Best Cookware in General

[emmapeel]

My essential cookware is:

1. Le Crueset non stick 7in skillet

2. All Clad 1 qt pot stainless w/lid

3. All Clad 2 qt pot stainless w/ lid

4. All Clad 3 qt pot stainless w/lid and steamer insert

5. Le Crueset 2 5/8 marmite

6. Le Crueset 8 qt stockpot

7. Le Crueset 3 1/2 qt braiser

Yes, I could go on forever, but these are the ones that are used frequently.

[fifi]

This is an interesting topic. Let me see if I can stick to the original premise of 7.

First, I am most often cooking for one so, while I have the tools to cook for a crowd, they won't show up in a "most used" list. I also don't do a lot of "fast" cooking like grilling. I am more of a slow cooking kinda gal. This list is roughly in order.

1) 2 1/2 quart oval Le Creuset (everything from beans, soups, stews and braises for one or two)

2) Calphalon Commercial Non-Stick 9" (I think) chef's pan (this is my egg pan)

3) Calphalon Windsor pan (used for reducing stock, cooking vegetables, small amounts of pasta, etc., I tend to reach for it instead of a typical sauce pan for reasons I cannot fathom)

4) Chefmate ss stock pots with heavy disc bottom, 16 and 12 quart (the 12 quart has a pasta and steamer insert)

5) Ancient cast iron skillet, external seasoning looks like black patent leather (cornbread and hashes most often)

6) Largest size Le Creuset cast iron gratin (I gratin everything in sight, I will gratin you if you stand still long enough)

7) Calphalon 8 1/2 quart saucier. (I love that pot. It was my original gumbo pot until I got the big Le Creuset. It is great for browning stuff for a braise in that it is big enough to not have to do two batches and the higher sides help with the splatter on the stove. I also use it to concentrate larger quantities of stock because it gives me the surface area I need.)

Of course, that leaves out my larger Le Creusets that I use for gumbo, stew, pot roasts and such. But, I was going for the top 7. I have my eye on that Falk Culinaire whatever, the rounded one to use for sauces and stir fry. And I am after collecting some clay pots. I have some Black Chamba on order and they will probably become prominent in my useage.

So many toys. So little time.

[Behemoth]

6) Largest size Le Creuset cast iron gratin (I gratin everything in sight, I will gratin you if you stand still long enough)

I fidget a lot, so I guess I have nothing to fear. Fifi, I would like to justify to myself that the cast iron gratins are measurably better than the porcelain baking dishes I have. (I really want one.) What say you?

Anyway, my list is similar to most people, in format if not in brand. This is what I use on a near daily basis:

1) stockpots: I use the 8 qt All clad very often, for chicken broths, and as a pasta pot. The 16qt (celebrations or something -- decent quality but not expensive) one I use not as often but essential for making beef stock.

2) 12 inch all clad MC2 frypan, (picked up at TJMaxx!)

3) all clad MC2 saucier (also TJMaxx)

4) 8 inch non-stick IKEA frypan for eggs

5) Le Crueset 5.5qt I use for almost everything else.

6) I use the 10-inch all clad MC2 for fritattas especially, and for sauteeing vegetables.

7) I guess one of the smaller stock/sauce pots (also All-Clad) for rice, potatoes, smaller quantities of pasta etc

Wishlist: I would like a 14 inch carbon steel wok. Right now I use my frying pans which works okay so long as I frantically flip things around. I don't know if I need a cast iron skillet, but I would really like a tagine. I have lots of neat clay pots from both sets of grandparents, I need to read that clay pot cookery thread so I know what to do with them. And I would like an enameled cast iron lasagne pan. And a large oval LC dutch oven to hold a leg of lamb. And and and...

Edited to add, the LC was also found at TJMaxx. Dude, its the only place in this town that carries something in between the britney look and the elastic stirrup pants & christmas sweaters. Yeah, I wish I was kidding.

Edited February 24, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[fifi]

. . . . .

