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Posted: 1/19/2015 2:29:02 PM EDT
I've been using my Grandma's old, warped, broken handled, mismatched, etc pots and pans for years now.
Same as the shitty knives. I cook a little, mainly in cast iron skillets, but I think I need to get me a good set of pots and pans and knives. What out there is a quality set? Also, as for a chilli pot, what would be better, enameled cast iron or a thick stainless? I love cast iron, but I could see an enamled pot getting chipped up in the sink in no time. |
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Quoted: I've been using my Grandma's old, warped, broken handled, mismatched, etc pots and pans for years now. Same as the shitty knives. I cook a little, mainly in cast iron skillets, but I think I need to get me a good set of pots and pans and knives. What out there is a quality set? Also, as for a chilli pot, what would be better, enameled cast iron or a thick stainless? I love cast iron, but I could see an enamled pot getting chipped up in the sink in no time. View Quote Enameled pots are very durable, they wont chip in the sink. |
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For the knives, I've been very impressed with Wusthof Silverpoint II for the price.
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Another ARFcommer recommended these Duxtop Stainless Steel Pans and I really like them, its a great deal.
Also from ARF recommendations, I bought this setTojiro 3pc Set Knives and they are fantastic. |
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How hard you want to cry?
For full on weeping buy Mauviel Coppers and Wusthofs classics (3 rivet, full tang, beefy bolsters, Chrome vanadium steel). If you go this route you WILL Weep..... But be set for 3 lifetimes.... ETA: Chemistry of knife steel. |
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just buy commercial grade stuff. it doesnt need to be expensive and have a european name to be rugged and long lasting
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Ive been using Revere Ware stainless pots and pans for over 20 years. They have held up well. Got an enamel dutch oven for Xmas that i have not used yet.
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i've had a set of grman-made Henckels for ove 20 years.
a couple are getting rough from Mama putting thwm in the dishwasher, but they still work just fine. Henckels now has cheaper chinese sets and more expensive German sets, i think. Wusthof is also good. |
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Quoted:
just buy commercial grade stuff. it doesnt need to be expensive and have a european name to be rugged and long lasting View Quote not quite as simple in this case. "commercial grade", that is, stuff that restaurants actually use, is very often counted as consumable. when you're buying 120 sautee pans to stock a professional kitchen, you're not buying le creuset. and have you ever seen the knives that restaurants buy? there's a reason that chefs are so anal about bringing their own. long story short, "rugged and long lasting" refers to the bar staff, not the cookware. |
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Pots and pans: All Clad
Soup, chili etc...: LeCruset Knives: Shun, Wustoff |
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You don't need to go crazy on knives.
This $35 chef knife and a couple of others of the same brand will serve you well. They are first rate knives and an excellent value. http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-8-Inch-47520-5-2063-20/dp/B000638D32/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421694460&sr=8-2&keywords=victorinox+knife |
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If you have a SurLa Table near you, they have some nice European-made cook ware that isn't the usual "made in China" variety.
Be prepared to really cry, though. |
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Cookware: Lodge and Griswold. A couple different sized skillets, a dutch oven or two, and an interchangeable lid will take care of most cooking needs.
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Cast iron. Learn how to use and care for it. View Quote this. My cast iron is more non stick then teflon and will last 7 lifetimes with proper care. For pots I picket up some cuisinart pots that were all clad level build and quality for 75% off at a Kitchen Kaboodle sale years ago. This year I got a set of knives at 75% off on the day before christmas. There is just no point to having a pan thats not cast iron. |
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I like Calphalon more than All-Clad. Quality stainless is the way to go. Ceramic is nice, but I like stainless cookware and ceramic bakeware. (And every man should have at least one good cast iron skillet and one dutch oven. Get the old style that are NOT pre-seasoned.)
Shun knives are very sharp, but their shallow-angle edge profile makes them ill-suited to heavy work, and more difficult to sharpen properly. Wusthof, Henckels are all GTG for a little heavier work. I have three Shun knives, but most of my other ones are Wusthof. (I confess that I have a Cutco serrated bread knife that I really like. It's the only Cutco I bought that's worth a darn, IMHO. The rest have been given away.) My favorite chef's knife is a cheap high-carbon blade. But I lucked into it. Most cheap knives are cheap for a reason. And don't forget quality kitchen shears. |
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FPNI - we got all-clad stainless D5 pots and pans as a wedding gift, and they have been a-mazing. even more so now that i have figured them out, i can even cook eggs in them without sticking.
