Favorite Cookware

[OldSaw]

Just curious what everyone’s favorite cookware is. Since acquiring an induction cooktop I had to make a few new purchases because my old Farberware stockpot and sauté pan (nearly 40 years old) didn’t work.

A couple years ago I purchased a set of Viking (made in USA) pans for my youngest to replace the nonstick poison that I bought her for her wedding present. She let me have a 3 quart sauce pan and a fry pan from the set. Then, because getting SS clad cookware made in the US was such a gamble, even All Clad now makes some pieces in China (I’m not paying premium prices if I can’t be guaranteed where it’s made), I decided to try Made In. I bought an 8 quart stock pot and a sauté pan that were made in Italy.

I really like the Made In cookware and if I can’t get it made in my own country, then Italy is fine. USA, Canada/North America or EU are my preferred choices of origin.

The next item on my list is a saucier pan. I’m leaning toward another Made In offering, but wanted to see what others in this community think. If you were going to buy an induction compatible saucier pan, which one would you get?

 

[Rhody]

I’ve got a few pieces from made in too. I like the high quality. Their baking sheets are aluminum and are no great shakes. They do have a high degree of marketing that’s a tad over the top. I took a chance on their flatware made in Italy. It’s very nice. Hefty. Restaurant feel (not a selling point with everyone) however one odd issue. The forks have developed slight wear marks on the tongs. Looks almost like someone past a knife over the fork. So strange. I noticed it on one. Now several have it. I’ve interrogated household members who deny using a knife on the fork to cause that.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

My wife has a set of Saladmaster cookware; it appears very well made and I am sure it will last a lifetime. I am not convinced by Saladmaster as a business however as they seem to be some sort of MLM type company. Anyway, my wife is a great cook but I think that is down to her and not the pans.

 

[smudge]

De Buyer Carbon Steel Cookware. Made in France to the very highest standards. Slightly lighter than cast iron, but not by much. Need to be seasoned to maintain a polymerised non stick surface and not suitable for acidic ingredients such as wine, tomatoes, lemon juice etc, as it will strip your precious seasoning. To reseason, just wipe pan with an incredibly thin coating of high smoke point oil (flaxseed, vegetable, peanut, etc), get it smoking and then let the pan cool naturally. Sounds like a bit of a faf, but it becomes second nature after a while. They just need to be washed out with water and given a light scrub with a nylon brush - never put in the dishwasher. The non stick qualities get better the more they are used and will fry eggs without any sticking, if used properly. You can put them straight into a red hot oven directly from the hob, although be mindful that the handle is red hot when it comes out of the oven. These plans will literally last a lifetime and while quite expensive are an excellent investment. Work on all surfaces, including induction, they really are the Rolls Royce of the cookware world imo. Really available on Amazon in the UK and I'm sure in the US too.

 

[TexLaw]

I really like my 4-quart All Clad saucepan. I find reasons to use it. It's excellent in its size, shape, weight, ease of use, ease to clean, and anything else I can think of.

And, yes, I love my cast iron.

 

[FarmerTan]

What about OLD Revere Ware? It can be had usually decently priced on the 'Bay...

 

[SierraKilo]

My wife worked her way through nursing school at Williams-Sonoma about 15 years ago and we wore out her (generous) employee discount. Splurged for a set of All Clad copper-core, and have never wanted for anything else in regard to daily cookware. It’s just incredible stuff and with proper care is none the worse for wear after more than a decade.

We‘ve supplemented it with a few choice, but functional, pieces of Staub cast iron and the Debuyer cast iron skillets someone mentioned above are also fantastic.

Hint: hit your local TJ Maxx on a regular basis. You’ll find All Clad, Viking and Staub fairly frequently, and for a significant discount.

 

[shavefan]

Demeyere Atlantis.

Outstanding design and build quality, induction compatible. Not cheap. Made in Belgium.

2.6 Qt. Saucier

 

[Ckmaui]

All clad and DeBuyer

but the All Clad is main go to for basic sauces and general cooking learning de-glazing is a good thing for this kinda cookware and often means almost no clean up also my go to when things go from surface to oven
the DeBuyer carbon steel is like having cast iron but lighter quicker response an their is a reason many high end restaraunts use carbon steel over cast iron
super easy clean up etc... and never worry about durability with either of them

 

[Tirvine]

Thick (3mm) tin lined copper. New it is unaffordable, but it lasts forever and old pieces on eBay are priced competitively with clad cookware. For high heat jobs like steaks, carbon steel. De Buyer Mineral B is excellent but really not much better than no name stuff.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

I really like my Martha Stewart ceramic coated cast iron pots. I have two of them and use them constantly and have held up well. Whenever I make Texas Red they are my go-to's

 

[jdp93]

After getting by with non-stick garbage we got as a wedding gift almost twenty years ago, my wife and I have been buying All Clad SS stuff piecemeal. We have an 8" fry pan, a 12" fry pan, and a 4 quart sauce pan. Pricey, yes, but man is there a big difference.

 

[Toothpick]

Anything I don’t have to use

 

[Lefonque]

Falk copper saucepans, frying pan. Top notch.

 

[Old Hippie]

LOTS of Lodge cast iron, also some Birmingham, Griswold, Wagner. No, I do not have Popeye forearms! But neither am I anemic.

The #5, #8 and #12 skillets get the most use, followed by the wok pan, Combo Cooker, griddles, cornbread pans, and occasionally the rare Lodge Bundt pan turns out a fruitcake. Usually for my birthday, when having a 10-pound fruitcake makes a certain kind of sense.

Probably one of the most useful non-cast-iron pots we have is a 12-quart pot from Bed, Bath & Beyond -- their house label "Salt."

It came with a deep strainer for pasta and such and a shallow strainer for steaming. I actually bought it because I wanted that deep strainer for blanching beans for freezing, then found out how often I use the rest of it. It has a nice thick bottom so stocks don't scorch. The shallow strainer gets used to steam eggs, make custard and also used in the pressure cooker for doing potatoes. We pull that thing out for something about every four days.

O.H.

 

[OldSaw]

What about OLD Revere Ware? It can be had usually decently priced on the 'Bay...

The Revere Ware that I have doesn’t work on induction. So I gave it all away.

 

[OldSaw]

Update:

I ended up adding a Le Creuset saucier pan and an All-Clad 12 quart stock pot.

 

[OldSaw]

Also picked up a TYOR Skriddle. I’m still breaking it in and it had a LOT of sharp edges that needed to be deburred.

 

[FarmerTan]

The Revere Ware that I have doesn’t work on induction. So I gave it all away.

Duh. I forgot about the copper bottoms.... Maybe that's a deal breaker for my lovely bride?

 

[OldSaw]

Duh. I forgot about the copper bottoms.... Maybe that's a deal breaker for my lovely bride?

Copper isn't necessarily a deal breaker, as long as it has some magnetic material at the bottom. Since mine didn't have that feature it didn't work. I think some Revere Ware is compatible.