Recommend cookware

neilmcl

Doozergirl said:

Something in heavy Stainless Steel. 

We still have some of our Prestige pans left after 20 years.  I think our 3rd one has just died - the handles work loose and you end up burning your hands somehow.   

I'm not buying non-stick again.  We inherited some about 3 years ago and they all need replacing.  

My favourite pan is a big round steel thing from Ikea with steamer attachments to match.  It's 9 years old and still working perfectly.  They don't make them anymore though.  

I do think it's the material they're made from, rather than the brand that lasts.  

Interested to read this thread as I will need to invest very shortly with something that is also suitable for induction!  My gut says John Lewis own brand with the lifetime guarantee. 

As mentioned I've found the set of John Lewis tri-ply pans to be excellent on induction. They heat up very quickly and more importantly evenly. They don't do them anymore but they do have a 5-ply range that's probably as good. Mine came with a non-stick milk pan but the coating started to come away after a month of use so they gave me a refund for that and I bought a Raymond Blanc non-stick pan instead and that's also worked great.

I've yet to find a non-stick frying or saute pan that's lasted longer than 3-4 years before the coating starts failing and their so-called 10 year warranties are useless. I did have an Oxo grips one from Lakeland that worked well as it gave very even heat but again the non-stick on that is starting to flake.

FreeBear

ka7e said: I had to replace most of my cookware when I got a new induction hob

Same here. Had a look round the shops in town for a decent set of induction compatible pans. Really couldn't see the point in spending ££££ on flashy pans. Ended up going to a local and purchased a mix of Tower & Judge pans. No fancy coatings (except for the frying pan), easy to clean, and cheap.

RelievedSheff

neilmcl said:

Doozergirl said:

Something in heavy Stainless Steel. 

We still have some of our Prestige pans left after 20 years.  I think our 3rd one has just died - the handles work loose and you end up burning your hands somehow.   

I'm not buying non-stick again.  We inherited some about 3 years ago and they all need replacing.  

My favourite pan is a big round steel thing from Ikea with steamer attachments to match.  It's 9 years old and still working perfectly.  They don't make them anymore though.  

I do think it's the material they're made from, rather than the brand that lasts.  

Interested to read this thread as I will need to invest very shortly with something that is also suitable for induction!  My gut says John Lewis own brand with the lifetime guarantee. 

As mentioned I've found the set of John Lewis tri-ply pans to be excellent on induction. They heat up very quickly and more importantly evenly. They don't do them anymore but they do have a 5-ply range that's probably as good. Mine came with a non-stick milk pan but the coating started to come away after a month of use so they gave me a refund for that and I bought a Raymond Blanc non-stick pan instead and that's also worked great.

I've yet to find a non-stick frying or saute pan that's lasted longer than 3-4 years before the coating starts failing and their so-called 10 year warranties are useless. I did have an Oxo grips one from Lakeland that worked well as it gave very even heat but again the non-stick on that is starting to flake.

we have a couple of Copperstone pans that are 6 years old now and they are still as non stick as they were when we bought them.

TELLIT01

We have two Woll frying pans which are superb.  Heat spread is very fast, very even and the heat is retained so well that once up to temperature the temperature is retained with the hob setting down at the simmmer level.  They ain't cheap but they are very good.

BananaRepublic

neilmcl said:

BananaRepublic said:

In my opinion price is not indicative of quality. I have an expensive (£100) Le Creuset tri ply pan that has buckled. It was replaced under warranty after less than six months. The second did the same. They said I could send it in and they’d send me a new model when it came out. So I said no. I need the pan. Tri ply is inherently flawed in my experience. My experience with Le Creuset is that you pay for the name not the quality. I have various stainless pans, all are fine apart from the Le Creuset, all bought in sales. A really cheap pan from Tesco lasted almost 20 years until I abused it. Non stick pans accrue a film of oxidised oil over time and become non non stick, so I keep mine for omelettes and other items that need non stick, and don’t cause damage to the surface. It seems to be gentle frying that is the issue. I find stainless steel cleans perfectly well anyway. 

So just buy a decent set that look good and well made, and make sure the handles are soild and ergonomically designed. Stainless steel normally lasts ages.

Alternatively find out what professional cooks use, but ignore the ones who are paid to promote a given brand. If they survive use in a professional kitchen, they will survive light use in a home, albeit you might be paying for a level of build quality you don’t need. 

