Investing in Pots

BenEadir

Hi all,

I'm renovating my kitchen and as part of that want to invest in a new set of pots and pans. I've looked at Le Cruset, Circulon and the Jamie Oliver range by Tefal but cannot decide what I want so looking for some input/advice.

What do people recommend in terms of brand, where to get them and also what is the right mix i.e. one small, one medium and one large pot plus a decent frying pan and a wok? I want something which works very well, will last a long time and is diswasher friendly. They will be used on gas hobs so would anyone recommend the brass type designs I sometimes see on TV cookery programmes?

Is Sweeney O'Rourke Ltd on Pearce the place to go? I had a look in Debenhams in Blackrock on Sunday and they seem to be a rip off.

All help much appreciated.

Ben

Swampy

I went for the jamie oliver tefal range. Good heavy bases. Can be used in dishwasher. The non stick frying pans can handle metal cooking equipment. Its worth getting one of the big pasta/stock pots too. No Complaints.

Get a good nonstick wok too. Easy cleaning. I got mine in Clearys in a sale.

Minder

Try www.nisbets.ie for all your pots & pans.

Bourgeat are an excellent brand for non-stick frying pans. Huge range of sizes.

olaola

K- I did a bit of mooching around the pot section for d'wedding list and I have at home -

Circulon covered saute pan (I use it EVERY day), Le Crueset covered casserole and Kitchen aid stock pot, sauce pan and mid-sized pot. (all of these go in the oven)

TBH the Circulon and another mid sized pot would cover MOST of your meals.

The Kitchen aid pots are great too - super non-stick! Cleaning is quear easy.

If you're thinking of investing - Kildare Shopping Village has a Tefal & Le Creuset shop. Good bargains to be had, and if you're an AA member you get 10% off. (Get the card from the info office)

NextSteps

I'd go for a cast-iron frying pan like Le Creuset, and not put it in the dishwasher, just wipe with kitchen paper. It'll last forever, and is much less flimsy than the non-stick ones.

The Hill Billy

I have a set of Judge pans myself - small, medium, large & a huge stock pot.
I can't remember where I got my frying pan, but it is stainless steel with a very heavy base & is cracking.
For a wok - you can get the real deal in the Asian Market on Drury Street.
I do need a decent casserole dish & will most likely buy a Le Creuset.

John Mason

I have a Le Cruset set, hate them. while the frying pan is great, they are just far to heavy for me to lift when they are full. Also pasta and rice seems to stick something horrible to them. mind you that could just be the fact that my lodger insists in putting them in the disherwasher :mad:

MzFusspot

If you're willing to spend some time pulling things off shelves and having a mooch, the kitchen section in TK Maxx can have some amazing bargains. Some amazing sh*te as well so you have to be willing to dig

Minder

I find that the non stick woks are likely to get damaged by the utensils. Eventually the non stick coating becomes frayed and scratched. The traditional woks are easy to seal. Clean it under running water with a bamboo brush and never use detergent. But these are only useful if cooking on gas. Look for a solid iron wok - the two handled variety if cooking on an electric hob.

I have a stellar set, includes a milk pan, four other sized pans - one of which has a steamer/colander - it has a stepped botton, so fits three of the pans. All stainless steel, they can be washed in the dishwasher. I bought the first Stellar saucepan in 1987 - still going strong.

Pigletlover

I have a Circulon set which I find good - I have a small medium and large pot (approx. 16cm, 18cm and maybe 20cm), all with lids and that's usually enough for day to day cooking, but I have a few cheaper pots too. The Circulon pots came as part of a set with a skillet and frying pan. The skillet is something that I probably wouldn't have bought but its handy for things like risotto or bolognese, but frying pan was tiny so I had to buy another one. They're quite expensive, I think the set i have was around €250-€300.

The Sweeper

I have a mish mash of things I bought from kitchen shops, nisbets, got as gifts, rooted through TK Maxx to pick up and purchased online.

TK Maxx: three star buys. All non-branded (or not well known brands I think). I just spent quite some time visiting the kitchen section, and purchased two saucepans and one saute pan after examining what each was made of, judging their weight and seeing how well the lids fit. One saucepan is a high-sided two litre with a lid, which is perfect for rice and pasta for 2-4 people and which I use practically every time I cook. The second is a double-handled 4-5 litre pot with a lid, perfect for stew. The saute pan has a lid and is a stainless steel, heavy-bottom contraption - nice for making any meat sauce where you want liquid to reduce but you also want to contain simmer splashes.

