Need new cookware - mine is almost 30 years old - what is good??

[Red State Rebel]

When I was 19 (1976)I paid $400.00 for a set of Miracle Maid cookware made by West Bend. It had a lifetime warranty but since West Bend went out of business it's a moot point. It has lasted well and is still in pretty decent shape but I'm ready for something new.

What is good out there in cookware???

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

1. Le Creuset

www.lecreuset.com

[K8-EEE]

6. I Got One Of These As A Gift & Love It!!

You can cook on the stove with it and then put it in the oven - I don't like anything with plastic "stay cool" handles because then you can't put them in a hot oven. Better to just use mitts!

I don't like getting whole sets of cookware though. Because I really only use the same things over and over. I use a stailess steel stockpot for making soup or pasta; a wok-shaped skillet for stir-frying; a large sauce pan with a lid for sauces; and a flat skillet for omlettes.

I find with the big collections you get more but you get a lot you don't need.

I don't care for teflon-type coatings, personally. They don't get hot enough and I worry about the chems. I'd rather usa a bit of oil, if you season a pan correctly and cook the stuff right you don't need tones of fat to cook.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

8. Agreed - but their casseroles and pots can't be beat. You can buy any of

their pieces individually. I swear by them - though my trusty steel wok seasoned with peanut oil is my most used piece.

[jmowreader]

23. How the hell do you season a Le Creuset pan?

Those things are ceramic over cast iron.

We have one. It's not my favorite pan, although we paid a fortune for it. It's usable, though. My wife thinks it's the greatest thing ever invented, but she never uses the damn thing.

I bought a one-quart Calphalon saucepan that gets TONS of use--because we work different schedules we eat alone a lot of the time, and we both use the pan. It was kinda pricey at $20 for a little bitty pan, but it works SO nice, man. I may get another one, or maybe a two-quart to go along with the one-quart. I've also got a stainless-steel commercial pan I use for frying meat, and if I was to buy just one brand of pans I'd get nothing but commercial pans. I paid $36 for this pan and it's wonderful; nothing sticks to it and it's just so well built. I don't even remember what brand it is...I went to the local restaurant supply store and bought it off the shelf.

[iconoclastic cat]

9. Their stuff is indestructible!

I love it.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

10. There's a reason Julia Child loved it

I'll be giving them to my grandchildren

[K8-EEE]

19. And They're So PRETTY!

They look beautiful on open shelving if you have storage issues in your kitchen.

[Dirk39]

21. I love their pans, but...

Hello from Germany,
I love their stuff, but the pans are incredible heavy! Sometimes I can not manage to bring the pan back into the horizontal line with one hand.
But on the other hand, you don't need to buy any other weapons to protect your house...
And never ever put a lecreuset into a dishwasher and never touch it with soap!
Best omeletts, best steaks, best potatoes ever!
Bon appetit,
Dirk

[auntAgonist]

2. I bought Wolgang Puck Cookware

from Sams Club. Cheaper than what they sell it for on those shopping shows. I like it, except for the lids. I don't like the glass lids and they don't seal.

I would love to find Miracle Maid cookware, that's what I had in my first marriage. Ex kept it.

[Red State Rebel]

3. I made SURE I got it in the divorce :)

hahaha!! Sometimes I see it on ebay...

[Liberal Veteran]

5. I bought a Wolfgang Puck set from Home Shopping Network.

And no I don't make a habit of buying things from them, it's the only time I ever did.

I am very happy with the set.

The quality of the pans is excellent.

They are easy to clean.

All in all a good bargain.

[Red State Rebel]

7. I bought some of those for my son

Does the stainless steel interior stick?

[Liberal Veteran]

11. Not once you learn how to cook with stainless steel.

Preheat the pan. Don't do it on high. Let the pan preheat for 3 minutes or so on low.

[MissMarple]

12. When do you add oil? Before you heat the pan?

I think it is almost a lost art.

[Liberal Veteran]

16. If you are using oil, add it before heating.

:D

[MissMarple]

17. Thanks. Good to know, I thought so, but it never hurts to check.

I've been thinking about getting a stainless steel saute pan. :-)

[mcscajun]

4. All-Clad Stainless

Available in sets, but I preferred to buy individual pots and pans that suited my cooking AND were 'on sale' at the time.

www.allclad.com

[mondo joe]

14. True. All Clad is the best of the best.

I like a few Le Crueset pieces for particular uses, but the All Clad is the gest general cookware.

