Need to buy knives and pots/pans set

[Reebekah]

We REALLY need a GOOD set of knives and pots/pans. Any recommendations? My in-laws are actually buying them for us as a gift.....so I dont want to spend a ton...but yet I want them to be GOOD and last a LONG time. We are so tired of buying junk....you know, the kind of pans that get all scratched off when you wash them....and the kind of knives that break in half when you cut something hard....etc. I'm thinking we should look at Sears and Boscovs...maybe JCPenney and Macy's? I'm not sure if I should look at the stores now, since it's after the holidays, or wait and watch the sale ads in the paper? I'm not even sure what I should be looking for....I know Teflon doesn't scratch...and I know there are a bunch of sets out there with celebrity brand names (Paul D, Rachel R, etc). I dont even know what is a good price, and how many pieces I should expect for that price. As for knives, I'm not as concerned about the smaller steak knives...but we need big chopping knives at least. Pans....I know I need at least 1 good frying pan, a large boiling pot, small and medium sauce pans...lids would be nice.....not sure what else. I'm not sure what lasts longer...the kind that look like stainless steel, or the kind that have the black/grey no-stick coating. Hopefully this will be the only time I have to purchase these items for a veryyyy long time! Thanks!

[cschick]

Originally Posted by Reebekah

We REALLY need a GOOD set of knives and pots/pans. Any recommendations? My in-laws are actually buying them for us as a gift.....so I dont want to spend a ton...but yet I want them to be GOOD and last a LONG time. We are so tired of buying junk....you know, the kind of pans that get all scratched off when you wash them....and the kind of knives that break in half when you cut something hard....etc. I'm thinking we should look at Sears and Boscovs...maybe JCPenney and Macy's? I'm not sure if I should look at the stores now, since it's after the holidays, or wait and watch the sale ads in the paper? I'm not even sure what I should be looking for....I know Teflon doesn't scratch...and I know there are a bunch of sets out there with celebrity brand names (Paul D, Rachel R, etc). I dont even know what is a good price, and how many pieces I should expect for that price. As for knives, I'm not as concerned about the smaller steak knives...but we need big chopping knives at least. Pans....I know I need at least 1 good frying pan, a large boiling pot, small and medium sauce pans...lids would be nice.....not sure what else. I'm not sure what lasts longer...the kind that look like stainless steel, or the kind that have the black/grey no-stick coating. Hopefully this will be the only time I have to purchase these items for a veryyyy long time! Thanks!

The best deals on high-quality pots and pans I've seen in recent years have all been at Amazon. Research what pots and pans you want (Calphalon, All-Clad being two companies that make the "higher" end home pots/pans) and keep an eye out for deals there.

What you might want to do is go to a nice cooking/kitchen store in your area and take a look at the higher end pots and pans sets. Around here, Williams-Sonoma has very nice displays of the good sets.

[34me]

Bed, Bath and Beyond with one of their ever present coupons!

[zebra15]

I recently got a Paula Dean mega set from Target for about $100.00 and I LOVE IT.... 3 pots 2-3 pans lots of lids... and tons of extras....the best part is the stuff can go in the dishwasher

[cristeen]

I would never recommend buying a set of either pans or knives. Invariably you will find a few months down the road that you have pieces you never use, and are missing pieces you really need. For example, between us, we had 3 sets of pots and pans when we got married. Over the years I've gotten rid of the pieces I don't use, but I still have pieces of each of those sets because they came in all different sizes, AND I've added other pieces to the selection. Same with knives - he had a full block set, and I had a smaller set. I've added open stock pieces in sizes more suited to my hand and cooking practices, and half the pieces we had before sit unused.

I would really recommend looking at a week's worth of menus and figure out what size pans you would most like to use for that... for instance, would you ever use a pan that holds 2 cups? How about a pot that holds 2 gallons? Do you need a stockpot? A steamer pan? Double boiler? I never recommend non-stick just because of the health implications (and Teflon most definitely DOES scratch). Personally most of my cookware is either cast iron, stainless or glass, and the ones I use the most often I picked up second hand for cheap, it's not the expensive stuff that I was given new. Also - consider all aspects of what you would use them for... will you ever want to put your skillet in the oven? Then a plastic handle is a bad idea. While a 10-inch skillet may be great for cooking for a larger family - one with a folded single handle (v-shaped) is much too heavy to lift when full - look for one with a different shape handle, and with an accessory handle on the other side, etc.

