Long story short - I caught most of mine on fire as well as melted plastic Tupperware inside of them. I have to blame the moped and the cabinet builders, even though I was the one that technically and UNKNOWINGLY lit the match.
Up until the last few days, I thought you could just go to Walmart and buy a set for $100 and I would be done. I was then instructed by the women in my life that it was time to buy “ADULT cookware.†This lead into a few confusing conversations as well as a lot of research on my part. I wasn’t really that fond of the nonstick stuff that I had. In all actuality it probably needed replacing anyway. I’d like for this to be the last batch of stuff that I buy, with the ability to add to if needed. I’m looking at stainless steel possibly All-Clad. If they last a lifetime then I have no problem shelling out a grand or so for what I think I need but DAMN! I had no idea that stuff cost so much money. Approximately $240 for a 4 qt pot, $150 for a frying pan... Does anyone here use them or have any suggestions that I should look at?
Stainless steel is good for boiling and maybe baking, but I like to sear meat and get flavor gristle going. It would stick badly to stainless steel, so I use a ceramic frying pan. Ceramic is pretty natural, kind of like enamel. It doesn't scratch like teflon, so I use regular spatulas and even steel wool. Everything comes off quickly. I sometimes use just a dot of oil when frying, or a dab of water, because they aren't as nonstick as teflon.
Hard to get by without a crock pot, too.
Be sure to get lids - food cooks faster with a lid if you don't mind a little moisture in that particular dish. You can always cook the last few minutes w/o the lid to dry it again.
I bought stainless steel tureens one year from a military surplus store. They cost as much as anywhere else, but one handle cracked and the finish must have been painted on, as it faded right away.
As far as a ceramic pan, I got one in a department store by asking the clerk if I could take the display out of a very nice set (She said yes; clerks love me) and I bought another one at Goodwill for $1. Both have worn at about the same rate, with lots of life left.
If you get any glass pans for baking, the temperature would need to be adjusted 25 degrees.
Don't worry what all the hens say. I lived a long time with just a couple cast iron pans, one pot, a tureen, a crock, and a baking pan for brownies.
For health's sake, be sure to get a grill (if your oven doesn't come with one) that goes in the oven or toaster oven, so that the fat will drip into the pan and your broiled meat will be lean. There is a miniature one on the market now, just right for 6 drumsticks.
Is a man complete without an electric griddle? And an electric sandwich grill reduces calories, since no oil is needed. If you supplement with some glass bowls with lids (Big lots has square ones since refrigerators are square), then you can pack your food right off the heat and into the fridge, if speed and health rules are important to you. No plastic chemicals mixing with seared food.