Like you, ours was bought piece by piece. My partner gets them at wholesale price through his own connections, so we have a pretty cool collection.

[Texasgal]

15. OH yes... I agree!

All-clad is the creme' de la 'creme of cook wear. I have been adding piece by piece over the years. Good stuff!

[Robb]

20. I'll get behind that

...with the caveat that my Cuisinart stainless is every bit as good as the AllClad I bought, and a smidge cheaper.

I suggest a good stainless set, one unbelievably expensive nonstick (I like the Anolon Titanium, but for what I paid, I'd better), and one cast iron skillet. :)

[solinvictus]

25. All Clad is the best...

Easy clean up and superior temperature control. If you have a Homegoods/T.J. Maxx in your area, check them frequently for clearanced All Clad. I believe Emiril LaGasse's brand of cookware is manufactured by All Clad, but I may be wrong.

[Ron Green]

31. Another vote for All-Clad. You'll never regret spending the $$.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

13. Maybe Wolfgang Puck?

They have a huge set of his cookware at Bed Bath and Beyond. They're fabulous, from what I understand.
Duckie

[SW FL Dem]

18. I love my Calphalon!

Got it as a wedding gift almost 20 years ago and it is still in almost perfect shape. The only thing I don't like about it is that my handles get hot, the newer pots have different handles.

[Blue_In_AK]

24. I love my Calphalon, too.

[yellowdogintexas]

22. hodgepodge cookware here: I could not live without my wok

which is a large old carbon steel one, well seasoned with peanut oil

I also could not live with out my stacking steamer; bottom holds the water and there are two sections that stack on top of one another and fit on the bottom piece. I can steam a ton of stuff at once if I need to.

I have a Cuisinart heavy stainless skillet that I like for searing meat and pan broiling thin steaks

and I have a 14 inch Target grade Caphalon non stick that I really love for those saute the meat, add the veggies and mushrooms and dump it on pasta things

a small omelet pan I bought at Pampered Chef about 10 years ago that is still going strong, most indestructable teflon coating I have ever run across.

set of not especially heavy but adequate for the price saucepans w/clear lids that are nice for rice, pasta sauce, mac/cheese etc.

my new acquisition: 8 quart tall stockpot Analon with glass lid that I found for $29 on the "yard sale" table @ Foley's right after Christmas. Man do I love that pan!!!

I also have a lot of the original Tupperware oven/microwave dishes that can go in the regular oven. They are my favorite casseroles. Unfortunately they are no longer being made. I have a ton of them because I was selling it when they were in the catalog.

My 35 year old Le Creuset alas is in sad shape. The enamel has chipped off the bottom, and I don't know why. I loved to use that pan for stews, soups etc. It is the 5 quart oval roaster, and it has a black spot in the middle of the white enamel.

[priller]

26. If you want the best: All-Clad

Get All-Clad for your basic skillets and saute pans and sauce pans. Nothing beats it. I have the kind that's stainless on the inside and brushed aluminum on the outside. Absolutely love them! Yes they cost a bundle, but they really WILL last a lifetime.

And they're actually made in America.

If you're talking knives, however, we must turn to Japan.

[NV Whino]

27. Lots of good stuff these days

Go for stainless steel with 1/4" thick aluminum bottom. Stay away from the interior "coated stuff." Be prepared, the good stuff is really expensive.

Check out Chef's catalog or Crate and Barrel.

On edit: added aluminum

[u4ic]

28. Check on Ebay

I got a great deal on a set...lowest price I had seen of this particular kind in store was $175, I got it for $60 plus shipping = $100 Canadian.

Also, don't get non stick...health concerns.

[CO Liberal]

29. The Princess & I Bought a Set of Farberware....

...at their outlet in Hillsboro, Texas last September. Stainless steel inside and out, with an aluminum disc in the bottom to spread the heat evenly. Two saucepans, a Dutch Oven, two frying pans, and a deeper frying pan with lids for $150.

If there's an outlet mall in your area, see what Farberware has to offer.

[Lorien]

30. Costco Kirkland brand stainless steel

the teflon is good too-but a recent UK study found toxins in teflon. The Kirkland cookware is as well constructed as anything in Williams Sonoma, but about 1/3 the price-plus, Costco is BLUE.