Spec me some pots and pans

Droolinggimp

Droolinggimp

Droolinggimp

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Hi,

Looking for some decent pots and pans that we can use without having to scrape half the food of these 'non-stick' pans we have at the moment!

I've had Circulon in the past which unfortunately the crazy ex took!! :p which I found pretty decent to cook with. Anything out there better??
 
Not sure if you're intending to buy a matching set but don't. Admittedly to some extent this depends on whether you want something to look nice hanging on your wall or whether you want something practical and good value for money.

For a large pan, get a cheapish enamelled cast iron casserole if you don't already have one. Surprisingly versatile. ~£30 Ikea/Aldi.

Non stick is only useful for fry pans. Avoid anything with too much marketing behind it, i.e. don't spend that much on something that's only really a disposable item.

For something you'll only ever boil water in (pasta/veg), get the cheapest thing you can find.

Beyond that, stainless steel with an alu core is the way to go, something noticeably weighty. Will actually last a lifetime of abuse. Ikea 365+ stuff is nice, or look towards pro catering brands like Bourgeat/Vogue (see Nisbets online).
 
As above. Non stick we go through one frying pan a year doesn't really matter on the make or model. They are great then they go all wrong and you end up eating non stick stuff.
 
Moses said:
Three and a half years ago I bought 'Raymond Blanc by Anolon hard anodised non stick 'Professional' 4 piece pan set' (copied and pasted from the order email :p). Basically this, minus the milk pan, for £79.20. The set has served me well! So I'd recommend similar Anolon hard anodised pans, but it's not as though I've tried the offerings from all and sundry.
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This, will last at least three years before being replaced. Or you could try to claim on warranty.

Best bang for buck pans, I've found for every day use with low maintenance.
 
Enamelled cast iron casserole dish is a must buy. You can buy a decent sized one for about £30 in a bunch of places and there doesn't seem to be any discernible difference between then.

When it comes to non-stick, I think teflon is still king. I had a brief fling with ceramic pans which didn't end well. Bear in mind when you're buying that there are about 5 different grades of teflon coating. I'm using a TROVÄRDIG from Ikea, which has Teflon Professional, which I believe is the best. It's a great pan and great value - they use the at ChefSteps.

Ikea pans are a bit of a hidden gem (as is a lot of their kitchen gear). The economies of scale from them being such a massive company really shows in the quality of their kitchen stuff. Most of my general pans are just Ikea 365 that I got when I moved in with my missus about 10 years ago. They're bombproof and cook as well as any pan I've used.
 
Look up Bourgeat and Vogue cookware, more professional stuff but they're super cheap and ultra hard wearing. They do nice relatively inexpensive flared saute pans and flat frying pans. They're thick, nicely weighted and oven proof (if you want to pan roast something).

They're also in a lot Gordon Ramsays youtube videos - the Bourgeat ones at least.

http://www.nisbets.co.uk/bourgeat-non-stick-frying-pan-240mm/K741/ProductDetail.raction
 
Don't bother with non stick, even fancy ones will fail and come off. Buy a decent set of stainless pans, they can take a lot of abuse, no worries with metal utensils, can be used in the oven at high temperatures and you can chuck them in the dishwasher without concern. And they will last for decades.

Pro cook are good, reasonably priced, come with a 25 year warranty and have great customer service. Any issues with a pan and they just send you a new one out.
 
Some great tips there guys cheers. I have a big Stainless pot for making batches of curry or other sauce things, that was from Aldi, £20 iirc. I have a Iron pot for oven and/or using for making spag bol type thing. The other pans we have are basically SS ones but do the job we would like something with a bit of weight behind it. I will shop around and see what there is out there in the sales.
 
Jolteh said:
I'm using a TROVÄRDIG from Ikea, which has Teflon Professional, which I believe is the best.
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Also bought one of these earlier this year, similarly impressed. Sounds like you perhaps did the same googling for different grades of Teflon that I did.
Ikea pans are a bit of a hidden gem (as is a lot of their kitchen gear)
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Aye, while you'll often find some good deals elsewhere it's usually just quicker/easier to go to Ikea where it's a certainty.
Droolinggimp said:
Some great tips there guys cheers. I have a big Stainless pot... a Iron pot for oven ... other pans we have are basically SS ones but do the job we would like something with a bit of weight behind it.
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Cool, sounds like you're already on the right track.
 
I have Circulon Symmetry pan set and they are great. Nothing sticks and they have stayed in good condition for well over a year now. Look nice too in brown with silicone handles.
 
It's pretty telling that despite what is written there, they still use teflon pans in pretty much all of their videos for everything up to searing steaks.

Anodized alu pans don't even get a mention.
 
I've been using stainless Stellar 7000 draining lid saucepans and the stainless/analon frying pan from the same set on a daily basis for years and they have been brilliant - best purchase I've made for the kitchen I'd say and couldn't recommend them more highly, particularly the clear draining lid type which is very handy.

We went for the 3 SS saucepans, SS milk pan and SS/analon frying pan - this was the Raymond Blanc signature set I believe.

I used to have a Jamie Oliver 26cm Teflon frying pan that I would use daily and probably got 2 years out of it before it just stopped being non-stick. Up to the point it became non-stick it was very good indeed. I still have a 30cm non-stick Teflon that I use for doing omelettes as it has more room in the pan to work with and would probably always have one to hand.
 
Following on from the OP's request, what would you guys recommend for a bare minimum number and size of frying pans when cooking for two?

I have a 24cm Tefal frying pan for eggs/bacon/etc but the one I use most of the 28cm Tefal pan. Unfortunately this has warped after two years of use. Everyone seems to recommend cast iron but seen as I use this for everything from Paella to sausages, etc I want to make sure it will cover all of the bases.

Otherwise I'm looking at ProCook Gourmet Steel. I have been trying to find a Circulon 28cm frying pan but the max temp for the oven seems to be 180c. To be fair, the only time it goes in the oven would be to melt cheese or the likes.
 
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