I need new cookware. (1 Viewer)

[crnerblitz]

Good info in here.

 

[Shooter McGavin]

You know, I'm not sure on the dutch oven. Let me look tonight when I get home to see what it is. Whatever I have, it's the perfect size for me. I do lots of chili / gumbo / soups and it works fine. Any smaller and it wouldn't be big enough and much bigger and it would get unwieldy.J

Thanks. I'm very interested to see what size you have, as we'd be doing those things as well. One of the few things I do cook is chili, and my wife makes gumbos and other soups for the family. By the way, those are some funky colors. I'm thiking of going with either the red or the flame.

I second Joe's recommendation on the Le Creuset. We have a 7 qt french oven (the round one), and that thing gets used almost as often as our 12" skillet. We decided on the round shape because it's a lot easier to use on the stove, as our cooktop doesn't have any of those expandable long burners or anything. We use it mostly on top of the stove for soups and chili and things like that, but it's also good for small roasts and other things where you'd want to put it in the oven. It's plenty large for most of our needs. The only reason you'd want to go larger is if you plan to use it primarily for big roasts. The 7qt is pretty heavy (especially when full) , and if you go larger, it can get hard to deal with.

 

[mon]

Le Creuset is awesome and we have a few pieces. But the amazing thing about Calphalon is their lifetime warranty. I bought my wife a ten piece set back in '97 for $249. They have replaced our entire cookware set two or three times already. When they start looking a little worn, my wife sends them in and receives a new set free.

 

[Gator Shawn]

Looking to replace our original set with something halfway decent. Can/Will spend a couple hundred bucks, maybe more if I should. No clue on where to begin.

help on what to look for or what to avoid?

I buy whatever America's Test Kitchen says I should.As for why you are buying a 'set', do you display them on a Pot Rack when not in use? I personally think it would be best to buy the best value in each type of pot. Sets are a nice "savings" but I find I rarely use some of the stuff I get.

America's Test Kitchen Reviews

 

[Gator Shawn]

You know, I'm not sure on the dutch oven. Let me look tonight when I get home to see what it is. Whatever I have, it's the perfect size for me. I do lots of chili / gumbo / soups and it works fine. Any smaller and it wouldn't be big enough and much bigger and it would get unwieldy.J

Thanks. I'm very interested to see what size you have, as we'd be doing those things as well. One of the few things I do cook is chili, and my wife makes gumbos and other soups for the family. By the way, those are some funky colors. I'm thiking of going with either the red or the flame.

I second Joe's recommendation on the Le Creuset. We have a 7 qt french oven (the round one), and that thing gets used almost as often as our 12" skillet. We decided on the round shape because it's a lot easier to use on the stove, as our cooktop doesn't have any of those expandable long burners or anything. We use it mostly on top of the stove for soups and chili and things like that, but it's also good for small roasts and other things where you'd want to put it in the oven. It's plenty large for most of our needs. The only reason you'd want to go larger is if you plan to use it primarily for big roasts. The 7qt is pretty heavy (especially when full) , and if you go larger, it can get hard to deal with.

If you don't want to spend the $$$ on Le Crueset (or don't have an outlet near you, we got 2 pieces at ridiculously low prices at one), America's Test Kitchen highly recommended the Mario Battali branded Dutch Ovens at around $99.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Looking to replace our original set with something halfway decent. Can/Will spend a couple hundred bucks, maybe more if I should. No clue on where to begin.

help on what to look for or what to avoid?

I buy whatever America's Test Kitchen says I should.As for why you are buying a 'set', do you display them on a Pot Rack when not in use? I personally think it would be best to buy the best value in each type of pot. Sets are a nice "savings" but I find I rarely use some of the stuff I get.

America's Test Kitchen Reviews

Pretty big fan of America's Test Kitchens. I got more out of Alton Brown's book on kitchen gear. http://www.amazon.com/Alton-Browns-Gear-Yo...n/dp/1584792965 Yeah, it's 18 bucks for a book to tell you what to buy but in the big scheme, it was worth it I think. What I've learned:

Understand how YOU cook and what you like as that determines where you want to focus.

Buy the best quality you can afford.

Don't buy "gadgets"

Another way of saying it is buy things that have multiple uses.

"Sets" are usually not a good deal. Buy the items you need.

J

 

[bigbottom]

What I've learned:Understand how YOU cook and what you like as that determines where you want to focus.Buy the best quality you can afford.Don't buy "gadgets"Another way of saying it is buy things that have multiple uses."Sets" are usually not a good deal. Buy the items you need.J

Good tips. I'm trying to buy pieces that both match the current pans that my wife uses a lot and are also recommended by the experienced cooks here. The Le Creuset is something that will be new in our kitchen, but given that my wife cooks a lot, and is half French (cajun) and half Italian, I'm starting to get the feeling that we should have had this piece long, long ago.

