Advice on possible stainless purchase

[Kat]

I have just recently started completely replacing my old, beat to death teflon walmart pots and pans when my boyfriend and I moved into a house that has a functional kitchen compared to an apartment. On a whim i checked the clearance shelf at Bed Bath and Beyond and stumbled on a couple of Calphalon One Hard Anodized pans, a shallow sauce pan and a saute pan, for a great price. I tried them and they are working so well for me that I found several other pans on sale that I bought.
Okay, onto the point. I am wondering if I should buy some 3-ply stainless items as well. I am no gourmet cook, but I like to do more than canned/boxed food caseroles (bought a gourmet cookbook that i've had some good meals with). Since I am just learning and have been having good luck with the hard anodized, am I going to confuse myself by having many different types of cookware, and what is best for cooking what. I will try to cook just about anything. Any advice would be nice, or a point in the direction of some resources. Thanks much.

Katie

 

[urmaniac13]

Welcome to the forum, Kat!!
There are many discussions on stainless steel cookware with lots of useful infos here...
This is the latest, do search on the forum also with "SS", a short form of stainless seel a term often used by many members here.
I must confess I am not the expert, but I am also finding out all the good things about this type of cookware lately.
There ARE many who can tell you so much about cookwares here, also if you are learning about cooking in general, we are all here to help each other...so keep the questions coming!!

 

[jennyema]

The C one stuff is supposd to be very good ... and if you like it .... and if you got it for a good price (always key) then I wouldn't worry too much about whether or not to try SS.

What I might suggest is to keep your eyes peeled for a sale, just like you did for the BBand B sale on Calphalon. If you see some good quality SS (do not buy the cheap quality stuff, as your C One is way better) on sale for cheap, then you might want to consider buying a saute pan or skillet to try out. I suggest those pieces because I don't think you'll find a lot of difference between a C One and SS sauce pan.

IMO you'll assemble a better set of cookware by doing exactly what you are doing: buying pieces that you will really use when they are on sale. Don't be afraid to mix and match.

 

[silentmeow]

Kat..I have always used Revere SS. I have my Mom's set and some of my Grandma's pans, (same with their cast iron). My Mom was a WWII nurse and she always told me that SS is the best as it can be sterilized and will not scratch through to another metallic surface. Of course that was in the day when medical instruments were all autoclaved! It's hard to say but picking up pieces when you see them on sale sounds great. I never seem to have enough of the small sauce pans! Just went down to cooking for two, what an adjustment. My motto now is if cooking for four use pans with two handles, if cooking for two use pans with one handle! We ate goulash for a week one time, ugh. Good luck in your pan hunting.

 

[mudbug]

Kat, I found a wonderful Cal SS saucier pan on the clearance shelf at BB&B and it is rapidly becoming my favorite pan to use.

Less than 50 bucks and came with a glass lid.

 

[AndreainDC]

I have a variety of 3-ply ss, which I love. I got a bunch of my pieces at Bed Bath & Beyond one by one. They have great 20% off coupons in the mail, which you probably get. At the store where I have shopped in MD, these never expire despite having expiration dates. So hang on to them - you may be able to use them indefinitely to buy pieces even when they're not on sale. And you can use up to 5 coupons in one purchase (one per each item).

 

[avsfan]

Hi! I, too, would like some advice on purchasing SS. I have read most of the 10 posts on this page, and the information has been helpful.

I currently use a set of Farberware SS pots that I bought 7 years ago. I love them. It has a 12" (I think) skillet with it, and I NEED a smaller one!!

I also have 2 skillets (different brands, I don't know them) made of teflon stuff, and I really want to get away from using them. I want to stay away from Teflon and aluminum, so SS seems to be the best way to go, as I already like it.

I have been looking and looking for an 8" skillet WITH A LID, that is reasonably priced. Size, price, and lid, and it isn't happening!! A mall nearby me is having a going-out-of-business sale on all their cookware, so I'm keeping my eyes open. I saw one set today, but it didn't have the covered aluminum bottom (is this what tri-coating is? SS, aluminum, copper maybe, SS?) Has anyone cooked with just plain SS pans?

I don't want to pay more than $200, so maybe that Kitchen-Aid set at Target would be best--IF it has a small fryer WITH a lid!!!

Any advice? I kind of shop by the motto "Buy cheap, buy twice" but I also have a set that has lots of life in it, so I don't think I need another whole set... (BB&B is a good idea, but it's not very close...)

thanks for your help!

 

[Michelemarie]

I did some research on ss pans - there is alot of good information on this site, too.

I received a set as a gift from Costco - 5-play with copper. I don't know if you have a Costco near you - but the Kirkland brand has proven itself to me - I hear it is comparable to All Clad - at a fraction of the cost - works great for me. I also heard that Sam's Club brand - Makers Mark - is very good too - made in Italy - the good thing is they both have lifetime warranties.

I agree - keep your eye out for sales - in all stores - especially BBB because their coupons are great - I don't know if you have TJ Maxx, but I have found some great pans there too.

Good luck! (oh, and welcome!)

 

[Corey123]

I've now completed all of my Emerilware Stainless Steel Cokware.

Starting with the 10-pc. stainless steel set, I've added several matching open stock pieces to it, and it is now a whopping 24-piece set!!!

I threw out just about every Teflon-coated pot & pan that's old, peeling and dull. All but two things that are non-stick-coated - a 4-qt. enameled oval
dutch oven w/ cover and a 14-inch resaurant-style aluminum skillet!!

The set is complete and I'm so glad!!


~Corey123.