OK, I don't want to start a controversial thread here, but I am curious as to what you folks like to use in the kitchen?
When I was shopping for this kind of stuff before moving out, I shopped and did research, and came up with a simple answer. COPPER. Now, I know that cast iron, aluminum and stainless all have their strengths and weaknesses, but I have to say, if you ever buy a set of copper cookware, you'll love them. I bought a set off eBay made by Cuisinart (Copper Classics) and they give All Clad a run for their money. Highly recommended. Just make sure you use oil when frying in the skillets, and you clean them with "Bar Keeper's Friend".
So, what has been your experiences, and what do you folks cook with?

I have one that I bet is 10 years old, and I love it. Once you get the hang of cooking with it, it's amazing to what you can do with that thing...

I told myself that when I build my house, it WILL have a commercial gas stove. I have used my Gas grille with my Wok and it works pretty darn good. Gotta watch it though.

I personally like All-Clad, looks good and the nonsticks last a looong time.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

I LOVE All-Clad, it's amazing stuff. I have never tried the non stick stuff. Glad to hear good things about it. Might have to try a skillet. I have a 7 1/2" skillet stainless non-stick, and I have to use oil on it. If I don't I'm scrubbin'.....

If it can't be fried in a iron skillet, I don't want it!


Country 'Til I Die

I got an invite to a Saturday night shindig way uptown * You know ol' John likes to have his fun, I couldn't turn a party down * The band was playing some high-falutin' music I'd never heard before * Ev'rybody there seemed to like it a lot, but I was headed for the door * Then, somebody had the nerve * To call it hors d'oeuvres, * Like something from a real bad dream * On my dish, was a little piece of fish * Some rice and three green beans * I never had a taste for the social graces * The way some folks do * I've got problems, Doctor, can you solve 'em? * Would you give me a clue? * He said, "I can't treat a man in your condition," as he looked me in the eye * "All I see is, John, you'll be country 'til you die * Country 'til you die, ev'ry bone in your body is countrified * It runs in the fam'ly, and you can say that with pride * It's in the way you look, the way you walk and talk, down to the truck you drive * You're just gonna be country 'til you die" * Country 'til you die, ev'ry bone in your body is countrified * It runs in the fam'ly, and you can say that with pride * It's in the way you look, the way you walk and talk, down to the truck you drive * You're just gonna be country 'til you die" * Yeah, I'm just gonna be country 'til I die.

John Anderson

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2000 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4
2006 Mazda Tribute
1983 Black 300 D (donated to charity)
1993 Teal 300 D (160K) Sold
"I love the smell of burnt diesel fuel in the morning, it smells like ....VICTORY"

Semper Fidelis
USMC 1973-1976

Different cooking styles, different cookware. Also, expensive does not mean best or better. Also, avoid buying sets of pans, you'll get a better deal going ala carte since those sets generally contain a lot of pieces you don't need.

Start with a Lodge 10 or 12" fry pan. It's great for searing meats like steaks and seafood. Ovenproof and not that hard to keep seasoned, as long as you use the sucker. Plus it will be the only pans you can guarantee that you can pass on to your grandchildren.

For saute pan, cast iron is too heavy to shake and flip and the sides are too straight to get a good "toss". Go to a restaurant supply store and pick up a couple non-stick 8" saute pans. You'll find that the cheap pans make better fried eggs than even All-Clad or Calphalon. Get lids for everything.

Other than the two cheap non-stick pans, I would also get a nice clad pan, so that you can hit the pan with high heat and get those nice fond (burnt bits) chunks in the pan that can be deglazed with liquid. Non-Stick pans don't promote fond very well.

We bought a set of Saladmaster pot's and pans almost 10 years ago and have never been happier. The electric fry pan has oil that surrounds the pan so there are no hot spots , the other pots and pans have been great also . They're warranteed like craftsmen tools , break a handle and they replace it free , to hurt a pan you'd have to drive a steamroller over it. They're also made from surgical stainless steel which means anything that sticks to the pan can be removed by soaking it in soapy water for 10 minutes and wiping with a cloth. They were well worth the little extra compared to the top of the line La'gostina pans.

