The Big Pots & Pans Thread (Merged)

username123

I only use cast iron pans, generic brand, cost about 15quid per pan, over a decade ago. I still use one that my mother owned so its had 40 odd years of use and still going strong! You have to season them and not use detergent washing them, but treat them right and they last forever. Aldi were doing some recently.

meoklmrk91

username123 wrote: »

I only use cast iron pans, generic brand, cost about 15quid per pan, over a decade ago. I still use one that my mother owned so its had 40 odd years of use and still going strong! You have to season them and not use detergent washing them, but treat them right and they last forever. Aldi were doing some recently.

I must pop into Aldi and see if they have any left, I would I have seen some in there and they do seem to be of decent quality.

username123

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I must pop into Aldi and see if they have any left, I would I have seen some in there and they do seem to be of decent quality.

Don't get ones that are enamelled from Aldi, only totally plain back iron, if you get enamelled ones you have to go higher quality (and price). I got mine in Homestore and more, but it's years ago now.

I remember there were some good deals on plain cast iron on amazon last year, even with postage. I know tkmaxx have some sometimes but it can be very high end and pricey even there.

meoklmrk91

I'll be shopping around anyway, I buy from amazon all the time so that wouldn't bother me at all, I just want to get the best I can for my money, it's only myself I will be cooking for so atleast I don't need a full set right off the bat. I will probably just buy one at a time over a few weeks. Would you be able to recommend any from amazon?

username123

If you search 'cast iron pan' in amazon.co.uk, the very first one up is the same as the ones I use, plainest of the plain.

I have 3 different sizes plus a square griddle one, but a medium size would take you a long way, and further down the line you could get different sizes.

meoklmrk91

username123 wrote: »

If you search 'cast iron pan' in amazon.co.uk, the very first one up is the same as the ones I use, plainest of the plain.

Excellent, thanks to everyone for their advice, much appreciated.

Merkin

A lot of my stuff is La Crueset and you just cannot fault it. TK Maxx in Stephen's Green always have a load of it in and it's worth getting. Buy a pot/saucepan/dish at a time and you will have a collection in no time.

OREGATO

Hey guys, been lurking this forum for a good while now. Find it very helpful.

Just a question.. We are in the process of doing up the kitchen and I want to buy a good set of pots and pans. I've read that it's not ideal to buy sets as you'll find some sizes won't be right for your needs.

I'm just wondering what the best set up would be.

Some specific info that may help with suggestions:

We have an electric hob at the moment but this will likely be replaced with induction in the near future.

Only two of us in the house but do occasionally cook for family and friends when they visit.

I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and cooking all different foods. I got by with a tefal frying pan, a large enough sauce pan and a smaller one when making several dishes etc and a tefal griddle pan.

They're getting old now and I'd like to replace them all. I'm confused over aluminium, stainless steel and all the other types of options out there.

Anyone able to help shed some light?

Thanks in advance

O

dee_mc

I can highly recommend flat-bottomed, heavy based aluminium pots for use on induction. We got ours in Tesco years ago (collect tokens offer) but have bought similar in Anthony Ryan's, Galway for wedding presents etc. We've had ours for at least 10 years and they are still perfect, and very easy to clean (rarely require soaking).
Before using any of your existing pots and pans on the induction I'd suggest checking their bases for any grit or burnt on food build-up - this will cause tiny scratches and tough build-up on the surface of the hob. Any grit etc can be easily removed with a sharp flat blade, I use a Stanley glass scraper.
I prefer pots with solid metal handles as they stand the test of time, and the dishwasher, better than tubular metal or plastic type handles.

bonkey

dee_mc wrote: »

I can highly recommend flat-bottomed, heavy based aluminium pots for use on induction.

The heavy base you refer to is probably steel. Aluminium doesn't work on an induction hob.

Personally, I'm a fan of stainless steel, but in general I don't think you can reduce it to jut a question of material.

I would generally want heavy base and heavy lid, with an all-metal construction, so I can pop them in the oven.

My pots have common sizes so lids are interchangeable (they're expensive kit so I've a lot fewer lids then pots)oh, and sure they're dishwasherabl, unless you like hand washing all your pots.

Whatever about buying a set, there's nothing wrong with buying from a range, if it has what you need.

Pick your budget in advance, decide what sizes are useful for you, then go look at what's out there.

For the record, most of my kit is Le Pentole, including g a stainless steel frying pan. (Crazy expensive but I love them). The rest of my non-stick frying pans are fromthr IKEA 365+ range.

dee_mc

bonkey wrote: »

The heavy base you refer to is probably steel. Aluminium doesn't work on an induction hob.

Very tired when I wrote that They are of course steel with an aluminium core, which does work on induction and makes for a good heavy pot. Thanks for that!

OREGATO

Thanks for the help guys, we spent nearly two hours in Arnotts today picking out stuff.

Went for a stellar set in the end, stainless steel, 5 piece of which all are decent sizes that I'll use. I was humming and hawing over the zwilling range but the stellar won out due to practicality. I did pick up a 30' le cruiset non stick pan and a cast iron pan as well which I used to make awesome steak tonight.

Picked up a zwilling chefs knife as well, feels so good in my hand. Lots of new toys to play with in our new kitchen now

gizmo

Howdy folks,

Back in October '12 I picked up a set of Circulon Infinite pots and pans from Amazon. Now, while the pots and larger frying pan have held up great, the smaller pan, which I used considerably more, seems to have begun to fail. In terms of care, I've never put it in the dishwasher, never used a metal utensil on it and never used anything harder than a sponge to clean it off. On the other hand, I'm probably guilty of cooking at too high a temperature and for a short period, used Frylight Olive Oil spray instead of regular oils.

I had intended on picking up some white vinegar over the weekend in order to boil with some water to see if I could clean the pan without being heavy handed and, failing that, was going to look and get one of these to replace it. Before I do that however, I just wanted some of your more experienced opinions on whether it's beyond saving and, if not, what may have caused it to fail so quickly outside of general usage so I can avoid it happening again?

Oblomov

As Blub2k4 said at the start of the thread, YHMax..... cast iron saucepan, hmmmmmm 6.50...... Ohh yes... GBP... Yeah, really.

Some nice enamalled, alli with steel base, a very nice cast iron enamalled griddle at £14.99

or

AGNELLI - COPPER3 FRYING PAN (28CM) at £94.44 plus VAT, copper bottemed stainless steel with an alli core to allow quick and even heat .. enough of the advert stuff. professional gear cleaning, with lemon juice with some salt... avoid overheating as the copper can tarnish

Va Va Voom

A visit to TK Max is a must...