 

[bigbottom]

You know, I'm not sure on the dutch oven. Let me look tonight when I get home to see what it is. Whatever I have, it's the perfect size for me. I do lots of chili / gumbo / soups and it works fine. Any smaller and it wouldn't be big enough and much bigger and it would get unwieldy.J

Thanks. I'm very interested to see what size you have, as we'd be doing those things as well. One of the few things I do cook is chili, and my wife makes gumbos and other soups for the family. By the way, those are some funky colors. I'm thiking of going with either the red or the flame.

I second Joe's recommendation on the Le Creuset. We have a 7 qt french oven (the round one), and that thing gets used almost as often as our 12" skillet. We decided on the round shape because it's a lot easier to use on the stove, as our cooktop doesn't have any of those expandable long burners or anything. We use it mostly on top of the stove for soups and chili and things like that, but it's also good for small roasts and other things where you'd want to put it in the oven. It's plenty large for most of our needs. The only reason you'd want to go larger is if you plan to use it primarily for big roasts. The 7qt is pretty heavy (especially when full) , and if you go larger, it can get hard to deal with.

Thanks man. The more I think about it, the more I think this is the way I'm going to go. We never do large roasts, and 7 1/4 quarts should be big enough for the various soups and stews we make. I'm looking at the timing for the wife's birthday, so I think I need to pull the trigger on this stuff today in order to avoid having to pay through the nose for anything faster than standard shipping. But Joe seems to think his is perfect. I hope it's the 7 1/4 quart!

 

[bigbottom]

Thanks everyone. Trigger officially pulled.

 

[bigbottom]

Gave the wife the birthday gift yesterday and she loved them! Many thanks again for all the good advice here. Ended up with the following mix:

From the All-Clad Master Chef 2 line (the brushed aluminum exterior looks really nice)

8" fry pan

12" fry pan

4 qt saute pan

3 1/2 qt sauce pan

2 qt sauce pan

7 qt stock pot with pasta insert

Le Creuset 7 1/4 qt French Oven (cherry red)

For Christmas, I may look to add a saucier pan on Joe's recommendation.

Again, thanks for the input. You made my wife a happy woman! (cue crude responses)

 

[ditka311]

I was at TJ Maxx today and they had some Le Creuset "seconds" priced at around $130 for the 5 and a half french oven. I have read that the factory outlet stores also sell seconds. Has anybody had any experience with Le Creuset factory seconds? Any difference in cookng quality?

I looked at the pot pretty thoroughly and without having a perfet pot to compare it to I couldn't find anything wrong with it.

 

[bucksoh]

Didn't see anything on here about Royal Prestige but we have a set and they

work real well so far. Me and the wife sat in on sales pitch before we were married.

I said no cause they are very expensive but she had to have them. Still holding

up well. Any one else have any review on them?

 

[ditka311]

I was at TJ Maxx today and they had some Le Creuset "seconds" priced at around $130 for the 5 and a half french oven. I have read that the factory outlet stores also sell seconds. Has anybody had any experience with Le Creuset factory seconds? Any difference in cookng quality?I looked at the pot pretty thoroughly and without having a perfet pot to compare it to I couldn't find anything wrong with it.

I haven't had experience with their seconds but I don't think you'd have much of a problem with it. Most of the factory seconds I've seen in other stores it's just a minor blemish somewhere that makes it unsaleable at full retail. So if you look it over and don't see any major flaw and the price is right for you, I'd buy it without hesitation.

Cool, thanks

 

[The Z Machine]

My wife and I registered for the Sur La Table Tri-ply stainless cookware for your wedding. They're really nice, nearly exactly the same quality/construction as the All-Clad tri-ply, but about 1/2 the price.

We got the set, which is about $250 or so total.

 

[bigbottom]

My wife and I registered for the Sur La Table Tri-ply stainless cookware for your wedding. They're really nice, nearly exactly the same quality/construction as the All-Clad tri-ply, but about 1/2 the price.We got the set, which is about $250 or so total.

Hadn't heard you got hitched. Congrats!

 

[Mr. Yuk]

You know, I'm not sure on the dutch oven. Let me look tonight when I get home to see what it is. Whatever I have, it's the perfect size for me. I do lots of chili / gumbo / soups and it works fine. Any smaller and it wouldn't be big enough and much bigger and it would get unwieldy.J

Thanks. I'm very interested to see what size you have, as we'd be doing those things as well. One of the few things I do cook is chili, and my wife makes gumbos and other soups for the family. By the way, those are some funky colors. I'm thiking of going with either the red or the flame.

