which saucepans to buy?

Debt_Free_Chick

I've had Le Creuset .... but when I placed one on the Aga hotplate, all the enamel exploded :eek: Not a "big bang" but it just crackled and popped until the kitchen was littered with bits of enamel :mad:

Anyway, even when I had some Le Creuset, I still preferred the convenience of stainless steel for everyday saucepans. I wouldn't want to be cooking a meal using three Le C saucepans - as others have said, they are quite heavy and somewhat unwieldly to manoevre.

John Lewis have an excellent 3 piece stainless steel set at £79, which includes 6mm aluminium sandwich base - so excellent conduction qualities. I've had this set for more than 5 years and expect to have it for another 15-20 years

You'll need some Astonish Oven & Cookware cleaning paste to keep them gleaming.

nearlyrich

I just buy the value pans from Tesco and replace as and when required, I do have a decent Tefal Griddle Pan and a big stckpot that were a bit more than £2.99 though!

Most of my cooking is done on the griddle or in a wok type frying pan or the stockpot and I have a really old hob steamer that I bought from Argos about 20 years ago for veg.

lil_me

I like the idea of the new ones where the handles move in, think they are Tefal. Mine are a cheap set (stainless) I had bought for me years ago, they do the job for now but been wanting a new set for about 4 years.

Mrs_pbradley936

newlywed wrote:

Think about the weight of them empty and what the weight will be full of food.... before you buy.

Le cruset looks lovely but my cousin with arthritis says she'd never ever lift them with food in.

That is so true!

dannahaz

lynzpower wrote:

. Its a daily frustration that we have a stackable plastic mijni crate in our cupbard with the pan lids and the right one for the pan we are using is always the last one out of the crate!

I have a set of stainless steel saucepans with glass lids. The lids have strainer holes in the sides, which is fantastically useful.

With this set (and I think with many others), if you just put the lid on the saucepan upside down, it takes up no more height than the empty saucepan. No need to store the lids separately anywhere.

Another option would be to get one or two of the Ikea Bygel rack things (like a spice rack but bigger) and screw it/them to the inside of the cupboard door. I've done that for my chopping boards, my meat grinder accessories, and numerous other things. I think most of my cupboards have at least one rack in holding something!

Edited to add:
Ot you could get something like this from lakeland, and use ot to stand the lids in http://www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/product.aspx/solutions/storageideas!20713

cathybird

I had a Le Creuset frying pan which slid off my stove one day and landed on the floor (whoever installed the kitchen before I bought the place did a bad job, the worktops aren't flat, they slope slightly). It cracked into two pieces instantly. I couldn't get a replacement either despite the lifetime guarantee because John Lewis said breaking doesn't count. That annoyed me because I hadn't had it very long at all and it cost a fortune. Having said that I've got other Le Creuset pieces which have lasted, but it helps to know that despite seeming very strong they can break quite easily

Thistle-down

you could always buy something like this that will fit any pan set:

Pan Stand



or this: Lid holder

prettypennies

I too took a long time to convince myself I deserved a set of Le creuset pans but they were one of the best investments I ever made. I have used mine daily for 10 years and love them . They do have a few chips where I have left stuff to boil dry on occasion, but lesser pans would have been heading binward.

My only gripe is that the pouring spout is on the side for right-handers and being a left hander I find them a bit heavy to pour with my right hand. (if that makes sense)

I believe the newer pans have spouts on both sides.

I would love a nice big Le Creuset casserole - maybe Santa will bring me one

LJM

we have a set 4 stainless steel pans,have had them approx 6 years and they are still in good condition,so hopefully they will last us a few more,saying that have i just jinxed myself hehe

HappyIdiotTalk

I bought the Circulon 2 starter set for about 60 quid. Which was a frying pan, 3 sauce pans and a milk pan. I'm really impressed with them because nothing but nothing sticks to them and they are therefore really easy to clean. I once left some lentils to boil dry in one by accident and thought it'd be a nightmare to clean off. But no, just a quick couple of wipes round with a damp washing spoonge!

Forget Le Cruset, if I wanted to treat myself though I'd get some pans by Run. Those things are awesome. I saw a demo of them at the 3 counties show a few years back and was very very impressed. The bloke demo'ing them left one on a stove all day long and was constantly dropping raw eggs into them. The egg would cook, dry out and then lift away from the surface. Next came a cup of sugar which would turn to syrup and burn. Cant remember quite what he did, but he'd finish up cleaning them with a bit of kitchen towel. Unbelieveable! But the price the price! You'd have to be rich or really want to treat yourself to buy these. Infact they are made in Germany... I'll have to do some research and see if they can be imported cheaper!