"Safest" pots and pans?

[overcome]

My cousin is getting married and wants to register for pots and pans that would be healthiest....that is no issues with things like teflon, chemicals etc.

Anyone have any suggestions?

....I feel like I am not explaining this correctly....Hope it makes sense.

TIA!

[Tondi G]

stainless steel or cast iron.

Le Creuset is lovely but expensive!

http://www.surlatable.com/product/id/131398.do

We have a set of Stainless made by Cuisinart and have been very happy with it!

[hellokitty]

stainless steel or cast iron.

Le Creuset is lovely but expensive!

http://www.surlatable.com/product/id/131398.do

We have a set of Stainless made by Cuisinart and have been very happy with it!

ITA! I *LOVE* my cuisinart stainless steel. I also love my enameled cast iron. Instead of le creuset, I went with mario batalli and the lodge logic brand and have been very happy with them. Also, I see that the pyrex visionware has come back as well. That would be a very safe surface to cook with.

[bethie_73]

All Clad Stainless Steel set It is expensive, but so nice

http://www.all-clad.com/collections/Stainless-Steel/


Also if they have a flat top stove, we were told when we bought ours that you can't use glass pans or cast iron. That was 3 years ago, so maybe something has changed.

[bluestar2]

We've had a set of All-Clad Stainless Steel cookware for 10 years now and I really love it. I have no desire whatsoever to ever change it out so for the long term investment, it's worth it IMO.

[ThreeofUs]

ITA. Amazon has a 12-piece ss cuisinart set on sale for $90ish. Good starter set.

We have cast iron and I love it for a lot of my stove-top cooking. But for some things, like acidic sauces, you need stainless. All Clad is wonderful - but (like knives) you generally don't need a huge set to have a working kitchen. We have three - a small sauce pan, a 2 qt, and an 8 qt with steamer inserts - that we find to be most useful. We also have a couple of Le Creuset pans (dutch oven, baking pan) that we couldn't do without.

[tylersmama]

I love my All-Clad stainless steel. Yeah, it's pricey, but it should last a lifetime. I also have a cast-iron skillet and a Le Creuset dutch oven.

[jamesmom]

The All-Clad cookware are great!

[brittone2]

We have some Cuisinart SS (from our wedding registry), cast iron (non enameled), glass (pyrex mostly for baking and food storage), and stoneware (Pampered Chef muffin pan, pizza stone).

We're also planning on some Le Creuset, and if I was registering all over again, I'd probably put a piece or two of LC on my registry.

[kcampbell]

Love love love these! I would recommend registering for the whole 10pc set and then each individual piece, usually nobody would purchase the whole set but you they can return the indiv. pieces and use the money toward the set, especially if they are registered at a store that offers something like a 10% of completion items on their registry.......

[MMMommy]

We love using our All Clad SS too! Long lasting and very durable.

[tylersmama]

Love love love these! I would recommend registering for the whole 10pc set and then each individual piece, usually nobody would purchase the whole set but you they can return the indiv. pieces and use the money toward the set, especially if they are registered at a store that offers something like a 10% of completion items on their registry.......

:yeahthat:

I registered for the set, knowing that it probably wouldn't get purchased, but I was registered at Macy's, which had a 10% completion discount. I also registered for a few individual pieces that weren't in the set as well (like the steamer insert and a saucier and a nonstick skillet). I ended up using some of the money we got for the wedding to buy the set with.

I will say that I liked the contents of the 7 piece set better. I can't remember what the difference was between that and the 10 piece now, but for the price difference and what you got, I thought the 7 piece was a better deal.

[kijip]

Also if they have a flat top stove, we were told when we bought ours that you can't use glass pans or cast iron. That was 3 years ago, so maybe something has changed.

We use cast iron on our flat top stove all the time. Cast iron is not optional for me (it is my favorite skillet type, period) and I have so far ignored the advice with no ill result. Our manual says nothing about not using cast iron, so maybe something has changed.

[tylersmama]

We also have a flat top stove and were never told anything about not being able to use cast iron. I don't use my cast iron frequently, but I do use it and have never had a problem.

[katydid1971]

What do you use for non-stick. I have lodge, le creuset, and all-clad. I am wondering what people fry and egg on etc. I want to give up my non-stick but there are certain things that you just need non-stick for. BTW I don't think a well seasoned cast iron pan is a replacement for non-stick.

[tylersmama]

I don't get good results with things like eggs in cast iron, so I don't even try.

I have an All-Clad 10" nonstick pan, which is good, but I would NOT buy it again. It's just too freaking expensive. The nature of nonstick is that the coating WILL wear off eventually and you will need to replace it. So why spend $150 plus on an AC pan when you can get a decent pan for much cheaper? I've had mine for almost 7 years, and I'm really starting to notice the decrease of the nonstick-ness.

Cook's Illustrated just did a rating of cheaper nonstick skillets, and of course I can't find the issue right now. I'll try to find it and post back with their results.

[bluestar2]

We use the All Clad SS for everything. I make crepes on it a couple times a week, as well as eggs, everything. The key is to preheat the pan. I don't put anything on it until it is heated, then a thin layer of oil or butter, and don't touch it until it has cooked on the bottom. We also have a cast iron skillet that we can cook most anything on. Maybe not my first choice for crepes, but I could do it in a pinch.

[brittone2]

What do you use for non-stick. I have lodge, le creuset, and all-clad. I am wondering what people fry and egg on etc. I want to give up my non-stick but there are certain things that you just need non-stick for. BTW I don't think a well seasoned cast iron pan is a replacement for non-stick.

Well seasoned cast iron works. I know we inherited a pan from DH's grandparents (oh how I love the longevity of cast iron!) and it is like glass smooth. I think the newer Lodge stuff has more texture (we have a similar sized Lodge pan w/ a slight texture). I can do eggs on the smoother one very easily, or on our 2 burner cast iron griddle (the smooth side). The key is getting it seasoned really well over time, and adding a little oil to make it non stick. Ditto the Cuisinart SS...a little oil and I don't have too much trouble w/ sticking.