What kind of cookware do you use?

[Freeman]

I have been thinking a lot about cookware lately! Trying to phase out non-stick (which scratches, flakes, and leaches who knows what dangerous chemicals into food). However, I am trying to determine the safest cookware to replace it with???

I've read that stainless steel cookware can also become pitted and leach into food.... Cast iron seems to be safe, but very heavy, and I haven't really seen a whole set for sale anywhere - just the skillets - I need saucepans, etc.. My mom actually gave me a Corning Visions glass pan that does seem safe as far as chemicals leaching into food goes...but I've read reports on the internet of it shattering or exploding on occasion. Plus, Corning doesn't make it anymore, so I'd pretty much limited to buying it used on ebay. What do you use for everyday cooking and why?

[hteb83]

I use stainless steel for most things now ( unfortunately haven't managed to escape the non-stick completely, but I'm getting annoyed with finding little black bits in food - maybe an aim for 2010?)

Cast iron is just too heavy for me.

The glass pan sounds interesting - but I've shattered various glass things in the kitchen with sudden changes in temperature before so I don't know if I would be brave enough!

[vm9799]

we use stainless steel skillets and le creuset. i only have 3 skillets, a stainless steel stock pot, and 2 different sized le creuset dutch ovens for everything i make.

[lotus.blossom]

I have 2 cast iron skillets
stainless steel skillet and saucepans
and a le creuset stockpot

Yes the cast iron is heavy but its worth it. I keep mine in my oven and they really only go in and on top of the oven. and occasionally to the sink for cleaning. Its not that much work really.

[Vancouver Mommy]

I have stainless sauce pans and frying pans, a cast iron skillet and grill and le creuset dutch oven and casseroles. Our pizza pans are stainless steel but my muffin pans are old non-stick ones. Perhaps I'll look into cast iron muffin pans, but honestly that sounds really cumbersome. My loaf pans and pie plates are pyrex. I use a large, teflon wok to make playdough.

[staceychev]

I received a Calphalon set about 10 years ago when DH and I first set up housekeeping. It's starting to get pretty worn, so piece by piece, I'm replacing it with stainless steel, which I like better. But I'm pretty picky about the stainless, so I'm replacing slowly! I also got two Le Creuset dutch ovens for Christmas (believe it or not, after years of asking for it, mom and stepmom got it the same year... and managed to get the same color and two different sizes, so I'm really set).

If you like Le Creuset (and can afford it), they do have saucepans and things. My mom has them. But, she hates them, because they're really heavy for every day use.

[gmvh]

Add us to the All-Clad/Le Creuset/cast iron combo group. There's a fantastic All-Clad seconds website (usually buy three or four pieces and get an additional 20% off all) and you can find Le Creuset outlet stores that also have great prices. With some work, the stuff can be much more affordable.

[sassafrass94]

Good idea getting rid of the old nonstick! I am so grateful to have been gifted some great cookware over the years. We use an all-cled set we received as wedding presents 15 years ago. It heats so evenly and cleans up very nicely. We have a caphalon anodized that I use for eggs (they stick in my all-clad). But, my absolute favorite (really, I'm in love with it) piece is my Le Creuset dutch oven. It was my Mom's and I'm sure one of my daughters will inherit it. (Hopefully with many fond memories of all of the one-pot meals her mom made in it) They're expensive... but they are lifetime purchases. I think you may have the best luck doing what I and several pp's have done... Mix and match. (but make sure you get that Le Creuset dutch oven)

[HollyBearsMom]

I would stay aways from sets. Focus on good quality pieces that are of a size and shape that makes sense for how and what you cook.

I cook a LOT, bake occasionally. My "go to" pieces are:

• cast iron skillets in 3 sizes: small, med and xtra large
• an xtra large stainless steel stock pot with tight cover, 4 others in a variety of sizes
• le crueset pots in 6 (gulp!) sizes in 2 shapes
• le crueset cast iron grill pan
• cast iron griddle
• variety of glass bowls along with a 12 set stacking one starting with an xs one for condiments and xlarge for proofing lots of dough

[mirlee]

I have All-Clad and cast iron in my kitchen with a couple of Calphalon tossed in. I don't use anything non-stick.

[Drummer's Wife]

Stainless steel - but I would love to adding some cast iron pieces.

[pinksprklybarefoot]

Okay, I'll be the "different" one here. I cannot afford Le Creuset or All-Clad - maybe if it was 90% off, but that is about it. We registered for some of that when we got married (kind of as a joke), and those pans are $300 a piece!

Anyway. We have a large stainless steel (Emeril) saute pan, a nonstick pan that is similar in size to the Emeril pan, a cast iron pan that I hate because it is too heavy, two (gasp!) aluminum sauce pans (2 and 4 quart) and one 1 quart stainless steel saucepan (Martha Stewart).

We also have some bakeware, much of it in varying degrees of disrepair, the best of which are two half sheet pans from a restaurant supply store.

Maybe someday I'll have a thousand-dollar pan set. But right now, we are rolling with what we have.