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Quoted:
Pots and pans: All Clad Soup, chili etc...: LeCruset Knives: Shun, Wustoff View Quote This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" |
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Quoted: This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" View Quote |
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This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Pots and pans: All Clad Soup, chili etc...: LeCruset Knives: Shun, Wustoff This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" Re-read the title. Oh, and if we're talking watches; I'll have a Panerai thank you. |
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Pots and pans: All Clad Soup, chili etc...: LeCruset Knives: Shun, Wustoff This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" Re-read the title. I did re-read the title. I still see a disconnect between reality and what's being posted here. Of course he did say buy once cry once, hope he's ready for $434 skillet pans and $914 Dutch pots. |
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I did re-read the title. I still see a disconnect between reality and what's being posted here. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Pots and pans: All Clad Soup, chili etc...: LeCruset Knives: Shun, Wustoff This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" Re-read the title. I did re-read the title. I still see a disconnect between reality and what's being posted here. You do know what "buy once, cry once" means? |
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This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Pots and pans: All Clad Soup, chili etc...: LeCruset Knives: Shun, Wustoff This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" a decent intro set of Henkles knives with wood block aren't that expensive. a lot cheaper than replacing cheap sets every couple years when they go to shit or rust. as important as the knife you buy is the care. never in the dishwasher, and i've now started giving mine a couple swipes on the sharpener before use to keep them cutting nicely. le creuset was one of the things my wife just *had* to have. its nice but its not as good as real-deal cast iron and not really better than the all clad stainless. that said, you can usually pick them up cheap at estate sales or thrift shops/pawn shops if you look around. also all-clad has a couple of different levels of their pans, for different budgets. we have one of the tri-clad pans we picked up at tj max and i honestly don't notice that much difference between it and the D5 pans. |
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Quoted: You do know what "buy once, cry once" means? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Pots and pans: All Clad Soup, chili etc...: LeCruset Knives: Shun, Wustoff This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" Re-read the title. I did re-read the title. I still see a disconnect between reality and what's being posted here. You do know what "buy once, cry once" means? |
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I love my Shun knives.
Enameled cast iron is a beautiful thing. Just take care of it like you give a shit and you won't have any problems. For everyday pots & pans, there's a lot of personal preference involved. I'm using teflon coated aluminum and just replace them every 5 years or so. |
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I did re-read the title. I still see a disconnect between reality and what's being posted here. Of course he did say buy once cry once, hope he's ready for $434 skillet pans and $914 Dutch pots. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Re-read the title. I did re-read the title. I still see a disconnect between reality and what's being posted here. Of course he did say buy once cry once, hope he's ready for $434 skillet pans and $914 Dutch pots. that's pretty much the definition of BOCO: spending a shitload of money on top quality items that will last a lifetime. personally, i think something like all clad is completely unnecessary, but those are the kinds of recommendations the OP is asking for. |
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that's pretty much the definition of BOCO: spending a shitload of money on top quality items that will last a lifetime. personally, i think something like all clad is completely unnecessary, but those are the kinds of recommendations the OP is asking for. View Quote It's nice to live near the factory. Twice a year they have "factory seconds" sales. I paid full retail for my first piece, and bought everything else at min 60% off. |
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It's nice to live near the factory. Twice a year they have "factory seconds" sales. I paid full retail for my first piece, and bought everything else at min 60% off. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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that's pretty much the definition of BOCO: spending a shitload of money on top quality items that will last a lifetime. personally, i think something like all clad is completely unnecessary, but those are the kinds of recommendations the OP is asking for. It's nice to live near the factory. Twice a year they have "factory seconds" sales. I paid full retail for my first piece, and bought everything else at min 60% off. that would change my outlook! |
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Skip the 'Suzy Homemaker' bullshit and buy yourself commercial restaurant gear. It's cheaper, better equipment...and bullet-proof.
