Home Cook Cookware, Utensils, Machines, etc.

Just ordered a Made In 3qt saucier. I have a Teflon coated Calphalon 2qt saucier that I love using but I'm trying to move beyond Teflon to a large extent. The Made In offering is USA made and I think a fair price all things considered. Excited and can't wait to try it out. :)
 
I typically only use Cast Iron for everything and a few enameled baking dishes. I bought a "fancy" It was $60 or $70 bucks stainless steel pan a couple of years back and it's absolute garbage.

Might have to try out the carbon steel you're talking about Eli Chaps Eli Chaps and I'm also looking into some copper stuff from Viking as I've heard good things.
 
RoyalHolic said:
I typically only use Cast Iron for everything and a few enameled baking dishes. I bought a "fancy" It was $60 or $70 bucks stainless steel pan a couple of years back and it's absolute garbage.

Might have to try out the carbon steel you're talking about Eli Chaps Eli Chaps and I'm also looking into some copper stuff from Viking as I've heard good things.
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I grew up on cast iron and have my own. No arguing they excel at many things. But for the every day type tasks, I much prefer carbon steel. So much lighter.

There's a lot of options out there but I went with Matfer Bourget because of reputation, price and thickness. There are thinner pans out there and they have advantages but for the electric coil burners I have, I wanted something thicker to inhibit warping.

As for stainless, here, it's my experience that price is more of an indicator of quality. I don't think you have to spend crazy sums but you do need to get quality. You definitely want 3-ply at least. I love using my 10" and 12" fry pans.

Between the cast iron, carbon steel, and stainless, I'd probably only keep one or two Teflon pans around. My wife thinks otherwise, but I'm working on her. :D
 
It's also worth noting that all of those types of pans serve different purposes.

Stainless, for the most part, is not non-stick but that is the beauty in it. Fond. :)
 
I liked Calphalon when they had anodized only, not non-stick interiors. Now it's all non-stick and I'm replacing my old 5 quart saucier that has made hundreds - perhaps thousands - of stews and soups now that some anodization is wearing. It's lasted decades, so I can't complain. But they aren't getting my money with non-stick.
 
Ourorboros said:
I liked Calphalon when they had anodized only, not non-stick interiors. Now it's all non-stick and I'm replacing my old 5 quart saucier that has made hundreds - perhaps thousands - of stews and soups now that some anodization is wearing. It's lasted decades, so I can't complain. But they aren't getting my money with non-stick.
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I have one 12" "bare" frying pan and it is really nice. Probably had it around 25 years. The non-stick ones I've had for several years as well and they have served me well, but, like you, as they are wearing out I'm choosing different replacements.
 
I've been doing more and more cooking the older I get, but replacing pots and pans is a project that I'll take on once the pandemic dies down a bit. Right now I have a very old stainless steel Calphalon that belonged to my grandparents that's very serviceable, but I'll be very glad to hear about your experiences with carbon steel, as that's the direction I'd like to go. I recently picked up an enameled cast iron Dutch oven from the big river site which I've been extremely happy with.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
I've been doing more and more cooking the older I get, but replacing pots and pans is a project that I'll take on once the pandemic dies down a bit. Right now I have a very old stainless steel Calphalon that belonged to my grandparents that's very serviceable, but I'll be very glad to hear about your experiences with carbon steel, as that's the direction I'd like to go. I recently picked up an enameled cast iron Dutch oven from the big river site which I've been extremely happy with.
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I've had my large Matfer for a couple years now and love it. After only a couple weeks of using the 10 1/4" it's already becoming a favorite! So often you can just wipe them out with a paper towel and move on. And unlike cast iron, you can actually pick them up and flip stuff in the pan. They heat up incredibly well and hold it. I can accomplish the same things at lower temps than I do with my Teflon-coated pans. Medium heat almost acts like med-high. Easy to go from stove top to oven too. And you can also use metal utensils in them. Yeah, you might scratch your seasoning but I've never had affect it. More like visible surface stuff. Very versatile, robust, high performing, life time pans. And a good bargain too. My 10 1/4" was $50 and my grand kids will be using it long after I'm gone.

I like having the combination of carbon and stainless pans. The carbon is great for the non-stick/low acid work and the stainless is great for all the other stuff. Sometimes you want stuff to stick. :)
 
I should clarify that it is the anodized that is wearing. I've never bought Calphalon's non-stick.

My only issue with carbon steel is the angle of the handles and the flat bar that they are made from. For home use, the modern handles - more rounded, lower angle, not conducting heat - is far better.
The BK carbon steel is pretty good too. They come preseasoned, with handles that aren't going up to the sky.
 
Ourorboros said:
I should clarify that it is the anodized that is wearing. I've never bought Calphalon's non-stick.

