Pots and pans set recommendations

paddylonglegs

Hi.

I'm looking for recommendations on a mid range priced set of pots and pans.

Is there any brand I should steer clear of? Or any brands that were surprisingly good for the price?

I'm not going to invest a huge amount but I would really like to know your experience. Off the top of my head there are a few places I could try with various prices. I'm thinking Debenhams would be most expensive, to ikea, Tesco, Jamie Oliver brand, or somewhere online?

Any direction would be great...

mashed13

I would consider looking up on Amazon, they have quite a few good deals on pans and pots sets as well as a big range to choose from, people reviews might give you a hand on making a decision too

Advbrd

Personally I go for 18/10 stainless steel. Stellar is a good brand and will last a lifetime. Never pay full price. You should get at least 50% off in the average sale. If going for non stick frying pans don't spend too much. The coating will come off and the pan will need replacing every couple of years. I picked up a few copper pots in Aldi or Lidl which are quite good and look well but require a bit of maintenance.
Just my thoughts.

The Hill Billy

Check out this thread which is especially for such recommendations.

Dizzyblonde

I agree about Stellar, they're great pans. You can pick up great bargains in TKMAXX if you're looking to buy them separately. Don't discount Debenham or Arnotts because they're often no more expensive, and you'll get proper bargains when they have a sale on. At the moment there's a lovely set reduced to €180 in Arnotts and the pots have straining lids which I love.

http://www.arnotts.ie/stellar-s7c1d-draining-lid-saucepan-set-of-5/312608/979400250100450?sc_src=email_1054626&sc_lid=79691993&sc_uid=uRIKIagkCp&sc_llid=11913&sc_eh=d443579ddd7d59d41&utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Winter+Sale+-+Wednesday+28th+Dec+-+Product+v2&utm_content=Homeware_Link+to+more&sc_customer=1461340

Toto Wolfcastle

Circulon is also worth looking at. The Arnotts sale is great, but also check out Brown Thomas. I've picked up a lot of kitchen things in their sale over the years, including pots and pans.

Alun

I had to buy a new set of pans recently due to getting a new induction hob, and got the Stellar set mentioned by Dizzyblonde.

It's a nice set, but I did have a bit of an issue with the bases on all 4 pans being ever so slightly wobbly. After lots of toing and froing with Stellar and Arnotts I got them replaced but the new ones are the same. It's very, very slight as I mentioned and on an induction hob it makes no difference anyway, so have continued using them. Personally I suspect it's down to stress being placed on the pan when the pouring lips were being formed, but not sure.

The frying pan is a bit on the small side for us, and I'm not sure if the non-stick will last that long, but I also bought a Circulon "chef's pan", a sort of small wok shaped pan with a handle, which is absolutely brilliant (and absolutely flat on the base!) and if the frying pan ever went, I'd replace it with a Circulon one.

The Circulon pan sets looked nice too, but were also non-stick, and I didn't see the point for normal saucepans, plus I could see the coating being damaged by potato mashers etc.

Alun

Toto Wolfcastle wrote: »

Circulon is also worth looking at. The Arnotts sale is great, but also check out Brown Thomas. I've picked up a lot of kitchen things in their sale over the years, including pots and pans.

I found Arnott's were ever so slightly cheaper than BT when I was looking before Christmas, plus they had a bigger range on show. You certainly can get some bargains in the BT homewares section though sometimes, I agree.

the beer revolu

Most of my pots have glass lids.
I would avoid this.
They have crevices that are hard to clean.
The knobs can get loose allowing water under them.
The can be broken.

I'd love simple stainless pots with uncomplicated stainless lids and metal handles but can't justify getting rid of my pots.

roroliam

Gouldings Expert Hardware in Naas, stock a brand of cookware called " Steelux" its designed in Donegal . The quality is excellent and much better priced than the celebrity branded products.

jlm29

I second tk maxx if there's one near you. You probably won't get a set, but sometimes I think it's no harm, you might have more use for two pots of one size, and none of another size.

Dizzyblonde

Alun wrote: »

I had to buy a new set of pans recently due to getting a new induction hob, and got the Stellar set mentioned by Dizzyblonde.

It's a nice set, but I did have a bit of an issue with the bases on all 4 pans being ever so slightly wobbly. After lots of toing and froing with Stellar and Arnotts I got them replaced but the new ones are the same. It's very, very slight as I mentioned and on an induction hob it makes no difference anyway, so have continued using them. Personally I suspect it's down to stress being placed on the pan when the pouring lips were being formed, but not sure.

The frying pan is a bit on the small side for us, and I'm not sure if the non-stick will last that long, but I also bought a Circulon "chef's pan", a sort of small wok shaped pan with a handle, which is absolutely brilliant (and absolutely flat on the base!) and if the frying pan ever went, I'd replace it with a Circulon one.

