Choosing cookware is one of the biggest parts of peoples’ registries. But how do you choose? “Oooh, shiny!” probably isn’t going to cut it, especially with such expensive purchases. There were a few prerequisites that I looked for in cookware:
-Even Heating
-Durability
-Ease of Cleaning
So, how will you choose your cookware? There are 2 basic types: Nonstick and Uncoated.
Why Nonstick?
Nonstick provides ease of cleaning, although most nonstick pans cannot be put in the dishwasher. (Calphalon and T-fal are two popular nonstick brands that CAN be put in the dishwasher). Nonstick is good for the “everyday cook,” or someone who frequently cooks by “heating…” that is, heating canned sauces, soups, and other pre-made foods. Nonstick is excellent for the “dieter” or those who prefer to use less to fat to cook their foods. Nonstick cannot stand up to metal utensils, and there have been concerns in the past that the nonstick coating wears off into your foods.
Why Uncoated?
Uncoated cookware is dishwasher safe, although in lots of cases, takes a bit more “elbow grease” to clean, because often food will burn to the bottom. Uncoated is good for high heat cooking, searing, and are typically used by more seasoned cooks. These pots and pans are also great for browning and deglazing. You’ll usually need a little more oil while cooking with uncoated pans.
Cookware sets usually can be bought piece by piece, which means that you don’t have to go with ALL nonstick or all uncoated. Typically, a nice mix of a few nonstick pans, uncoated pans and uncoated pots prove to be useful.
Here are Consumer Reports top brand picks in each category: ($ is approximate retail price)
NONSTICK:
1. Kirkland Signature (Costco) $150
2. Analon Titanium $300
3. Analon Advanced $200
4. Emerilware $250
5. Scanpan Classic $400
UNCOATED:
1. KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials Brushed Stainless $150
2. Calphalon Contemporary $400
3. Emerilware Stainless $200
4. Magnalite Classic $130
5. Members Mark (Sam’s Club) Tri-Ply-Clad $130
…So my pick? Calphalon Contemporary.
www.calphalon.com
Yes, it’s up there in price. But it beat the KitchenAid brand in both ease of cleaning, and sturdiness, and not just by a little. I wanted to be sure to register for cookware that would last a lifetime, and also, cookware that was available at my selected registry stores (mine are at Williams Sonoma).I supplemented this set with a couple Le Creuset cast iron dutch ovens, cause I LOVE braised beef and stews. And, you know, shiny green pots.
I didn’t add any nonstick to my registry, because I like to cook Asian style. High heat takes care of the sticking problems, and I’ve never particularly enjoyed nonstick cookware.
What were your prerequisites for your cookware registry?
we registered for le creuset - the red ones -
and the Calphalon Contemporary ones too!
so far we LOVE them! and i love that they can both be put in the dishwasher too!
Great Post. I’d been waiting for the day I didn’t have roommates and could buy nice cookware when I wasn’t afraid they would ruin it! (I’ve had some kitchen illiterate roommates!)
My mom always raves about Calphalon - so that’s where we started. I didn’t care so much about dishwasher safe - but non-stick was a requirement. We registered for CalphalonOne - I liked that you could use metal utensils and not ruin it!
The first couple times we cooked with it were a let down. It’s not really ‘non-stick’. Once we got over that - it’s been better. It does heat evenly and nicely and cleans up in a cinch with steel wool. The pans are pretty heavy - so I feel like I’m getting an arm work-out! Any day now I’ll have forearms like a body builder!
We did buy a truly non-stick pan for eggs. That’s the one thing that really doesn’t cook well in the CalphalonOne - most everything else the pans work great. I cook lots of stir-fry, veggies, and pasta. I’m really looking forward to using my dutch oven this fall/winter for soups! mmm mmm good!
PS - My husband said I cook too much - who says that?? (He just doesn’t like doing dishes every night!)
I already had a great set of stainless cookware, but needed new nonstick pans, and after looking at consumer reports (must have been last year’s) I ended up registering for a KitchenAid set. It’s very much like the highly touted Calphalon nonstick, but have silicone around the handles so you don’t get burned. I use them all the time and LOVE them and would highly recommend them! http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/Products.aspx?CatNum=FC782-2514&Color=Gray&Size1=&Size2=&JCP_Mid=&Store=0114&Registry=7215&GiftSource=RN782-2514+01+&Sku=0018&CmCatId=EXTERNAL|GR2_RegistryList_Update
Alton Brown did an whole Good Eats Episode on myths and one was about non-stick pans and it being bad for you. He did conclude that it can be harmful if that’s all you use, so we’ve minimized it to only for cooking eggs and omlettes. You also don’t need anything crazy expensive for a non-stick pan.
Other higher end, good quality pots and pans should prevent your food from sticking.
my Husband and I are huge cooks and always looking for great cookware that is not too expensive (just becuase it’s expensive does not mean it’s any better). Cast-iron skillet and grill pan/ griddle is the best purchase. Made by Lodge, it’s super affordable and will last forever!
Our favorite cookware is All-Clad.
The best purchase so far:
Alton Brown’s Gear for Your Kitchen
This book will help you narrow down what you need for your kitchen, and he specializes in finding tools that are multitaskers. It will save you money and drawer space!
Thank you for this post, its very helpful. I literally have NO CLUE how to shop for things like this, and I just went in blindly looking for whatever seemed like a good buy. I still dont know if I have “good” pots and pans lol.
my mom loves le creuset and is planning on getting me some when i get my own place. there’s a le creuset outlet store at the vacaville outlets for those in the norcal area.
as far as pots and pans, i’m letting my mom figure that out for me. lol.
We did a combination of both non-stick and uncoated cookware — mostly uncoated because I do like to do serious cooking, but I also love the ease of non-stick cookware for making eggs in the morning.
We went with All-Clad for our cookware since, like you, I wanted something to withstand the next 50 years of cooking. More specifically, we went with the LTD line, because I didn’t want to deal with copper (too much polishing) or the total stainless steel finish (too many fingerprints). I know it is not relevant to the cooking, but I am super tidy and smudges would bug the heck out of me, but I don’t have time to polish my pots every single night after dinner.
The NYT did a test of a bunch of different frying pans that aren’t non-stick (because some people are concerned about the whole Teflon debacle).
Le Creuset came out on top!
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/dining/07pans.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I’d also like to (highly) recommend a regular Lodge cast iron skillet. Not as pretty as the Le Creuset, but for less than $20, you have an indestructible skillet that gets increasingly nonstick with time, without any of the concerns regarding Teflon (or Teflon-like) substances. Our skillet resides on the stove, since we use it 3-4 nights a week.
Ooh, that’s so helpful — thanks especally for the Consumer Reports list!
FYI on the nonstick front, apparently there’s a new kind (Thermolon) hitting the market soon that is much more “green” than the current versions. Danny Seo has been writing about them on his blog: http://dannyseo.typepad.com/my_weblog
Miss Dahlia, I’m also a big fan of cast iron, but we use Wagner and Griswold (not really register friendly) and love the natural non-stick and the fact that they can survive my cooking.
My co-worker has an African Grey and doesn’t keep Teflon in the house because of possible issues with fumes. There’s even something on the Teflon website if you do a Google search for Teflon and birds, it should come up. I figured if it was bad for birds…
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This is such a great post. I’m a cooking novice and I had no idea what kind of cookware to register for. Thanks for the tips! And I love the color of those Le Creuset dutch ovens– that green is so pretty!