Cookware Question

[AsiaTraveler]

We are to the point where I am willing to pay more for some quality cookware, but get nervous about knowing when more $ = higher quality, and when more $ simply = more $. I've seen a few brands mentioned here, but I am wondering if anyone can give some guidance on the overall principle of the thing?

[shaggy]

We are to the point where I am willing to pay more for some quality cookware, but get nervous about knowing when more $ = higher quality, and when more $ simply = more $. I've seen a few brands mentioned here, but I am wondering if anyone can give some guidance on the overall principle of the thing?

I do think that quality is more expensive in the area of knives. Look for "Full tang, hand forged". Research the label on the knives so you don't get anything generic (e.g. "Sabatier" sounds good, but a quick Google search will tell you that the Sabatier label is used by a wide variety of companies who want their product to sound French).

For cookware, think about what's most important to you. My friends who are serious cooks scoff at non-stick, but I needed non-stick because I lack strength in my arms & hands (so I can't scrub well). That limited my choices (I ended up with Calphalon Unison). If you want to make gravy in the bottom of your Dutch oven, you'll need a pan surface that browns (so most non-stick is out).

I would never buy a set, because it includes so many pieces I don't need. I use a lot of saucepans, but never a stock pot (my stock gets made in a pressure cooker), so open stock was the best choice for me.

Hope that helps.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I gots me "sa mo" cookware (lol).


14" sharpening steel, $6.48
1 Qt aluminum sauce pan, $8.19
8" stainless steel fry pan, $12.49
8" splatter screen, $2.89
8 oz. ladle spoon, $2.39

[QuarterMillionMan]

Funny! By the way this is not me (lol).

[joywow]

We have two: A smaller "tomato" knife, and a larger "chef's" knife. The "tomato" knife has a micro-serrated edge that grabs hold of the food like no metal knife ever has and so never slips off the food (onto your fingers). While it is perfect for tomatoes, of course, it is even better for onions. The chef's knife is great for other typical uses.

[bUU]

Is there an echo in here?

[QuarterMillionMan]

I have used this 14" stainless steel wok a number of times already and I am pleased with its cooking abilities. These are some of the positives & negatives;


Positives;
1) Flat bottom and ideal for any cooking surface (gas, electric, etc.), I have a gas range.
2) Heats quickly
3) Browns meat nicely (I couldn't brown meats w/Teflon coated pans)
4) Fast cooking time
5) All metal so can just pop it in the oven
6) Stainless steel doesn't rust, the carbon steel wok which requires seasoning does rust if not seasoned.




Negatives;
1) Difficult to clean, however, I discovered that washing it immediately after cooking does make it somewhat easier to scrub off the black residue.
2) The wok is quite heavy and needs two hands especially when filled with food.
3) I used a fine grit sandpaper to scrub off some of the black residue.
4) Also, the smoke from cooking has set off my smoke detector a few times already (lol).

[kork13]

I love my wok, it's a fantastic all-purpose pot/pan/cookery vessel -- though mine is an ancient electric wok (plug it into the wall) I got from my family that is at least 20 years old.

Just a note though... Although woks do normally cook at a pretty high heat level, you shouldn't be having anything smoke, char, or form burnt-on carbon deposits on the pan. Try using a different type of cooking oil. Butter & extra virgin olive oil, for a couple examples, have smoke points at about 300°F & 360°F (respectively). Look for something with a smoke point of at least 400°F. Good oils for use in woks are peanut (450°F), refined or "extra light" olive (440-460°F), safflower (500°F), or tea seed (480°F) oils. If nothing else, canola (400°F) or other corn oils can work. Also remember that stainless steel requires the use of oil, and often more of it than you might be used to using in other cookware types.

[QuarterMillionMan]

The trick to getting knives scary sharp is to get at least 5 different grits of sharpening stones. People don't know this secret and they only use 1 grit expecting their knives to become sharp. For instance, I've seen TV commercials of a grinding wheel which claims to make knives sharp. Yes it's a start but that is only 1 grit. The spectrum of grits in the most basic sense is extra course, course, medium, fine, and extra fine. To finish your knives you'd use a leather strop with a polishing compound. Stones can be diamonds stones, wet stones, or even sand paper with grits ranging from 200, 400, 600, 1000, 3000, 5000, etc. I have the cheapest knives but all are scary sharp. It's a pleasure to cut through meat with easy and I don't have to fight with it.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I more thing I would add should anyone choose to sharpen their own knives. Most likely your knives along with the majority of everyone's knives are dull. So plan on using most of your time about 80% of the time using very course and course grits on your dull knives to eliminate the dull steal on both sides of the knife in order to create that beveled edge. The last 20% of your time you will be using the medium grit to the very fine grits to get that extremely sharp edge. Upon achieving the goal of reaching a scary sharp knife you'll be kicking yourself for enduring a dull knife for so long.

[myrdale]

I've got a butter knife and a steak knife I took from my parents house. They are older than me. I've got a larger knife from Walmart. My Ka-Bar came from Amazon.

All joking aside, look into ceramic knives. My aunt has a set and they are pretty fancy.

EDIT: Dang I didn't realize this was a 9 year old thread.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I heard ceramic knives are good but I don’t know how to sharpen it so I won’t buy it.

[rennigade]

Gotta love threads getting bumped from 2013.

[james.hendrickson]

Gotta love threads getting bumped from 2013.

I'm cool if people want to talk about old stuff from 2013.

[ua_guy]

We still have our knives from when this thread first started They've been sharpened a few times since then!

We never planned on replacing our cookware and then did the unthinkable when we bought our next "forever home". The place came with a brand new, high-end induction range, and none of them work with aluminum cookware. The question was do we replace the range, or the cookware? Doing either amounts to a monumental waste, but the cookware was cheaper, so it got replaced with Stainless versions from the same maker. Ouch. But it is good stuff, and the aluminum has gone to a good home.