Cooking Pans

[chasineyes]

Is it worth spending alot of money on pots and pans or do the basic 30$ ones from the big chain stores do just as good? Also what should you look for when buying a "good" long lasting set?

THanks

[delcecchi]

You can get good pans for intermediate price. Also sometimes TJMaxx has some deals. I like the tri ply stainless, like all clad only made by cuisinart or someone else. I don't care for the disc bottom pans.

Non stick frypans wear out so buy them at target or walmart. get fairly heavy stuff.

Don't buy a set would be my advice.

[RebelSS]

Chasineyes...That question can be answered a hundred ways..but it comes down to what kind of cook are you? Here's my 2 cents: been a professional "on the side" cook most of my life (Ya, I went to a cooking school..family also owned restaurants)Get the best you can afford. I've been using some of my cookware for 20 years. High end stuff makes a WHALE of a difference in even heating and cooking...things do cook a lot better in them. Don't know if the rules let us post names, so I'll just say some of the high end stores carry good lines. Expect to pay about 30 bucks a pan. Watch for X-mas sales..you can slide in a 6-10 piece set for about $200.00

[Dellfin]

Chasineyes-

There is a heck of a sale on what appears to be a decent quality cookware set at M A C Y's right now for about 40 bucks and the set comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty.(Tools of the Trade Basics Classic 12-Piece Cookware). If M A C Y's sells it and backs it up, one could probably make the safe assumption that it's somewhat decent quality. Might be worth taking a look to get you started.

[eyemaster]

I have switched to the high quality life time warranty pans. I personally have the Calphalon non stick brand. We have used one of them soo much we wore the calphalon off. They replaced it with no questions asked with a new pan.

I got tired of buying new non stick pans every year or two. This seems to have taken care of that problem. They are expensive, but if it is the last time you have to buy them and they are high quality......why not.

[Chef]

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ub...eel#Post2016058

[paul pachowicz]

So here I sit thinking there was nothing better then well seasoned cast iron.

[chasineyes]

THANKS GUYS!!!!

[icehousebob]

Paul, you da man! I have half a dozen cast iron fry pans in my kitchen right now. My favorites are old Griswolds but some of the unmarked American made ones are great,too. I also have a few iron dutch ovens for roasting and stews and such. I hit a lot of garage sales and find some good buys on them. My wife counted my reserve pile of fry pans in the basement and found I have 25 that I'm not using and she wants to give them away.

They only get given to people that are worthy. I asked a friend whether he wanted a cast iron chicken fryer and he thought it would work until he could find a dutch oven.WRONG ANSWER. Another guy got it.

[paul pachowicz]

I too like to try and find em at garage sales but, I look closely at how well they are "encrusted" and how much of a sheen, so to speak, the bottoms have. I took a griddle that I got as a present to a machine shoppe to see what they could do to get rid (grind) off the "sand" texture. The guy kinda laughed and said "not all cast iron kitchen ware is created equal". They did a fair job on it but, he told me the thickness was so inconsistant that if he did equal it out I would end up with with an extremely thin griddle surface that would only warp beyond use. I tried it out but it didn't perform well at all. I actually set it up as a target and put a .270 round thru it as I uttered, "here's to you, Beijing". It shattered like frozen peanut brittle hit with a hammer. Ive got 2 12 inch, 2 8 inch, 2 10 inch, a dutch oven and a 8 wide 4 deep roaster. All are stamped "USA". I did give a later model dutch oven away, like you, but, this guy ended up using it to melt lead to cast bullets. I got most of mine after my Ma passed away in 1988. I'm always on the look-out for em.

[delcecchi]

Keep an eye on the goodwill/salvation army/thrift shop. I just got an apparently brand new lodge griddle for 6 dollars at Goodwill. Also have my late aunt's chicken fryer.

One advantage of stainless is it can go in dishwasher. And tomato sauce or swiss steak doesn't bother it.

[Jim Almquist]

The 2 best cast iron pans that I picked up were from a sale at a buddy's house and they cost me a whopping 50 cents for the 2 of them. I believe they are Wagner ware. Mom did pass on the family griddle to me and it is still the best thing to cook pancakes on.

[icehousebob]

Paul, the trick to cleaning the crud from cast iron is spray-on oven cleaner. I first use a rotary wire brush on my grinder to remove lots of excess and then spray on the cleaner. Put it in a plastic bag overnight and scrape or brush or wash whatever comes off. Repeat as needed. When its clean, season it by putting it in a covered gas bbq grill and get it HOT. pull out, swab with vegetable oil and back in the grill. Repeat. This can be done in an oven, but the smoke upsets the spouse. A friend cleans his with an electrolosis tank that he set up. They come out perfectly clean. I have some newer pans made after WW11 but my best ones come from much earlier. I was told they were made from a better grade of iron ore.

[paul pachowicz]

Bob, how do I say this? I really don't care about the build up on the outsides of the pans. It's how nice the inside bottoms of em are. I've got several different sized oval porcelin roasting pans. Ya know those blue/black speckled ones? They do a great job in the oven, also.

[icehousebob]

I know what you mean. Paul.But I've had a few that had such a build-up that it started working like insulation. I bought a couple of #3 pans this summer that were so built up that the bottoms were almost rounded. When they were cleaned, one turned out to be a 1950's Griswold. As for the enamel roasters, I've picked up a bunch and supplied most of my kinfolk with as many as they need. My bride of 40 years picked out the six that she wanted and ordered me to find homes for the rest. My opinion is that any cookwear that isn't at least fifty years old is considered new. And my five kids look on any pans sitting on the stove as free samples. And, unfortunately, they can tell the good ones from the bad ones.

[picksbigwagon]

I love cast iron, my wife hates it, I do the cooking but she does the decoration. I own 3 Cast frying pans, a wok pan ( which is well seasoned but not used much) and a 5qt chicken fryer that is used camping all the time.

I am on the look out for a garage sale dutch oven or breaking down and buying one new.....

[paul pachowicz]

Thanks, Bob & Wagon. I got a good laugh at both of ya. Cookin is my hobby now. I did it for several years during my Air Force career in mess halls and Officer's & NCO Clubs.