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/ck/ - Food & Cooking

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6859843 No.6859843 [Reply] [Original]

Hey /ck/,

Looking to buy my first set of pots and pans. What should I know/avoid? I don't always remember the pros and cons if various materials. Also looking for something not too expensive. Hopefully cheap, but if not, at least a good value.

>> No.6859853

All clad is best clad. Poorfags pls gb2 target and get rachael ray garbage.

>> No.6859859

>>6859843
Personally I'm not a fan of sets. They tend to include oddball sizes that you don't need. I'd suggest you buy just the pieces you know you will use individually.

>>pros and cons of various materials

Nonstick: heats up fast, food doesn't stick. Downside is that you can't use metal utensils in it and it's useless for very high heat use.

Cast iron / carbon steel: functionally the same. Great for high heat use. Oven safe. Downside is that they are not diswasher safe and need a little more care than just throwing a pan in the dishwasher.

Stainless: virtually indestructible, easily cleaned. Good for when you want to generate a fond in the pan for deglazing later. Downside is that food can stick if your technique isn't very good.

>> No.6859865

>>6859853
Not a poorfag, but I'll be living with roommates who I don't know (college), so I wanted something that would be okay getting trashed. Same reason I'm buying cheap Taiwanese knives and not even telling them about the ones I use for work.

>> No.6859868

>>6859843
Stainless steel is great for getting that brown crust on meats but sticks easily if you don't know what your doing. Avoid full aluminium unless you want Alzheimer's and any nonstick that's not ceramic is toxic. Ceramic is easy to clean but chips easily and cant handle higher heat cooking . I hear cast iron is great but im too much of a pussy to deal with the seasoning process .

>> No.6859873

>>6859859
Avoiding a set seems like a good idea. What would you consider some essentials for the home kitchen? I know it depends on the cuisine, but I like to cook a variety of things. So I figured a large saucepan, a small one, large pot, cast iron skillet, a wok, and a couple medium sized frying pans would cover most of it, yeah?

>> No.6859878
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6859878

>>6859843
functionality over look. can the handle be heated to an extreme in the oven and remain fine? is the surface preseasoned and non stick, or does it have to be worked into?
are the lids glass to see through? does it look like it might snap apart?
what kinda heat? what kind of heat do you cook with? do you cook better on all nonsticks, or do you experiment time to time and now how to protect a surface?

you cant really go in with a specific set in mind. you kinda just have to know where to look. avoid shopping entirely online, since theres tons of bunk out there. in person is best, and don't be afraid to pick the shit up. youre spending your money. make sure you use it on something right.

>> No.6859905

>>6859873
I'd suggest:
1) Large stockpot, with lid, for boiling noodles, stock, soup, etc.
2) One small and one large saucepan, with lids
3) 12" nonstick fry pan
4) 12" stainless pan
5) If you have gas then get a wok. If you don't then get a cast iron or carbon steel pan.
6) Enameled cast iron dutch oven

Personally I think anything smaller than a 12" skillet is silly. You can always cook a little food in a larger pan but you cannot cook a lot of food in a small pan. The moment you need to cook for 3-4 people then you're going to need that 12" pan.

>> No.6860043

>>6859859
stainless steel for pots, cast iron/carbon steel for pans