Pots and pans

[warpus]

Is there something wrong with them? If they're not non-stick, throwing them out seems terribly wasteful, every non-nonstick pot/pan is going to be equally good at boiling water, so there's only really any reason to get pots/pans for things other than boiling water.

Rather than throwing out your old ones, give them away on Freecycle.org or to a charity. They're probably still useful.

The pans are teflon (I think) and some of the pots are discoloured and ugly looking. I will definitely look into giving the pots away, but the pans are probably garbage because they are scratched.

 

[Cutlass]

They're still better than what some people have.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Teflon pans typically wear out quite quickly, especially the cheaper ones.


Link to video.

Several pans started sticking well before we fried 20 eggs.

 

[warpus]

They're still better than what some people have.

I am for some reason under the impression that scratched off teflon is bad and shouldn't be cooked on. Maybe that's not true? I dunno, my pot and pan education has not been good over the years

 

[Formaldehyde]

Scratches aren't so bad. Even the flakes are supposedly harmless. But the gases released from overheated teflon aren't good for you.

The biggest issue is that it only has so many cooking cycles before it is no longer non-stick. Then you might as well chuck it.

 

[bhsup]

And speaking of frying, I just love my Fry Daddy:



It is great for making french fries and Buffalo wings.

Yep, fry daddy rules. I love mine as well.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Glad to hear that worked out so well. I now keep two sets of vegetable oils. One I just use for fries and it can be used over and over again. The other I use for frying chicken and onion rings. I run it through a Melita coffee filter now and then to get rid of the gunk. When it gets to be too dark, I dump it and make my french fry oil the chicken and onion ring oil.

Still use the Presto PowerCrisp microwave bacon cooker as well?

 

[onejayhawk]

Teflon pans typically wear out quite quickly, especially the cheaper ones.

"Typically" is the polite way to say it. Nonstick always wears out. Also, it sharply restricts the heat you can apply. That's why good pans don't use it. The pan's have to be disposable.

Triclad is good. There are several brands. Some are half what All-Clad costs. A stainless pan with a thick aluminum base is fine as far as I am concerned.

I am for some reason under the impression that scratched off teflon is bad and shouldn't be cooked on. Maybe that's not true? I dunno, my pot and pan education has not been good over the years

It's not dangerous. If the coatings wear off into the food, it will just pass right through. The stuff is non toxic. However, it does not take much use to render the coating worse than useless in the cleanup department, which is why smart people get iron or steel.

FryDaddy is convenient, but my fry basket only cost $2.

J

 

[bhsup]

Oh absolutely! That's been a blessing in cookware if I ever had one. Though I've abandoned my maple syrup flavored bacon in favor of hickory smoked. For some reason the microwave just gets permeated with that maple scent and blows it out for like the next two days after the bacon has been zapped in it.

 

[Zelig]

warpus, you also haven't mentioned what kind of range you have.

"Typically" is the polite way to say it. Nonstick always wears out. Also, it sharply restricts the heat you can apply. That's why good pans don't use it. The pan's have to be disposable.

I'm not so sure about the durability problems - I don't have any myself, but have anecdotally heard good things (and haven't had any problems when cooking with other people's gear) about modern ceramic nonstick surfaces, which you can get with 25 year warranties.

High temperature is the bigger problem - I very rarely do anything high heat in my cast iron, so could probably sub in a ceramic nonstick without much difficulty, but my wok cooking is almost entirely done at max heat.

 

[Leifmk]

I am a big believer in having weight. Black Iron is one tried and true approach. Properly maintained it is non-stick and gives useful quantities of iron in your diet. You can heat it to almost 1000° to sear a steak or do top rate stir fry. They are inexpensive and close to indestructible, just never clean with soap.

I know of people who are using cast-iron pans handed down from their grandmother, who got them from her grandmother. 100+ years of service across five generations.

 

[warpus]

warpus, you also haven't mentioned what kind of range you have.

