Hello, new to the forum. I'm a novice who likes to dabble in the kitchen and for 2011 I have a goal to simply cook more and spend less on takeaway.
To that end, I've been slowly replacing my 12+ year old cheap walmart stuff with some better pieces. I already have 2 Lodge cast iron skillets that have served me well for years. Nevertheless, I needed something to round out my cookware.
Having searched the internet plus doing hands on shopping, I learned a lot of things.
1. China is the haven for overpriced, possibly unsafe garbage.
2. A "celebrity chef" name does not always mean a good piece
3. You CAN find USA made cookware IF you look.
4. European cookware is very good in quality and made by workers who are not indentured servants.
To that end, I settled on 360 cookware by Americraft. While they tout the vaporware cooking system, I was more interested in a solid piece that would serve me for the rest of my life. I started with 2 saucepans a 1 quart and 2 quart. I liked them so much I ordered up a 11.5 fry pan and a 3 quart saucepan.
The handles are probably the nicest I have found. All-clad lost by a small margin solely on their handle design. In spite of what cooks country says, I did not find them comfortable at all nor did they lend any confidence.
360 is USA made, yes, even the metal. It is pure stainless over an aluminum core. It is oven safe to 400 and dishwasher safe. Expensive? Yes, but the quality will remain long after the price is forgotten.
I do have one All-clad piece, a large baking sheet that is very sturdy and turns out evenly browned cookies and biscuits.
I also ditched the non stick loaf pans and have the Rada stoneware pans that do marvelous for meatloaf and like the 360 cookware, it is dishwasher safe.
Well that's it for about me and what I like. I hope to learn more from other users on this forum. I'm always open to new ideas.
For the record, I am not at all opposed to French, German, Danish, or Italian cookware. I am not a right wing tea partier living the 50's fantasy where everything is US made. Rather, I seek good quality products produced in safe, humane facilities, be they domestic or from Europe. I have refused, do refuse, and will continue to refuse to buy any scrap of cookware, tableware, dinnerware, or flatware from China.
To that end, I've been slowly replacing my 12+ year old cheap walmart stuff with some better pieces. I already have 2 Lodge cast iron skillets that have served me well for years. Nevertheless, I needed something to round out my cookware.
Having searched the internet plus doing hands on shopping, I learned a lot of things.
1. China is the haven for overpriced, possibly unsafe garbage.
2. A "celebrity chef" name does not always mean a good piece
3. You CAN find USA made cookware IF you look.
4. European cookware is very good in quality and made by workers who are not indentured servants.
To that end, I settled on 360 cookware by Americraft. While they tout the vaporware cooking system, I was more interested in a solid piece that would serve me for the rest of my life. I started with 2 saucepans a 1 quart and 2 quart. I liked them so much I ordered up a 11.5 fry pan and a 3 quart saucepan.
The handles are probably the nicest I have found. All-clad lost by a small margin solely on their handle design. In spite of what cooks country says, I did not find them comfortable at all nor did they lend any confidence.
360 is USA made, yes, even the metal. It is pure stainless over an aluminum core. It is oven safe to 400 and dishwasher safe. Expensive? Yes, but the quality will remain long after the price is forgotten.
I do have one All-clad piece, a large baking sheet that is very sturdy and turns out evenly browned cookies and biscuits.
I also ditched the non stick loaf pans and have the Rada stoneware pans that do marvelous for meatloaf and like the 360 cookware, it is dishwasher safe.
Well that's it for about me and what I like. I hope to learn more from other users on this forum. I'm always open to new ideas.
For the record, I am not at all opposed to French, German, Danish, or Italian cookware. I am not a right wing tea partier living the 50's fantasy where everything is US made. Rather, I seek good quality products produced in safe, humane facilities, be they domestic or from Europe. I have refused, do refuse, and will continue to refuse to buy any scrap of cookware, tableware, dinnerware, or flatware from China.
