does cookware and bakeware make a difference?

What are your favorite pots and pans, does pricey cookware perform better? is it worth it?

Well, the really cheap stuff tends to suck (in my experience). I don't know the difference between moderately priced and high priced, since I can't afford the high priced.

Yes I agree.

I think so, and I think it shows even more with the bakeware than with cooking pots. I have no favourites, though, I have yet to buy any kitchen appliances for myself :)

Cheap, thin cookware is a waste of money. Most of our cooking pots are enamel over cast iron or plain ol' cast iron. I bought my pots from Hackmann back in the early 80's and they are great.

As for bakeware, I'm a fan of the air-cushioned stuff, but I can bake in a tin can if I have to. The most important thing is to know how your oven heats and bakes - e.g. does it run true to temp and do you have hot spots.

Pricey is subjective. I've been buying all my cookware at restaurant supply houses for years.

I'm not going to describe this well, but here goes: I buy stainless steel pots and pans; they have at least a half-inch of aluminum sort of laminated to the bottoms of them to give the stainless steel the even heat that aluminum gives. Also they are hollow-handled so the handles don't seem to get hot all that fast. In terms of price, it's certainly cheaper than retail Le Crueset or some of the higher-end Calphalon-style pieces. The brand I buy is called Ad Craft (for reasons I don't entirely understand), but there are many brands along these lines.

There's no scorching, they take tons of abuse and they provide perfectly even heat. What more could I want?

But remember this and you should be in good shape: heavy bottoms = better pans. That's pretty universal. Outgrow Revereware. Eek. :)

5> Re: the air-cushioned stuff.

I don't care much for it, myself. I like the idea, but I'd rather use plain old heavy commercial sheet pans for the most part. They take loads of abuse, they're cheaper, mostly, and I can run them through the dishwasher without thinking about it. The air-cushioned ones tend to fill up with water even when you hand-wash them (!) and that's not so good.

Here's another bit of advice: don't buy dark bakeware. Certainly not the coated dark aluminum sheet pans. The surfaces of those things get INCREDIBLY hot and tends to bake things unevenly. Blech. Just go for plain old vanilla sheet pans and stop by the cash and carry for a box of paper pan liners. It will revolutionize your home baking experience. :)

I'd say once you've left the incredibly cheap behind, no there's not a lot of difference.

You may get longer use out of a more expensive pan, but I don't think it alters the performance.

Knives however are certainly worth paying a bit extra for - something that will hold its edge and be comfortable to hold, and stiff enough to cut precisely is worth quite a few extra pence.

What brand of knives do you guys recommend?

With all due respect, Mcglothlen, I have to disagree with you about the air cushioned bakeware. I've found it to make a great deal of difference in high sugar/low or no flour baking. Chalk and cheese. And I've never had problems with getting water in my pans - that's a first for me.

I do love baking parchment, though. I buy it in bulk and a commercial roll (do they have these sizes in the US?) has lasted me nearly 10 years.

As for knives, I think it's pretty subjective. Wüssthof, Solingen or Sabatier are great, as are some of the Japanese ones. I have my old Fiskars knives and some Solingen, but have gone over to the OXO Good Grips and get them sharpened regularly. A bit of a pain, but our local market does it for free.

>10 LarsonLewisProject: re: baking parchment

I use pan liners. Same idea. presized to fit 1/4 sheet, 1/2 sheet or full sheet, depending upon what you need. And they're incredibly cheap because they aren't called parchment. :) You buy them by the box at baking supply houses.

I'm glad your experience was better than mine on the subject of air-cushioned pans. I only tried one brand, though, and it might not have been the best, for all I know. Cook's Illustrated disliked them for the same reason, but who knows?

I've collected Le Creuset pots over the years, however, I refuse to pay full retail price for them. It's amazing how much Le Creuset cookware can be found in our local Winner's store.

