@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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