The Circulon pan sets looked nice too, but were also non-stick, and I didn't see the point for normal saucepans, plus I could see the coating being damaged by potato mashers etc.

That's very disappointing about the Stellar pots - I wonder if the brand name has been sold and they're now being manufactured by someone else. That's sometimes the case.

I have a Judge Vista pot with a draining lid that I picked up in TKMaxx a few years ago for only €24 and it's very good quality. It has a really heavy base.

I got my sauté pan in Marks and Spencer, it's heavy based stainless steel with a glass lid and cost less than €30.

BailMeOut

'All Clad' are very expensive but you will never regret buying them. They are hands down the best pots/pans I have ever owned and they will easily last a lifetime. My wife and I bought one every now and then over many years and now we will never buy another pot/pan ever. Now have 4 pots and three frying pan in different sizes and my prized possession a proper All Clad saucier.

pawrick

Bought this set 4 years ago from arnotts in a sale and have had the pots and wok in constant use since. Ignore the arrnotts rrp on most of their cookware in the sales as the sale price is more often the same as the normal price online.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meyer-Professional-Stainless-Cookware-6-Piece/dp/B00DP3YACS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482928763&sr=8-2&keywords=meyer+pots+and+pans

Downsides: pan is a too small for my liking so bought a larger one + needed a larger pot to add to the set for massive stews. I also left some homemade tomato sauce in a pot overnight and the acid I guess seemed to have discoloured the bottom of that pot but no one would notice it.

Quality was fine, no issues with dishwasher or cleaning, handles are sturdy and lids seem fine but i seldom use them. very solid set overall. If anything I wish i bought a larger set at the time.

btw they also make the following brands:
Cookware labels or lines for which Meyer is the parent firm include Circulon, Anolon, NapaStyle, SilverStone, Prestige and BonJour

RasTa

Go where chef's shop imo


http://www.sweeneyorourke.com/ebstore/so/

paddylonglegs

Thanks for all the responses, I'll have a look at these options over the coming days

uck51js9zml2yt

Picked up the ikeq 365 pots today.
Just to note , the 3&5 litre pots are reduced by €5 at the moment, making it slightly cheaper to buy them individually than as a set.
Also got a good non stick frying pan for 35 and a decent wok.

I assume the handles get hot on the pots!

paddylonglegs

Paxton Beautiful Peach wrote: »

Picked up the ikeq 365 pots today.
Just to note , the 3&5 litre pots are reduced by €5 at the moment, making it slightly cheaper to buy them individually than as a set.
Also got a good non stick frying pan for 35 and a decent wok.

I assume the handles get hot on the pots!

What is the quality like on the ikea pots? Are the handles plastic or the same material as the pots themselves?

Dizzyblonde

You can't beat Ikea's €15 non stick frying pan. It has a sturdy handle, but I don't know about the pots.

BailMeOut

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

You can't beat Ikea's €15 non stick frying pan. It has a sturdy handle, but I don't know about the pots.

It is always recommend you never buy expensive non stick pans as they do not last no matter how much you spend. If you get a year out of one you are doing well.

dub_skav

Personally, I think sets of pots and pans are not worth the money.
They generally bundle items to provide value, but the "value" is provided by at least one item that you do not want.

I would find and buy the best for your budget and get a large pot, small pot and a good frying pan. If budget allows get a large and a small frying pan.

Large and small are relative to your personal circumstances, as small to a family could be large to an individual.

I favour black iron for fry pans, requires seasoning but lasts a lifetime.
A cast iron skillet is great but very heavy and maybe not useful in all circumstances

I love enameled cast iron cookware for pots, le creuset being best known, but linea in House of Fraser are good and often on sale, home store and more have a range of them too.
Stainless steel is good too, but often more of a lottery quality wise.

As cast iron and black iron are relatively uncomplicated (that is no fancy jargon laden non stick surfaces) you can pick up quality items in TK maxx or LIDL occasionally.

The large pot can be a medium casserole and have you covered for nearly every eventuality.

Sorry for rambling, but I firmly believe - as with cooking knives - that buying individually and picking up over the years is the best option.
Buy cheap, buy twice

Alf Stewart.

I find the absolute scourge, and usually what proves to ultimately place my pans (more so than pots) in the skip, is due to one thing.

Fry-lite.

Seems to leave my frying pan's with a thick, tar like residue around the base and edges that I can't ever remove.

As my wife follows slimming world a lot, I'm constantly using this in pans, as its the only way I can cook a lot of her dishes.

I have resigned myself to buying cheap(ish) pans as a result. The last few I have bought have been from Aldi, and they are actually holding up quite well. Can't remember how much I spent on it, but I reckon I have it six months now, and its not stained too bad at all.