Stainless Steel pans
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CraigC
Master Chef
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- Jan 27, 2011
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I'm of the mind, now being older, hopefully wiser, to purchase good quality for a life time rather than replacing cookware every few years. I have also found that quality and performance go hand in hand. When it comes to stainless, we purchase All-Clad.
Welcome to DC!
Welcome to DC!
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
There are different type of SS cookware. I recommend pans that either have an encapsulated disk on the bottom or are tri-ply with aluminum. They work much better to distribute heat evenly and prevent scorching. My preference between the two is try-ply. You can find try-ply Spans in a number of different brands from very expensive to more reasonable.
You don't really need a set. Buy individual pots and pans that you use frequently rather than a set. While the price of the set is discounted, you also end up with one or two pieces you really don't need.
You don't really need a set. Buy individual pots and pans that you use frequently rather than a set. While the price of the set is discounted, you also end up with one or two pieces you really don't need.
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
I would go with a set of Revere or piece together a collection of the older heavier Revere ware from estate sales, thrift shops, garage sales etc...
http://www.amazon.com/Revere-1400-L...iveASIN=B00005B5ZA&linkCode=xm2&tag=c99-gd-20
http://www.amazon.com/Revere-1400-L...iveASIN=B00005B5ZA&linkCode=xm2&tag=c99-gd-20
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
I am in the buy the highest quality you can afford camp. I have Lecreuset enamel pans. I've had them for 35+ years. I also have SS pans and Ci pans. You don't need a set. You need what you will use. I scour the thrift stores for add ons. Know the brands and only look for those. Welcome to DC.
tenspeed
Executive Chef
All Clad is not inexpensive. Neither is LeCreuset. Here's Seriouseats take on SS cookware:
Equipment: The All-Clad vs. Tramontina Skillet Showdown | Serious Eats
I'm in the "buy what you need" camp, and not a fan of sets.
Equipment: The All-Clad vs. Tramontina Skillet Showdown | Serious Eats
I'm in the "buy what you need" camp, and not a fan of sets.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Calphalon is also a good brand of tri-ply stainless steel at a reasonable price. And I agree that you should just buy the pieces you use. DH bought me my set of Calphalon for Christmas years ago and I rarely use the small skillet.
Of course, I might use it for toasting spices if I didn't already have a small cast iron skillet.
Of course, I might use it for toasting spices if I didn't already have a small cast iron skillet.
If you can afford it buy '316L' SS cookware. Here's some good reading. Check out the 'comments'.Stainless Steel: All About Food Grade 304, 18/8 and 18/10 | MightyNest I found a 316L small fry pan in a thrift store a few years ago. As long as I keep the heat down and the pan has been seasoned with salt/oil once in awhile it's a non-stick deam to use.
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jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
Look for some pieces of All Clad at the Cookware and More website.
No one needs a "set" determined by the manufacturer. Buy the pieces you will use.
No one needs a "set" determined by the manufacturer. Buy the pieces you will use.
tenspeed
Executive Chef
It’s hit or miss, but the off-price retailers (Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc.) sometimes have decent quality cookware at good prices. I picked up a Lenox tri-ply stockpot for about half the price that BB&B sells it for (and waaay less than an All Clad), and I’m pretty happy with it. All Clad has blemished products on sale once or twice a year (through homeandcooksales.com), but still awfully expensive.
Every once in a while, Bed, Bath and Beyond will send coupons for % off a piece or your whole purchase. Usually the better brands are excluded but once in a while they aren't. Get the best you can afford of what you actually NEED right now and then watch for those coupons (other stores too) and sales.
We all get what we pay for.
If you're just starting to cook you'll find the experience WAY more easy if you cook on quality pots and pans.
The primary thing to remember about cooking with SS is to keep the heat down. Nothing will mess up food faster than a SS pot pan that's too hot.
We have a really good quality SS small fry pan. My wife likes to fry her two eggs a day in it. She scorches the bottom of the eggs/pan every day!
She WILL NOT listen to me!