And for knives - you really need to find a store that will let you handle them. Sur La Table is really good about that. You don't have to buy from them, but do go in and figure out what size/shape knife works for you - I was given a very nice (and expensive) 10 inch chef's knife for my birthday one year. I never use it, because it is much too big and heavy for my hand. Instead I reach for my 4 inch or 6 inch santoku knives instead, which I bought for cheap off ebay. They don't cause hand fatigue like the bigger heavier knife does.

If your ILs are only willing to buy sets, I'd probably ask them for a set of Visionware (glass) pans, and find a set of copper bottomed stainless pans to fill in around the glass. Then I'd start haunting thrift stores looking for older cast iron. For knives, Henckles and Wusthof are two "good" brands that are widely available - although I'm not fond of German knives myself, I prefer Asian brands like Global or MAC, they're much more expensive.

[SavannahK]

I got the Kitchen Aid stainless set about 2-3 years ago when we purged our nonstick. The set was top rated by Consumer Reports and REALLY cheap - $110 at Amazon. It's held up extremely well with daily heavy use; and when I've burned stuff, boil with baking soda and it's cleaned up well. The two smaller pots I use sometimes three times a day. It's supplemented with two large cast iron skillets inherited from my mom and a small Creuset pot picked up at a garage sale. For knives, I've gotten some Cutco from my father in law who's a chef, and they also have lasted years.

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by 34me

Bed, Bath and Beyond with one of their ever present coupons!

YES!!!!!!!!!

We ended up really researching what we wanted and once we decided we kept a look out for sales. Ended up at BBB because we had a 20% off your entire purchase coupon plus they were giving you a $50 gift card for every $300 you spent on the brand we wanted. We got $150 in gift cards for use at a later date!

A set might work for you and it might not. Take a look around and see what you really use. We ended up purchasing a set + a few extra pans.

My one suggestion is to go and feel the stuff. We had decided on All-Clad until we picked them up and HATED the way the handles felt. We have Calphalon SS and it is awesome. We really like Wustoff for knives - and they'll repair them for free for the most part.

[vm9799]

Originally Posted by 34me

Bed, Bath and Beyond with one of their ever present coupons!

i'm going to 3rd this suggestion. my go to store for almost all my kitchen needs is actually williams-sonoma, however, i was in the market for a few stainless steel skillets to replace our old non-stick calphalon set and just could not justify spending so much on the all-clad at the time. i found cuisinart skillets at bed, bath and beyond to be VERY durable and reasonably priced.

i'm also going to discourage buying an entire set unless you will honestly use every piece that come with it. they are usually as waste of money. i would just buy the pieces you need/can use.

i personally have 3 cuisinart stainless steel skillets (two 10" and one 12"), 1 stainless steel chili pot, 1 small stockpot with strainer, 1 large stainless steel stock pot (which only gets used in the summer so is stored out of my kitchen), 2 le creuset dutch ovens (different sizes) and 2 small saucepans which will be replaced with a small le creuset one of these days.

as far as knives......i say just get a few really good chopping knives. you don't need a set, just a honing steel to keep them sharp.

[BetsyS]

Like a PP, I've had sets in the past (got one when I moved out, of Farberware, and we got a set of Calphalon nonstick when we got married), but over the years, I've sort of added stuff that works for me. I cook for 4 people on a regular basis, occasionally more. I like to cook, and I consider it my main hobby.

Right now, I use:
a huge cheap stockpot (used rarely, but useful for canning)
a 8 quart stainless stockpot with colander insert
a 7 quart "bouillibase" enameled cast iron pot (this is my go-to, used every single day pot)
5 quart enameled cast iron dutch oven
1 and 2 quart nonstick sauce pans (for rice, oatmeal, white sauce, etc)
12 inch enameled cast iron frying pan with straight sides (good for frying, but also for one dish meals)
nonstick small and large egg skillets (6 and 9 inch)
4 and 9 inch cast iron skillet (for cornbread, of course)

I also have a cheapie steamer insert, Pyrex dishes for baking, and a couple of cookie sheets that I use regularly.

