Recently single: Now, I need cookware. Where to begin?

[Oxford]

Hi Folks.

New guy here.

I am recently, happily single and getting into cooking. Currently, I have old beat up pots and pans that will be discarded very soon

So I want to get new cookware (pots, pans etc) and just starting to gather information about what to get.

I would appreciate any advice, DOs and DON'Ts for acquiring all new stuff.

I read about all stainless steel and most of the high-end stuff does not have insulation on the handle (ouch if you forget) But i want the good stuff (and maybe some reasons why?)


So what do I need? Where do I get it. Lead me down the enlightened path of cooking bliss and let me impress my friends with shiny new professional or semi-pro cookware.

Thanks much

OX

 

[pdswife]

Hi Ox, welcome to the group. Answers will be coming shortly.

 

[Dina]

Welcome Ox! Try the Gourmet Chef Le Gourmet Chef - Bakeware Cookware Cutlery & Tools Decorative Gadgets & More Small Appliances As Seen On TV They have all the cookware, gadgets and dishes to get you started. You can begin with a nice set of frying pans, some pots for side dishes, gravies and such, and a dutch oven that can whip up almost any stove top dish. A griddle would come in handy to cook meats and veggies too. The Gourmet Chef is a great store to shop. You can find it online if you don't have one near you. Good luck and have fun shopping.

 

[quicksilver]

Congradulations!, I guess. I wouldn't go crazy right away. Listen, learn and shop around. All the retails are hurtin' for business and Mother's Day time is here, so ther may be some good sales. Keep your eye on the local papers. On-line's good, but shipping costs sometimes can kill you. Check your garage sales, and 2nd hand shops, ie; Goodwill, Salvation Army. I would also look for some used pre-seasoned cast iron.

There's no place like home like the kitchen!

 

[Katie H]

Quicksilver has given you some good suggestions. You don't say where you live, but here in the U.S. we're on the threshold of yard sale season. I've picked up lots of great stuff at yard sales. Cheap, too. Got a wonderful, nearly new, multi-speed Osterizer blender for 50 cents. It's still going strong. Have snagged some nice cast iron at yard sales, also.

 

[pacanis]

It's amazing how many poeple find this great site looking for cookware advice, myself included.
Welcome, Oxford. I've been replacing my old TFal with some SS stuff and some non-stick stuff. I've got uses for them both and like to buy as I need, rather than a whole matched set all at once.
But that's just me.

 

[kitchenelf]

I guess I'm into instant gratification cause I want the whole set at once!! As mentioned, with MD coming up, you might find some really good sales.

You'll have to do some browsing, but you might want to take a look at this list of titles

 

[sparrowgrass]

Amazon has some good deals, especially if you don't care about matched sets.

Welcome to the board, and if you are handsome and rich, I am looking.

 

[Jeekinz]

Hi Folks.

I read about all stainless steel and most of the high-end stuff does not have insulation on the handle (ouch if you forget) But i want the good stuff (and maybe some reasons why?)

The handles don't get hot when using SS pans with SS handles on the stove top. The all metal design allows the user to go from the stovetop to the oven. HOWEVER, you WILL have a hot handle coming out of the oven. I'm like the lab rat that keeps getting electrocuted. So now I drape a dish cloth over the handle when I take the pan out of the oven, as a reminder.

 

[muzzlet]

Hi Oxford:
You got some great advice here. I can only add a couple things: Don't buy a lot at once. Take a little time to see how you like to cook, what types of things, etc. There's nothing worse than spending a lot of money on a fancy matched set and find you only use a couple of the pieces.

I have a small set of anondized aluminum from Analon. They are pretty heavy duty and non-stick. Conduct heat well and easy to clean. I would start out with a 1 quart lidded saucepan, a 10-12" skillet and a non-stick grill pan. For a single guy, those are perfect for whipping up one chicken breast or burger.

Then, as you go along, trying new recipes, you can determine what else you need.

An often overlooked source: QVC.com!! They have some really quality cookware at very good prices, even with shipping and handling. I have never been disappointed by anything I have bought there!!

Good luck!!!
Jan

 

[Leolady]

I like enameled cast iron for most cooking, and I like commercial Vollrath stainless steel stockpots clad with aluminum for other things.

The Le Creuset or Copco pots are fantastic for all around stove top cooking and oven cooking.

The Vollrath pots are great when doing stocks and quanity cooking or hot water bath canning. I even use the Vollrath pots on the smoker/grill when I need to. They are relatively inexpensive, durable, and because of the thick aluminum on the bottom, they are rather responsive to heat.

 

[Robo410]

if you are serious about cooking, buy the good stuff, even a little at a time.

what is good? heavy full thickness pots and pans. tri ply, enameled cast iron, professional stainless with disc bottoms.

yes there are some bargains out there but you do get what you pay for.

made in china is not a quality product ... but it will be a cost savings for a while yet.

If you look at this site under cookware you will get pages of discussion and no agreement.

1) how do you cook
2) what do you cook
3) how do you clean
all of these are important in deciding what to buy.

Look for items at Costco (recently had Le Creuset and US made Tramontina (both great products) and Ikea ... many great products at reasonable prices.

 

[PanchoHambre]

Oxford I recently found myself in a similar situation

went from having a super-stocked kitchen of high-end cookware to havining one Whustof knife and a baking dish!