I have an air-cushioned baking pan which I use quite a lot. The instructions addressed possible water intusion, but I have never had this problem with mine, and I put it right in the dishwasher.

After 23 years of cooking with inherited or cheap stuff, I am beginning to gather some good cooking utensils unto myself, and yes, it makes a great deal of difference. Thus far I have purchased a "non-stick" titanium skillet with a heavy bottom, no worries about scratches and I can use metal in it. Also a heavy bottomed larger stainless skillet with hollow handles (no heat) and a glass lid. Love it. With these better pans, I never have to turn my heat above medium, though I do let them heat up longer.

My inherited air-cushioned baking sheets are O.K., the baking time needed to be adjusted. They work great for most of my cookies, but I still love the heavy sheets I purchased at a restaurant supply years ago. I just purchased some heavy stainless bread pans which I love. Threw out those horrible thin nonstick ones.

I inherited a cast iron Dutch oven which I use mostly for pot roast. I think after 70 years of use it has accumulated the flavors because pot roast is never as rich as when I use that pot. Also inherited a roasting pan, possibly aluminum. It is 100 years old and has acquired a patina which I would kill anyone if they scrubbed it off. Makes wonderful gravy.

As far as knives, there is nothing like a really sharp well made knife in your hand. You feel like you can do anything. :)

While my wife is an All-Clad fan, I gravitate to the cheap cast iron set, 5 pieces for $10 as some department store's loss leader in 1977. The 9 inch skillet make THE best cornbread, and the 4 qt. dutch oven breathes for chile. The 4 inch skillet on top of the 6 inch skillet makes great panninnis.

I love my all-clad pots and pans and swear by henkel knives. They're heads and tails above the banged up junk I used in college etc... And I totally agree with Mrs. Lee -- If you can't afford an entirely new set of pans you should at least splurge on a really good knife. I recommend a santoku. It almost makes chopping all of those veggies fun ;)

Best beloved and I and my BFF are having a cookware debate. BFF is getting a new set for her 31st wedding anniversary and can't decide. I'm partial to Le Creuset. I've a set from the last marriage, but the color is no longer in production. So, I grab a piece whenever I can find them discounted at TJMaxx, which explains why my collection is a combination of dark green and eggplant. I can understand why people don't like them because of their weight, i.e. cast iron.

Best beloved had a set of Caphalon which I ruined by putting in the dishwasher. So, for Xmas I bought him a set of T-fal. BFF is leaning towards All Clad. I've tried to research this in Cooks Illustrated, but their recommendations vary depending on the type of pot, for instance they may prefer a small casserole by one mfg. and a different mfg. for a frying pan. So, is there any concensus here? Looking for advice.

Our local supermarket just had a Pyrex special offer. I did buy some of the other stuff, but the first piece I bought was a large enamalled cast iron pan that is more wok shaped than my French ones. Within the length of the offer I decided to spend more of my points on a second one. I love having a shorter wider pan (really great for making jam), and no corners where stirring is hard!

In general I am a great fan of cast iron. The enamalled is a lot easier to care for. (I used to also have cast iron muffin pans, but they rusted so badly during a period when they didn't get used for a while that I finally threw them away.) The only real downside is the weight. I have put my biggest ones down into the basement now that the boys are out of the house. The ones I needed with two teenage (and one preteen) boys in the house are really too heavy for me now.

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17- This is easy to explain.

For some purposes you want a heavy pan. They give a good even heat. Downside, they heat up slowly, and continue to pass on that heat even after being taken off the fire. For other purposes you want a pan that passes the heat on quickly, and that stops cooking (almost) as soon as you take it off the fire. But left unwatched, these are more likely to burn something.

For some things shape also matters. You can cook a sauce or jam to the right consistency much faster in a wider pot, because the larger surface allows water to boil off faster. On the other hand, a stock pot is usually higher than wide so that the stock can simmer for a long time without boiling away.

