Good Pots and Pans?

[chasineyes]

Looking at buying the Mrs. a new set of pots and pans. Our last set from cohls lasted about 15 years I think they we're Tfal. Are there any things to look for? We cook on a cooktop if that makes a difference. Also what if price is no object, do you get anything that will "truly" last?

Thanks

[SkunkedAgain]

You can certainly go out and spend big bucks on All-Clad or other top names. Williams-Sonoma will certainly help you with a money-is-no-object spending splurge.

IMO it's the musician and not the instrument, and same with cooking. I'm a Kohl's/JC Penny cookware kind of guy (and I've played the same old bass and drums for 25 years!) and think that you'll be just fine with replacements.

However, if Mrs. Chasineyes would give you a whole lot of the spousal lovin' in exchange for the high brow stuff then by all means. Do a couple of quick web searches and you'll find a bunch of info/discussions about what is top notch.

[buddha]

Le Creuset is a great option. Do a search, you may not buy or want the whole set but a dutch oven style or bigger all purpose kettle could be a great deal. It's enameled cast iron and will last forever and is great to cook with.

[heavyduty]

I bought a couple of smaller fry pans from kohls that were not the cheapest but not not the most expensive but seemed to be good quality nonstick pans.problem is on mine the smaller one, the handle is heavier than the pan so when it is empty the pan does not sit flat on the cook top, so when preheating one side is in contact while the other side sits up about a quarter inch.I have bigger calphalon pan that the bottom while warp some what when heating so look for a heavy bottom pan.Also on the calphalon they recommend not to use nonstick spray only to use real oil,they say the gas used to propel the oil can damage the coating.

[RebelSS]

I've got a mixture of Calphalon and some high-end Wearever....I'd give the nod to the Wearever...seperately, the Wearever pans were about $40.00 or so each, but what a differenece. I think they cook lots more evenly than my Calphalon does, and bigger/heavier handles. Lots of good stuff out there, the sky's the limit on what you may want.

[chasineyes]

Thanks for thoughts...we've been leaning towards Kohls anyway. That's about as high brow as we get! Skunked do still play? I sold my double-bass Tama set with Zildjian cymbals? in 1995 after I graduated college. Boy do I miss them!!!

[delcecchi]

I just saw some clad stainless pans in the bed/bath/beyond ad that came a few days ago. 399 for a set. Calpahlon triply, 13 pc set for 399 (and you get 50 bucks back) And I think if you look around you can find someone with one of the 20% off coupons they often send out.

But it isn't non-stick if that is important. Me, I use SS and a non stick frypan from target or sams. Tfal was rated highest by Cooks Illustrated.

I like SS cuz it can go in dishwasher.

[hoggs222]

I'm also a Kohls pan kind of guy. My sister bought me a small All-Clad pot for Xmas one year that could hold a can of soup. It was $90 and I returned it to Williams Sonoma for a Wusthof knife to add to my collection.

[SkunkedAgain]

Yup - I've still got the Percussion Plus drumset that my parents bought for my brother and I in 4th grade ($300 at a pawn shop). I've added cymbals and a few other things over the years but it still goes.

Right now they are huddled together in a corner of the basement while I do my big renovation down there. It kills me not to play but I've been learning bass over the past few years so it's a good alternative outlet. Taught myself the bassline to "School Boy Crush" by Average White Band this morning. I'm consistently amazed at how easy some of my favorite all-time baselines are - such as "Born On The Bayou" by Creedence. Then I play "Disco Inferno" or any McCartney tune to remind myself that there are hard basslines.

Good luck with the cookware purchase.

[delcecchi]

I'm also a Kohls pan kind of guy. My sister bought me a small All-Clad pot for Xmas one year that could hold a can of soup. It was $90 and I returned it to Williams Sonoma for a Wusthof knife to add to my collection.

I have some tramonta from TJ Maxx that is pretty nice. Any brand of tri-ply stainless is pretty good.