On the other hand, I really like my knife set, and I never have the wish that I had bought them separately. They were pricey, but I love them, nad I use every knife in the block regularly. (I have a large chef's knife, a santoku, a smaller chef's knife, a small serrated knife, and a small paring knife). Mine are Jw Henckels, but my brother has Wusthoff, and he loves his just as much. So, my advice is to go to a store like Williams-Sonoma, where you can feel the knives in your hand and see what you like.

[sugarlumpkin]

We recently purchased this set from Costco. Love it! Even better, none of it is non-stick! No more teflon in our food!

As for knives, try Victorinox brand. I have a couple of knives from them (bought on Amazon) and so far they are great! Fairly cheap (recommended by America's Test Kitchen), nice and sharp, good handles.

[Leta]

Ahem... I'm married to a chef. These are his opinions, with which he has *cough cough* brainwashed me.

Unless you do a lot of butchery, you only need three knives. A chef's knife or santoku a.k.a. Japanese style chef's knife, a pairing knife (pointed tip if you go with the santoku, blunt tip if you go with the chef's knife), and a serrated bread knife. Henckles and Forschner are good brands, both available at Bed, Bath and Beyond. This is a great price on a great set.

If you've ever watched Rachael Ray, the santuku is the big knife she uses all the time. I love the santoku. I suspect it's shape and balance feel right in the hands of most women. I also like a pointed tip pairing knife and an offset serrated bread knife, but these are just my preferences.

If you are going to go cheap on any of these three knives, it should be the bread knife. Because it's serrated, it can't be sharpened, and will therefore eventually need to be replaced. The chef's knife and pairing knife you should be leaving to your children.

You also need a steel (to keep the blade true) and a whetstone (to sharpen the blade). The steel will "sharpen" the blade in the sense that it will make the blade cut easier, but all it is doing is moving the molecules of the blade back in line, or "keeping true". The stone actually removes molecules, thus sharpening. Keep the stone in a Tupperware container filled with mineral oil. You'll want to watch some YouTube videos on proper knife maintenence to get you started.

As for pots and pans, of all the celebrity lines, Emeril Lagasse has the best. His are slightly cheaper versions of All Clad.

You can also go to a commercial kitchen supply store and buy heavy bottomed pans for far less, though they won't be as pretty.

I would buy as big of a stock pot as will fit on your stove, a three quart sauce pan, and a Lodge cast iron skillet, all with lids.

I'd stay far, far way from anything Teflon, for several reasons: one, they make food taste like crap; two, they do scratch, and when they do, the broken Teflon releases carcinogens and other toxins; three, they will need to replaced, vs. high quality copper/aluminum/steel lasting a lifetime; four, they are harder to store- if you keep them in a cabinet, you can't nest them, and if you do, you're supposed to line them with paper towels. Really. Read the box.

If you want a non-stick egg pan, you can't go wrong with a blue steel. It needs to be treated the way you treat cast iron- seasoning, no soap.

I wouldn't buy a double boiler. I would get metal bowls that fit the mouths of your stock pot and saucepan, though- that way, you'll have two double boilers of practical size that cost a fraction of one small double boiler, plus they'll be easier to clean and have multiple uses.

You'll probably want a Dutch oven (get Lodge!) and some more sauce and saute pans (get All Clad!), and possibly a griddle (Lodge again!) but you'll be amazed at how far two pots, two pans, and two metal bowls will get you. As you use them, it will become clearer to you exactly what else your kitchen needs.

[Leta]

Originally Posted by sugarlumpkin

As for knives, try Victorinox brand.

Yes, these are good. They are made by the same company that makes Forschner. Anything America's Test Kitchen says is usually true, at least IME. Wustof is DH's favorite brand, but $$$.

[Happiestever]

I got my set at Macy's - I believe they are Belgique- steel with an aluminum core. I got the set for $99, it was $299, so a great deal IMO. After talking with the sales people for a long time I thought it was a great purchase. They are still perfect a few years later, or at least they would be. Had my DH not taken some to work (or a friends) and lost them, or let water boil so long it ruined the pot. So that part sucks to have a 12 piece set dwindle down to a 8 piece, but it just gives my an excuse to keep looking for better replacement.


