind of an omelette and kind of scrambled eggs.  The final straw for me was last night.  I fried a hamburger and it even stuck bad.  It's really bad when a ground chuck patty sticks.

Nice Denice! May you and your new cookware have many happy years together!