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Democracy dies in darkness, you have to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight

All-Clad

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Current Stable:
01 ML55 AMG
92 500E (a few mods)
87 300E (lots of mods)
00 Chevy 3500HD Diesel Box Truck
68 18' Donzi Marine
06 GT i-Drive7 1.0 Mountain Bike (with GPS!)

PREVIOUSLY OWNED:83 300SD, 87 420SEL, 88 420SEL, 90 420SEL, 86 560SEL, 86 190E 2.3-16V AMG, 94 E320

Nothing beats a Lodge cast iron skillet. My wife uses one to cook with when she's not beating me over the head with it when I buy stuff for my cars.
All kidding aside, her favorite is the Lodge cast iron skillet. It is seasoned so well that it is better than any non stick teflon POS. Her second favorites are Le Creuset's that she also uses. They are guaranteed for 100 years. They're just fancy cast iron cookware with some kind of enamel finish.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Yup, got TWO of them. I cook sausage and bacon in it then my eggs. They are GREAT for searing meats, which I think was mentioned. I got one from my late grandmother and it's older than my DAD. And No, if it's seasoned, it WON'T stick. The one from my Grandmother is a 12" and it looks like it has a half an inch of carbon on the outside. The inside is pretty carbonized, but remarkably smooth. Don't know how she did it.

I think part of the seasoning process is to never wash it like the rest of the dishes. I think all you do is use a wet towel and just wipe it. I never really pay attention how my wife cleans her cast iron pans but thats because she won't let me wash them either.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Cast Iron Chefs already know this, but for those about to enter the heavy metal arena of cooking, here's how you "season" a cast iron pan:

Start with a 350 degree oven

If the pan is brand spanking new, soak it soapy water, wash, then air dry. If it's an old pan, skip this step. Lodge ships new pans with a protective coating of wax, so only soak a brand new pan.

Put a baking sheet with a lip on the bottom rack of the oven.

Put the pan on the middle rack with a tablespoon of veg shortening (Crisco) in the center of the pan. As the pan warms and the shortening melts onto the warm pan (but not so hot you can't touch it) take the pan out of the oven and use a paper towel to rub the oil into the surfaces (inside, outside, and handle) of the pan. You can just rub vegatable oil with a paper towel without preheating, but hey, you're warming up the oven anyway.

Put the pan back in the 350 degree oven, upside down, so that the excess oil will drip onto the catch pan at the bottom. If you don't invert the pan, you could end up with too much oil and it would get baked onto the surface of the pan. Heat the pan for an hour. If you have the space, consider doing all your cast iron at one time.

Turn off the oven and allow the pan to cure in the oven until it's cool enough to handle, then wipe off any excess fat.

Maintenance:

When the pan is hot from cooking, add some clean oil and some coarse salt and scrub with a paper towel. The salt is the abrasive and the oil is the lubricant and anti-rust protection. Dump out the salt, wipe clean and store. Germs? Remember, cast iron holds a lot of heat and no food microbes are going to survive at the warm up temps that you're going to use that chunk of iron for.

Try to avoid overly acidic foods in cast iron since it tends to wreck the seasoning and can release more "iron" taste into the food, but we're talking really acidic, like frying lemons (for whatever reason). Don't fret over a few tomatoes or some tomato sauce ruining your pan.

I have tons of all clads but I use, USE, plain aluminum pans. They're beat up, scratched on the bottom, don't sit straight on the stove, the bottoms are coated in carbon, and the rivets are coming loose on the handles. They're terribly ugly.

As long as the bottom is thick enough the pan will do almost anything you ask.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

I had read in the past that there was a connection between the ingestion of aluminum and Alzheimer's disease.
Also, now there is the concern of health problems connected to the use of teflon.

...eat healthy, but death is unavoidable...

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012