That's a bold statement, care to elaborate. Particularly as tri-ply/5-ply cookware are highly rated and used extensively in professional kitchens and by their very nature work extremely well on induction.

As I said, I had two and both fairly quickly exhibited the exact same fault, namely warping of the base due to differential expansion of the base metals. The first was examined by Le Creuset to check for signs of overheating and none was found. The second failed in the same manner. I don't cook at high temperatures, normally I sweat down veg in some oil on a low to medium heat before adding liquids. This was a wide shallow pan with a side handle. I've never before had an issue like this with any pan over 40 years, in fact the only problems I've had are the usual ones with so called non stick coatings, including Circulon. Of course it could be that they don't have this issue with induction hobs. I have a glass topped electric hob.

neilmcl

RelievedSheff said:

neilmcl said:

Doozergirl said:

Something in heavy Stainless Steel. 

We still have some of our Prestige pans left after 20 years.  I think our 3rd one has just died - the handles work loose and you end up burning your hands somehow.   

I'm not buying non-stick again.  We inherited some about 3 years ago and they all need replacing.  

My favourite pan is a big round steel thing from Ikea with steamer attachments to match.  It's 9 years old and still working perfectly.  They don't make them anymore though.  

I do think it's the material they're made from, rather than the brand that lasts.  

Interested to read this thread as I will need to invest very shortly with something that is also suitable for induction!  My gut says John Lewis own brand with the lifetime guarantee. 

As mentioned I've found the set of John Lewis tri-ply pans to be excellent on induction. They heat up very quickly and more importantly evenly. They don't do them anymore but they do have a 5-ply range that's probably as good. Mine came with a non-stick milk pan but the coating started to come away after a month of use so they gave me a refund for that and I bought a Raymond Blanc non-stick pan instead and that's also worked great.

I've yet to find a non-stick frying or saute pan that's lasted longer than 3-4 years before the coating starts failing and their so-called 10 year warranties are useless. I did have an Oxo grips one from Lakeland that worked well as it gave very even heat but again the non-stick on that is starting to flake.

we have a couple of Copperstone pans that are 6 years old now and they are still as non stick as they were when we bought them.

I've tried this type of pan as well as the Scoville ones  and whilst I agree they're quite good non-stick wise they're not that great when used with an induction hob. the heating  isn't even so they produce hot spots.

neilmcl

BananaRepublic said:

neilmcl said:

BananaRepublic said:

In my opinion price is not indicative of quality. I have an expensive (£100) Le Creuset tri ply pan that has buckled. It was replaced under warranty after less than six months. The second did the same. They said I could send it in and they’d send me a new model when it came out. So I said no. I need the pan. Tri ply is inherently flawed in my experience. My experience with Le Creuset is that you pay for the name not the quality. I have various stainless pans, all are fine apart from the Le Creuset, all bought in sales. A really cheap pan from Tesco lasted almost 20 years until I abused it. Non stick pans accrue a film of oxidised oil over time and become non non stick, so I keep mine for omelettes and other items that need non stick, and don’t cause damage to the surface. It seems to be gentle frying that is the issue. I find stainless steel cleans perfectly well anyway. 

So just buy a decent set that look good and well made, and make sure the handles are soild and ergonomically designed. Stainless steel normally lasts ages.

Alternatively find out what professional cooks use, but ignore the ones who are paid to promote a given brand. If they survive use in a professional kitchen, they will survive light use in a home, albeit you might be paying for a level of build quality you don’t need. 

That's a bold statement, care to elaborate. Particularly as tri-ply/5-ply cookware are highly rated and used extensively in professional kitchens and by their very nature work extremely well on induction.

As I said, I had two and both fairly quickly exhibited the exact same fault, namely warping of the base due to differential expansion of the base metals. The first was examined by Le Creuset to check for signs of overheating and none was found. The second failed in the same manner. I don't cook at high temperatures, normally I sweat down veg in some oil on a low to medium heat before adding liquids. This was a wide shallow pan with a side handle. I've never before had an issue like this with any pan over 40 years, in fact the only problems I've had are the usual ones with so called non stick coatings, including Circulon. Of course it could be that they don't have this issue with induction hobs. I have a glass topped electric hob.