I second Joe's recommendation on the Le Creuset. We have a 7 qt french oven (the round one), and that thing gets used almost as often as our 12" skillet. We decided on the round shape because it's a lot easier to use on the stove, as our cooktop doesn't have any of those expandable long burners or anything. We use it mostly on top of the stove for soups and chili and things like that, but it's also good for small roasts and other things where you'd want to put it in the oven. It's plenty large for most of our needs. The only reason you'd want to go larger is if you plan to use it primarily for big roasts. The 7qt is pretty heavy (especially when full) , and if you go larger, it can get hard to deal with.

If you don't want to spend the $$$ on Le Crueset (or don't have an outlet near you, we got 2 pieces at ridiculously low prices at one), America's Test Kitchen highly recommended the Mario Battali branded Dutch Ovens at around $99.

I will second this. My wife found a Mario Batali 5 1/2 quart at a discount store brand new for about $30. The sticker was from Crate and Barrel originally. It looks pretty much identical to the Le Creuset and it does everything we need it to...obviously we haven't cooked with the LC to compare but for $100+ savings it does the job.

 

[YSR]

Looking into purchasing a Le Creuset oven but - like bigbottom above - I'm struggling with what size. I'll mostly be cooking for two but would like the versatility to cook for 4 or 6 from time to time. Should I just stick with the 5 1/2 quart or just go ahead and get the 7 quart? For some reason I feel like the 7 quart would be "wasted" due to lack of regular use, but I don't want to restrict with the 5 1/2 quart. Anyone have experience with these two sizes? Are certain sizes universally known for being better for certain dishes?

Part of me thinks it's ridiculous to invest in one of these, as I'm thinking through what has been mentioned in terms of foods you all cook in them (I do pot roast in a slow cooker, I have a roasting pan for chicken, etc). But I'm definitely interested in doing more soups/stews/gumbos, and more importantly, I want a good piece of cookware that will allow temperature regulation and evenness, which I imagine these do.

 

[Mr. Yuk]

Looking into purchasing a Le Creuset oven but - like bigbottom above - I'm struggling with what size. I'll mostly be cooking for two but would like the versatility to cook for 4 or 6 from time to time. Should I just stick with the 5 1/2 quart or just go ahead and get the 7 quart? For some reason I feel like the 7 quart would be "wasted" due to lack of regular use, but I don't want to restrict with the 5 1/2 quart. Anyone have experience with these two sizes? Are certain sizes universally known for being better for certain dishes?Part of me thinks it's ridiculous to invest in one of these, as I'm thinking through what has been mentioned in terms of foods you all cook in them (I do pot roast in a slow cooker, I have a roasting pan for chicken, etc). But I'm definitely interested in doing more soups/stews/gumbos, and more importantly, I want a good piece of cookware that will allow temperature regulation and evenness, which I imagine these do.

If you have a good quality roasting pan already, I would think the 5 1/2 would be sufficient for your needs. We use the 5 1/2 to cook for 2 and there's always leftovers. The only time I wish it was bigger is for cooking a larger bird or roast. That said, if you ever expect to be cooking for more than 2 on a regular basis, I would just spring for the 7, these things should conceivably last forever. Go to a Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table and get a feel for the size of them yourself if you haven't already.

 

[The Z Machine]

Can all clad stainless steel go in the dishwasher? What's the best brand for dishwasher safe pans?

I wouldn't put them in there even if it says it's OK. I don't trust my high(er) quality cookware to a dishwasher.

 

[The Z Machine]

My wife and I registered for the Sur La Table Tri-ply stainless cookware for your wedding. They're really nice, nearly exactly the same quality/construction as the All-Clad tri-ply, but about 1/2 the price.We got the set, which is about $250 or so total.

Hadn't heard you got hitched. Congrats!

(A belated) Thanks!

 

[Jobber]

I'm in the market for a 12" non-stick fry pan. In reading this thread, and reviews from many cooking forums, etc I've settled on the All-Clad MC2 12" non stick.

We've currently got a Calphalon 12" non stick that we received as a gift I think 2 years ago. We never put it in the dishwasher, nor put it in water while hot. After less than a year it was flaking, and it's completely warped. We have a flat top electric stove so you can imagine how much it sucks to try to cook when this thing spins and will not sit flat. Once I have my new MC2, I'll be attempting to send this POS back to Calphalon, but I'm almost positive they'll blame me and not replace it.

 

[Mr.Pack]

Anyone with any updates on cookware?

Looking to buy the wife a new set for her birthday.

Hard Anodized?

Enamel Non-Stick?

Stainless Steel?

 

[Osaurus]

Got a set of the Simply Calphalon non-stick (14pc I think). All I can say so far is that it's 1,000x better than the cheap ### T-Fal I had since 1993 or so.