If you have a local restaurant supply house, go check them out. If not, check these folks out: http://www.basequipment.com/ You can thank me later.. |
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Quoted: not quite as simple in this case. "commercial grade", that is, stuff that restaurants actually use, is very often counted as consumable. when you're buying 120 sautee pans to stock a professional kitchen, you're not buying le creuset. and have you ever seen the knives that restaurants buy? there's a reason that chefs are so anal about bringing their own. long story short, "rugged and long lasting" refers to the bar staff, not the cookware. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: just buy commercial grade stuff. it doesnt need to be expensive and have a european name to be rugged and long lasting not quite as simple in this case. "commercial grade", that is, stuff that restaurants actually use, is very often counted as consumable. when you're buying 120 sautee pans to stock a professional kitchen, you're not buying le creuset. and have you ever seen the knives that restaurants buy? there's a reason that chefs are so anal about bringing their own. long story short, "rugged and long lasting" refers to the bar staff, not the cookware. Wrong. Any NSF pans from a kitchen supply store will last for years of daily abuse. The same with the knives. OP, visit a restaurant supply store. |
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Had mine for 5 years. Don't even use non-stick anymore. Stainless is non-stick if you know what you're doing. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Pots & pans = All Clad Had mine for 5 years. Don't even use non-stick anymore. Stainless is non-stick if you know what you're doing. The all-clad stainless over aluminum bottom are pretty good. I have a knock-off version that performs almost as well at heat distribution, and I am pretty impressed with them. Cleaning is easy, just deglaze and occasionally use barkeep's friend cleaner if needed. For knives, the victorinox/forschner NSF with black handle ones are pretty good, get a diamond steel to keep them touched up, and you are set. I also have 1 high-end henkle santoku, and prefer the 8/10inch victorinox chef knife for meat and large vegetables. Regardless, get a diamond steel, it will last forever and keep your knives in great condition. |
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I did re-read the title. I still see a disconnect between reality and what's being posted here. Of course he did say buy once cry once, hope he's ready for $434 skillet pans and $914 Dutch pots. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Pots and pans: All Clad Soup, chili etc...: LeCruset Knives: Shun, Wustoff This is one of those typical GD threads where someone is asking a question like "Hey, I need a watch to replace my old casio, what do you recomend", and the typical responses come to be "Get this Rolex GMT-MASTER II!" and "You want at least a Breitling NAVITIMER 01" Re-read the title. I did re-read the title. I still see a disconnect between reality and what's being posted here. Of course he did say buy once cry once, hope he's ready for $434 skillet pans and $914 Dutch pots. Guess I should of added "affoardable to the average working man" to the post. |
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I see everyone is recommending chef style knives, but what about steak/eating knives?
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Quoted: I see everyone is recommending chef style knives, but what about steak/eating knives? View Quote Maybe Chicago Cutlery or whatever is closest to WalMart's top end knife. |
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Quoted: I see everyone is recommending chef style knives, but what about steak/eating knives? View Quote Cutlery is one of those areas where the costs have come down and the quality increased dramatically in the past 20 years or so. Even a cheap stamped metal blade or ceramic is going to be more than adequate for home use. High performance has become common place. That said, I like the look and feel of forged blades with thicker handles. The Henckels original Four Star is modern enough without looking old fashioned. I'll probably still be happy with them five years from now. I like their steak knives too. Non-serrated and kept sharp, no one would be disappointed. |
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All-Clad for pots and pans, and for a pot? Le Creuset enameled.
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Do you have a TJ Maxx? I got a lot of my stuff when I wasn't making jack squat by going to TJ Maxx and buying blems.
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All-Clad for pots and pans, and for a pot? Le Creuset enameled. View Quote This. If you want non-stick, then a company called "Scan Pan" makes absolutely amazing non-stick cookware. It does fall into the category of "buy once, cry once" - but IMO is totally worth it. I've got three of their pans, and use at least one of them every day. I looked around for good non-stick stuff, and bought Calphalon based on all sorts of recommendations and ratings. After about six months the surface was already starting to go, and after a year I threw them away because I didn't want to EAT non-stick coating in my food. I've had Scan Pan pans for several years now, and the surface is still perfect. It's some kind of ceramic-titanium coating on aluminum, and it works really well. Supposedly, you CAN actually use metal implements on them, and put them in the dishwasher (although I try to avoid that). |
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Man people love spending redicilous amounts of money here. Go with Calphalon with pots and pans. They just made a dishwasher safe version of their contemporary line which is awesome. Buy a cast iron because everyone needs one and get a few Wusthof or Henckels knives.
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