Fair enough but that doesn't in itself make the technology of multiple ply cookware inherently flawed. If it were the case companies such as Le Creuset would've recalled their range long before now.

neilmcl

TELLIT01 said:

We have two Woll frying pans which are superb.  Heat spread is very fast, very even and the heat is retained so well that once up to temperature the temperature is retained with the hob setting down at the simmmer level.  They ain't cheap but they are very good.

Another well regarded make like Scanpan, I'm not sure I can justify spending £100 or more on a frying pan though 😃

RelievedSheff

neilmcl said:

RelievedSheff said:

neilmcl said:

Doozergirl said:

Something in heavy Stainless Steel. 

We still have some of our Prestige pans left after 20 years.  I think our 3rd one has just died - the handles work loose and you end up burning your hands somehow.   

I'm not buying non-stick again.  We inherited some about 3 years ago and they all need replacing.  

My favourite pan is a big round steel thing from Ikea with steamer attachments to match.  It's 9 years old and still working perfectly.  They don't make them anymore though.  

I do think it's the material they're made from, rather than the brand that lasts.  

Interested to read this thread as I will need to invest very shortly with something that is also suitable for induction!  My gut says John Lewis own brand with the lifetime guarantee. 

As mentioned I've found the set of John Lewis tri-ply pans to be excellent on induction. They heat up very quickly and more importantly evenly. They don't do them anymore but they do have a 5-ply range that's probably as good. Mine came with a non-stick milk pan but the coating started to come away after a month of use so they gave me a refund for that and I bought a Raymond Blanc non-stick pan instead and that's also worked great.

I've yet to find a non-stick frying or saute pan that's lasted longer than 3-4 years before the coating starts failing and their so-called 10 year warranties are useless. I did have an Oxo grips one from Lakeland that worked well as it gave very even heat but again the non-stick on that is starting to flake.

we have a couple of Copperstone pans that are 6 years old now and they are still as non stick as they were when we bought them.

I've tried this type of pan as well as the Scoville ones  and whilst I agree they're quite good non-stick wise they're not that great when used with an induction hob. the heating  isn't even so they produce hot spots.

we cook with gas and can't say that we have found that problem.

BananaRepublic

neilmcl said:

BananaRepublic said:

neilmcl said:

BananaRepublic said:

In my opinion price is not indicative of quality. I have an expensive (£100) Le Creuset tri ply pan that has buckled. It was replaced under warranty after less than six months. The second did the same. They said I could send it in and they’d send me a new model when it came out. So I said no. I need the pan. Tri ply is inherently flawed in my experience. My experience with Le Creuset is that you pay for the name not the quality. I have various stainless pans, all are fine apart from the Le Creuset, all bought in sales. A really cheap pan from Tesco lasted almost 20 years until I abused it. Non stick pans accrue a film of oxidised oil over time and become non non stick, so I keep mine for omelettes and other items that need non stick, and don’t cause damage to the surface. It seems to be gentle frying that is the issue. I find stainless steel cleans perfectly well anyway. 

So just buy a decent set that look good and well made, and make sure the handles are soild and ergonomically designed. Stainless steel normally lasts ages.

Alternatively find out what professional cooks use, but ignore the ones who are paid to promote a given brand. If they survive use in a professional kitchen, they will survive light use in a home, albeit you might be paying for a level of build quality you don’t need. 

That's a bold statement, care to elaborate. Particularly as tri-ply/5-ply cookware are highly rated and used extensively in professional kitchens and by their very nature work extremely well on induction.

As I said, I had two and both fairly quickly exhibited the exact same fault, namely warping of the base due to differential expansion of the base metals. The first was examined by Le Creuset to check for signs of overheating and none was found. The second failed in the same manner. I don't cook at high temperatures, normally I sweat down veg in some oil on a low to medium heat before adding liquids. This was a wide shallow pan with a side handle. I've never before had an issue like this with any pan over 40 years, in fact the only problems I've had are the usual ones with so called non stick coatings, including Circulon. Of course it could be that they don't have this issue with induction hobs. I have a glass topped electric hob.

Fair enough but that doesn't in itself make the technology of multiple ply cookware inherently flawed. If it were the case companies such as Le Creuset would've recalled their range long before now.

Indeed, I find it very strange. Perhaps my cooking methods are unusual. Dunno.