Spec Me Some Pots and Pans!

Monster

Monster

Monster

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19 Oct 2002
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Hey all,

I'm soon to be finished with putting the kitchen in my house finally, only 18 months after I purchased! Therefore I'm looking to get a decent set of pots and pans as I currently have nothing!

What should I be looking for and what would you all recommend? I can't afford the Le Creset stuff, but wouldnt mind paying a couple of hundred pounds for a decent set that should last. The main drawback is weight, my girlfriend doesn't want a heavy set, and it needs to suit her so she does some cooking also!
 
I recently bought those Analon pans in Debenhams and they are really lovely to cook with. I do have one larger Tefal frying pan to abuse as the skillet is a tiny bit too small for cooking for 4.
 
We're currently buying a load of Le Creuset 3-Ply stainless stuff and the toughened pans a couple at a time. They're durable and nicely built. No issues cooking with them so far.

- Ignore, didn't read OP.

Tbh, i find you generally get what you pay for with pans. Look out for the deals at Tescos if you shop there. Can get some nice pans sometimes, collect the stickers and get a heap off of retail price.
 
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Don't buy the Raymond blanc Anolon pans, as I've said before we've had these pans for about 4 years now and the coating has come off on our most used ones. They were wonderful to cook with for about 2 years and then they started to show wear, the wok is almost completely knackered now, the surface has gone matt and everything sticks to it like a *******.
 
ganesh said:
Don't buy the Raymond blanc Anolon pans, as I've said before we've had these pans for about 4 years now and the coating has come off on our most used ones. They were wonderful to cook with for about 2 years and then they started to show wear, the wok is almost completely knackered now, the surface has gone matt and everything sticks to it like a *******.
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I was just looking at the reviews of these and the Jamie Oliver ones from Tefal and people don't seem to be having a good time with them in terms of the non stick coating and outside wear from the dishwasher etc. I would be gutted to buy a decent set and then they only last 6 months!
 
ganesh said:
Don't buy the Raymond blanc Anolon pans, as I've said before we've had these pans for about 4 years now and the coating has come off on our most used ones. They were wonderful to cook with for about 2 years and then they started to show wear, the wok is almost completely knackered now, the surface has gone matt and everything sticks to it like a *******.
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I would still get them, mine have lasted best part of three years till this has happened, the coating has come off thoug, it's just gone sticky. However they do have a lifetime guarentee which I'll be trying to use. Even if they don't, they aren't expensive. £50 for two skillets.
I don't belive any non stick will last for ever.

Would still link to make my own, no idea how much that would cost though. Would need to find a company that did one off cast iron.
 
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Monster said:
I was just looking at the reviews of these and the Jamie Oliver ones from Tefal and people don't seem to be having a good time with them in terms of the non stick coating and outside wear from the dishwasher etc. I would be gutted to buy a decent set and then they only last 6 months!
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I have had my analons for 10 years now, the professional range before blanc had his name on them and have no signs of wear on the non stick at all. They are not dishwasher safe anyway.

Plus I always leave mine to cool before washing, I'm sure lots of people who have issues are plunging them in water before they have cooled down.
 
dannyjo22 said:
I have had my analons for 10 years now, the professional range before blanc had his name on them and have no signs of wear on the non stick at all. They are not dishwasher safe anyway.

Plus I always leave mine to cool before washing, I'm sure lots of people who have issues are plunging them in water before they have cooled down.
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Mine have been treated very carefully, never gone in the dishwasher, never used metal implements in them, always cooled down before washing and cleaned with a non scratch sponge. Hasn't stopped the coating coming off at all.
 
Thanks for your reply. I've looked at the ones you've suggested and...
  • Swiss Diamond: out of my price range
  • Analon: a worrying number of reviewers state the coating wears off after a year so that's put me off permanently
  • Circulon (first impressions): their ranges are very confusing as to which ones are low-end and which are meant to be premium. No mention of base construction on the pans (i.e. whether 3-ply or not) but the handles look really comfortable and the styling is good. I am concerned about the balance of the smaller pans though - I've already got a small Jamie Oliver one that's driving me nuts with terrible balance and will be binned as soon as I can replace. Reviews seem good so will look further into it.
  • Meyer Select Advantage: Like the Analon range, a worrying number of reviewers report heavy corrosion after a year or so.
I am a bit weary this time round of spending a lot of money on anything with a non-stick coating or painted base which will wear off over time and look terrible. I am leaning more towards stainless steel inside and out.

Anyone know if a 3-ply stainless steel base is a gimmic or really works in evenly distributing heat (when compared with a regular stainless steel base)?
 
Have you use stainless steal? I find it absolutely terrible. It still sticks, it's just easy to clean.
Cast iron is lovely, but you can't wash it properly and needs looking after.
A good hard anodised pan will last for years. The Mayer professional is great to skillets for £50. People also don't look after them properly. Don't plunge hot pans in water, use wood/silicone utensils.
IMO the choice is really lots of care, or accept pans will last 4+ years then replace them, if they very well treated will last even longer.
Still want to build my own, as they all have design floors in them, it's insane.

Can some one show me a place that can do stamped aluminium and cast iron one offs. Would love to get a few prototypes. Biggest issue is handles, why does everyone **** the handles up.
 
I imagine cast iron will be too heavy for my liking and no, I haven't used stainless steel pans yet. From what I've read about them if you get a decent 18/10 stainless steel pan, then it will develop its own non-stick coating over time if used regularly. Some people have found that after washing, but before putting away, rubbing some oil into the base and heating it up will help accelerate this process.

Either way if I do go for 100% stainless steel, I'll be sure to buy just the one to try out for a while first before getting a full set.

I know what you mean about the handles; they're either too heavy (in relation to the rest of the pan), get too hot, hold water in nooks and crannies after washing then leak it out when putting away, have that rubberised texture which attracts lint out of nowhere or are uncomfortable when twisting to pour. I bet some of the problems are to do with making the pans oven-safe.
 
We are going to go stainless steel purely for the longevity, there is a reason you don't see hard anodised pans in most professional kitchens!
 
a1ex2001 said:
We are going to go stainless steel purely for the longevity, there is a reason you don't see hard anodised pans in most professional kitchens!
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I imagine that's because they're used and abused on a daily basis, unless you're cooking 50 odd covers a night then I don't think you'll have any problems. ;)

I've got a couple of hard anodised pans that are around 7 years old, half of that had them living in the shared kitchen of a student house and therefore they weren't exactly treated carefully and they're still cracking pans. They were also cheap ones from Asda so I imagine the more expensive ones will be even better.
 
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