New pots and pans

[southbarringtonjen]

We eat out way too much. Or take out. It is almost every meal. Part of the problem is I am not a very good cook. We also have a pot and pan I used in college, but 10 years since my last batch of mac and cheese hasn't stopped both from burning everything I touch.

I have been taking classes at William and Sonoma and can make a few meals now. However the pots and pans I need are hundreds of dollars. I thought maybe the prices are just high, but the same stuff at Crate and Barrel also costs several hundreds of dollars. Even a simple can opener, and not an automatic one, is $15. A spatula is $12! I won't tell you what set of just a few pots and pans cost.

I think it might be cheaper to just keep eating out!

 

[Psychodisney]

If you use a coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond it brings the cost down significantly. They have the same Unison set that Williams and Sonoma has. (Not sure exactly what you are looking at...just an example) You don't need the fanciest tools to stop burning stuff. Another option could be hosting a Pampered Chef party and qualifying for free stuff. Their gadgets are great and their cookwear is nice too. Good luck with your quest. Cooking at home is not only cheaper but healthier too!

 

[lisabarr]

Unfortunately, pots and pan, like knives, are an investment. I love to cook. Having good pans make the job so much easier!

I would look around. Amazon sometimes has great deals, and dept. stores sometimes do a bundle of two pans as a starter package, at a great price, to hook you.

BBB also has sales and with the 20% coupon you can do well.

Don't cheap on the pans though. Good pans will last forever!

I paid $700 for my knife set and it was worth every cent. I cook every day and those knives make the job so much easier! I will have them forever though!

 

[Shmily1]

If you can find a set of the Paula Dean copper bottom pots, they are the bomb! I got my from Paula's store in Savannah, but have since seen them at Walmart for $119!! That's a deal! These are the best pots I've had and I already have two sets of the $1000 pots. I love to cook and DH said the PD pots help me cook the best!!

 

[jedijill]

I have the Emeril All-Clad pans in both stainless and annodized. I LOVE them. My parents bought me a set as a graduation present and I've been adding pieces since. Generally I would find them on sale at JC Penny's or online. The three best things in my kitchen are my pots and pans, my Wusthof knives, and my Kitchenaid mixer. I can cook anything!

Jill in CO

 

[southbarringtonjen]

I never thought to look at Amazon for pots. I thought they were electronics and books. What a savings. They had an All-Clad copper core 14 piece set for $1999 and Williams and Sonoma had an All-Clad copper core 15 piece set for $2300. (And I would have to pay sales tax)

I don't know what that extra piece was, I sure hope it wasn't important because I ordered the 14 piece set. Now I am looking for a deal for non-stick pots. Amazon has Calphalon Unison for $500. Although I don't like the black pots, but the All-Clad non-stock ones are $1500. I don't know if an extra $1000 for looks is worth it.

 

[lisabarr]

I never thought to look at Amazon for pots. I thought they were electronics and books. What a savings. They had an All-Clad copper core 14 piece set for $1999 and Williams and Sonoma had an All-Clad copper core 15 piece set for $2300. (And I would have to pay sales tax)

I don't know what that extra piece was, I sure hope it wasn't important because I ordered the 14 piece set. Now I am looking for a deal for non-stick pots. Amazon has Calphalon Unison for $500. Although I don't like the black pots, but the All-Clad non-stock ones are $1500. I don't know if an extra $1000 for looks is worth it.

Great Choice!

 

[labdogs42]

I just got a nice set of hard anodized nonstick cookware at Sam's club for less than $200. Cookware doesn't have to be insanely expensive to work well!

 

[CuteAndFluffy]

Wow! Those prices are crazy high to me. I love to cook and love good equipment, but wouldn't buy a set like that.

Cooks Illustrated has done a lot of reviews of pots and pans, as well as sets. Their reviews were pretty conclusive--you do NOT need to buy a set and you do NOT need a lot of pots and pans. They have a list of recommended pieces on their (pay for access) website and in their most recent cookbook. One of the things I love is that they list a "Winner" and if the "Winner" is too expensive, they will often list a "Best Buy" that works well and is much more reasonably priced.

I would bet you could put together a nice basic set for yourself for under $750 (depending on how you cook and what you need) based on their recommendations. And you could buy it piece meal so you could see what aspects of a pot or pan you like before buying the next piece.

