Hard-Anodized, Stainless Steel, Non stick...

[jennobrn01]

Help!

When we married 5 years ago we bought the cheapest T-fal cookware found at Wal-Mart. Now the non-stick is peeling and I need new cookware asap!

After doing research on Amazon and Epinions I am still befuddled. So I come to the great DIS. I would like a 10-12 piece set for around $200.00.

Stainless steel is the type I am leaning toward, but I am worried that my food will stick. 95% of my meals are cooked at home from scratch ... so I need something that will be durable, low maintence ... for around $200.

I would love to hear your recommendations! Thanks so much!

 

[swilshire]

Love my Calphalon. Actually got most of it at a yard sale, but am always on the prowl for more pieces at a good sale price.

Sheila

 

[java]

Honestly I wouldn't buy a non-stick set. I think I would go with Hard annodized(sorry on the spelling) for the set and then add a few non-stick pieces.(I have Calphalon HA- for 16 years!! Time for some new pieces- really just my 12 inch skillet needs to be replaced- everything else is great. Goes right into the oven which I love. I cook often and love to do browning on the stove then into the oven to finish cooking. And on the non-stick I actually bought some stuff from QVC as a today special value- it was Cooks Essentials- hard coat enamel-non-stick 3 piece set- a grill pan a huge skillet and a 9 inch fry pan- for $35! and they are great(but they don't go in the oven(actually I think they can up to 350 but I don't feel comfortable putting them into my oven) But these are metal friendly! I have used my stainless spoons on it - no scratches. I use the skillet almost every morning for pancakes. So I think of my non- stick as more "replacable" kind of pieces- I wouldn't spend a fortune on them. But on the stock pots, the deep fry pans, a skillet even.

 

[budbeerlady]

I love my Faberware Millenium 18/10 stainless steel : Brushed 18/10 stainless graduates to a gleaming shine at the top edge of the pan, creating up-to-the-minute style for the contemporary kitchen. Satin finish lids top off tri-ply clad construction, allowing heat distribution throughout the entire pan. Individually cast handles are securely riveted, and with their hollow core, effectively resist heat on the stovetop.

http://www.farberware.com/cookware.asp?hm=Y&ct=N&anw=N The Omlette pan (12inch) could be used on any intruder, that thing is heavy! I love it. My Dh ruins non-stick pans so I switched to the stainless. (And with all the health info lately I dont use non-stick anything) They clean easily in the dishwasher, heat evenly on my flattop stove and look good on my pot rack.

 

[DsnyDrmr]

I love my hard annodized Cook's Essentials set from QVC--nothing ever sticks and they clean up great!

 

[DisneyArk]

We've been married for 15 years and have gone through at least 4 sets of nonstick cookware. So I can relate to your problem and I would suggest the hard annodized type.

At Christmas we purchased stainless steel cookware (Emeril's set). Yes, everything sticks (even when I use oil). Just making scrambled eggs makes a huge mess. The good news is that I can easily clean the pan with SOS pads, but I don't like the way the food looks after it has stuck. Plus I've burned quite a few things that never burned with the nonstick pans.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

[disneysteve]

We have Calphalon tri-ply stainless. The only thing I won't cook on it is eggs. We keep one non-stick pan for that. Everything else comes out just fine.

However, our set was $350 so more than you were looking to spend. But depending on what pieces you need, you could be closer to $200. We got a pretty complete set.

 

[We4mickey]

Another vote for Cooks Essentials from QVC. They have several different sets. I have had mine for 4 years and it cooks and cleans like nothing else I have ever had. All my relatives have it now as well. We all love it.

 

[jennobrn01]

Thanks everyone! I looked at the Farberware Millenium ... I too have a flat cooktop stove. I will also check out QVC. I've never had a complaint with the products I have bought through them.

Off to look some more...

 

[neatokimmo]

I would go to Amazon.com and buy one their Calphalon hard annodized pieces just to try out. I ended up loving mine and I pick up pieces here and there when they get clearanced out for $20-30 each.

