Where do you purchase your POTS AND PANS, and how often do you have to buy them? I purchased a really expensive set from Macys about 10 years ago and they still look brand new for the most part. The equipment is from their Belgique collection and are very nice quality. It was one of my first major purchases when I moved out on my own. They were well worth the money.
I haven't bought any new pots or pans in almost 12 years. I have a complete set from Pampered Chef that I love and I also have a set of stainless steel by Emeril. Both sets are holding up nicely and still look great. Every once in awhile I have to use a little elbow grease to clean up and shine my Emeril pans (I hang them from a pot rack attached above my kitchen island), but I'm very pleased with them and haven't even considered replacing them any time soon.
As strange as this might sound, but my favorite place to get pots, pans and a lot of other kitchen equipment, is the army disposal store. They have wonderful cast iron and stainless steel products for a fraction of the price that I would be paying in a home supply store.
That does not strange at all, I like the military surplus and discount stores. You can find some top of the line professional equipment in those stores for a fraction of the cost of what you would pay for them in professional kitchen stores. I would go look around one myself if there was one close to me.
I look around yard sales, trade day, thrift store, peddlers mall, flea market, etc for cast iron pots a d pans. I have a set of stainless steel right now that don't look like they're going to be going anywhere anytime soon. So, I don't actually go anywhere to buy them.
I just have a cheap Farberware nonstick set that I bought on Amazon and they last because I don't use metal tools or anything that would scratch it.
I recenlty purchased a set of pots and pans for a little more than $100, the quality of the pans was not worth the money I spent on them. I have purchased pans for half that amount and had a better set of pots and pans. I did order them online so did not know the quality until I got them. The next set I will purchase from a local store.
I own several pots and pans but they were given to me already used by my mom and grandma when I went to college, so they are not looking good!! I have been thinking of getting new ones soon because I just moved in with my boyfriend and want new stuff for us!! But i want good quality things now because as you mentioned, it might be expensive but lasts a lifetime
You only need to buy one set in your life unless something drastic happens to a pot and it really can't be used anymore. I have Belgique stainless pots and pans and they are great. Very sturdy and thick enough that things don't burn on the bottom too fast. My mother and grandmother both had their original sets their while lives.
I too have a few old pots and pans that my mother gave me. I keep them around because they are vintage now and because they were the ones she used to cook for us when we were kids. I would never get rid of them just because of the memories they evoke. I do think that every house hold should have a nice set of pots and pans and they are really worth the investment.
I was a die hard Calphalon fan when I first moved out on my own, and would always snap up those discounted two pan sets for like $45 at Macy's when they would sell them around the holidays - because otherwise they sold for over $30 a piece during the rest of the year. They would last me a while, especially since I am really gentle with my cookware - unlike my family which like to cut their food right in the damn pan with steak knives and completely ruin the non stick surfaces within a week or two of owning them. But I kind of had a change of heart and tossed them all out when they finally went bad and just bought a basic Farberware set for like $70 at Wal-Mart. It's the kind with the red dot in the center that's supposed to tell you when the pan is up to temperature or something like that. Honestly I kind of liked the Farberware better after using them - and I don't feel as bad about replacing them when the non-stick starts to go bad. That was the problem with the Calphalons, I would hesitate to replace them when they surface was worn out because of their costs. The other thing that was nice was the Farberwares were much lighter, and it made putting them in and taking them all out of the dishwasher less of a chore. I'm not a weakling but lifting a bunch of heavy pans and plateware becomes tiresome after a while. These days I am using the pans and lids from Gordon Food Service, a restaurant supply chain. They are a heavy duty but super light aluminum pan with non stick coatings - they're thick, but they're light because they're aluminum. I also have some without the non-stick coating that I've been trying to "season" them but that hasn't been going over so well - everything sticks to those, lol.
I'm definitely due for another set of pots and pans. I've considered Emeril and Rachel Ray pans, but I haven't heard anything about either, and don't know anyone personally that has them. This thread has been super helpful. I've seen pretty high-quality pots and pans at Ollie's, but sometimes the non-stick is scratched or something, so I've steered clear. I haven't even considered the military surplus stores! Any other brands that I should consider? I've used Farberware in the past.
I just bought some from ikea and I have to say I'm very happy with them because they do the job and I didn't have to spend much. They probably aren't as durable as some of the most expensive cookware but honestly they hold up fairly well especially considering the cheap price. Most other ones I use are just gifts but these are the first few I've actually bought myself and I'm content with it and I'd surely recommend it to others.
I just got a set of pans from a local store. But I have several pots and pans. I try as much as possible to get ones of good quality, so it can last for years. I don't think it's something that should be bought often.
I bought most of mine from TK Maxx and that was about 5 years ago. They are solid, and very durable pans because I chose well LOL Some of them are Anthony Worall Thompson ones, and I love them. They're far from showing any sign of wear and tear. The only thing I need to replace is my pressure cooker.
