Please help me decide.

[chriscummings83]

I'm a health nut, Noo Teflon.

I have a old set of Hard Anodized, and I have used SS. My problem is everything stuck to the SS and very very hard to clean.

I want the safest healtiest cleaning cookware. I tried to fry a grilled cheese (yes not healthy) but the bread stuck to the pan even after using butter.

Is there a way to use SS without it sticking so much, or should I stick with hard anodized?

Help please.

 

[GB]

First off, welcome to the site.

There is nothing unhealthy about teflon as long as it is used properly. That just means you can't heat it to extreme temps. You would have to actually try to heat to extreme temps as normal cooking would not accomplish that. Teflon is a great and safe way to cook and not have things stick.

The food was sticking to your SS because of a few possible reasons.

1. The heat was not high enough.
2. You did not use enough fat.
3. You played with the food while it was in the pan instead of letting it it cook undisturbed for a while. Initially food will stick, but given some undisturbed cooking time it will release. If you play with it before it releases then you have food stuck to the pan.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi, Chris. For grilled cheese, I'd use a cast-iron skillet. To use SS, make sure the pan is heated, but not too hot. I butter the bread, then put the buttered side down, add cheese and the top piece of bread, buttered side up. When it's browned, it should release easily. Flip over, brown and serve.

To clean SS, when browning meats in it, use the browned bits on the bottom of the pan to create a delicious pan sauce; search this forum for lots of advice on how to do that. You basically add liquid, bring to a boil, and scrape up the browned bits; they'll release easily. If you don't want a pan sauce, you can clean the pan the same way - boil some water in it and, when it starts to boil, scrape it with a wooden spatula to release the browned bits, then wash by hand or put in the dishwasher. HTH.

 

[chriscummings83]

I am looking at the cookware at samsclub. I am 25 and don't have a lot of money. I was looking in the $100 - $150 range.

Its the SS model. It says it is try ply?

 

[PanchoHambre]

Chris... welcome.

While there is a lot of super expensive fancy cookware out there you dont need to spend ton of cash to have a serviceable kitchen.

I would pick up a piece of two and try it out... learn how to use it and see if you like it before you get a set. Just make sure if you go with stainless it is either multiclad or has a heavy disk bottom. You might look at your local restaurant supply store for reasonable priced heavy duty versions of either which you can buy by the piece.. .or at a discounter like TJ Maxx or Ross

I would also look beyond SS and anodized and pick up both an enamel cast iron pot (probably a medium size dutch oven 4-5 qt) and a good quality cast iron skillet (probably 10-12 inches so sizes 8-10 will do) You can find both of these inexpensively either new at discount at a stores like I mentioned before or target or wal-mart or on ebay. For the skillet my personal choice would be to buy either a vintage American made skillet (they don't make em like they used to) or a new Lodge. Pretty much anything else is of questionable quality. This should not cost you more than $20 and possibly alot less. Once you get it seasoned well it will be an invaluable addition to your kitchen.

These two items will help compliment your other cookware be is SS or anodized and help you out with alot of different cooking techniques.

 

[PieSusan]

Welcome to DC, Chris. You have your answers and they are all good ones. I just wanted to say, "hi!"

 

[ChefJune]

Welcome to DC, Chris!

For someone with a limited budget, I think you get your best qpr by going to a restaurant supply store. Yes, you don't have to be in the business to shop there. To determine what pieces you will need, I suggest two things: 1. make a list of what you like to cook and what pots/pans you would need to do those things; 2. take a look at a site that lists basics for a new bride. That usually covers the basic items like a stock/pasta pot, a couple basic sauce pans and skillet/sauté pans and the like.

As to the sturdiness of restaurant quality cookware here's a personal story! Back in 1981 when I started my catering business I purchased a 16-quart stock pot at a local restaurant supply store. This is 2009, and I am still using that pot on a regular basis for not only stock and large amounts of pasta, but also crowd-feeders like chili and red beans and rice.

 

[chriscummings83]

Ok so now I am lost, I have seen the Castiron non stick enamal. What is that?

I have used SS before and alot of things stuck to it. I kinda want something that does all purpose. If that means buying the wulf gang puck SS tri-ply, from Sams club and then going out and buying one 12" hard anodized pan non stick, so things like chicken and bread, eggs, won't stick.

Can someone help me as in, yes chris those at sams are great, or your best bang for your buck is Tj maxx or ross, this set and then you might want to buy here and there this stuff.

I have a Wulfgang Puck Griddle/smooth surface electric grill. Non stick.

 

[ChefJune]

Can someone help me as in, yes chris those at sams are great, or your best bang for your buck is Tj maxx or ross, this set and then you might want to buy here and there this stuff.
.

In the post directly above the quote above, I posted this:

I think you get your best qpr by going to a restaurant supply store.

Best value is never to go with a product with a famous person's name attached to it, imho. There is always money in it for the one whose name is attached. Why should you support him/her?

Enameled cast iron -- as in Le Creuset -- is excellent for slow cooking. However, the best of these are quite expensive, and until you are ready to do this type of cooking, unnecessary. Most of the folks I know who have Le Creuset got it as a wedding present.

In the end, you are going to buy what YOU want. So tell us what you are going to do with the cookware, and we can better advise you what we think works best for your specific needs.

 

[chriscummings83]

That is fair to ask, lol I am a very picky eater. This is a quick list of what I make. Also I don't want to have to spend 1 hour a night trying to make my cookware shine so people coming over to eat look at it and say , gross

My list of what I cook.