Kim

 

[grlpwrd]

Well, anything is better than non stick/Teflon.

I use a variety of pots and pans: stainless steel set I inherited from my grandmother, Calphalon, cast iron (especially for eggs), old enamelware, and Creuset.

 

[faith]

My cookware is a mess too. Here's a tip I heard on tv from Rachel Ray. She said instead of buying a huge set of cookware, invest in a couple of sauce pan sizes, and one big, deep skillet with a lid. She suggested a skillet about 4 or 5 inches deep. You can still fry in it and also use it for stews, chilli, etc. I've been shopping around, and will probably go with that idea. Especially good for my kitchen with not a lot of cupboards. Good luck on choosing.

 

[hezreck]

Here's another vote for Cook's Essentials from QVC. I have the stainless series with the glass lids, but my Mom has the Stainless 500 series that can go in the oven up to 500 degrees. Both are great cookware! They also make bakeware sets that are awesome! I'll NEVER buy any other brand!

 

[ajwomic]

I am curious why so many of you like stainless. I have only had nonstick and adonized, but what is better about stainless. And I too cook every night.
Thnaks!
Alicia

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I am curious why so many of you like stainless. Alicia

Simply put, good quality stainless lasts forever. The same is true for good quality cast iron (plus it adds beneficial iron to the food). Other pots just don't stand up over time. Buy an All-Clad pan, and you'll never need to replace it. I have minimal problems with sticking foods.

At our wedding, we were given an anodized pot. Within a few months it was ruined, because the pot got too hot. I will never go for this type of pot again. I was given a second one later, and the same thing happened. I should say, we have a gas cooktop. Probably with an electric stove it would be easier to prevent this.

I never bought a "complete" set either, before I was married, I was given a old style, copper bottom Farberware pot, which I still use.

Otherwise, we bought the BEST pans of all - All-Clad! My pans are stainless, but I rarely have a problem with food sticking. I can even make scrambled eggs, usually without a major sticking problem. The other BIG plus, is that I can make almost anything in these pans, because they have metal handles!
they go from then stove to the oven and back again - no problem!


One trick is to NOT use a brillo pad on your pots. Brillo pads scour off all the good 'seasoning' of your pan. When you get a new pan, you first season it, by heating it when it's empty. After that, use some grease when cooking (a little Pam is all that you need, so that adds minimal calories.) When you are done cooking - especially a protein like eggs - immediately run the pan under a little bit of COLD water. This causes the protein to release from the pan. I use the spatula to further loosen particles, and beyond that, I use my fingers, and beyond that I use a little brush (like a vegetable brush) or if you really prefer a sponge (witha gentle type scrubber on the one side as a very last resort). Usually when I make eggs though, there is only a minimal amount of sticking, espeically if I allow the pan to get hot before I add the eggs in the first place. I did the Atkins thing for a while, so I got really good at making eggs with a minimal amount of mess. It also helps to have an omlette style pan, with sloped sides. I use plastic spatulas most of the time.


Additionally, I have a large skillet, a tiny All-Clad pot, a cast iron skillet, and two big pasta pots (one is enamel). I cook quite a bit, and elaborate meals at that, and I've been fine with what I have. I recently bought a new pot that I love. I think it's the capahalon brand, but it's stainless steel. It's a 3 qt. pot with a glass lid and sloped sides. It is really great because water boils VERY quickly.

Almost the only time I have sticking problems is with rice, but only if I overcook it. I always rinse my pans under cool water as soon as I finish cooking. It only takes a second. If you do let the pans sit, you can loosen food by wetting the pan and reheating it for a second, then use the cold water method. With really good pans, you don't have to worry about the pans warping, it's only cheap pans that do that. I don't generally run them under cold water if the pans are super scorching hot (like if you had an empty pan on really high heat); I've never had a problem with warping.

