Building my upgrade list: Your most used pots and pans?

[Reckoner]

I've always liked to cook but it's only been in the last year or two that I've started to branch out and up my game. I've reached the point where I'm cooking most of our meals and spending more time in the kitchen with pots and pans that I really don't like. When I realized I hated wearing neckties, I invested in some collard shirts that actually fit (who knew?!). When I realized I hated the tools I was writing with (I write a lot for my job) I invested in fountain pens. When I realized I hated shaving with cheapie carts I invested in wetshaving kit. See where I'm going with this? I think I'm at that point now with kitchen gear.

I have three pieces that I love: a 12" CI Lodge skillet, a 3-qt 10" Emerialware Pro sauté pan (copper core bottom), and a 3-qt oval CI French oven (but it is too small to roast a chicken and almost can't handle my baked beans recipe). Everything else stinks!

Now that the bride has her guest bedroom under control, I have clearance to upgrade the kitchen. I've been knocking out the low hanging fruit for a while: good paring, utility, and bread knives; comfy and functional cooking utensils; mixing bowls, sheet pans; measuring cups, reamers, micrograters, and so on. I've scored some good deals at Goodwill and a chef's warehouse. Now it's time to get the big ticket items.

After considerable thinking I've narrowed my list of essentials to the following. I'm not married to any one brand and I don't need to fuss over having matching pieces. Assume that pots and pans can go from range to oven with lids. Will likely be clad.

Highest priority

• 2-qt saucepan. Utility pot, duh.
• 8-qt saucepan. I make a lot of soup, chili, stock, tomato sauce, and beans. Our 5-qt pot is too small to make chicken stock with more than a carcass or two, but our 12-qt seems like overkill most of the time. Should be able to handle multiple crab leg clusters without feeling cramped or a good batch of chili. Could sub this for a round 7.25 Le Creuset.
• 3-qt saucepan. Should have a steamer insert and a big enough footprint to handle at least a head of broccoli for steaming.
• Butter warmer. The bride said so, so who am I to argue.

Timely but not crucial

• Chef knife, still up in the air. I'll be able to try out some European and Asian knives soon and that will help immensely. I can make do with what I already have.
• 10-inch frying pan, not CI skillet. The sauté pan and skillet I have are great, but I'd like a true shallow frying pan for things like pancakes, steaks/chops, and scallops. Clue me in if I really need something larger than 10". I'm usually cooking for two, and if I need to upgrade to something larger in the future I will.
• Solid roasting pan with quality insert. I've burned through two crummy roasters in the last 3 years. Should be big enough for roasting turkey and for cheesecake baths.
• 1- or 1.5-qt sauce pan. I like the smaller sizes but could live without for the time being.

Eventually

• 6.75-qt oval enamel CI French oven.
• Replacement sauté pan if warranted.
• Decent capacity food processor.

The biggest question is about the stock pot vs the round french oven. I'd like both eventually. I guess the question is which to buy first. My plan is to knock out a few essentials soon and then buy piecemeal every few months for a year or two.

What do you think? What's missing that you rely on (and why)? What 2-3 pots and pans (with sizes) are your go-to pieces?

 

[Alacrity59]

Pressure cooker. Great for stews and quickly re-hydrating beans and can be pressed into service as a saucepan in a pinch.

 

[packersfan117]

Pressure cooker. Great for stews and quickly re-hydrating beans and can be pressed into service as a saucepan in a pinch.

+1. I also make my mashed potatoes in one. It's a clutch piece of cookware for me.

 

[Mick]

I find I use iron a lot (I always have) and I have every size from the smallest up to a #16. Number 8 or 10 is grabbed most often.

I have two 2 1/2 quart aluminum sauce pans (basic institutional ones), one is black anodized the other Teflon coated. I use the teflon one for hot cereals (oatmeal, cream of wheat) and the anodized one for soups. I use a teflon coated omelet pan (10") for eggs and another 10" that is anodized for fried sandwiches (grilled cheez and grilled anything else).

I like tin lined copper so have a number of them but the one I grab just about every day is a 10" omelet which is about the right size for a 2 person meal.