I fidget a lot, so I guess I have nothing to fear. Fifi, I would like to justify to myself that the cast iron gratins are measurably better than the porcelain baking dishes I have. (I really want one.) What say you?

. . . . .

←

I got hooked on the cast iron gratin by none other than Jeffrey Steingarten. In one of his books he describes a Potatoes Dauphinoise and regales on the properties of the cast iron gratin. I took him at his word and bought one. He was absolutely right.

(Quit fidgeting. I am on the hunt. )

edit to add: More on gratins in this topic.

[emmapeel]

...and regales on the properties of the cast iron gratin. I took him at his word and bought one. He was absolutely right.

←

Fifi,

That's how I got hooked on cast iron as well...gratin! I love it. I didn't add it to my list, but I have one. Now the problem is, I have so much enameled cast iron (and of course one beautiful black old ancient pan for cornbread and such) that is is getting hard to store it all. I swear by my marmite/soup pan. I can do anything with it. And sitting in my foyer is the new Le Crueset Wok, unopened, and I can't wait to use it. It's a celebration each time a new pot comes thru the door.

[Octaveman]

Without being aware, last September, I purchased the 10-piece Emeril SS set. Not bad for my first attempt away from non-stick and into the world of SS. Now though I've slightly expanded and am not turning back.

1. Cast Iron wok from the Wok Shop

2. Staub 7.25 oval cocotte in black matte. Laminated cast iron with condensation bumpie thingies on the lid.

3. Falk 11" Frying pan. 2.5mm copper exterior, SS interior.

4. Falk 11" Sauciere (4.5 qt)

5. Falk 2 qt Fait Tout

6. Sitram 17.9 qt stock pot

The last one to pick...hmmm...

7. Rice cooker 6 cup capacity

Can't stop myself...need more....

8. Emeril sauce pan for misc heating of whatever

9. Circulon 6 qt with steamer insert.

10. Some cheapo non-stick fry pan for whatever.

Cheers,

-Bob

[Darcie B]

I am so lucky. My husband bought me a huge set of Mauviel 2.5mm copper a couple of years ago. While heavy, I love it all and use every piece. But if I had to trim my list to 7 pieces, many of them are non-Mauviel:

1. 8 qt. Tramontina tri-ply stockpot. Use to make most soups. Can also be used to make small runs of stock.

2. 10" Calphalon nonstick skillet. Have to have one nonstick pan for eggs.

3. 11 inch wide, 3 inch deep cast iron pan (grandmother's Wagner). Falls somewhere between a skillet and a Dutch oven.

4. 7 qt. Le Creuset round oven. Perfect for braises and stews.

5. 2.7 qt. Mauviel saucepan.

I could live with just those. But if I get to have two more, I choose:

6. 1.7 qt. Mauviel saucepan.

7. 12 qt. stockpot for making stock and water bath canning.

I went back and forth between my 14" carbon steel wok and the 12 qt. stockpot for the last item. I can get by with the cast iron for stir fry, though, so the large capacity of the stockpot won out.

[Behemoth]

I got hooked on the cast iron gratin by none other than Jeffrey Steingarten. In one of his books he describes a Potatoes Dauphinoise and regales on the properties of the cast iron gratin. I took him at his word and bought one. He was absolutely right.

Do you happen to remember which book? Looking at your beautiful gratin at the top of that link, I am guessing the main advantage is the cast iron browns the bottom & sides. Damn, they are expensive and they never seem to show up at TJMaxx I guess I'm off to enrich my wishlist at Amazon now...

edit: After googling, I just realized the clay pot cookery idea was not a thread, but a book Paula Wolfert is working on. <whine>but I want it now!<\whine>

Edited February 25, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[fifi]

I got hooked on the cast iron gratin by none other than Jeffrey Steingarten. In one of his books he describes a Potatoes Dauphinoise and regales on the properties of the cast iron gratin. I took him at his word and bought one. He was absolutely right.