One thing I have learned to watch is that all handles and lids be oven proof. I wrecked more frying pans that waybefore I made the decision that I would never buy another pot or pan that couldn't go in the oven.

On "Pyrex," "Anchor Hocking" or any other American glass bakeware, either go old (ancient thrift shop glass bakeware) or go expensive (imported European brands such as Arcoroc, etc.). A definitive analysis of complaints to Consumer Reports magazine in the last several years about exploding glass bakeware led to their investigative series, such as the one below:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/january/home-garden/gla...

According to this magazine, American glass bakeware manufacturers abandoned their former borosilicate glass when it became more pricey. That's why the newer American glass bakeware products fared so poorly in the above CR testing.

My favorite kitchen knife is an NHS carbon-steel vegetable knife, that I ordered through the following website:

http://www.simply-natural.biz/NHS-Knife.php

It is scarey-sharp, easy to sharpen, and only requires quick washing after use. It's as Julia Child and her writing friends noticed - stainless steel cutting knives are very inferior to carbon steel.

19> My Pyrex isn't US - Made in China for Arc, for the European market.

>19 MaureenRoy: When I was a younger cook, I was highly dismayed after marinating some lamb kabobs for two days I pulled them from the oven on their Pyrex platter (oven proof right?) and the whole dish stretched like taffy and shattered into a million pieces. My dinner guests were very sad.

On the old story about steel for knives, Jay Fisher, simply the "best living knife maker"*, has this to say.

*2007 Best of the West Sourcebook by True West Publications

(Full disclosure: I own two of his knives. this one, and this one.)

I have had a glass saucepan lid explode, it was quite a startling experience and little glass chunks flew all over the kitchen.
I returned this paster cooker to the place of purchase and insisted on a full refund which thy very begrudgingly gave after much negotiation, least to say I don't shop there any-more nor do I have any glass lidded cookware in my kitchen.
I note that your comments on glass bake-ware and will be very careful in future when using it, thank you for the warning, was thinking that as a different type of glass it was safe.

The best knifes I have are family heirlooms over a 100 years old, started life with my great grandmother, definitely not stainless steel, there German, my Gran claimed that this grade of steel was not made any more to control armaments, she did live through both world wars in an army family -so was maybe entitled to her view.
A strop on the steel and always washed and dried straight after use has helped keep them in good condition, one is very warn but still cuts like a razor.
I do use s/steel knifes for everyday kitchen duty.

Most of my bakeware and cookware is 30 years old (but I'm aware that the newer versions of what I have/love aren't the same anymore). I still have them because they have lasted and serve my needs well:
* a set of Corning Ware (ranging from 1-5 qts),
* three cast iron frying pans that I got for less than $10 and seasoned myself (before you could buy them pre-seasoned),
* Pyrex (8" and 9x13")—use them all the time, never had a problem with cracking or exploding, but then I don't have granite countertops and never set a hot pan on a wet surface, which seems to be when they explode. BTW, basic physics says that hot glass will contract when exposed to cold and crack if this happens too quickly. I did have a corning ware lid break once, but it was hot and I put it in what I thought was hot dishwater, but was actually cold.
* a 1-1/2 qt stainless steel saucepan, (Paul Revere?), with a reinforced heavy bottom
* assorted stock pots, various sizes, nothing fancy

I love Chicago Metallic bakeware . . . have sheet pans and loaf pans of various sizes. I prefer them without non-stick coatings; use parchment paper to protect them from certain acidy foods (e.g., lemon).

I covet my friends' expensive knives and LaCreuset and KitchenAid mixers . . . but I will never be able to afford those, even though I cook all the time (and much more frequently than most of my friends with the fancy tools) . . . so I make do with what I have. Never stopped me from making great delicious food.

The knives I have (and hate) are a set of serrated knives that my sister got as a wedding present and passed on to me (because she got several sets of knives).