"Turn the stove on to no more than setting #2. Add a little butter. Wait until the butter stops bubbling. Then put in the eggs. Put the lid on and in a minute you'll have perfect sunny side up eggs which will slide off the pan with no sticking" Nope. The pan goes onto the stove setting # 10. Everyday burnt eggs sticky pan.
If you're just starting to cook you'll find the experience WAY more easy if you cook on quality pots and pans.
The primary thing to remember about cooking with SS is to keep the heat down. Nothing will mess up food faster than a SS pot pan that's too hot.
We have a really good quality SS small fry pan. My wife likes to fry her two eggs a day in it. She scorches the bottom of the eggs/pan every day!
She WILL NOT listen to me!
"Turn the stove on to no more than setting #2. Add a little butter. Wait until the butter stops bubbling. Then put in the eggs. Put the lid on and in a minute you'll have perfect sunny side up eggs which will slide off the pan with no sticking" Nope. The pan goes onto the stove setting # 10. Everyday burnt eggs sticky pan.
RPCookin
Executive Chef
To expand on this, if you need a sear, you don't have to crank it to 10 either. Medium (about 5 or 6 on mine - at most 7) will get the pan and the oil plenty hot enough for a sear without burning it while you wait for it to release.
Bigjim68
Head Chef
Although I don't own them, I'm impressed with the quality of Costco's set for the bucks. I'd give them a look.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I bought a Costco set of tri-ply SS 15 years ago and they are terrific. Still going strong and like new.
Thanx everyone for your advice. I don't have a membership to Costco, but will keep looking. I see a lot of SS, but they have nonstick coatings. Teflon and other coatings. They're not good in the long run. They'll begin to peel after years of use & it ends up in your food & if your pan happens to get too hot, it gives off toxic fumes... no thanx. There are some good nonstick coatings that don't peel, it's just something I don't want in my pans anymore.
Like I said, I'll keep looking & thanx again!
Like I said, I'll keep looking & thanx again!
Steve Kroll
Wine Guy
First of all, I know this thread is several months old. I'm just adding my couple cents to the mix because I've been purchasing new pans lately.
When my wife and I split earlier this year, she got most of the cookware - with the exception of some of the Le Creuset pieces and a cast iron pan that belonged to my dad. The irony is that she rarely cooks, but that was how it worked out. So I found myself in the position of having to shop for some new cookware. I'm happy to say that I now have a small, but nice, assortment that also includes carbon steel and some traditional French copper pieces.
I've also been buying some stainless steel. Although I consider myself a better-than-average cook, I never used SS much before. This probably goes back to my bachelor days where I had a cheap SS piece that was a pain to use and clean. But after doing some research, I decided to try it again. I'm glad I did.
I was almost sold on All-Clad. It's got a great reputation and is built to last. It's become the standard bearer of sorts for quality cookware. But the one thing I HATE about All-Clad is the handle design. Really. Those handles are awful. If you're not familiar, imagine a long, slippery, stainless steel celery stalk. That's essentially what it is. I'm no weakling, but the silly handle design is uncomfortable and makes a chore out of maneuvering a heavy pan full of food. So that was why I decided against it.
I've instead been purchasing Le Creuset Tri-Ply stainless pieces. What's that, you say? LC makes SS? Yeah, that's what I said, too. I now have 9.5 and 11-inch skillets. Both have comfortable handles, as well as convenient helper handles on the front. They're well designed and solid. I absolutely LOVE these pans and use them almost daily. LC isn't normally cheap, but I picked up both pieces, as well as a lid for the smaller pan, at a nearby outlet mall for about $160 (40-50% off suggested retail). I'll probably go back and get a saute pan this weekend.
I also agree what others have said about avoiding sets. The problem with sets, in addition to ending up with pieces you don't use, is that you usually get all of the same type of pan. Some people like that. I personally would rather have some diversity in my cookware, because different materials work better for different tasks. For example, I love the copper pieces because copper has great thermal conductivity, meaning that if I turn the temp up or down, the pan responds almost instantly. You know those recipes that have instructions that say "Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer?" That's the type of thing copper does well. It's great for stews. But I wouldn't use it for searing a piece of meat. That's what I use the carbon steel pan for. And while you certainly could, I don't think the carbon steel pan is the best choice for making an omelet. I like the stainless pan for that.
