Clueless about cookware.

[Pandora II]

FI and I cook a lot, so here is my list of kitchen essentials - obviously if you are into certain sorts of food you will want to add extra things to this list, so it's not comprehensive, but might help those of you who are new to the setting up home game to add things to your lists ....

Pans
16cm covered saucepan
18cm covered saucepan
20cm covered saucepan
24cm non-stick sauté pan
20cm non-stick omelette pan

I like all my pans to be heavy gauge, non-stick dishwasher and oven safe except the 16cm pan which I use for sauces which is not non-stick.

Tins
1 x Roasting tin
1 x Vegetable roasting tin
1 x Baking Tray
1 x 23cm spring-form cake tin
2 x loosebased sandwich cake tin
1 x bun tin

Oven
1 x Le Creuset 27cm Oval Casserole
1 x Le Creuset 24 cm Round Casserole
1 x Le Creuset 19cm Rectangular Oven to Table Dish
1 x Le Creuset 26cm Rectangular Oven to Table Dish
1 x Le Creuset 29cm Rectangular Oven to Table Dish

I love Le Creuset, but there are other similar and cheaper brands available


Extras
1 x Cook's Blowtorch
1 x Measuring jug
1 x Measures
1 x Scales (not sure if you use these in the USA)
1 x Sugar Themometer
1 x Meat Themometer
1 x Multi-side Cheese Grater
1 x Parmesan Grater
1 x Truffle Slicer (also good for chocolate!)
1 x Pepper Mill - I recommend Peugeot (yes as in the French car manufacturers)
1 x splash guard (for frying)
2 x chopping boards
1 x Garlic Press
1 x Potato peeler
2 x sieves, 1 metal & 1 non-metal
1 x set of large mixing bowls (for cakes etc)
1 x set of small mixing bowls (for seperating eggs etc)
1 x Mixer (I'm a Kenwood fan)
Whisks, wooden spoons, spatulas, pallette knifes, meat skewers, potato masher, slotted spoons, ladles and whatever other utensiles you use...

Knives
1 x 20cm Chefs Knife
1 x 15cm Utility Knife
1 x 12.5cm All Purpose Knife
1 x 10cm Paring Knife

1 x 20cm Carving Knife
1 x 15cm Carving Fork

1 x 20cm Bread Knife

1 x Steel (for sharpening - I particularly hate knife sharpening blocks as the ultimately wreck the blades, good old-fashioned steels are much better)

I buy 'Sabatier' for all my knives, except a couple I have for making sushi and sashimi - FI bought me some beautiful 'Kai Shun' japanese knives for my birthday one year that are absolutely amazing and incredibly beautiful (33 layered damascus steel - they look like mokume gane)

 

[Tacori E-ring]

DS2006, make sure you go to BBB and see them in person. They are very thin (compared to the other brands). I have put my analon in the dishwasher before and it was fine. We ususally just hand wash them b/c they are so easy to clean. Also buying them at BBB is great with their 20% off coupon. We got our set for a steal!

 

[nejarb]

depends on what you cook. my guess is if you''re not an avid cook, you''re making eggs, sauteeing chicken breasts, things like that. so you should get 2 high quality non-stick pans. a smaller one w/ sloping sides, and a big one with straight or sloping sides (latter is better if you''re ever going to make scrambled eggs for 4+, or if you''ll use it for pancakes). i have a faberware millenium non-stick that has held up reasonably well over the last 3 years, but i never put it in dishwasher or use a metal spatula. it''s big enough to make chicken picatta for 4.

if you don''t need a stock pot, don''t get it; it will just take up space in your kitchen. do you make stock? do you make huge pots of soup or tomato sauce?

2 pans that are 10 and 12 inches are too similar i think. get a 8 or 10 inch, and a 14 inch.

other than that, a good 4 or 5 qt sauce pan (stainless steel) for pasta. and a 1.5 qt sauce pan for reheating soup or boiling rice or vegetables. those 4 things, good quality, will be better than a set if you don''t use all of it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 5/12/2007 3:33:14 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
DS2006, make sure you go to BBB and see them in person. They are very thin (compared to the other brands). I have put my analon in the dishwasher before and it was fine. We ususally just hand wash them b/c they are so easy to clean. Also buying them at BBB is great with their 20% off coupon. We got our set for a steal!

Which one is thin, the Scanpan or the Cuisinart? I have one Anolon pan and it is nice. The Scanpan frypan has a heavy bottom and average sides. The Scanpan generally costs more than Anolon, so perhaps I should consider more pieces in the Anolon.

 

[basil]

I''m slowly replacing all my Revereware. Sometimes, you can find AllClad at Marshalls/TJMaxx/HomeGoods, so that''s where I''ve gotten all of mine. My mom has a LOT of AllClad and she uses some more than others, so I''m sort of going by what she likes too.

I have an AllClad stainless 3quart saute pan, which is the most versatile pan for making curry or fresh pasta sauces. It has a big cooking area and square sides, so it''s also great for cooking steaks, fish, pork chops, etc. My mom has this exact pan in the anodized, and we both love it.

I have a smaller "Emerilware" stainless saute pan as well. Emerilware is made my AllClad but it''s cheaper. The difference is that the aluminum core is just at the bottom of the pan, not all the way up the sides. I also have a tiny 1-quart saucepan from this line. Honestly, I don''t know if I''d really be able to tell the difference between the AllClad and the Emerilware in these pans, but I think in a pan with higher sides I might want the aluminum to go all the way up.

