Looking for new pots and pans

Every kitchen needs a good cast iron skillet for frying and browning meats, the old ones are better than the modern ones and can be found cheap at garage sales or Craigslist. Get a 9-10" model and you are golden. Griswold and Wagner pans are amazing.

All-Clad makes great stuff but charges a small fortune. I do get a lot of use out of one of their French skillets.

I'll second Stink on the Magnalite roasters.

Did I just waste post number 5,000 on this?

A cast iron skillet is the secret to producing good corn bread. If you are looking for a 5qt dutch oven go enamel coated.

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Did I just waste post number 5,000 on this?

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Yeh ya did....but I am a firm believer in quality over quantity in all post regardless of the number of post. to me it's more important to have a higher batting average instead of hitting a solo home run in the 9th inning of a 7-1 ball game.

On the other hand, If some newbie gets on this board and posts something that greatly improves the technique and experience of the board...hats off to the newb.

caphalon

So it seems I need All Clad

And a good cast iron. Thanks for the suggestions fellas

I currently use fully clad stainless pots/pans. I used Magnalite for 20 years but they pit badly (plus the aluminum-in-food debate). Anodized aluminum would hold up better than traditional Magnalite but I prefer stainless for its durability. For sauce pans, disk-clad stainless is a pain. I have scorched too many items at the edge of the disk. I recommend fully-clad stainless. Exceptions, though, are large stock pots used for soups and dishes that can't scorch anyway. Save the cash and buy cladded disk soup pots (>8qt.).

For fully clad stainless at a reasonable price, check out the Cuisinart Multi-Clad Pro (MCP) line. No need to buy a set. Get them piece-by-piece, only what you need. Similar is the Calphalon Tri-ply but the MCP is much more reasonably priced. Also, the MCP uses steel lids while the Calphalon uses glass lids. Both lines have a rolled lip which I much prefer since I make a mess pouring straight-lipped sauce pans. If you don't mind straight lips, check out the All-Clad Stainless (expensive but great) or the Tramontina Tri-ply Clad line (very reasonably priced and great performance). Any should suit you well for decades.

As others stated, cast iron is terrific but requires a small bit of maintenance and care. I have the same set of Lodge cast iron skillets that I bought over twenty years ago and they are still in excellent shape.

Not sure what your budget is, but if you're interested in a relatively inexpensive set that covers the basics, Sears has decent sets.. Then you can build on your collection and get good quality pieces, like good cast iron, All Clad or Le Creuset as gifts for Christmas.

LINK

Whatever pots you decide on, take care of them. To clean them, Bar Keeper's Friend and a light duty scrub sponge will keep your pots from getting scratched up.

Go to a restaurant supply store. They have top quality stainless steel at bargain prices compared to the brand name stuff.

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If you are looking for a 5qt dutch oven go enamel coated.

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+1.