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+87 Not a Christmas gift if you like pie. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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DO not get pans for Christmas presents. You will be in the dog house for quite a while. Speaking from experience. go with cast iron. +87 Not a Christmas gift if you like pie. If she had a "meltdown" over cookware it sounds like she actually likes cooking and probably wouldn't mind it. Yeah if she cooks because she has to it's a shitty gift but if she's the type that watches food network she'll probably appreciate it. Cooking and baking is the only hobby/recreational activity my wife has - she loves the kItchenware that I get her. This year it will probably be a high end knife set. |
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Get a set of Farberware. We're still using the set we got for our wedding in 1976.
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We just bought a new set at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
It's a Calphalon Contemporary 11-piece set. Normal price is 399.99. It was on sale for 339.99. We used one of their 20% off coupons on top of the sale price. The flyer mailed out also had two bonuses if you bought the set. 1) a $50 gift card 2) a free Calphalon Unison 12" skillet (normal price $184.99) I'm thinking about picking up another set for my daughter. |
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You're going to buy your wife cooking pots for Xmas, what's next a vacuum for her birthday?
Don't be cheap buy the pots if you need new ones in the house and still get her a Xmas gift |
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I use the glass Corning pots they work great and are easy to clean . . If you get her those for Christmas you might want to look at couches. I also have a couple of Stainless pots with heavy stainless bottoms that work well . I like an idiot let an ex GF take my cast iron skillet
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Quoted: I asked her what she wants and you can imagine how constructive that conversation was if I've resorted to GD. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Tell us about her cooking habits. Then let her pick the set she wants. I asked her what she wants and you can imagine how constructive that conversation was if I've resorted to GD. as a fellow married guy that post killed me. |
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Cuisinart SS Clad bottom
We have an older set that was given to us as a gift by my wife's sister. It works well but the lids are funky and have a steel band that surrounds the glass and when dented will not seal well. If you are hard on pots and pans do not buy enamal plated cast iron. If you are clumsy do not buy enamal plated cookware. I purchased a LeCruset stock pot and it is ruined by my wife dropping it on the floor. The enamal has cracked off the handles and large chips out of the bottom. It fires me up evrytime I see it. |
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I'd stay away from enameled cast iron pots like Le Creuset. The enamel can get scratched over time (especially when your mom uses metal spoons in them) and the coating can fail when using malt powder to make bagels.
Stick to stainless for all stock pots. For non-stick, just get what they sell at Sam's Club or Costco or a restaurant supply store. They will wear out after a few years, so no sense spending a fortune. A cast iron skillet or steel skillet that requires seasoning should be tried by everyone at some point...it will allow you to feel smug (if mastered) or to appreciate the convenience of stainless steel. |
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So my wife had a mini-meltdown today over the condition of our pots and pans. So, naturally, I'm going to get her new ones for my own personal safety. I'll make it a Christmas gift - kill 2 birds with 1 stone. I don't know anything about them so I am looking for recommendations on brands, styles, etc... View Quote DO NOT GIVE POTS AND PANS AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT. THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. |
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What happened to the rules. Still waiting on OP's wife pic cooking with old pots and pans. . |
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i do the cooking in our house. i worked in a few restaurants during my extended tour through college. i will say this, stay away from that non-stick coating shit. the nonstick mess ALWAYS flakes off eventually. Go with stainless steel. my parents got me a really nice set of calphalon or however you spell it for Christmas last year. you can scrub them to brand shiny new with a scotch pad after each use. no nonstick flaking to come off and get in your food. it cant be good to eat that shit. they are pricey though, i think my set was around $500. got to bed, bath and beyond, they always have 20% off coupons they are giving out.
i think every house needs 1-2 cast iron pans too. those are much cheaper though. just don't fuck them up by washing them. |
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All-Clad copper core have treated me well. Some people don't like cooking on stainless since stuff sticks but it does not bother me and you can scrub the pan and not have to worry about scratching it up.
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I have a bunch of different kinds of cookware -- cheap teflon, lots of cast iron, and now I'm starting to slowly buy All-Clad stainless/D5/copper core depending on what I can find.
Here's the deal:
Some general info:
As for me: I'm slowly getting rid of my older non-stick stuff and switching almost entirely to cast iron and stainless/copper just depending on what I can find for cheap at Marshall's or Home Goods. I'll probably buy a nice non-stick skillet for eggs, though. |
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The type of cookware is usually driven by the style of cooking and the quantity of food prepared. Getting the right sizes is just as important as getting the right types. If you think of them as "tools" for the kitchen and consider that perspective, it may be an easier process. And there is nothing wrong with mixing and matching. There are legitimate uses for cast iron, copper, stainless steel, aluminum, non stick and not every manufacturer works with every material. There are definitely quality and design differences, but you don't have to spend a ton for high performance cookware. In the past twenty years manufacturing has improved dramatically and lowered the costs as well.