Soups, chili, taco soup, and can soup
Spaghetti
Chicken (grilled, Japanese chicken Teriyki) can't spell that one lol
Rice
Broccoli
gravy
grilled cheese
steak maybe
hamburgers

I think that is about it. I know that probably anything will work.
I just want to get something that is very easy to clean and I don't have to use the dishwasher. I just kinda remember with the SS it had burnt or spots where food was browned and left in there.

 

[GotGarlic]

If you follow the procedure I mentioned above, you'll spend 5 minutes tops cleaning your SS cookware: boil some water in it, scrape up the browned bits, scrub with a soapy sponge, rinse and you're done. But those browned bits have a lot of flavor in them (the French call it fond), so consider learning how to make gravy or pan sauce from that rather than just throwing it away.

I've been collecting cookware for a long time now; I have enameled cast iron, raw cast iron, stainless steel and one non-stick pan I only use for eggs. I use raw cast iron for hamburgers, steaks and grilled cheese; SS for sauteeing, browning and making pan sauce; and enameled cast iron for braising, baking, soups and stews. I also have SS saucepans for making smaller batches of soups and sauces, such as spaghetti, and aluminum baking sheets for roasting, baking, etc.

When you choose the right tool for the right job and learn how to use it the right way, it all works out fine

 

[PanchoHambre]

When you choose the right tool for the right job and learn how to use it the right way, it all works out fine

hey Chris I think G.G. is making the point here. No one type of cookware is all purpose (if they claim to be it is marketing not reality) different pans do different jobs better. This is why buying a variety of cookware rather than a set will ultimately serve you best. Any set of all one type will end up disappointing at one task or another.

I have a lot of cookware... ss, copper, enameled cast iron, raw cast iron, glass, stoneware. All of it at least reasonable quality some of it very good. 2 things I did not do were spend a lot of money or buy it all at once. I bought as needed to make things I wanted to make and always looked for deals.

From your list

Steak and hamburgers and grilled chicken are a natural for a Cast Iron skillet or grill pan... non stick or even SS or anodized will not do this as well. Get your skillet well seasoned and it will require virtually no cleaning after a quick grill

Spaghetti... pretty much any stock pot can boil water your choice here... but for making rich thick spaghetti sauce you want either a enameled Cast Iron or a Heavy SS saucepan that will allow you to heat evenly for long periods of time and not react with the acidity of tomatoes. For a quick fresh tomato sauce a SS saute pan will work great.

Rice... I use a rice cooker because It is one of the things I tend to ruin but a good quality saucepan will work... here you might want to go with non-stick.

Gravy if you are making your own you want a bit of sticking so you can deglaze the fond this is what makes it tasty... a good SS or anodized will work as will a well seasoned raw or enameled CI skillet. Non stick not the best for gravy

Teriaki chicken... my choice would be enameled-CI or SS and soak the thing but this may be another place where you choose Non Stick

 

[ChefJune]

Pancho, you did a great job of breaking it down for OP!
Chris, important things to remember when cleaning your cookware:
1. never put stainless steel or cast iron into the dishwasher. If you get restaurant grade aluminum, you can use the dishwasher, but not for anything else.
2. Put some dish soap and water into the pan soon after you are finished cooking (not when it's still steaming, tho). You will find there will be less sticking. Get yourself one of those plastic scrubbies (Dobie Pad is one brand) for removing stubborn stickers.
3. Never use steel wool on good cookware. It will scratch it and then everything will stick.

 

[HMGgal]

I have a nice SS pan and after I scrape up all the nice gooey bits for pan sauces, it can be discolored for me. I use a paste of baking soda and a sponge and it shines it up like new. If that is a bad idea, anyone feel free to let me know in case I'm doing damage to the pan.

 

[ChefJune]

I have a nice SS pan and after I scrape up all the nice gooey bits for pan sauces, it can be discolored for me. I use a paste of baking soda and a sponge and it shines it up like new. If that is a bad idea, anyone feel free to let me know in case I'm doing damage to the pan.

You've got it exactly right!

 

[Laurel]

My SS tri-ply calphalon pan is very difficult to keep clean, even if I do something simple like make a sauce in it, that should not leave any residue, it does. After EVERY use, I have to scrub it out with barkeepers friend or my ceramic range cleaner + the scrubby side of a sponge to remove the dull residue from it. It doesn't go in the dishwasher for this reason, which is ridiculous.

 

[sparrowgrass]

I put my ss in the dishwasher all the time, and have never noticed a problem.

 

[ChefJune]

I put my ss in the dishwasher all the time, and have never noticed a problem.

You're lucky. If you read the leaflet/brochure that came with your cookware, I'm almost certain it advises against that.

 

[Bigjim68]

IMO, one of the major reasons for food sticking to the pan is hot spots, which generally indicate a lightweight pan. I have not seen the cookware at Sams, but have looked at Costco's. It seemed to me to be of a reasonable quality for the price. I definitely would buy a couple of pieces and add when desired. Get cookware with metal handles. They will go from the stovetop to the oven.

 

[Ross11]

Teflon

"There is nothing unhealthy about teflon as long as it is used properly. That just means you can't heat it to extreme temps. You would have to actually try to heat to extreme temps as normal cooking would not accomplish that. Teflon is a great and safe way to cook and not have things stick."

GB hit the nail on the head with his post.
Thanks for writing so positively about Teflon - I have to admit, speaking on behalf of DuPont, it's good to see people speaking out about the misconceptions associated with Teflon.
Cooks in more than 40 countries around the world have purchased and used billions of pots and pans with DuPont non-stick coatings and The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found that DuPont non-stick coatings for cookware are acceptable for conventional kitchen use.

If anyone is interested in more information, or just some great recipes, check out http://www.teflon.com