So my suggestion is to buy the pieces you need and buy good quality, so you don't have to buy new cookware every couple of years.
When my wife and I split earlier this year, she got most of the cookware - with the exception of some of the Le Creuset pieces and a cast iron pan that belonged to my dad. The irony is that she rarely cooks, but that was how it worked out. So I found myself in the position of having to shop for some new cookware. I'm happy to say that I now have a small, but nice, assortment that also includes carbon steel and some traditional French copper pieces.
I've also been buying some stainless steel. Although I consider myself a better-than-average cook, I never used SS much before. This probably goes back to my bachelor days where I had a cheap SS piece that was a pain to use and clean. But after doing some research, I decided to try it again. I'm glad I did.
I was almost sold on All-Clad. It's got a great reputation and is built to last. It's become the standard bearer of sorts for quality cookware. But the one thing I HATE about All-Clad is the handle design. Really. Those handles are awful. If you're not familiar, imagine a long, slippery, stainless steel celery stalk. That's essentially what it is. I'm no weakling, but the silly handle design is uncomfortable and makes a chore out of maneuvering a heavy pan full of food. So that was why I decided against it.
I've instead been purchasing Le Creuset Tri-Ply stainless pieces. What's that, you say? LC makes SS? Yeah, that's what I said, too. I now have 9.5 and 11-inch skillets. Both have comfortable handles, as well as convenient helper handles on the front. They're well designed and solid. I absolutely LOVE these pans and use them almost daily. LC isn't normally cheap, but I picked up both pieces, as well as a lid for the smaller pan, at a nearby outlet mall for about $160 (40-50% off suggested retail). I'll probably go back and get a saute pan this weekend.
I also agree what others have said about avoiding sets. The problem with sets, in addition to ending up with pieces you don't use, is that you usually get all of the same type of pan. Some people like that. I personally would rather have some diversity in my cookware, because different materials work better for different tasks. For example, I love the copper pieces because copper has great thermal conductivity, meaning that if I turn the temp up or down, the pan responds almost instantly. You know those recipes that have instructions that say "Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer?" That's the type of thing copper does well. It's great for stews. But I wouldn't use it for searing a piece of meat. That's what I use the carbon steel pan for. And while you certainly could, I don't think the carbon steel pan is the best choice for making an omelet. I like the stainless pan for that.
So my suggestion is to buy the pieces you need and buy good quality, so you don't have to buy new cookware every couple of years.
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Oki here is my 2 öre ( I'm Swedish we dont have cents nor öre either) but anyway IKEAS stainless steal is worth its money.
The IKEA 365+ Sauté pan with lid, is the best I have had and good value for money. I dont have 100 dollars to spend on a pan so this is affordable and durable, better then the two high end ones I have.
Yes one lost it handle after 6 month, the bolts rusted off and the other one I lost in a divorce but that one burned every thing on the left side, didnt matter what stove I used.
The IKEA 365+ Sauté pan with lid, is the best I have had and good value for money. I dont have 100 dollars to spend on a pan so this is affordable and durable, better then the two high end ones I have.
Yes one lost it handle after 6 month, the bolts rusted off and the other one I lost in a divorce but that one burned every thing on the left side, didnt matter what stove I used.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
I have had my Revere Ware for more than 30 years. Unfortunately I also received a RW sauce pan with the double boiler that I have never used.
Today when I am looking for a pan, I usually go to Crueset. (SP?)
Welcome to DC Do stick around. This is a fun place. Full of information and laughs.
Cheryl J
Chef Extraordinaire
I have had my Revere Ware for more than 30 years. Unfortunately I also received a RW sauce pan with the double boiler that I have never used.
Today when I am looking for a pan, I usually go to Crueset. (SP?)
Welcome to DC Do stick around. This is a fun place. Full of information and laughs.
Addie, I'm really surprised that you shop Le Creuset when you're looking for a new pan/skillet, with your arthritis and limited budget. Some are stainless but many are cast iron - they're very spendy and you're paying for the name. How do you like them?
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