I'd look at the pans she has now and try to figure out which she uses most often and where there might be room for improvement. Then look at a website like Williams and Sonoma to get a feel for the options and prices. You don't have to buy there, but it's probably the most convenient place to browse for variety. Cutlery and More also has a good cookware section with descriptions that might be useful to you. |
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Cast iron is a labor of love, and not one many wives are going to want to deal with. Stainless steel is really not good for frying. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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If you don't want to "mess" with Cast Iron ( shame on you ) then just go with stainless steel and forget everything else. Cast iron is a labor of love, and not one many wives are going to want to deal with. Stainless steel is really not good for frying. This. I do most of the cooking and I have a lot of cast iron but I mainly reserve it for frying and making cornbread. Most days I use a Baker's and Chef's nonstick skillet (from Sam's & made in USA) and a set of stainless pots simply for ease of clean-up. |
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cook ware as a gift?
Oh yeah... get her a vacuum and a pair of rubber gloves while your at it. Holy crap... |
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DO NOT GIVE POTS AND PANS AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT. THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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So my wife had a mini-meltdown today over the condition of our pots and pans. So, naturally, I'm going to get her new ones for my own personal safety. I'll make it a Christmas gift - kill 2 birds with 1 stone. I don't know anything about them so I am looking for recommendations on brands, styles, etc... DO NOT GIVE POTS AND PANS AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT. THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. I think this really depends on the recipient. My wife was more excited about getting her All-Clad cookware years ago than she was about the new car she got a few weeks ago. Go figure |
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DO NOT GIVE POTS AND PANS AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT. THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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So my wife had a mini-meltdown today over the condition of our pots and pans. So, naturally, I'm going to get her new ones for my own personal safety. I'll make it a Christmas gift - kill 2 birds with 1 stone. I don't know anything about them so I am looking for recommendations on brands, styles, etc... DO NOT GIVE POTS AND PANS AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT. THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA. Depends on the person. I would love a nice set of All-Clad, Mauviel, or Le Creuset as a Christmas Gift. Heck, my mom just bought me an All-Clad 10" Copper Core fry pan as an early birthday present and I was pretty damn happy with that. But I'm a guy and I prefer "useful" gifts. |
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AllClad. If you want, wait until the Macy's One day sale in late November... You'll save 20%.
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All I know, is when I was 10 years old mom had been complaining about her cookware. Dad went out and got her a really nice expensive set, genuinely thinking he was doing something nice. She went completely psycho and ruined Christmas. Chucked a skillet through a window. So I will never get a woman anything like that for Christmas myself.
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TL;DR the whole thread
What kind of range do you guys have? If electric, you want a tri-ply. It's really tough to find a full tri-ply set (where the walls are tri-ply as well, not just the base). Basically, your options are All-Clad and Calphalon One for US made stuff. Think $700 for a set. On Amazon, there is a brand called Duxtop. They're made in China, but very high quality. A set comparable to the $700 made in the USA set will run you like $200. I went with the Duxtops. |
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Quoted: Are you a Costco member? If so buy the stainless set there. We are going on 11 years with ours and they are the best cookware we have ever had. If you are not a Costco memmember, I suggest contacting a divorce attorney. View Quote I'll definitely second this. I do a lot of cooking and bought a Cuisinart Chef's Classic stainless set at Costco a few years ago. It's the set with the "high impact bonded base." I love cooking on stainless, and it's so easy to clean up with a small brillo pad. It also heats up a hell of a lot faster than my nonstick stuff. |
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Are you a Costco member? If so buy the stainless set there. We are going on 11 years with ours and they are the best cookware we have ever had. If you are not a Costco memmember, I suggest contacting a divorce attorney. View Quote +1 It's a great set. I'm pretty sure it's either all-clad or circulon |
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All clad is basically a lifetime investment. It's really that good. Tri ply is fine, you don't need D5.
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Go get yourself some a clad at a discount. Buy once cry once. Wife thought I was nuts buying it and years later the stuff looks new. http://www.cookwarenmore.com
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I've been slowly replacing all of my non-cast iron cookware with All-Clad.
It's expensive, but...I'll only need to do it once. I really love the stuff. It's the little details. |
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I've been slowly replacing all of my non-cast iron cookware with All-Clad. It's expensive, but...I'll only need to do it once. I really love the stuff. It's the little details. View Quote My local Marshall's has a 13" D5 french skillet (with lid) for $100. I'm considering snagging it. Nice, large cooking surface. |
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We have Le Creuset stainless cookware. It seems to be pretty nice. We also have one of their non-stick sautee pans for things like eggs and potatoes that tend to stick easily.
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I like my all-clad stuff, but it's expensive. And unless cooking is a big deal in your home it may be hard to justify the expense. Costco makes some nice, fairly cheap pans.
