Need Advice on the Best Pots and Pans

just bought these great pans from froobi.com they are called safepans. They are the only eco pan out there and they are non-stick. We love them! They do get hot very quickly, fyi!

Hi J. I am a fan of stainless steel pans because teflon and the other nonstick pans shed after a while. There have been studies that say that these agents scrape off in your food and leave cancer causing agents to lurk in your body. You dont have to add fat to everything. There are low calorie butters that do not burn and would help the whole food not sticking to the pan. You dont want to feed this kind of stuff to your family and later have the possibility of disease coming to haunt someone in your family because of a small contribution of this type of product. If something sticks to the pan, just fill it with hot water at the begining of washing your dishes. By the time you are finished you will be able to wash it right out. Hoped this has helped just a little bit.

I do cook A LOT. Have done it professionally as well. I don't and won't have non-stick in my house. No aluminum (it leaches especially with acidic foods like tomatoes).

I've had stainless steel forever. "Revere Ware" copper bottom pots and pans are my way to go. I've had the same pots and pans for 20 some-odd years. They're safe, inexpensive, and great. I also use cast iron as a safe alternative to non-stick. It makes the BEST fried potatoes and adds iron into your food.

I have too much information on this subject, to be brief will be a challenge. I was the GM for Williams Sonoma for years, so I know about good cooking. To keep it short this is what I would do. The small set of Calphalon Com NS and add on to your set from there. (Calphalon is made by All-Clad) One 7.75 round Le Cruesette (enameled cast iron) and finally a 5.5quart stainless steel Braiser. Why? The small set is a great price point and covers most needs. There are different price points depending on WHERE you shop AND the sets are DIFFERENT! Get the one that best suits YOUR cooking. Non stick now goes in the dishwasher, which is totally silly because it cleans brilliantly with a quick swish. Nothing chemical leaches out of this material, it does however get 'seasoned' with the oils and flavorings, like non-enameled cast iron. Unseasoned cast iron will leach iron, which is good : ) I prefer enameled for ease. It will cook those dishes that start with meat and add-whatever in large quantities like; baked chicken, roasts, soups,stews, etc. The braiser is my other all time favorite, but not non-stick! Braising meats and getting that browning or carmelizing is what makes gravy or sauce. You get the meat all seared and brown and then throw in wine or chicken stock and mama you've got something good to eat there! That deglazing cleans the pan, so all those sticky bits are now gravy. All the pans listed are oven safe too.
I've never heard of these other pans listed, so I don't know. I can tell you what a good pan looks like if you choose others. You do not want a lip on the bottom of your pan. 'Cheap' cookware's heating element is just on the bottom and will appear like a metal layer on the bottom. The ones I've listed the heating element goes all the way from side to side and is completely smooth. No hot or cold spots.
Second is the handle. Do you see screws or rivets? You want rivets.
Keep your old cast iron, it seasons as it gets older!
Change your glass/teflon to porcelain for baking. The reasons are the end result, it will make you a better cook because the food will turn out better.
If you need more specific help as you go through it, I would be glad to help.
Happy cooking! A.
Looked up Analon and it looks like the copper has the lip for the heating element, can't see the bronze collection.FYI
The pampered chef quality looks good. The sets look....not what I would choose. The price is high, compared to the best cookware.

You may want to check out The Pampered Chef line of cookware and bakeware.

Their products are top notch! The Executive Cookware line is the one you'd want to check on. You can use these pot and pan so the stovetop (of course) but they are also oven safe to 400 degrees.

Also check out their Stoneware bakeware "for perfect brick-oven results". Anything you bake in your oven will come out better when baked on Stoneware.

I am a Pampered Chef consultant and feel free to call me with any questions. I know a lot about these products, use them daily and have for over 8 years. There is so much I can tell you about these products, too much to type out. I just LOVE them!

Even if you dont buy these (at all or from me) please call me. I'd love to educate you on these. No pressure! I am not that type of person. :)

Here is my website to check out but feel free to call me. I have lots of recipes I can send you, so just ask.

Warmly,
T.
###-###-####
www.pamperedchef.biz/T.

try salad master... their pots are awesome!

I absolutely LOVE my Circulon pans. We've had them for years now and they work as well as they did when we first got them. They are nonstick & super easy to clean. I rarely use anything but cooking spray when I use them. They are also perfectly weighted...not to heavy & not too light. www.circulon.com

Hi J.,

I have to agree with Tricia. I have used Pampered Chef cookward for years, and I couldn't be happier. The non-stick line is top notch. I'm not a great cook, and I hate to wash pots and pans. But, the Pampered Chef line is so good, it takes two seconds to clean them up after I use them. And they have a lifetime guarantee so if something goes wrong with the pan, they are replaced free of charge. Obviously, you can't replace them if you use them wrong or scratch them up with metal tools, but if they are defective for some reason, the replacement is free.

In all the years I've used the pans, I've never had to replace one. I have chosen to buy new pans when something new comes out, but never because I could no longer use the pan I owned.

I know there are other good brands of cookware out there. The biggest factors for me are the guarantee on the pans and the fact that I can see them and see how well they work before I buy them. I would suggest you find a consultant in your area and ask her if you can come over and see how well the pans work. I did, and I suspect any good consultant would be happy to let you scramble an egg in one of her pans and give you all the details about them. How many kitchen stores do you know of where you could go in and try out a pan like that before you buy it?

Happy Shopping!
G.

Cast iron pots and pans or stainless steel are the way to go. The teflon coated pans are nice for the non-stick but once you scratch the surface you could be releasing carcinogens into your food - meaning they have to be replaced more often.
Hope this helps and happy creations!

Hi J.!
I agree with Tricia.....Pampered Chef carries a great line of pans and has a great selection to meet your budget. I am a former PC consultant but have used my pans for over 5 years!!! You won't be disappointed. Good luck.

We completely remodeled our kitchen 2 years ago and I purchased a set by Analon. I absolutely love it! Here's there website, though I personally wouldn't order from there - you can get it cheaper at Macy's, etc.
http://www.anolon.com/cs/Satellite/Page/anolon/1177513656...