Cookware - Desoto,TX

I love my Cuisinart stainless steel, but always like to have 1 or 2 non-stick skillets to make stir-fry, grilled sandwhiches, and eggs!!

Good luck,
S.

I cook for a living and prefer stainless steel for most jobs. However when it comes to working with chocolates, caramels, and syrups I prefer copper.
I have had my stainless steel Revere Ware for over 20 years and they are still my most invaluable tool in the kitchen next to my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.

When looking for GOOD pans, you want to choose something that has a nice sturdy handle that is well attached. Also look for something with heavy bottoms to ensure equally distributed heat.

If you want something that is a bit lighter to handle you can go with Anodized Aluminum. This give you the same "non-stick" properties without the hazardous flaking and cracking, and leaching that happens with traditional "non-stick" pans. Greenware is a nice brand for this.

I hope that this has been helpful.

Make it SWEET!

D.
http://www.littlesnowflakes.com

Stainless steel, hands down. The minute your non-stick pans get a scratch in them, the material that makes them non-stick is now leaching into your food. About the only non-stick pan you want is a frying pan for eggs and such. A lot of people shy away from stainless because they believe the maintenance is too much. However, if you cook and clean properly your stainless pans should last you a very long time (10 years or more).

Tips:

Go for stainless steel pans that have an aluminum core. This will help evenly distribute the heat as you cook. Inferior brands will have hot spots and will not cook food evenly.

One of the biggest mistakes people make with stainless steel is cooking at too high of a temperature. You really should go no higher than medium or maybe even medium high. Put the pan on the burner first, let it heat for a moment or so, then add your fat (oil, butter, etc.) and let that warm for a moment THEN add your food.

As you are cooking, put your food in the pan and leave it alone. Resist the urge to continually push the food around the pan (the only time this is necessary is when sauteeing or stir-frying, which is one of the only stove-top methods that require high heat). For best cooking results, put the food in the pan and leave it alone. When one 'side' of the food is done cooking, it will release simply and easily. If you play with it, the outer layer of food will stick to the pan and rip off making a huge mess.

Speaking of clean up, hand wash your stainless steel pans. You will want to get something called Bar Keeper's Friend (available at the grocery store) to keep your stainless steel pans nice and clean.

Good luck and definitely go with stainless!

If you want something to last, go stainless steel. I purchase my set over ten years ago. They get used and abused just about everyday and are still in great condition.

Stainless steel for sure if you're looking for them to last. I had a non-stick set, but left them with my ex and had to get new ones. My mom had a set of stainless pans she was willing to pass along so I took those. I, personally, think the stainless cooks better, especially for things where you want it to brown. Non-stick pans really shouldn't be used once you can see wear on the coating (scratches or whatever) because the plasticy stuff flakes off into your food bit by bit. I have stainless pans and have never really had a problem with food sticking to them (I mean do you really have a need for burnt on cheese to slide off the pan with a twist of the wrist) and even once they start to look old, they still cook really well.

If you're family really likes omelets or anything, I'd pick up ONE non-stick omelet pan, but that's it.

Go for stainless steel, preferably with the 3-ply bottoms. The non-stick eventually does wear off and they haven't convinced me that it isn't dangerous to my health. A can of non-stick spray, or a squirt bottle of cooking oil will serve the same purpose and be much healthier.

I vote stainless also!

We have a really nice set of non-stick Calphalon and a cheap set of stainless. If I had to do it all over again I would had gotten all stainless and just bought a small and large skillet in the non-stick.

I agree with MR - I have stainless steel pand for 5 years now and LOVE them! :)

I have both stainless and non-stick and seeing how often you cook it sounds like stainless might suit you best - or maybe a mix of the two. My husband bought me a very nice set of nonstick a few Christmasses ago and the pan I used most (4-5 times/wk) started losing its coating in the third year. And now one of the sauce pans is showing signs. My husband was very dissapointed b/c he thought they would last at least a decade. And this is with me taking VERY good care of the pans and using every precaution. I love them for their ease of cleaning - it's nothing to wash them by hand but there are some drawbacks. One is that you really shouldn't use them on anything higher than medium heat or it causes the coating to degrade faster. Well I do a lot of searing so that causes me problems.
I replaced the main pan with a good stainless steel one and I absolutely love it. I still wash it by hand but that's never a problem. Most of the time it's easy to clean and every now and then I scour it (on the bottom too for even heating). I've had it over a year now and absolutely no complaints. I'll continue to use the nonstick until they each wear out and I'll most likely replace them with stainless. I might keep one skillet for frying eggs or doing omelets - that's one thing the nonsticks do better than anything else. I also keep a couple of good iron skillets and kind of have a favorite pan for different dishes. You might find that's where you end up as well since it looks like you cook as much as I do. Good luck and happy hunting!

Stainless steel. I bought a set of Faberware almost 20 years ago and it's still in very good shape.