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bought a stainless pan set from sears when we first got our house
cost about $300 and really been impressed with them sorry I dont have a brand right now but will look later tonight just be sure they are oven safe I highly recommend the non stick bakers and chefs pans from sams clubs they are cheap pans and I bought them for a one time use thing but ended up really liking them |
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My local Marshall's has a 13" D5 french skillet (with lid) for $100. I'm considering snagging it. Nice, large cooking surface. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I've been slowly replacing all of my non-cast iron cookware with All-Clad. It's expensive, but...I'll only need to do it once. I really love the stuff. It's the little details. My local Marshall's has a 13" D5 french skillet (with lid) for $100. I'm considering snagging it. Nice, large cooking surface. Thats sounds like a good deal. The set I bought was something like $1500. They are vey nice. |
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Thats sounds like a good deal. The set I bought was something like $1500. They are vey nice. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I've been slowly replacing all of my non-cast iron cookware with All-Clad. It's expensive, but...I'll only need to do it once. I really love the stuff. It's the little details. My local Marshall's has a 13" D5 french skillet (with lid) for $100. I'm considering snagging it. Nice, large cooking surface. Thats sounds like a good deal. The set I bought was something like $1500. They are vey nice. Amazon has it for $260, so I'd say $100 is a good deal. Money is a bit tight these days though. Can't really justify that kind of purchase right now. |
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Well... It's pretty, I'll give them that...
This is kind of neat, shows which of their lines is crap and which aren't http://www.calphalon.com/Product-Support/Pages/Comparison-Guides-Home.aspx |
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Well... It's pretty, I'll give them that... This is kind of neat, shows which of their lines is crap and which aren't http://www.calphalon.com/Product-Support/Pages/Comparison-Guides-Home.aspx View Quote Yeah, they look nice but I think the cost outweighs the benefits. $470 for a 3-quart saute pan + lid. |
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We have all-clad. Had them since july so I cant speak on the durability of them, but we like them so far.
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My Mauviel coppers took me years to accumulate and cost me a fortune. If my wife even attempts to ise one Ill scream at her as she trashed the tin lining on one of the first ones I bought. Besides they're far too heavy for her to even pick up. Shes also scared to death of my knives as she nicked herself once and felt like she almost bled to death. Serious cooking in my house is done by me, mis en place and all with Whustofs primarily and Mauviels
She cooks with the all clad heavyweights which are actually nice pans. She lucky I let her make sauerbraten in the LeCreuset |
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Couple of eggs and bacon breakfasts, and the things are pretty much non-stick, and done seasoning, and just get better from there, without any of the fuss of Cast Iron some people shy away from. Soap, water, and an occasional scuzz pad wont hurt them. View Quote I do the same with my cast iron, there's no need for all the gyrations people go through with cast iron pans. They're made of cast iron! |
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$100 bucks or so will buy a nice set that will easily last you 5-7 years or more ( depending on usage )
I picked up a new set from Kohls last Christmas using a coupon and a huge instore markdown / clearance. original price was $300+ I got the entire set for around $75 I think after tax You can spend $200-400 if you are a schnobb .... but IMHO you are just throwing away money |
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Fixed that one thing but this is correct. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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One 12" lodge cast iron frying pan One big copper pot with lid One big enamel covered cast iron dutch over One big aluminium stainless pot for cooking noodles and such. That should cover all her needs. Fixed that one thing but this is correct. Good catch. I had drank most of a bottle of gin when I wrote the list |
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The term "Pots & Pans" has been forever ruined by Sean Astin, the bastard. http://i.imgur.com/0wSh4jD.jpg View Quote Chappy and The Gunny in the same movie, what's not to love? |
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My wife is very happy with her All-Clad cookware LINK I don't know much about them - aside from what they cost. View Quote All-Clad is the best as far as I'm concerned. Commercial grade stuff. Some of their new stuff doesn't seem as heavy duty as the old stuff, but I have one pot and a wok that have been going strong for about 25yrs. My mom gave them to me when I got my first place. |
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This set is a bargain: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-8-Piece-Cookware-Set/5716478 Is it up to the quality of All-Clad? Not in a million years. Is it a great set that you can take home today for less than a single All-Clad skillet? Absolutely.
I've had the Target version (by Chefmate) for ten years. They're my go-to cookware--I use them very heavily and they're still in great shape. Over the years I've added a covered 12-inch saute (the Tramontina one from Walmart), a 12-inch non-stick pan, my various cast iron pieces, and a cheap 8-qt stockpot/steamer. I can knock out an entire Thanksgiving day (breakfast, too) for my family of six with my setup. I hate disc-bottom pans. The joint never seems to get clean, and the balance and feel is just all wrong when cooking. Also, the bargain set means you can just go get them without needing to make it a Christmas gift (dude, really?). |
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