My only issue with carbon steel is the angle of the handles and the flat bar that they are made from. For home use, the modern handles - more rounded, lower angle, not conducting heat - is far better.
The BK carbon steel is pretty good too. They come preseasoned, with handles that aren't going up to the sky.
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That's a fair observation about the handles. The Matfer's aren't quite as bad as others I've seen but still, I would like them straighter from the pan.
 
Once a party of six guys came into my restaurant for dinner. The host was clearly taking out the other five. They may have all been salesmen.

When I went to the table, the host, without context, asked me my opinion of Calphalon pots and pans. I responded that they were terrible. I mentioned that someone had given me two pieces. I said put them into circulation in my kitchen and all of the anodized finish wore off in a month.

Then the guy introduced the others as Calphalon employees. We all had a good laugh.

A week later a very large box arrived from UPS. There were 30 pieces of Calphalon inside that box.

I let all my cooks take them home.

A couple of years later Calphalon introduced the stainless steel tree-ply line of cookware to compete with All-Clad.
 
Several of my favorites are:
carbon steel flat bottomed wok
pressure cooker (Sears/Presto)
cast iron pans (found at garage sales, got one dumpster diving)

These are all at least 30+ years old.

When I first started using the cast iron, I did notice a slight difference in flavor from the pans. It wasn't bad, just a little different. I don't notice it anymore.

My wife got us an instant pot. It works ok, but I still like my old pressure cooker.

I am kicking myself for not getting one of these until about 2 years ago: fish spatula.
 
Phydeaux said:
Several of my favorites are:
carbon steel flat bottomed wok
pressure cooker (Sears/Presto)
cast iron pans (found at garage sales, got one dumpster diving)

These are all at least 30+ years old.

When I first started using the cast iron, I did notice a slight difference in flavor from the pans. It wasn't bad, just a little different. I don't notice it anymore.

My wife got us an instant pot. It works ok, but I still like my old pressure cooker.

I am kicking myself for not getting one of these until about 2 years ago: fish spatula.
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That's funny. I got my first fish spatula a couple years back and had the exact same reaction. Why did I not buy one of these years ago??? :)
 
When we got married my wife and I received a full set of stainless Calphalon. We still have them, though they aren't used much anymore.

Over the past few years my preferred material of choice is cast iron. I've picked up a half-dozen pieces in assorted sizes, all of them vintage Griswold or Wagner. I went cast iron after my teflon pan started flaking. People say cast iron is finicky, but I think it is teflon pans that are overly particular. After the meal I have no problem with taking the necessary care to clean cast iron, but I hate fussing with teflon during cooking, especially since they get trashed anyways. It doesn't matter how careful I am with the cooking surface, Teflon always wears out. Cast iron seasoning on the other hand is self healing and only gets better with time.

For those times I need something less reactive, I have an old Descoware dutch oven.

I do have a couple of carbon steel pieces, a De Buyer crepe pan and a Chinese wok. They're great for their purposes, but for most things I'll reach for my cast iron.
 
My fish spatula was just an inexpensive Winco (I think thats the brand), less than $10. I'll probably replace the handle with some nicer wood or canvas Micrata.

One device my wife got which is pretty nice is a whipped cream maker. Hand operated, makes whipped cream in about 30 seconds. It's pretty much a cylinder with a plunger and lid.
 
Teflon pans are for cooking eggs, crepes and soft foods. Don’t abuse them and good ones will last forever.

I have never had one peel on me. Could be a very early one (70s?) before the manufacturers refined their processes. By the mid-80s there were excellent ones available.

EDIT: Excellent means thick. 1/4“ thick aluminum with a Teflon interior coating. Meyer was one brand.
 
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My Made In saucier arrived today. Order processed Friday morning and shipped FedEx from Kentucky to Washington state in five days. This is USA made with USA metal and 5-ply construction. EDIT: Some of the stainless pans are USA and others are Italian. This one is Italian. I originally thought they were all Made in The USA, hence the statement. Makes no difference to me but wanted to clarify for future readers. There is no middle-man so that helps save costs.

In most all things I prefer brushed/matte/as-machined type finishes versus chrome/shiny so these really appealed to me.

For you seasoned stainless vets out there this will probably just look like another pan, but for me it is gorgeous! Feels good to move around. Feels solid and well made. The rolled lip is really nice for pouring.

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It's interesting the difference shape makes. This is a 3qt pan but here it is compared to a 3.5qt pot and a 4qt sauce pot:
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Anyway, so far very pleased. I think tomorrow I'll get to cooking with it with some stovetop dill Havarti mac-n-cheese. Maybe with some bacon and finished in the oven with bread crumbs... :)
 
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It looks like a generally versatile shape. Not necessarily perfect for any one thing, but good at a lot of things and no corners for a whisk or spatula to miss.
 
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