And as for the knives, I think they are the Belgique brand as well. My Dh took the pairing knife for when he works on his cars and the bread knife to cut cheese all.the.time. But never bread. He uses the steak knife for that.
He drives me bonkers, so I have had to replace those with other knives.
Whenever I ask him why he uses knives for the wrong purpose he says "It doesn't say bread knife on here"
I knew I should have gone with the Henckels set- which have it written on the knife what their uses are for. IIRC

[enkmom]

We purchased a set of All-Clad in 2000 and I expect it to outlast us. It was pricey, but as previous posters said, I should have skipped the set and just bought what I used. The skillet and saute pan that came with the set are in the basement gathering dust because we never use them. I should have purchased the 1 qt sauce pan, 2 2 quart sauce pans, the dutch oven and the 4 qt saucepan, as those are our go-to pans. I also have a Lodge 10 inch cast iron skillet that sees daily use, a Lodge cast iron chicken fryer, and an off-brand enameled cast iron dutch oven. I had Calphalon in the mid-nineties that pitted, and food stuck to it like nobodies business. I am seriously in love with my All-Clad.

For knives, we have a set of Chicago Cutlery which is absolute junk. We filled the empty slots in the block with the knives we actually use. I bought a nice Wustoff chef's knife at a kitchen store, and it is a wonderful tool. My husband uses it regularly. I find myself reaching the the 2 Kitchen-Aide knives I bought super cheap at Kohl's. They fit my hand well and cut like a dream.

[sugarlumpkin]

Originally Posted by Leta

You'll probably want a Dutch oven (get Lodge!)

Yeah, a good Dutch oven is very, very useful! I have a Le Creuset (a little online searching shows they are going for about $200). The Lodge version looks just as nice and they are reasonably priced (online search shows them going for about $60).

Maybe I should get one of those Lodge Dutch ovens for my mom...thanks for the tip, Leta!

[daytripper75]

We have Farberware pots and pans from Kohls. My mom is still using her set from the 60's. They're stainless steel and have nice thick bottoms.
As for the knives, ours are Chicago Cutlery from Kohls, as well. They're holding up nicely.

[Dingletwitz]

I've found that my Cutco chef knife, serrated knife, and paring knife do the trick, but sometimes I wish for some serrated steak knife type of things for serving.
I have a bunch of all clad from multiple sets (I sold off the unusables and duplicates on ebay)--I think they have one that includes a 6 qt stockpot, 1 or 2 and 3 qt saucepans, and a skillet....oh, and a small fry pan...I can do anything with those, and it's very seldom that I have all the small ones going at one time (but it does happen).
When I was researching pans to buy after many years of having crappy sets of pots and pans, I bought a couple different frying pans--cephalon, all clad and one other high-end type that I'm flaking on the name. Then I did very bad things to them. Let them cook dry on the stove then dropped them in water, rolled over them with my car in gravel, cooked on crazy sticky goo, and the one that came clean and stayed in my possession was the all-clad. And that poor beaten pan is still here, if you can believe it. and it looks and cooks like new.
Especially if someone else is buying, I'd go for those two brands.

[jocelyndale]

My husband and I handled a lot of knives before settling on the ones we liked. His parents were gifting us one for the holidays and so we had to find one which worked for both of us. We ended up with a Wusthof chef's knife (10", I think, and I can't remember the specific line) and a paring knife from the same line. We purchased our own steel.

For pots, I've been happy with my RevereWare. Our omelet pan are calphalon. And we have cast iron, too.

[Fujiko]

I haven't read all of the replies, but I do have a lot to say. I not only used to work at Bed Bath & Beyond (and received all of their product training), but I am an avid hobby cook.

First off, cookware. What do you cook? What is important to you as far as the surface of the cookware is concerned? Non-stick cookware will obviously stick less, which means you don't have to use as many fats/oils when cooking, so I can be better for you, health-wise. BUT, even the "never scratches", expensive non-stick pans will invariably accidently get a fork thrown in them in the sink or what have you, and become scratched. Then it's all downhill from there. They will need to be replaced every few years. Stainless steel will require fats/oils to prevent your food from sticking, but you can heat it hotter without worrying about stuff from the non-stick getting in your food. Plus you can scrub the @*$^ out of it in the sink (which you can't do with non-stick). Cast-iron provides a non-stick surface that can be damaged if you mistreat it but you can repair the damage yourself--it's not going to be ruined. Cast-iron needs a little more care, but once you have learned how, it will never let you down.