[artgoddess]

Originally Posted by gmvh

Add us to the All-Clad/Le Creuset/cast iron combo group. There's a fantastic All-Clad seconds website (usually buy three or four pieces and get an additional 20% off all) and you can find Le Creuset outlet stores that also have great prices. With some work, the stuff can be much more affordable.

I'll have to look for that seconds site. I have a set of knock off All-clad pots and pans. Still very pricey at $350 for the set vs. $900 for the All-Clad. But I love them. They cook so well, and I feel they are safe. I have a clay dutch oven, and a bunch of vintage Pyrex that I use for left overs or the microwave. My bake ware is all stainless or pampered chef stoneware. And I have one Le Cruest casserole ($12 at an outlet) that I use a LOT.

[mamadelbosque]

I have a huge collection of cast iron pans (6, 8, 10, 12" skillets, 10" griddle, 24x12" griddle, pizza pan, 2 11-hole muffin pans, 2 6-hole muffin pans, wok, 10 &12" dutch ovens), and use them all the time. Otherwise, we use stainless steel stuff (no clue on the brand - its my dads' stuff).

[annekevdbroek]

All-Clad. I have some pieces that are nearly 20 years old and have had no problems at all with it. No problems with pitting, etc. Stainless steel is basically regarded as nonreactive. I figure I'll be handing it down to my grandkids someday.

It is expensive - but often there are promotional pieces and few times per year at very sigificant savings.

There are other brands of cookware that are heavy and have stainless interiors. I believe that Walmart has a line that was highly rated by either Consumer Reports or Cook's Illustrated. I cant' recall the name, but it might be worth checking out if you have budget concerns. From what I recall the set was maybe $100 or so.

[chiara]

Originally Posted by vm9799

we use stainless steel skillets and le creuset. i only have 3 skillets, a stainless steel stock pot, and 2 different sized le creuset dutch ovens for everything i make.

ditto here.

[Pepper44]

We have a big cast iron skillet that I use for almost everything. It's so non-stick now that you can cook cheese and eggs in it with just a little pad of butter to grease it and almost nothing sticks! I *love* cast iron.

We also have a smaller cast iron skillet, a smaller cast iron dutch oven thing, a set of stainless steel pots including a big stock pot, and a big stainless steel skillet. We have some teflon skillets and stuff too, I am trying to phase them out but my DH is resistant even though they are peeling and icky looking.

Cast iron is heavy, but that doesn't cause any problems for us. I think it's way easier than other pans because all you have to do is rinse/scrape it out using hot water, then rub a little bacon grease or whatever you chose onto it and heat it to dry. It doesn't pile up in the sink with the other dishes and I don't have to waste time shoving it in the dishwasher then unloading it...and it cooks so evenly and perfectly!

[Freeman]

Maybe I'm too much of a novice, but I had never even heard of "le creuset" and had to google it! What makes it so great? Looks like I would use it to make the same things I use my plain old white Corning Ware set for now. Sounds like I am the only one interested in the glass pans! I like that you can see what you are cooking and that the glass can go in fridge/oven/stovetop, but really the glass is probably better for liquids than for what you would make in a regular skillet. I have heard good things about all-clad stainless.

ETA: Does anyone have the "Simply Calphalon" stainless steel pots/pans? Seems like they are pretty reasonable, but I'm wondering how well they hold up.

[artgoddess]

For me the reason the Le Crueset and my all-clad (knock offs) are so great is the construction makes them heat evenly. The Le Cruest is made of cast iron, not just the bottom but up the sides too, then coated in enamel. The heat is conducted by th e iron and things like lasagna come out perfect because the sides get just as hot as the bottom of the pan. Same with the all-clad and why I went that route, which is hard to find with anyone else. The tri-ply aluminum core goes all the way up the sides of the pots, so the sides of the pots get just as hot as the bottom over the flame. Plus they are all oven safe (lids too) up to 500 degrees. I don't do that as often as i should but, I love that I can brown something in the pan and then just stick it in the oven in the browning juices without transferring. Tastes great, and less clean up.

[Denvergirlie]

I have a ton of stuff... need to work on that downsizing thing again, but I have gotten rid of at least 1/2 my stuff in the past year.

Anyways here is what we have:

Paul Revere Stainless steel set - 2 sauce pans, one skillet, one larger soup pot
** Been in constant use for at least 10 years, no issues what so ever.

LeCreuset oval "dutch oven" with lid - found at thrift store, honestly until last year, I never used it, don't know why, but with my downsizing, this was a keeper, so have used it a lot more in the past year than the 3 years previous combined.

3 cast iron pans - Still need to let one more of them go, but haven't been able to make the choice of which one needs to leave. Griswold vintage, great stuff, also from the thrift store.

2 Pyrex glass casserole dishes in 2 different sizes so they do nestle and take up less space. These are my go to baking dishes.

Also have some stonewear pieces for baking, 3 loaf pans and a pizza/ bread round. And 4 small mini loave pans made of metal that I use for gift giving baking.

I have icky muffin pans, still looking for a cast iron piece at the thrift store, but haven't yet found it yet.