Right! I have an electric stove, or whatever they're called:



Sometime this week I am going to be going through this thread, making notes, and making a list of what I want, then doing research and posting a list of what I'm planning to buy for further feedback. That or I'll run into a great deal somewhere and impulse buy - but that's not usually my style.

I'd consider getting a fryer, but it seems like they use up a ton of oil.. and if I got it, I'd just deep fry EVERYTHING. Seems dangerous

 

[Cutlass]

I've been talking to my sister in law recently, and she's telling me that the greatest thing for a working person to get is a slow cooker pot. She'll slow cook just about everything, putting it on before leaving for work and having it mostly ready when she gets home.

 

[Dralix]

Sometime this week I am going to be going through this thread, making notes, and making a list of what I want, then doing research and posting a list of what I'm planning to buy for further feedback.

That's certainly a better idea than taking as gospel what some random people tell you is "essential."

I bet I could ask 10 different people what is essential in the kitchen and get 11 different answers.

 

[Farm Boy]

I bet I could ask 10 different people what is essential in the kitchen and get 11 different answers.

And if you find a woman you can cook with without fighting, marry her.

 

[Dralix]

And if you find a woman you can cook with without fighting, marry her.

I simply married a woman who isn't as good a cook as I am. Although lately she's taken an interest in helping. It's led to a few spats, but so far nothing major ...

 

[Farm Boy]

Kitchen lore is a nastier fight than politics, in my experience.

 

[Formaldehyde]

I'd consider getting a fryer, but it seems like they use up a ton of oil.. and if I got it, I'd just deep fry EVERYTHING. Seems dangerous

That's the great thing about the FryDaddy. It only uses four cups of oil and can make 4 cups of food. (There is another version which is larger called the GranPappy.) The FryDaddy has a plastic lid, so you just snap it on after use and you don't have to smell cooking oil in your kitchen.

If you just cook french fries, which is by far my biggest use for it, you don't have to do a thing but occasionally put in a bit more oil. But if you want to deep fry chicken, onion rings, or anything else covered in batter, the oil will become contaminated and the unit will need to be cleaned out of the sludge that accumulates at the bottom.

And it costs less than $30.


Link to video.

However, when it eventually wears out (or I get tired of cleaning the outside which is a PITA) I'll probably replace it with a CoolDaddy. It needs more oil, but it is covered so there shouldn't be as much spattering. Allowing the basket to hang above the oil after the food is cooked for a few minutes should mean that less oil is transferred to the paper towel. The frying pot is also removable so it should be easier to clean.

BTW there are other substitutes for teflon cookware. Onejayhawk already mentioned ceramic non-stick cookwear. I have a couple skillets made of analon which is incredibly durable. They aren't as non-stick but they should last a lifetime.

 

[Quackers]

I'm not sure why you'd rather pan-grill a steak than pan-sear it in clarified butter.

Edit: Tonight, bacon:

Spoiler :

If the scale isn't clear, that's a kilo of Hutterite bacon in a 12" cast iron skillet.

And apologies about the derpy lighting, the transformer for the lights in my rangehood blew and I'm having a tough time finding the part.

Dude i hope this isn't your dinner!
..and bro, that bacon is very fatty.

-----

Also, have we discussed crock-pot, stew pot yet? I think that is essential. It is a great feeling to put a lot of meat/veg cover with stock into a low heated oven for a few hours. Suddenly the cheapest cuts of meat become the most delicious. Funny ol' world.

 

[Borachio]

Oh wow!

Why has no one mentioned pressure cookers yet?

Surely they're a must have for anyone who ever contemplates boiling anything?

Like ever.

Isn't it funny? Pressure cookers are remarkably popular among Asian people (who cook a lot of pulses) and very seldom, or hardly ever, used by "Westerners".

At least, so they tell me.

I wouldn't dream of being without mine. I use it very nearly every day.

Instead of boiling potatoes, for example, for 20 minutes in a saucepan, they take 5 minutes in a pressure cooker.

So, what you need, i.e. really must have, in a kitchen is 1 good pressure cooker, 1 good frying pan and... er... a slow cooker?