Do you happen to remember which book? Looking at your beautiful gratin at the top of that link, I am guessing the main advantage is the cast iron browns the bottom & sides. Damn, they are expensive and they never seem to show up at TJMaxx I guess I'm off to enrich my wishlist at Amazon now...

edit: After googling, I just realized the clay pot cookery idea was not a thread, but a book Paula Wolfert is working on. <whine>but I want it now!<\whine>

←

It must be in "It Must Have Been Something I Ate." A friend has that one out on loan and it isn't in my other book. I can't tell you which essay so just look up potatoes in the index. I actually haven't been able to find the gratins. They don't show up on the LC web site, either. I have been on the hunt because I also have 4 of the individual gratins. I wish I had 2 more. I haven't checked the outlets because the closest one is a long way away but that is where I would start. Lodge has one that is the same size as the medium LC. (eGad, that green. What were they thinking? )

We heard about Paula's new book here.

[snowangel]

fifi, LC has the gratins on their web site right here. Under "roasters and other specialty equipment."

But, I couldn't find the little gratins.

[fifi]

Hmmmm . . . VERY curious! I have been using this site. They aren't the same!

OK, fifi is confused.

Although, doing Google shopping searches hasn't been fruitful either. I may have to e-mail them and get the straight skinny.

[Safran]

Hmmmm . . . VERY curious! I have been using this site. They aren't the same!

OK, fifi is confused.

Although, doing Google shopping searches hasn't been fruitful either. I may have to e-mail them and get the straight skinny.

←

fifi, Le Creuset has just revamped its website. Try again, and follow the links, you should land on the new page. And don't I know about Google shopping!

[CaliPoutine]

friday sale for amazon calphalon.

[Blondelle]

There is an article right now about gratins at the cooksillustrated.com website. They don't like cast iron gratins saying that by the time the cast iron heats, the top is already crisped, and the filling is still not cooked. Here's a quote to the article but it doesn't remain on the site long.

Gratin Article

<< I got hooked on the cast iron gratin by none other than Jeffrey Steingarten. In one of his books he describes a Potatoes Dauphinoise and regales on the properties of the cast iron gratin. I took him at his word and bought one. He was absolutely right. >>

Edited February 26, 2005 by Blondelle (log)

[fifi]

There is an article right now about gratins at the cooksillustrated.com website. They don't like cast iron gratins saying that by the time the cast iron heats, the top is already crisped, and the filling is still not cooked. Here's a quote to the article but it doesn't remain on the site long.

. . . . .

←

Well, they are just wrong! I read it pretty quickly but I didn't see a cooking temperature. Jeffrey's technique is to use 325 degrees F and put the dish in the lower part of the oven for a fairly long bake. That is what I do. For instance, the potatoes will take up to an hour and a half. If you look closely the last picture on this post you will see the crust that forms on the top and the bottom as I turned a slice over.

My eggplant recipe is similar. I have done both recipes identically at other folk's houses using Pyrex and Emile Henry. The lovely crusting of the potatoes never happens quite as luscious as in my picture in the gratin topic. The most frustrating thing is that the eggplant recipe never quite caramelizes like it does in my LC. Having had the eggplant done in both dishes (we make that a lot for pressed sandwiches for outings) I can think of five friends off hand that have now gone and gotten some brand of cast iron.

What they say about dimensions is pretty spot on, though.

edit to add: A link to the gratin topic so you can see the picture since I lost track of where I was.

Edited February 26, 2005 by fifi (log)

[cookingkf]

Noob here looking to slowly build a collection...

I recently went to look at pots/pans and salespeople were pushing copper -- they mentioned something about a more even heat dispersion.

I notice that most folks posting in this thread use SS.

Now I'm confused!

[winesonoma]

Noob here looking to slowly build a collection...

I recently went to look at pots/pans and salespeople were pushing copper -- they mentioned something about a more even heat dispersion.

I notice that most folks posting in this thread use SS.

Now I'm confused!