One thing that I learned not to skimp on was my garlic press . . . after breaking several of the $2.99 variety, I splurged and spent $13 on a Zyliss (back in the '80s) . . . still have it. Have bought the newer ones as presents, but they don't look as heavy duty as what I have. But we could do a whole separate thread on our favorite special tools :) Mine take is at: Five Favorite Inexpensive Kitchen Gadgets

Julia Child's opinions about stainless steel knives may be an "old story" but many of today's carbon steel vegetable slicing knives have none of the problems attributed to them by some of today's knife makers. My suggestion is to buy only 1 sample of a new knife type and work with it awhile before you decide whether it works for you. As of 2012, there are a number of excellent carbon steel vegetable slicing knives out there. My own new carbon steel knife described above stays sharp much longer than my stainless blades, which is a convenience.

On enamel-coated bakeware: If you will be baking only (or mostly) vegetarian foods, save your money and only buy the round styles of enamel-coated bakeware ... again according to Julia Child, the oval-shaped bakeware was created to fit irregular pieces of meat, poultry, etc.

If You Care makes one of the best parchment papers I have seen ... they use unbleached paper. Cheaper parchment paper sometimes uses silicon ... but I don't know how safe silicon is. I did read somewhere that parchment paper is make just by adding oil and then letting it dry; if so, you could make parchment paper at home. The type of oil to use would depend on what baking temperatures you use. Recent Swedish reports on the acrylamide problem (a cancer-causing residue of any high-temperature baking -- think ground coffee or even grain coffee, or many commercially baked breads like the pita bread I saw being made on a California's Gold episode hosted by Huell Howser that are baked at a temperature of 1,000 degrees F --- that may be a cheaper solution for industry but not for the human body) got me started on experiments of not baking anything higher than 249 degrees F, the temperature at which acrylamide starts to form. I also now cut off browned bread crusts without guilt!

After several perfectly happy years using my £20 Lidl set of pans (that's 5 pans, lids and frying pan, plus steamer insert!!) I have decided to splurge on some Cristel pans - mainly because they have detachable handles, so should be great in the oven and under the grill. They will also stack well, which is a consideration. But they are eye-wateringly expensive; the cheapest pan seems to be about £85.

In the 1980s I bought a set of Spring Cristel saucepans which were an excellent investment. I recently acquired an induction hotplate and had to get a cast iron disc to enable me to use them and some other pans. I seem to have quite a collection: two Fissler stainless steel casseroles with glass lids, a one litre stainless steel casserole I was given as a wedding present, no less than four French or Spanish flameproof ceramic dishes (one of the Spanish has no lid), a large Scanpan saute pan with glass lid, a couple of frying pans and a ridged grill pan. I have a stainless steel roasting dish which is oval with offset handles to fit nicely in the oven - it's actually two pieces, a deep dish and a shallow lid, both having a solid bottom for use on the stovetop, and I actually use the shallow one for most roasts. I keep the old rectangular enameled roasting pan for cooking things that have to stand in boiling water. And I have two pressure cookers (one works on the induction hotplate).

I don't go in for cast iron, it's just too heavy for me to handle.

We are not going to itemize my assorted pyrex and ceramic baking dishes, or the collection of ovenproof ramekins. Apart from pies I don't bake much so my cake tins are basic mostly aluminium in the usual sizes, apart from two well worn tin tart pans with removable bases. I am wary of silicone.

I had some F Dick knives as a wedding present for over 20 years before a cleaner stuck them in the dishwasher and wrecked the handles. It sounds heretical, but I think too much fuss is made about knives for domestic cooks. At the moment I am happy with a small serrated knife (for tomatoes) and two of those coloured Scanpan knives that come with plastic sheathes so you can leave them lying on the bench safely. And the bread knife of course.

Listed like this there seems to be an awful lot of stuff, but over 35 years almost all of it has been bought for particular reasons and it all gets used. I have various recipes that I cook repeatedly, each in the most suitable dish. If I'm trying something new one of the first things I have to give thought to is which pan is the most suitable!