What I want to register for:

1) a 2-quart saucier. It has a rounded bottom for whisking a white sauce, etc, but it''s also a great size for boiling green beans or whatever, so it''s very versatile. My mom has one, and I think hers is Emerilware, but I don''t think that either AllClad or Emerilware make one anymore, so I need to find one.
2) a nonstick frying pan. I have a revereware one (about $12 at Target) that''s actually pretty adequate for scrambling eggs, but I just want it to be fancier

3) a big saucepan (?5 qt). For cooking pasta and spaghetti sauce and soups.
4) maybe one more 2-3 qt saucepan for when I need an extra pan

Really, I think that would pretty much complete my set. I also have a cheapish nonstick wok and a cheapish nonstick grill pan. Oh, I also want a big roasting pan, but my mom has the AllClad one and hates it, so I need to do some research on that.

For knives, I have a large Wustof santuko and a smaller Wustof santuko which I do 90% of things with. I''d like a nice bread knife and a nice paring knife (I have cheapo ones now). I''d like a nice chef''s knife too, but I probably wouldn''t register for Wustof at BB&B because they are excluded from the 20% off coupons, and there are other comparable brands they carry that are not excluded.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 5/12/2007 10:52:58 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 5/12/2007 3:33:14 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

DS2006, make sure you go to BBB and see them in person. They are very thin (compared to the other brands). I have put my analon in the dishwasher before and it was fine. We ususally just hand wash them b/c they are so easy to clean. Also buying them at BBB is great with their 20% off coupon. We got our set for a steal!

Which one is thin, the Scanpan or the Cuisinart? I have one Anolon pan and it is nice. The Scanpan frypan has a heavy bottom and average sides. The Scanpan generally costs more than Anolon, so perhaps I should consider more pieces in the Anolon.

IMHO Cuisinart seemed not the best quality. I have never heard of Scanpan. My MIL really wanted Anolon (like mine) and was disappointmented when my FIL gave her Cuisinart set. He is OBSESSED with all things Cuisinart (I think she has everything that they EVER made). I know Rachel Ray uses Analon on her show and even made an oval pot with them (it might fit over 2 burners. I can''t remember).

 

[AsscherGirl]

Date: 5/13/2007 9:55:13 AM
Author: basil
I''m slowly replacing all my Revereware. Sometimes, you can find AllClad at Marshalls/TJMaxx/HomeGoods, so that''s where I''ve gotten all of mine. My mom has a LOT of AllClad and she uses some more than others, so I''m sort of going by what she likes too.

I have an AllClad stainless 3quart saute pan, which is the most versatile pan for making curry or fresh pasta sauces. It has a big cooking area and square sides, so it''s also great for cooking steaks, fish, pork chops, etc. My mom has this exact pan in the anodized, and we both love it.

I have a smaller ''Emerilware'' stainless saute pan as well. Emerilware is made my AllClad but it''s cheaper. The difference is that the aluminum core is just at the bottom of the pan, not all the way up the sides. I also have a tiny 1-quart saucepan from this line. Honestly, I don''t know if I''d really be able to tell the difference between the AllClad and the Emerilware in these pans, but I think in a pan with higher sides I might want the aluminum to go all the way up.

What I want to register for:

1) a 2-quart saucier. It has a rounded bottom for whisking a white sauce, etc, but it''s also a great size for boiling green beans or whatever, so it''s very versatile. My mom has one, and I think hers is Emerilware, but I don''t think that either AllClad or Emerilware make one anymore, so I need to find one.
2) a nonstick frying pan. I have a revereware one (about $12 at Target) that''s actually pretty adequate for scrambling eggs, but I just want it to be fancier

3) a big saucepan (?5 qt). For cooking pasta and spaghetti sauce and soups.
4) maybe one more 2-3 qt saucepan for when I need an extra pan

Really, I think that would pretty much complete my set. I also have a cheapish nonstick wok and a cheapish nonstick grill pan. Oh, I also want a big roasting pan, but my mom has the AllClad one and hates it, so I need to do some research on that.

For knives, I have a large Wustof santuko and a smaller Wustof santuko which I do 90% of things with. I''d like a nice bread knife and a nice paring knife (I have cheapo ones now). I''d like a nice chef''s knife too, but I probably wouldn''t register for Wustof at BB&B because they are excluded from the 20% off coupons, and there are other comparable brands they carry that are not excluded.

Basil - All Clad still makes the Saucier. You just usually have to get it online - although they do carry them in most Macy''s (at least in NJ they do!)

I have the All-Clad stainless 7 piece set, plus an additional 3.5 quart sauce pot, and a 20 quart stock pot (mostly when I decide to make a huge batch of tomato sauce). I have some miscellaneous non-stick fry pans and a mini cast iron that I still haven''t used.

I registered in addition for a 2 quart saucier, a Le Creuset dutch oven, and a nicer non-stick fry pan (Calphalon I belive, but I''m not sure) I don''t think I''ll need much more than that, but I think if I were to get anything else, I would get an additional 3.5 quart sauce pot - I use this one the most and there are times I wish I had 2! I have thought about getting a roasting pan, but I haven''t wanted to roast anything as of yet!

For knives, we registered for the Shun Knives. My friends have the Cutco and they are also excellent.

I think stainless vs. non-stick is really more of a preference than anything. I prefer stainless because I know I''d never remember to only use plastic or rubber, I cook a lot of spaghetti sauce/acidic foods, and the clean-up doesn''t really bother me (bar keepers friend is defintely the best!) Although I will always have a non-stick fry pan in my house for eggs - cooking those in stainless is just crazy .