As far as materials used in the construction of cookware, dark-colored pans (like anodized aluminum and cast-iron) are going to absorb the heat energy from your stove more readily than a reflective pan (like s/s). In other words, the darker, the better. Also, s/s is a poor heat conductor, so any decent s/s pan will have some kind of other metal worked into it, usually copper. If you go and look at s/s cookware, usually there is a metal disk (a "sandwich") on the bottom of the pan. This has copper in it and will help to distribute the heat better. Some pans, like Calphalon Contemporary S/S (at BB&B) have a copper sandwich in the whole pan, all the way up the sides, which is good for saucepans and the like. Also, the heavier the material used to make the pan, the better it will usually distribute heat and also retain heat, so that when you add cool ingredients to a hot pan, it will not cool off and have to come back up to temperature. Cast-iron is ideal, s/s is not so good.

There's also the minor things. Handles that are riveted on are pretty good, welds and screws, not so much. Some cookware has glass lids, some have opaque lids. Glass lids are good for seeing inside, but opaque lids usually retain heat a little better. Pick up the cookware and see if the handles are comfortable. Make sure they are "stay-cool" handles.

As far as care goes, there isn't a whole lot to worry about with s/s. Non-stick is a PITA to care for, as you must use all nylon or wooden cooking utensils (NEVER METAL), soft sponges or cloths (No heavy-duty green abrasive scrubbies or heaven forbid, steel wool), you can't ever put it in the dishwasher (the detergent is too abrasive), and you have to take care when you nest it because you can't do it directly. Cast-iron needs to be babied as well, but not nearly to the extent of non-stick. You wash it with water only and make sure it's completely dry before storing it. Sometimes you may need to re-season it (build up the dark stuff on the surface of the pan).

As for personal experience, I bought the Calphalon Contemporary Non-stick cookware at BB&B after I got married four years ago. It was the creme-de-la-creme of cookware, at least back then. We were trained that it never scratched. Bull#&^%. I'm THISCLOSE to returning it and exchanging it for the stainless steel set instead. Not only does it scratch, but in one of the fry pans it's losing it's non-stickness. And I'm sick of babying it. It worked well for a few years, but this last year it's just gone downhill fast. Like I said, I want the s/s set and I think I will also get a few cast-iron fry pans as my "non-stick" pans for eggs and pancakes, etc.

I got the 10-piece set (which include a little saucepan with lid, a bigger saucepan with lid, a 3-quart skillet with lid, a stockpot with lid, an 8-inch fry pan and a 10-inch fry pan) and I use all the whole set. I also have a large s/s saucepan/pot (that was a dumpster dive), a 4-gallon s/s stockpot, and another non-stick saucepan (the same size as the "bigger" one in my set). I have a dutch-oven on my wish-list.

And knives. I use a Calphalon-brand santoku knife. I like santoku much better than any chef's knife I've ever used because they are smaller and lighter, which gives me more control and agility. I like the calphalon brand because it's inexpensive and still works well. You would probably get a longer life out of a Henkels or Wustof knife though. I lent mine to my SIL and she somehow dented the blade, and then a few months later I dropped it and the blade broke off. (I did buy a new one of the same kind though )

With knives, you really have to handle them in order to make a decision. I've never shopped for knives at any other store so I can't speak for them, but BB&B will let you hold any of their display knives so that you can get a feel for them. The good knives are sold individually, but you can also buy block sets. You want to get one that looks like it's all once piece of metal (and not all FLAT). That means it's forged. The flat ones are stamped by machine and are poorer quality. You'll need a sharpening steel to hone the blade (a salesperson can show you how, there are also vids on the net) and I strongly recommend some kind of knife sharpener for when the sharpening steel isn't enough to get a good edge.

For me, I have my aforementioned Santuko, a paring knife, a good set of kitchen shears, a bread knife, and some sturdy non-serrated steak knives that I use for general purpose knives when pulling out the big guns is too much. I also have a sharpening steel. I purchased the Kapoosh knife block, which is one of the best inventions ever. I have a bunch of other knives, but they live in a drawer and never see the light of day.

Hope that helps.

[Poddi]

I just want to mention if you want some good knives for good prices, check you local Asian supermarkets. I absolutely love those big heavy cleaver thingy. They're actually easy to use and chop veggies and slice cheese...etc. with ease, due to their weight you don't have to push down much. A medium weight cleaver is usually under $20 and they'll not break when you're cutting tough things. I got more and more used to mine and nowadays I even cut pizza and core apples with it. I got some super good paring knives there, too. I think they're usually called fruit knives in Asian stores.