I could not afford to replace like kind and my $ is going into my house renovation so I did mostly thrift store/craigslist/flea markets some ebay for cast iron and knives because i cant find them easily

anyway I dont have as fancy a kitchen as I did but it is pretty much as functional and all actually mine and a whole lot more funky and fun.....

no matter how you go about it I would reccoment enjoying the process of getting new kitchen stuff dont rush it buy things as you need or as you discover them.

here is what I conside must haves.

- good quality ss skillet at least 10" it is worth spending some money here it will do you great service
- medium size (3-5qt) enamel cast iron dutch oven (ie le creuset) I always use this pot it is great for braising, roasting, reheating cooking anything low and slow etc I dont even have a place to put it away it lives on my stove
- at least 1 really good kife
- good size stock pot

I will say I was recently at mid/high end houseware chane and was amazed by the low quality of so much of what they carried... even brands whose stuff I have used seemd cheaper and thinner and porly made with the exception of calphahlon they all seemed pretty cheap and crummy.

If you are going to buy online I would make sure to go to the store and pick and touch the pots you are thinking of.

 

[MIOguy]

Wow, Oxford. I haven't let myself think about going through those days for some years now. You do not mention whether or not there are children involved...I had three and so every other weekend and one weekday night each week I cooked for four.

Kitchenelf and I think alike in that good quality sets are a great idea for folks in this position. Instant gratification is pretty darned good. I lucked in to a calphalon (spelling?) set early on that worked really well. It certainly was not one of the most expensive but it really worked well. I still use several pieces from that first set...sauce pans mostly.

Cast iron skillets and dutch ovens from Lodge are a bargain and I don't think you will ever wear one out. The Le Creuset enamled dutch ovens are certainly heaven on earth but it was not until just last year that I could afford one! In the last 12 months I've picked up three and they are certainly top notch.

I got some great buys on ebay when buying good knives. Wusthof and Henckels are the brands I went with but there are a lot a other good choices out there. An 8 or 10 inch chef's knife, a good boning knife and a good paring knife will do pretty much everything you need to do. I found a great deal on a Wustof cleaver two years ago (ebay) and have used it maybe once or twice. Kitchen shears are a far better investment.

Good luck. Life really does get a lot better.
MIOguy

 

[Bilby]

Welcome to DC!! Not going to make any suggestions as to what to buy BUT I will say, unless the cookware you have is unsafe to use (for whatever reason), I wouldn't be so quick to chuck it out. They can be handy to have around for when you are cooking at someone else's place, or for when you want/need to lend one out, or even for when you are going on holiday where you need to cook. They can also be handy for when you do something that isn't food related. There are also recipes that make the pan hard to clean without scrubbing so having an old pan that can take the harsher cleaning treatment is valuable to me. If anything happens to those pans, and they get lost or wrecked, no hardship - unlike if it was your new beaut shiny pan! Just my thoughts.

 

[Ron W.]

Start with a smaller 8 or 10 pc set and add as needed.

TJMaxx usually has bargains on thier shop worn cookware but you need to lnow what a new item costs because some of thier stuff is the same price as can be found new elsewhere.

If you have a Bed Bath and Beyond get on thier mailing list and every month you will get a coupon for 20% off and a sale flyer that also has a $5.00 off coupon.

Sam's club usually has some sets for good prices also.

Amazon.com: Anolon Advanced 8-Piece Cookware Set: Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: Cuisinart Chef's Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 10-Piece Cookware Set: Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: Anolon Titanium Nonstick Dishwasher Safe 13-Inch, 5-1/2-Quart Covered Braiser: Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: Anolon Advanced 3-1/2-Quart Covered Straining Saucepan: Kitchen & Dining

 

[vilasman]

Let me plugin my .02 worth for my favorite shopping haunts, if you have time and dont want to get all of your kitchen items at ounce, cruise through TJ MAxx, Marshalls, Ross and they have another sister store that I can't recall right now. If you are a little patient and are willing to go through the stores maybe bi-weekly you can find a complete set of most brand name cookwares including calphalon, anolon, cusinnart, kitchen aid and some that are more high end that. You will also find butcher block cutting boards, knives and other small hand tools. I would not buy any of their cast iron. I only buy lodge, which can find in outlet stores, or you can go to the lodge outlet in georgia. Also in the outlet malls, the kitchen supply stores are great, especially around the major holidays for electrics and for pyrex.

 

[Mama]

Get the good stuff. I love my stainless steel all clad. Just remember when shopping offline that with the economy being what it is, prices are not set in stone. A lot of retailers don't want you to know that the big bosses have told the store managers that they can negotiate prices to get a sale. So learn the art of "bartering"!

 

[Oxford]

Thanks folks...

Ya'll are all wonderful!

I plan on buying a set of All Clad Stainless. My son (18) expresses a strong interest in becoming a chef and he will be living with me the next two years and cooking together could be some good F+S bonding.

I bought a set of Henckel knives and love them. I've been like Edward Scissor Hands the past few days cutting up everything in sight -- and not my fingers so far.

As far as what will I cook... well I dunno but bring it on LOL... I am recording a ton of Food Channel cooking shows so let the fun begin.

As you can tell I jump into things with a passion.

Thanks for all you help.

ox