I guess what you need all depends on what you cook.

 

[BubblesTGB]

2 & 3 qt Saucepans - AllClad
butter warmer - microwave 60% power and a bowl
8 qt - Tramontina clad
Chef's knife - this is like suggesting a razor
10" skillet - AllClad - minimum 2
Roasting Pan - AllClad Petit Roti ( Should come with a non-stick rack)
1qt Saucepan - Tramontina clad
6+ qt Dutch Oven - Le Cruset
Food Processor - Cuisinart 9 cup

These options are what I like and have in my kitchen but I'm sure there are other/better options out there. Just some suggestions.

 

[mretzloff]

What advantages does a butter warmer have over a microwave (let us assume the user of both is capable of melting butter in a microwave without it exploding)?

 

[smalltank]

Sounds like a butter warmer melts butter..microwave nukes the molecules in the butter...

 

[YetiDave]

Why not just get a butter dish? That way it never has to see a microwave or take up fridge space. My most used pans tend to be my two cast iron skillets - a long handled Le Creuset for eggs, pancakes etc (mainly veggie stuff) and the Lodge 10" for everything else, my wok (with a bamboo steaming basket) and a large pan for pasta, stock, soups etc. My other most used piece of cookware is probably a baking/pizza stone

 

[Reckoner]

What advantages does a butter warmer have over a microwave (let us assume the user of both is capable of melting butter in a microwave without it exploding)?

Good point. We don't have a microwave!

 

[Reckoner]

I like tin lined copper so have a number of them but the one I grab just about every day is a 10" omelet which is about the right size for a 2 person meal.

Good!

2 & 3 qt Saucepans - AllClad
butter warmer - microwave 60% power and a bowl
8 qt - Tramontina clad
Chef's knife - this is like suggesting a razor
10" skillet - AllClad - minimum 2
Roasting Pan - AllClad Petit Roti ( Should come with a non-stick rack)
1qt Saucepan - Tramontina clad
6+ qt Dutch Oven - Le Cruset
Food Processor - Cuisinart 9 cup

These options are what I like and have in my kitchen but I'm sure there are other/better options out there. Just some suggestions.

Great suggestions. That lines up mostly with what I am thinking of getting. Buy once, cry once.

 

[SiBurning]

Good roasting pans are expensive and not very versatile. A jelly roll pan is cheaper, thicker (which means less likely to burn anything) and more versatile than a dedicated roasting pan. Two problems are that they're not tall enough for a lot of liquid, and the rack won't fit inside so--since they're rather shallow--you need just a bit of care when you take it out of the oven so the rack doesn't slide off. (I don't want to downplay this--it's a pretty serious issue taking a large turkey out of a cramped oven, but might be the only reason people choose a roasting pan. Not to mention, you're most likely to use it exactly when you're most likely to be in a rush and a crowd.) For water baths, you can use a cake pan or lasagna pan--you don't need something very heavy for those.

 

[Luc]

What I use a lot.

A small pot 2 qt. is good
I tend to use a larger pot 6-8qt for pasta mostly
Strainer (for the pasta).
Dutch oven - 8qt
Crock-pot - 8qt
I love my stews
Vitamix (excellent for juices, sauces, soup, sorbet in a flash)
Tortilla press
Pancake pan (I use it to cook my tortillas mainly. I have a LeCreuset non-stick). I grease it every time, it's very non-stick!
Regular saucepan

For the knives,
I got a Henckel chef knife that I use a lot
and a custom made, Dasmacus Japanese (handmade) Nakiri knife

 

[thebikingengineer]

I would put a larger french oven over a stock pot. It's much more useful and can stand in for stock pot duty when needed. I have a fairly small kitchen with little storage space. I keep a 10" Cast Iron skillet on the range and have in my cabinets:

8" and 10" Aluminum Non-Stick pans, used mostly for eggs
8" and 10" Blue Steel Pans, used for searing, sauteing, and seasoning them up for egg use when the Teflon goes
~4 qt LeCrueset French Oven for soups, stews, curries, etc...
2.5 qt Saucepan for rice, soup, and small stock use
.75 qt saucepan for sauces and small batch work
6 Gallon Stock pot, for stock and to store things in
6 qt Pressure cooker for everything I can think of
A cheap broiler pan for anything and everything that goes in the oven (modified with foil as necessary)
Lots of Knives that I don't really have room for but use the hell out of

With that cabinet I can make whatever I need. It's just me (and occasionally a guest) that I cook for, but I tend to cook in bulk and have leftovers as well.