I've a huge carbon steel wok I bought in Chinatown with an all-purpose wok lid, a set of bourgeat non-stick frying pans, a le-creuset round cocotte and a few other bits and pieces I acquired over the years.

The good thing - I have an item for everything I want to do in the kitchen, as opposed to having bought a set where I use four out of six things regularly.

The bad thing - the stuff I bought is of good enough quality that I can't ever justify throwing it out to replace it with a set of expensive pans. ...damn.

TequilaMockingBird

I used to buy and sell this stuff.

Circulon by Meyer, are fantastic, they have a lifetime guarantee, even with their Non-Stick range.

I would get a set of saucepans, regular small, medium and large, with solid lids (no glass) rivited handles (no screws or push-ins). Stainless steel, check that the base is good and thick.

Then you need a frying pan - go for a Meyer Non-Stick, about 26cm.

A wok, if required, don't get Non-Stick.

A big ole' stock pot, stainless steel again with a thick base (stops food burning).

As for baking trays, I would go with Prestige. Good solid trays, with practically indistructable Non-Stick.

Then a couple of small thin baking trays, keep them thin - easier for the dishwasher.

BenEadir

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the tips.

SUEME, great straightforward tips, much appreciated. I can get everything you suggested in Sweeney O'Rourke? What about a good chopping board, what do you recommend? I am installing a granite worktop in the kitchen and don't want my new Wustof knives to be blunted by chopping directly on that.

Regards,

Ben

TequilaMockingBird

No probs!

For a chopping board, it dicey. (Heh heh:D)

You could get a really thick wooden cross grain board, (Stow Green or Richardsons do some lovely ones) which looks good and is good for the knives. Don't use glass or granite etc - wreck your lovely knives. My problem with these is cleaning them. They are not dishwasher safe. So you can only us it for veg etc, as meat or fish will contaminate it.

I have about 5 cheap (about 2 euro) white plastic boards from Tesco. Then I have one in a different brand, but the same thing, for meat. Bung them all in the dishwasher and they're grand.

I'm not in Dublin, but I'm sure they are well stocked there.
I found this link with a quick Google, they seem to have some offers at the moment.http://www.firstireland.com/prodtype.asp?cookiecheck=yes&PT_ID=462&strPageHistory=cat

The Sweeper

Chopping boards: bamboo. It's fab. It doesn't swell or split. Avoid end grain boards. they're rubbish.

Minder

A good idea is to get a variety of boards for different things. Raw meat & fish - one board. Veg and bread - another board. Fruit - a separate board again (you don't want your freshly chopped mango tasting of the garlic that you just chopped:eek:

I read somewhere that the enzymes in wooden boards help prevent the spread of bacteria.

The Hill Billy

I'd never come across a bamboo chopping board before & Googled it. Very exotic I thought. But lo & behold, they ship them from The Kitchen Dresser in Portlaoise. €32.95 including delivery.

Dero

I'm pretty sure that Avoca have bamboo chopping boards too, but I haven't been there lately.

TequilaMockingBird

Apollo brand do a big range of Wooden/Bamboo products. At really good prices.

http://www.apollohousewares.co.uk/

This a trade website, but I would imagine they have a good selection of stores they supply to in Dublin. The stuff is really good value and great quality.

tSubh Dearg

Minder wrote: »

I read somewhere that the enzymes in wooden boards help prevent the spread of bacteria.

This is true, if I remember my Home Ec classes correctly. We were told that wood was the best chopping board to have as it provided a natural resistance to bacteria.

I've also found that so long as you give it a good scrub between uses you can mix chopping veg and meat on them. I've yet to poison myself and my family.

olaola

sueme wrote: »

I have about 5 cheap (about 2 euro) white plastic boards from Tesco. Then I have one in a different brand, but the same thing, for meat. Bung them all in the dishwasher and they're grand.

Yeah - I'm the same - they're actually very good! They don't warp or bend. And they survive the diswasher very well.

molliesassy

For a good investment buy I would recommend the Typhoon footed butchers blocks. They are end grain boards but top quality. I have mine at least 7 years,used every day and it still looks good. You will see them on any of the celebrity cook tv shows.
Also T&G do very good boards. Look for beech, Oak or Ash boards as the cheaper boards made from hevea dont last as long and are coated in a laquer which will wear away with use.