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Cooking Enthusiasts, what pots do you use?


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I like using something stainless steel and with a copper bottom or possibly aluminum. It heats evenly and is easy to clean and won't get teflon into your food or degrade to any discernible degree over time.

 

I do still have some teflon coated pots that I do cook pasta in and they work just fine, as long as they're in good shape and fairly good quality. Just be sure to get a good high-temp silicon spatula or plastic utensils (never metal). Anything will work if you take care of it. Just be aware of things like bottom thickness, overall weight and go see what's out there. If you have something like a Homesense, check there for individual pots that are clearance parts of broken-up sets.

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I like using something stainless steel and with a copper bottom or possibly aluminum. It heats evenly and is easy to clean and won't get teflon into your food or degrade to any discernible degree over time.


I do still have some teflon coated pots that I do cook pasta in and they work just fine, as long as they're in good shape and fairly good quality. Just be sure to get a good high-temp silicon spatula or plastic utensils (never metal). Anything will work if you take care of it. Just be aware of things like bottom thickness, overall weight and go see what's out there. If you have something like a Homesense, check there for individual pots that are clearance parts of broken-up sets.

 

Just for {censored}s and giggles: boil water in that teflon pot and boil water in a stainless pot. Let it cool and taste test each. You'll never use that teflon {censored} again in your life, bro. It absolutely taints the taste of anything that's cooked in it.

 

:thu:

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Is stainless with a thick stainless bottom good? Or should I look for copper or aluminum?

 

 

Stainless isn't really good for cookware. It doesn't dissipate heat evenly.

Plain SS cookware burns everything. The SS cookware with a thick copper plate fused to the bottom is much better.

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I'm looking for something that would mostly be used for pasta that won't completely break the bank. What should I be looking for?


thanks

 

 

You want this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-8-qt.-18-10-TriPly-Clad-Stainless-Steel-Stockpot/5716480

 

It's the best $79 you'll ever spend. It gets great reviews, comparing it favorably to All Clad, from everyone from America's Test Kitchen to chefs and caterers I know. I love mine.

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Le Creuset and All Clad are both excellent

 

 

When I first started buying that stuff I said to myself "I'm finally getting old!" I'm 34 and the highlight of my week is buying high end cookware. That said, when you use that stuff you know where that money went.

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Stainless w/ copper bottoms are excellent (I got a set at costco and have been happy with it). Cast iron has its place, my only remaining teflon pan is my crepe pan.



Teflon needs to GTFO of everyone's kitchen. My cookware is mostly a mixture of the following: Lodge Logic cast iron for skillets, griddles and miscellaneous pieces; Tramontina enameled cast iron (highly rated by America's Test Kitchen and others); and Tramontina TriPly-Clad (also extremely highly rated when compared directly to All-Clad).

All told, I have invested in my cooking stuff less than a single 10 piece set of All-Clad, which runs around ~$800, and I have way more pieces than that. If the Tramontina TriPly-Clad stuff gives you 95% of the All-Clad performance at 25% of the price, to me that's a no-brainer. :cop:

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I've got a set of All Clad solid aluminum pots and pans that I got for my wedding. I was a bit disappointed when I opened them up because I had wanted stainless steel with copper core. Then I started using them. No complaints since, other than that the joint between handle and pan is a bit of a pain to clean. But the actual cooking surface is extremely easy to clean with a bit of steel/copper wool. They do a good job of spreading the heat evenly, but also give you the ability to go half-on/half-off of the burner to focus heat on one part of the pan, which allows for cooking two components in one pan.

 

Because I got them as a gift, I didn't have to worry about the price. I will say, if you're only going to be using them for pasta, just get a cheap non-nonstick pot at Target for less than $20. Boiling water doesn't require any features beyond the ability to hold water without catching fire.

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We've got Calphalon Unison stuff. It cooks great and it's super easy to clean.

 

And extremely expensive.
:cop:
Let's face it, a lot of that stuff is lifestyle marketing. I've been in several kitchens of respected DFW area restaurants, and none of them are using it.
;)
I'm not saying it's not excellent stuff, I'm just saying rated/known restaurants who live and die by the quality of the food they put out are using stuff you mostly get at kitchen supply places and not high-end lifestyle cookware like you see at Surlatable, Williams-Sonoma, etc.

 

Yes. Don't forget they have a small army of Mexicans to clean it...

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And extremely expensive.
:cop:
Let's face it, a lot of that stuff is lifestyle marketing. I've been in several kitchens of respected DFW area restaurants, and none of them are using it.
;)
I'm not saying it's not excellent stuff, I'm just saying rated/known restaurants who live and die by the quality of the food they put out are using stuff you mostly get at kitchen supply places and not high-end lifestyle cookware like you see at Surlatable, Williams-Sonoma, etc.




I make a decent amount of money, but I also believe in value. What All-Clad I own, all two pieces, was purchased at clearance prices or given to me as a gift, and I have to say I hate the handles. They just don't feel right to me, but I understand most people have a love/hate relationship with the handles.




Teflon needs to GTFO of everyone's kitchen. My cookware is mostly a mixture of the following: Lodge Logic cast iron for skillets, griddles and miscellaneous pieces; Tramontina enameled cast iron (highly rated by America's Test Kitchen and others); and Tramontina TriPly-Clad (also extremely highly rated when compared directly to All-Clad).


All told, I have invested in my cooking stuff less than a single 10 piece set of All-Clad, which runs around ~$800, and I have way more pieces than that. If the Tramontina TriPly-Clad stuff gives you 95% of the All-Clad performance at 25% of the price, to me that's a no-brainer.
:cop:



y u mad tho?

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And extremely expensive.
:cop:
Let's face it, a lot of that stuff is lifestyle marketing. I've been in several kitchens of respected DFW area restaurants, and none of them are using it.
;)
I'm not saying it's not excellent stuff, I'm just saying rated/known restaurants who live and die by the quality of the food they put out are using stuff you mostly get at kitchen supply places and not high-end lifestyle cookware like you see at Surlatable, Williams-Sonoma, etc.




I make a decent amount of money, but I also believe in value. What All-Clad I own, all two pieces, was purchased at clearance prices or given to me as a gift, and I have to say I hate the handles. They just don't feel right to me, but I understand most people have a love/hate relationship with the handles.




Teflon needs to GTFO of everyone's kitchen. My cookware is mostly a mixture of the following: Lodge Logic cast iron for skillets, griddles and miscellaneous pieces; Tramontina enameled cast iron (highly rated by America's Test Kitchen and others); and Tramontina TriPly-Clad (also extremely highly rated when compared directly to All-Clad).


All told, I have invested in my cooking stuff less than a single 10 piece set of All-Clad, which runs around ~$800, and I have way more pieces than that. If the Tramontina TriPly-Clad stuff gives you 95% of the All-Clad performance at 25% of the price, to me that's a no-brainer.
:cop:




No. Nope. Nope.


Sorry.




Btw....here's my Calphalons, in my kitchen. I also use Wustof and Henckel knives. Don't be mad.


12839_1259573095975_1429107487_30754114_

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