 

[shades]

I am curious why so many of you like stainless. I have only had nonstick and adonized, but what is better about stainless. And I too cook every night.
Thnaks!
Alicia

I've tried lots of different brands of nonstick pans and eventually, they all peel off into my food. I now own one nonstick skillet to use for eggs and that's all it gets used for. I've owned all of the usual Target/Walmart brands like Club, t-Fal, etc. and they have all been trash within months. Then, somebody told me to try Ultrex from HSN (home shopping network). Those seemed to work great for a few years - but, I noticed little flecks of nonstick stuff in the food I was cooking. At this point, it was time to go with stainless. I'm tired of buying new pots every few years and decide to invest a chunk of change into a good set that will last me for the rest of my life. I bought All-Clad - openstock pieces. I know there are several sizes that come in those boxes sets that I never use and I decided that it was better to buy the few sizes I always use. So, passing on the boxed sets, I purchased a 3 1/2 qt copper core soup pot, 4qt copper core sauteusse, stainless petite braiser, 1.5qt stainless Windsor reduction pan, and the spaghetti pot w/strainer insert.

I never have a sticking problem with sauces, soups, etc in the stainless pots. I always thought it would be a problem, but it isn't?? Not sure why. I even make Malt o Meal in my Windsor pot, with no sticking what so ever.

While browing meats/chicken, use a little fat (olive oil, veg oil, butter, etc) to prevent sticking. Warm the pan up before putting meat in. Cook with lower temps (especially with copper/copper core pans) and then after the meat is browned, add a little water (or wine) to deglaze the pan and then make your gravy/sauce. I've had much better "stuff" left behind in stainless pans than I have in nonstick to make sauces from. I also have better browning results with stainless as opposed to nonstick.

I also like that I can use my 4 qt sauteusse to brown meat on the stove and then fill it with carrots, potatoes, etc., and put the lid on it and put it directly into the oven.

I do own a couple of pieces of Le Creuset and they RARELY get used. Probably because they are too heavy & too small (2qt size - both hearts - one white and one red). I use one of the pots once each year to make a green bean casserole, because I run out of my favorite pots by the time I'm ready to open up the green beans.

 

[purplegirl247]

I've had an Anolon (non-stick) set for going on four years now and have never had a problem. Sometimes it's a pain not being able to put them in the dishwasher, and in the beginning I had to hound my boyfriend about not using metal on them, but overall they've been great. I guess for my next set I should look into stainless steel, eh?

 

[ZuZugal]

I recently bought this set from the Amazon website:

http://www.amazon.com/Anolon-Advanc...=sr_1_2/104-7384631-4176725?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen

It is wonderful! You can also save an additional $25 (code fallsave) and if you spend over $200 you get the free Analon sauteuse (which I use more than anything.)

The suregrip handles are comfortable and you don't have to use a pot-holder. They cook evenly and clean up is a breeze. Not sure if this is what you were looking for or not, but I have been very happy w/my purchase.

 

[jennobrn01]

Whoa great infor from mickey lov'r and shades! Thanks so much. I can't believe you have had such great luck with food not sticking. That is the major complaint about stainless, and it has made me hesitant to buy. Do you cook over low heat as well as using some fat to prevent sticking?

Stainless is the way I am leaning. And I really like glass lids. Now to pick the brand.... At least I feel much more confident thanks to you all!

 

[gottaluvdis]

I highly recommend the Technique line from QVC as well. It's hard-anodized (like Calphalon, but not as pricey). We have a couple of pieces so far -we're slowly replacing our stainless Farberware that we received for our wedding 15 years ago. DH is a super cook and we're pretty hard on our cookware - the Technique line works wonderful. I saw the Rachel Ray annodized stuff yesterday at Kohl's (with the bright orange handles). It seemed nice, but wasn't as substantial as Calphalon or Technique. It was around $200 for the set. QVC has deals on Technique sets every so often for around $200 or less. We've been doing it piece-meal because we only want/need certain items.