quote:

Originally posted by photohause:
Aluminum is THE best as to heating up evenly. There are various grades and qualities of al. cookware.

Aluminum heats up the fastest but, not evenly. Copper is the best conductor of even heat, then steel and its various alloys.

Aluminum is good for speed but, prone to hot-spots and warping. You can get thicker aluminum pans which helps balance things out but, again, these are made for speed not for braising and the like. Restaurants will use aluminum for cost savings reasons otherwise, if they have the option, chefs will opt for steel, either carbon or, stainless-clad.

I stand corrected-copper is correct. I have seen tests side by side os stainless & cast heating flower, thin coat, and in a good aluminum pan it showed evenness.

All clad has some items at 20% off on their website all-clad.com , now. 10% more off if you sign up for emails.
I ended up getting a set for $360 when the Amazon price was $480.

I like Lodge cast iron for US made.

Either naked or enameled or both.

I just saw this deal on US made AllClad at Macy’s

https://www.macys.com/shop/pro...af_click_lookback=7d

I would start with this pan, then add on from there. They also have a collection of really nice solid yet conductive stainless.
https://solidteknicsusa.com/shop/14inchquenchedbigga

I have a old Griswold 10" and 12" pan a 10" Finex pan with cover. The Finex pan I prefer over the old Griswold even. It cooks wonderfully and having a fitted cover comes in handy which neither of my Griswolds have. The drawback to the Finex is it's HEAVY but it must be nearly a 1/4" thick cast iron.

I also have a old Wagner chicken fryer pan with cover and a old Chicago foundry hammered chicken fryer with cover. You can cook on such lower stove settings with cast iron. We have some T-Fal non stick stuff but I hardly ever use it my cast iron is just as non stick as anything out there. Cast iron isn't for everyone a lot of people mistakenly think it's hard to maintain. The most common mistake is people use to much heat to cook in and burn things in them until they get the learning curve out of the way.

I bought my daughter a Smithey 10" fry pan and she lost the seasoning in it after the first few cooks. I brought it home reseasoned it for her and told her to turn the heat down on the stove and give the pan a few minutes to heat up. You can always and quickly add more heat but it's a lot harder to quickly reduce heat on a cast iron pan. Problem solved.

All brands above are made in USA.

Agree with Gustofer, aluminum is not the best choice because it can leach into the food, and there are links to Alzheimer’s, iirc. We have stainless steel and cast iron (I have parrots, no nonstick here). I’ll take a look at the brand - it’s been 20 years and still going strong.

Back in 1978 we lived in Germany, and our local NAAFI - the British Armed Forces version of the PX - had a roadshow put on by Wonderware, a US brand that none of us had ever seen before.

Wonder Ware is a line of branded cookware by Regal Ware Worldwide, a manufacturer of aluminum and stainless-steel cookware located in Washington County, Wisconsin.

A family-run business since 1945, with facilities in West Bend and Kewaskum, Regal Ware, and its (at the time of this writing), roughly 300 employees remain under the management of the Reigles. The latter, along with partners Edna Oster, L.N. Peterson, purchased the company in 1945.

The complete set of around twenty pieces cost around DM800 - a LOT of money back then, around $800 or so.

We are still using every single piece of that set.

Since I like quality stuff and am on the thrifty side, I'd watch your local garage and estate sales. Maybe even some local auctions.
You may find something in perfect shape that is higher quality than any new stuff for a fraction of the price. That kind of stuff usually sells for pennies on the dollar around here.

quote:

Originally posted by x0225095:
I like Lodge cast iron for US made.

Either naked or enameled or both.

I believe the enameled Lodge cast iron is made in China. The two dutch ovens I have are, anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:

quote:

Originally posted by x0225095:
I like Lodge cast iron for US made.

Either naked or enameled or both.

I believe the enameled Lodge cast iron is made in China. The two dutch ovens I have are, anyway.

I think the iron is cast here and then shipped overseas to have the enamel applied. Not sure why Lodge does this. Equipment to do it too expensive? I would think Lodge would have the money to invest.

I have a Lodge enameled dutch oven I use when I make a tomato or acidic dish like chili or spaghetti sauce that needs to simmer. These dishes are hard on the seasoning of regular cast iron.

According to Lodge, their seasoned cast iron and carbon steel products are made in the USA, while their enameled cast iron products are completely made in China to strict metallurgical standards.

I use an induction cook top; that requires a magnetic pan bottom. All-Clad is ideal in their stainless line. Aluminum and copper bottoms do not work! Although expensive, All-Clad will last more than a lifetime… I prefer the 5 layer product.

Do not (!) buy the off-shore lines… they are not good quality!

I’ve got All Clad D5 which is made in the US

I also have some baking pans from Lloyd’s made in Spokane

quote:

Originally posted by kz1000:
Still using the Farberware set my parents got as a wedding gift in 1964.

My Mom is still using hers... and has ALOT of Farberware. We also got a set as a wedding present. Other than the cast iron skillet from 1917 or so, that's what we use.

Buy once, cry once.


All Clad (copper core) pots and pans. (Some “adopted” Le Crusette baking/Dutch ovens)

quote:

Originally posted by tleddy:
I use an induction cook top; that requires a magnetic pan bottom. <snip> Aluminum and copper bottoms do not work!

It can be worth checking. Induction cooktops have gotten popular enough that many aluminum and copper cookware lines now have a steel disc embedded in the bottom for induction compatibility.

Any folks considering copper...
If you buy used, like from an antique dealer, you must have a completely coated inside. I think it is a zinc coating. No copper should contact the food.

quote:

Originally posted by RNshooter:
All clad has some items at 20% off on their website all-clad.com , now. 10% more off if you sign up for emails.
I ended up getting a set for $360 when the Amazon price was $480.

20% isn't much, that's a standard promotional offer. Better off finding a Williams-Sonoma Outlet, that's standard pricing for All-Clad there, 30-50% off is not uncommon.