best quality pots & pans?

[wtrmlnlabs]

I bought a set of Circulon pots and pans at Macy's on Black Friday last year and I love them! I've since added more pieces to the set. They're durable, dishwasher safe and I think they cook more evenly than my old teflon coated ones.

This is what I got on here to tell you about too! I love my Circulon pans. We finally decided to invest $$ on pans over the summer. I got a set of Circulon 2 pans actually and love them to death! For Christmas I asked for more pots to go with my set. Got two more. They're so great, cook evenly, clean so easily, just great!

 

[Natalie's Mommy]

i bought my calphlon set at the outlets for $200 3 years ago and they have held up great. i love the way they cook and they are easy to clean. mine are not dishwasher safe but its takes all of 4 seconds to wash out each pan after i use it. they look brand new still and we use them all the time

 

[clm10308]

I had Revereware pots for 20 yrs. that I got when we got married. I de ided to get new pans when we moved to a new state. I really wishes I had kept them.

I agree with the PP that cast iron pans are great. When my MIL was moving into an assisted living apartment, she asked what I wanted from her house. The only thing I asked for was her cast iron pans.

 

[North of Mouse]

For pans, the best bet, if you can lift them, is old fashioned cast iron - preferably used cast iron from a garage or estate sale that has been well seasoned (new cast iron takes a while to get going. They will wear like, well, iron. They'll provide iron into your diet, and seasoned, they won't stick. Plus, getting cast iron pans from an estate sale is likely to be cheaper than buying anything.

I love cast iron (grew up with it) and have 2 Griswold lightweight skillets, but don't use them very often anymore because I have a smooth top stove and was told not to use them because they will scratch the surface. I do use mine occasionally, but am VERY cautious making sure they do not move unless I gently pick them up and rearrange them. So I got Circulon and love them. If you can even find Griswolds anymore, they are very expensive. I've had mine a long time.

 

[Trishtack]

I love my Pampered Chef cookware. I also have two Cuisinart that I love. Both of those are my go to brands. I have had a set of T-fal since 2000 and they are still going strong. I don't care as much for the Calphalon. they seem to stick and flake.

 

[goofyredraider]

I just threw away some T-Fal that I've had for probably 5 years and replaced them with Paula Deen. so far, I'm really impressed with it.

 

[mickeysaver]

Why they are not cheap, I have the Calphalon Hard-Anodized products, that used to be sold as commercial grade for the home cook. We purchased it for our home here in FL when we moved last year is the absolute best cookware that I have ever had. It cooks much more evenly, it's seriously non-stick, and we both agree that the food comes out tasting better when cooked in it. I love how versatile it is also with being able to go into the oven too. I can not say one bad thing about it. If you have the means, buy it, you will not regret it and it comes with a lifetime warranty, so there is little chance that you will ever have to buy more, as long as you take proper care of what you purchase.

 

[Disney Addicted]

We want to replace our pots and pans as well. Would prefer cast iron but we have been told the same as North of Mouse. Not to use them on our glass top stove. Is this correct? Has anyone been able to use cast iron on a glass stove top without damaging it?

Is stainless steel the best option for those who can't use cast iron?

 

[burnurcomputer]

Revereware pots and pans!!!

My Mom has had a set for over 30 years and they still look awesome. I also have a set and love them!!!

 

[Judique]

Revereware pots and pans!!!

My Mom has had a set for over 30 years and they still look awesome. I also have a set and love them!!!

I have:
original 30 plus year old farberware and revereware (with the copper bottoms - not about to kick it to the curb yet)

All Clad (22 pieces), some copper, some d5 and some with the copper line...forget the name - all work great

Le Creuset - various pieces

Lodge cast iron fry pans, griddle and cornstick baker

Tramontina non stick fry pans

Caphalon roasting pan non stick with rack

There's probably other stuff I've forgotten in there.

Bottom line, buy the pieces you need for your cooking style.

I've found all of the above to work for the jobs I give them.

 

[hsmamato2]

I love cast iron, but don't use it much anymore on account of my glass top stove.....
My favorite pots and pans are Old Reverware copper bottom pans....I've accumulated a LARGE set over the years from yard sales and Goodwill...these things wear like iron, you can put them in a hot oven,or a campfire,or a glass stove,and they never wear out!
So that's what I did.... there's nothing in the stores today that compares the the quality....
SOme of my pans are at least 40 years old-I've been married 23 years- and I have a set of pans that were HANDED DOWN by my moms friend to me,from her own kitchen(she had been married for 25 years at that point) SO my advice is buy 2nd hand!

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh,yeah..we broke our last glass top stove using cast iron I won't make that mistake again! Now I save the iron for camping,or grill use.....
(at least the stove we broke was a free stove,so we didn't cry as much as we normally would have)

 

[vwlizard]

For pans, the best bet, if you can lift them, is old fashioned cast iron - preferably used cast iron from a garage or estate sale that has been well seasoned (new cast iron takes a while to get going. They will wear like, well, iron. They'll provide iron into your diet, and seasoned, they won't stick. Plus, getting cast iron pans from an estate sale is likely to be cheaper than buying anything.

Love my cast iron. Lodge is really high quality and not very expensive. You can get it pre-seasoned. I always season my own. It's really easy. There are things I don't use cast iron for, so I also have stainless.

If you want to try out a type/brand, I suggest getting a few pieces from TJMaxx/Marshalls/Homegoods before investing in a set (or get them someplace you know you can return them).