 

[PugslyCat]

Pressure cooker. Great for stews and quickly re-hydrating beans and can be pressed into service as a saucepan in a pinch.

I would put a larger french oven over a stock pot. It's much more useful and can stand in for stock pot duty when needed.

+1 on both of these - I am big on pots, pans and lids that serve more than one purpose. As examples:

• 6 qt. stock/soup pot at my weekend place has a glass steamer that sits on top. My wife thought I was nuts when I would cook pasta and steam vegetables at the same time.
• 6 qt. pressure cooker doubles as a large sauce pan or small stock pot.
• 8 qt. stock pot has both deep and shallow perforated inserts for use as a pasta pot or a steamer.
• 16 qt. pressure cooker/canner gets used as a large stock pot.
• A couple of universal lids replace all of the different sauce pan, stock pot, and skillet lids. This really frees up cabinet space and does away with clutter. I keep the original lids in the basement where I can get to them just in case I'm doing a big meal, but normally I don't have more than a couple of covered dishes at a time.

 

[BubblesTGB]

Forgot to mention a Lodge 12" cast iron skillet. A necessity!

Typically dislike non stick pans. My Lodge skillet is seasoned well enough to easily cook and slide out eggs. Still - there are times when a non stick pan is helpful. I have one in my kitchen and I think it is excellent ( for a non stick )

Its the Henckels 10" skillet with a ceramic Thermolon coating. Excellent pan and very inexpensive. You can pick one up for $60-$70.

 

[Wingnut]

I know that Luc mentioned it a while back, but it might have gotten lost in the static:

an 8 qt crockpot

Great for soups, stews, chili, making stock, etc...

If you guys eat much rice, a dedicated rice cooker will make your lives MUCH simpler, as well.

 

[miamimoe]

There are a lot of great suggestions, I will make 2 points. One consider a brazier, which are sold by restaurant supply stores in both aluminum and stainless. A brazier is short and wide as compared to a stock pot. They are great for making stews, casseroles, and with the lid off, can be used as roasters. Since you are not married to a brand, check out chef and restaurant supply stores in your area. You can buy some great product for not much coin, and the quality is definitely there, even if they are not as nice looking as some of the better known consumer brands.

 

[Reckoner]

We're heading up to Orlando in a few days. I'll "audition" some of these at Crate & Barrel, W&S, and so on at Millennia. I also plan to check out the Le Creuset outlet if time allows, although there's one by my office. I'm going to Costco and a chef's warehouse tomorrow. LC actually had a few braisers on sale.

My budget will let me get one or two pieces this trip. If the color is right, hopefully it will be a stock pot from LC. Macy's has a sale on 12" All-Clad frypans and 1.5-qt saucepans, but I have a feeling both aren't quite the sizes I want. One good thing about being in the 2013 shave purchase sabbatical is that I can blow my allowance on Mess Hall kit...

 

[danek]

You might cosider a cast iron griddle instead of a shallow fry pan for your pancakes, chops, scallops, etc. If tall sides are a hinderance, why not get rid of them altogether?

 

[Rushman2112]

Forgot to mention a Lodge 12" cast iron skillet. A necessity!

Typically dislike non stick pans. My Lodge skillet is seasoned well enough to easily cook and slide out eggs. Still - there are times when a non stick pan is helpful. I have one in my kitchen and I think it is excellent ( for a non stick )

Its the Henckels 10" skillet with a ceramic Thermolon coating. Excellent pan and very inexpensive. You can pick one up for $60-$70.

I got one recently here when it was on promotion - full price was SGD288 or USD230, I got it for SGD88(!) But it's a really great pan, use it all the time.

We get through quite a few woks, so we tend to buy Tefal ones that last OK for a couple of years then need retiring once things stick a bit.