Here's a link to their reviews: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/browse/equipment.asp?cmbDocumentType=3&catid=92

To start, I'd recommend
a 10 in and a 12 in saute pan (Macy's often has a 2 set of Caphalon pans nonsticks that would be a nice start for around $40--you can buy universal lids separately. I'd rather have stainless, but these will get me by until I replace them.),
a stock pot (I need to replace mine, so no recommendation, but I'm thinking of going the restaurant supply route),
a 3 qt sauce pan (recently found a nice stainless steel Caphalon 2 1/2 qt one at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $40 that works beautifully),
a really good knife (The Victorianox chef's knife for around $25 is a great one to start with).
1/2 sheet pans (restaurant supply is the way to go)

And good for you for getting into the kitchen! Once you get started it can be a lot of fun. And once you know the basics, everything else is pretty simple.

 

[cvjw]

I just bought a new set of cookware at Kohl's. They are the hard anodized steel ones by Food Network. The original price was $300 - they were on sale for $199, then I had a 30% off coupon, and some Kohl's reward dollars. I ended up only paying around $75 for them, and I love them. They cook great - best cookware I have ever had. My family is tired of me raving about how much better food cooks in them!

 

[tommya60]

I recently bought some great nonstick cookware at TJMaxx. It's cuisenart...I bought it at first because I loved the color, but I have bought several additional pieces. I love it, so does DH (he's way more into Cookies Illustrated than I am). You might want to check Home Goods and Marshall's as well--they share the same parent company.

 

[java]

FYI Todays Special value at QVC is NON STICK cookware.

I have a couple of these pans and I really love them for non-stick. Really I wouldn't spend a lot on Nonstick as they generally don't last forever.
This is a good reasonably priced full set

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.tsv!.tpl.tsv.cm_scid.TSV

And you get a spoon, spatula and some other tool too!

 

[Handbag Lady]

I was also going to suggest Macy's. I shop at Macy's JUST for the sales and when they have coupon day, which seems to be every weekend almost.

I once got a full knife set and block for $23 and change. It was originally $200.

 

[JandJ]

I got so sick of the non-stick. They're great until the black starts flecking off into your food. Plus I found myself using our one Le Creuset pan more than anything else and it's not non-stick but not difficult to clean. Not being able to afford a whole set of Le Creuset, we got the Kirkland stainless steel 13-piece set. I love them! I know there are a lot of other sets that are more highly rated, but this set was less than $190 so even if they only last a few years I'll be happy with them.

 

[ceecee]

I just got a nice set of hard anodized nonstick cookware at Sam's club for less than $200. Cookware doesn't have to be insanely expensive to work well!

I got my set on QVC, I think it was $150-200.00 and I thought that was alot! I've had them for 6 years and they are still fine. My sister and niece also have the same sets. Cook's Essential is the brand if I'm not mistaken.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I got so sick of the non-stick. They're great until the black starts flecking off into your food. Plus I found myself using our one Le Creuset pan more than anything else and it's not non-stick but not difficult to clean. Not being able to afford a whole set of Le Creuset, we got the Kirkland stainless steel 13-piece set. I love them! I know there are a lot of other sets that are more highly rated, but this set was less than $190 so even if they only last a few years I'll be happy with them.

I gave up on non-stick too. I had T-fal enameled and Oneida hard anodized. I'm so glad I switched to stainless. It was an adjustment to use some oil, stir more frequently and keep the heat turned down. I got my 14pc set at Boscov's for $150.

 

[Calliaz]

I've tried to move away from non-stick, too. I also agree that you don't need a set and you don't need a lot. The ones I use regularly are:

1. 3 quart stainless saute pan from IKEA
2. Set of 3 Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron pans
3. 3 2-3 quart sauce pans
4. 1 stock pot
5. 3 1/2-sheet pans

Most of my stuff was bought from IKEA or Costco or Target.

 

[DreadpiratK]

I know little about cookware, but my wife is an excellent cook. I bought her a set of waterless cookware on ebay that she loves. It's very heavy 7 layer cookware, and holds heat very well. She loves it and it was only $100. I know, sounds cheap, but it's not at all and it's better than what she's cooked on for the last 20 years.

 

[Sagginit]

for nonstick we bought a few of the new green pans. its a safe nonstick and works just as well. we paid a lot for the first big one when it first came out and since then we have found two smaller ones at marshalls. they are handy to have when you just want to cook a few eggs real quick, one is a deeper almost small pot shape and thats good for quick sauces. other than that we have a set of copper bottomed pans that my parents got back in the day and they work well.

 

[neatokimmo]

I made the switch to stainless too. I bought a few cuisinart pieces at Ross for cheap (stockpot was $30ish). My saucepans were $11 on amazon during a blow out sale.

I use one piece over and over. A 10 pr 12 inch "short pan" (I can't think of the real name). The sides are just a couple of inches tall. It has a lid on it and can do everything I need except make stock.