←

Copper lined with Stainless is the best for Fry, Saute, Saucière pans because of the heat control. But is also the most expensive. SS with Aluminum is the next best. I have a lot of both and expect it will all outlive me. SS by it self is the worst thing you could ever buy, uneven heat, prone to scorching. Nonstick is useless in my opinion except for Eggs and camping (easy clean up). But then thats me. Buy it once and buy it right. Spent a lot on junk before I learned that.

[cookingkf]

Thanks Bruce. I did the same -- bought alot of junk without knowing better.

Seems like I have alot of research ahead of me...

Noob here looking to slowly build a collection...

I recently went to look at pots/pans and salespeople were pushing copper -- they mentioned something about a more even heat dispersion.

I notice that most folks posting in this thread use SS.

Now I'm confused!

←

Copper lined with Stainless is the best for Fry, Saute, Saucière pans because of the heat control. But is also the most expensive. SS with Aluminum is the next best. I have a lot of both and expect it will all outlive me. SS by it self is the worst thing you could ever buy, uneven heat, prone to scorching. Nonstick is useless in my opinion except for Eggs and camping (easy clean up). But then thats me. Buy it once and buy it right. Spent a lot on junk before I learned that.

←

[oraklet]

hmm, let's see... most used

big old copco enameled cast iron roasting/lasagne-pan.

eva trio 9" and 11" ss./aluminium disc frying pans.

eva trio 9" sautér pan same as frying pans.

2 ikea 365 8" pots/casseroles for rice, sauce etc..

5 l. ikea 365 pot for stock, pasta etc.

but there are also two 11" cast iron grill pans, one a copco, the other a skeppshult. and there's the 11" polaris copper sautér pan (sadly with rather low sides) and ditto 9" risotto rondeau (often used for reducing). plus the two large rondeaus, one 11" eva trio and one 13" from sitram. and a skeppshult 11" cast iron skillet. and a scanpan 11" non stick frying pan. and the cheap lil' teflon crepe-pans. and the 10 l. stockpot. and...

sure, some are favourites, but it all sees a fair deal of use.

i think i'd like to have a few copper pieces more, like a frying pan or two, a reducing pan and a sauter pan with taller sides than the polaris - the 2.5 mm stuff, all of it. but the cookware i've got works quite fine.

[Shamanjoe]

I just picked up the Emeril Stainless Steel 10 piece Cookware Set from Macy's and I was wondering if anybody had used it before. The main reason we picked it up was for the pots. We just moved, and both of us have a number of frying/sauteé pans, but the only pot I have is a gigantic stock pot that is about a foot tall. In addition it came with a free Emerilware cast-iron grill pan.

I haven't used any Emerilware pieces before, but they looked very nice in the store, especially the built-in strainers on the pots. Being an avid grill enthusiast and living in Southern California where it's almost never too cold to grill, I also haven't used grill pans much before. If anyone has thoughts or has used these, please let me know.

And of course, I will update as I use the actual set.

edited: to fix the link

Edited August 9, 2010 by Shamanjoe (log)

[Stephanie Brim]

I have a couple pieces of that stuff, but not a whole set. Mine are really mismatched.

I use a small 1 quart saucier that a lot of people complained about tipping over (my stove doesn't seem to have that problem) to melt chocolate. It's, generally, the only use for that pan. The 2 quart saute pan that I bought doesn't get much use now because I tend to cook more food than for just one meal for two people. It is very good for tossing two servings of pasta in sauce, and I do use it a lot of the time to cook small amounts of sauce in.

I've had a really good experience with both pans, though. I don't have any complaints. Then again, I bought them coming from a kitchen that had no good pans...so that's something to consider. I still like them, though, even after the Calphalon I've bought since.

[David A. Goldfarb]

My father bought a set of Emerilware once to round out what was otherwise an ample collection of stuff, and I've used it a bit. It seemed okay for the price, and as he was losing strength due to a progressive neuromuscular condition, he may have been looking for something that was light weight while still being pretty good, but if I wanted stainless, I'd rather have two or three good pieces of Sitram Catering than a ten piece set of lighter cookware.