Kitchen

[aroc3435]

@amyb   Hang on to your mother's older Farberware and enjoy its quality.  They are still being made and I have got 2, 3, and 4 quart pans but they are newer and not quite as thick a gauge and so far are holding up well and I prefer the solid metal, rather than the glass lids with steam vent that many manufacturers have been pushing at us for many years.

Best,

aroc3435

Washington, DC

[mimilucy]

A good quality stainless steel is a good choice as well as green pan items. That is an actual brand. I buy  higher price  pans with that name on them from Macy's and QVC and have found them to be very good. I also like my high quality stainless steel. Just don't turn the flame on too high on any of them, of course. If I "overcooked" anythink, I put a few drops of Dawn detergent in and fill the pan with water and bring the water to a boil on othe stove and then let it simmer for a while. You can let it soak,too. I am careful what I then use to clean the pans. That rarely happens, but if you get distracted, it is always to go to remedy. Good pans last a long, long time if you take care of them, which we all know.

[Sooner]

Demeyer is excellent quality--and no rivets to clean around.  

[amyb]

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@aroc3435 wrote:

@amyb   Hang on to your mother's older Farberware and enjoy its quality.  They are still being made and I have got 2, 3, and 4 quart pans but they are newer and not quite as thick a gauge and so far are holding up well and I prefer the solid metal, rather than the glass lids with steam vent that many manufacturers have been pushing at us for many years.

Best,

aroc3435

Washington, DC

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@aroc3435  Yes, I too still have an affinity for good ole Farberware...and I'm sure it's because it's what I grew up with, and with mom no longer here, (even when she was here!)...I'm sentimental and love the nostalgia. I'm not sure what generation of Faberware mine are...they are about 20 years old, except for the little 1 qt, I keep having to rebuy as I've inadvertently burned a few. (Had the one with the drain holes, but next time bought the one without.) Like all things, they likely are not mfrd. where they used to be. They still work fine for me, and feel like "home." I like a kind of "old timey" kitchen so it works for me.

Farberware and "Revere" (remember that?) is what mom always had. I still wish I had the random old pot (don't know if that was Revere or what it was) with the copper top she always made her Pasta Fajiole in. But, it was banged up and had seen better days, and in my small condo kitchen I had to make choices what to keep with limited space and that was just an odd pot. Lol...the "odd pot" with so many memories cooked into it, wish I had it.

Well, my nostalgic bone is on full display here! 😄

I even have the Farberware double boiler, I always used to make melted chocolate treats with. At one point I had to replace it and it was hard to find, I got it years ago...not sure they still make it anymore. Most people just put a Pyrex glass bowl over a pot, as they always do on the cooking shows.

[wagirl]

I got rid of all my old black non stick stuff--and bought Curtis Stones Durapan when it was a TS on HSN. It is very safe to use and have to say aafter 3-4 years s still looking and cooking great. Ceramic is good but there are variations that make some better than others. I did have a hard anodized pressure cooker from the Q that I liked alot--just because I could use all types of utencils. 

[RainyDayGal]

I love my Farberware.  I've had it for 19 years and it's still going strong. 

[Nightowlz]

Just bought some Made In SS cookware. We really like it. We also bought some of their non-stick.

Tried the All Clad but I cannot get a good grip on them with the open groove in the handles. The handles are suppose to be ergo correct but not for my hands they are not.

We did not care for the Ceramic. The frying pan I bought was really lightweight so don't know if all of it's like that or not. Everything we cooked in it the food kept sliding all over the place.

[PINKdogWOOD]

Yep  @amyb   I've lived your same life in pots and pans. I've done it all like you have. Moved out of parents' house, a few pieces of what mom had went with me. As I 'grew up' and then found qvc in my life since their inception, I've also had more than my share of every brand they've here, a few times over. Cook's essentials kept updating well I had to too.We both know all of their stuff and many others here too, coated. By thie time i said I was done, so was all the coatings inside. That stuff had to go somewhere....

Fast forward, white ceramic, brand green pans, and now 18/10.  Folks always name allclad. I've seen it, tremendously expensive. For some reason, perhaps it the weight alone, I could never get into cast iron - I'd take a La Creuset If you gave me one!!!

I am still going to urge you just check out the avacraft I talked about. I'm telling you, you'll be amazed with it and the price. And don't by any stretch think it's junk or cheap cookware for the price, It is not. Just take a peak. 

Happy cooking!

[Lucky Charm]

I won't buy anything non stick (Teflon or worse, cheap junky crumbly stuff) and nothing made in China.  All got tossed years ago.

[GingerPeach]

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@Judaline wrote:

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@aroc3435 wrote:

@Judaline I use stainless steel, enamel cast iron, and cast iron exclusively.  My dear Significant Other of eighteen years, who also loved to cook, loved the non-stick frying pans.

I won't use them.  Gave up on them forty years ago.  I also will not use all-aluminum pans.  I had cheap ones I used in college in the '70s when I was first learning to cook.  Aluminum encased in stainless steel is fine, since food is not exposed to it andd it does help to conduct heat more efficiently.  

There is a learning curve using the types I use, and I have no trouble with any of them and I don't have to worry about peeling, chemically treated, "mystery" surfaces.  And I don't have to replace skillets like the "non stick" ones every two to three years, even when "babied".   

Cooking on screaming high heat will guarantee sticking and can warp your pan if you shock it by trying to wash it while still too hot.  

You seldom get good results cooking in that fashion and are guaranteeing sticking to the pan of anything you are cooking.  

Going too fast and the use of too high heat, and crowding a pan, equals poor results, uneven cooking, and the dreaded sticking.  You seldom need to go above medium to medium high.

If you want to flip something like a steak or chicken breast and it resists it means it is not yet ready to be turned.  Patience and good cooking and cleaning techniques result in producing excellent food, along with using the best quality cooking equipment and ingredients you can afford to buy.

For stainless steel I have All-Clad, Cuisinart, Farberware, David Burke, and even one Ikea.  I also have a stainless steel Demeyere 4 cup egg poacher with a  glass lid (which is from their specialties 3 line and is made in Indonesia--not Belgium).

Thee only drawback for the David Burke brand is that the metal handles on the side(s) and covers get VERY hot on the stove top so I use insulated handle covers for these or very good, insulated pot holders or oven gloves/mitts. 

I have one LeCreuset enameled cast iron open 10 inch skillet with a helper handle, and a LeCreuset 3 &1/2 quart LeCreuset Dutch oven.  

I also learned from cooks and chefs who earn their living in restaurants and catering that they do NOT use an automatic dishwasher and instead wash their cooking vessels by hand whether at home or at work.

Hope some of these ideas will help you make the right decision for you.

Hope you find some great deals and remember to do price comparisons before purchasing--the variations for the same models from different purveyors is astounding.

And if you use one of the cashback programs, like Rakuten, you can save even more.

Happy shopping!

aroc3435

Washington, DC 

You are a world of information and I thank you!! You've pretty much got it covered~

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@Lucky Charm 

I was going to repost @aroc3435 's truly excellent information, but I see you've already noticed how good it is.

If there is a bit of sticking, then Bartender's Friend is a helpful product to use. (I used to not be as good to my pans as I should have, and used SOS pads, but finally learned that Bartender's Friend is incredibly effective and doesn't scratch. I think everybody knew that well before I took advantage of it!)