Pots and pans

Frugal_gem

Hi all delurking for a bit of advice.

I have £180 worth of John Lewis vouchers given to me over a year ago. I am having my kitchen done after years of saving and was thinking I could use them to buy some hard wearing pots and pans etc, as I cook a lot and enjoy it.

It's such a large amount of money that I want to spend it wisely, however I don't knows much about the best brands as most of my possessions are hand me ups/downs or charity finds!!

I've had a look at the website and can see various brands like le creuset - is this a good investment? They also have copper pans which I thought were good as well?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks :j

pigpen

I have copper and steel pans and every chuffing things sticks to them.. even frozen peas!! I HATE them.. I cant wait for them to die and I know they are going to last until the end of time!!

I had some non-stick tefal ones which were brilliant and still are but the steel ones are THE worst.. a few (i have 2 sets) have steel handles too which get REALLY hot so I would advise avoiding metal handles... and wooden ones if you're to dishwasher them!

I'd rather like to try the cast iron ones from Le Crueset but they are incredibly heavy and if they are going to last to the end of your life will you be able to lift them at 90?? That is what put me off lol.


Go look at them.. see what they feel like to handle .. add the weight of a couple of tins of beans .. I think it is a very personal thing.

bellaboo86

I agree it's a personal choice.
I've got a cast iron (I think anyway) griddle pan and I hate it. It is so heavy, I have to use both hands to hold it. to make it even worse ,I have to hold the handle with a tea towel as it gets hot.
My favourite pan is actually my little non-stick frying pan.
In regard to copper pans, don't they start to discolour after a while? I'm pretty sure you need to clean them with something to keep them bright and shiny.

Frugal_gem

'I can't wait for them to die'! Ha, that made me laugh!

Yeah, perhaps going and handling them would be best. The idea is they would last my lifetime....

Thanks

RAS

What do you cook on? What do you like to eat?

An Aga and good cast iron casserole (non-stick) for slow cooking?

No use if your style is stirfries.

CapricornLass

Its worth getting pans that will cope with as many different heat sources as possible, as that could change in the future. (Decide to use induction instead of ceramic when you replace the cooker? Move house and find there's no gas in the village?). The Prestige stainless steel set that my husband bought when he started his first job 40 years ago are still going strong, and serenely cope with gas/electic/ceramic and now induction while the WMF frypan/casserole that I bought that was over £100 25 years ago won't work at all on induction.

Though don't buy Jamie Oliver pans if you are thinking (even remotely as a nice idea some day) of using induction. They are marked as suitable, but they don't work on induction stoves.

Frugal_gem

We are a veggie household and cook lots of soups, stews, casseroles, chilli's, curries etc. 99% from scratch cooking. I would like a big pan, some smaller ones and a frying pan I think.

Non stick could be good as a few people have mentioned

Tigsteroonie

pigpen wrote: »

I'd rather like to try the cast iron ones from Le Crueset but they are incredibly heavy and if they are going to last to the end of your life will you be able to lift them at 90?? That is what put me off lol.

When they get too heavy for you, you pass them down to your daughter

wanderingwondering

I have a round le creuset casserole and I absolutely love it, it lives on the hob (gas range type cooker) and it gets used at least twice a week, it is fairly non-stick for initial frying and does make delicious meals. I wouldn't make a chilli, curry, pasta sauce, Bolognese or anything like that that needs slow simmering in any other pan now as it cooks slower which seems to improve the taste, I find with gas that in other pans some things boil too hard and then burn. Plus it looks beautiful in my kitchen and makes me happy every day to see it! My mum has had one for around 15 years and its still fine.


The only other pans I really ever use are a good non-stick frying pan, a two tier steamer pan (which is also a useful big pan for pasta) and a medium size saucepan with glass lid for everything else. I don't think you need a lot of variety but you do have to be sure what you own will work for your style of cooking, as others have said.

HOWMUCH

I have Le Crueset and they were purchased them in the January Sales in 1976 so got them cheaper than normal price and I also got the wooden pan stand that you can hang on the wall. They have been in 4 homes over the years and I love them, yes they are heavy but you need very little heat under them when cooking.

Gigervamp

I wouldn't buy Le Creuset as they're so expensive. I have a couple of Aldi's cast iron casseroles which cost around £20 each and are just as good.

I would suggest getting a couple of good quality, heavy based stainless steel pans. I've had some that I bought in Tesco about 20 years ago and they still look new, despite the occasional burnt offering!

Also, a good non-stick frying pan and a non-stick smaller saucepan if you ever make milk based things like porridge in a pan, or scrambled eggs.

I wouldn't buy a set of pans as I prefer to buy exactly what I need.