Please inform yourself on non-stick. I won't have it in my home.

Not sure how experienced a cook you are, but stainless takes some getting used to. Once you know how to use it, you will love it. If you take a look on Amazon, you can find nice set for under $200. Many of them are comparable to the big names.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I got a $600 calphalon non-stick set for my wedding. I had them a couple of years when the non-stick coating began to peel off. So I don't recommend non-stick. Also there was the possibility with aluminum maybe not being safe, and with the peeling, I was really nervous about what might be ending up in our food.

My mom has had Farberware, so I asked her about it and she said she still uses the same pots she got for her bridal shower, 40 years ago. I bought myself a nice set for about $100 and have been using them the past few years. They're great. Would not go with expensive ever again.

 

[mombrontrent]

I agree you get what you pay for. I recently bought the Fushion 5 set for Paderno, it is similar to All-Clad. I love it. The reason I went with Paderno is because they are made in Canada (I am Canadian). I was looking for a good quality set that would last a lifetime. When I was looking, and I spent a lot of time researching and looking I could hardly find anything at all that wasn't made in China. I didn't want anything made in China and at least 95% of cookware I came across was, all the Kitchen Aid, Paula Deen, Faberware, some Calphalon ect. All-Clad is made in the U.S so is also a good choice. Stainless steel cookware is the best quality over non-stick. After I bought my set I went looking for a new set of utensils to use with it (don't want to scratch that stainless steel). I looked far and wide, I mean everywhere I could think of for some utensils that were not made in China. I literally looked in well over 10 stores. Couldn't find a single utensil that wasn't made in China, such a dissapointment. I ended up buying a 4 piece Calaphon set for $30, pretty expensive and yes Made in China, sigh.

 

[crisi]

I love cast iron, but don't use it much anymore on account of my glass top stove.....
My favorite pots and pans are Old Reverware copper bottom pans....I've accumulated a LARGE set over the years from yard sales and Goodwill...these things wear like iron, you can put them in a hot oven,or a campfire,or a glass stove,and they never wear out!
So that's what I did.... there's nothing in the stores today that compares the the quality....
SOme of my pans are at least 40 years old-I've been married 23 years- and I have a set of pans that were HANDED DOWN by my moms friend to me,from her own kitchen(she had been married for 25 years at that point) SO my advice is buy 2nd hand!

I HATE glass cooktops, so that isn't the problem. Gas is the only way I want to cook.

But I have issues with my shoulders and wrists and find the cast iron hard to work with. So while my husband adores them, I actually like a lighter pan. Unfortunately, light and high quality really don't tend to go well with cookware.

I have some of the Revere pots and I like those a lot.

 

[jennyjinx3]

I agree you get what you pay for. I recently bought the Fushion 5 set for Paderno, it is similar to All-Clad. I love it. The reason I went with Paderno is because they are made in Canada (I am Canadian). I was looking for a good quality set that would last a lifetime. When I was looking, and I spent a lot of time researching and looking I could hardly find anything at all that wasn't made in China. I didn't want anything made in China and at least 95% of cookware I came across was, all the Kitchen Aid, Paula Deen, Faberware, some Calphalon ect. All-Clad is made in the U.S so is also a good choice. Stainless steel cookware is the best quality over non-stick. After I bought my set I went looking for a new set of utensils to use with it (don't want to scratch that stainless steel). I looked far and wide, I mean everywhere I could think of for some utensils that were not made in China. I literally looked in well over 10 stores. Couldn't find a single utensil that wasn't made in China, such a dissapointment. I ended up buying a 4 piece Calaphon set for $30, pretty expensive and yes Made in China, sigh.

We have Paderno too... love them

 

[Brer Shay]

Be aware when buying Calphalon that not all sets are created equal - you get what you pay for. They have several lines - Unison, Simply, anodized.

I've had a T-Fal Professional set for 18 years that I really liked, but wanted something more modern looking (read color). I got a Paula Deen set for Christmas 2010. I cook alot and my cookware reflects it to a point, but the set began to wear out after just four months! I was very disappointed, but fortunately had kept my T-Fal. I'm looking again, but being more cautious this time. Also have two 30+ year old Revereware that are excellent.

Consumer Reports gives their highest rating to the Kirkland Signature brand from Costco. I'm considering this one.

 

[mombrontrent]

I have also read the Kirkland set from Costco is a good set. I did consider it but it was not all or true-clad, meaning the pots are not "one complete piece" but tha bottom are fused on, so the heat dispribution is not as even as a true-clad. In a true or all clad pot the layers go all thoughout the pot not just the bottom. Plus the Kirkland brand was made in either Tailand or Viatnam so I preferred the Canadian made Paderno.

 

[Okh]

OK, here's my very opinionated opinion: non-stick stinks for everything but eggs. For day to day skillet work stainless is the way to go, mostly because it can take a lot of abuse. My preferred brand is All Clad, but Tramontina makes excellent stuff. I love my Lodge cast irons too, but they don't take well to acidy foods.

For things like stews, braises, etc, you cannot go wrong with the aforementioned Le Creuset dutch oven. It's just a beast. You'll end up willing to your children. Since you'll also be mortgaging their futures on it, you may also want to consider the, once again, Tramontina model which is almost as good, but a fraction of the cost.

Finally, please don't buy open stock. You need an 8" and 12" skillet, a dutch oven, a 12" cast iron and a good stock pot. All the garbage that came with the Analon set I got when I got married, I never use.