cheap but good pans?

[petemurphy]

my pans are dieing. currently have 3 non stick ones and 3 aluminium ones. torn over what to get next. dont have huge funds at mo so looking at under £50

saw these reduced in sainsburys last week - they had a set of 3 reduced from 70ish to 40 - cant see the set online but its these:

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/pots...

anyone got them or got anything similar?

are hard anodised the best?

its for a gas cooker

thanks

[dazco]

You can't go wrong with a set of those

[Hoover.]

I had a set of stainless steel saucepans from Sainsburys/Homebase and they put up with 15 years of abuse and were to good throw away when I bought some new ones, that my neighbours daughter now has them.

My best friend still has her set of all stainless pans, M&S, and refuses to change them as going strong, similar age to my old ones

I only say that as they have no coating to damage, and anything that get burnt on comes off easily with a soak and a green pad, just make sure thay have a good solid thick base

have a look at saucepan sets on amazon to get an idea........ ie these look good value on a budget

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tefal-Banquet-5-Piece-Incl...

[grumbledoak]

If you are not desperate I would be tempted to wait for a proper stainless steel set within your budget. Eventually you do have to get Medieval upon pans and the stainless ones will cope with years of abuse with dishwashers and scourers. The aluminium ones, not so much.

[CAPP0]

At a point in my life where funds were severely limited (ie during divorce!) I bought a set of stainless pans from Wilkos, on someone else's advice. 15 years later they are still going (very) strong. They were absurdly cheap, £15 the set or something iirc.

[Nuisance_Value]

Same here, I bought a set of stainless Meyersteel pans with heavy bases (1 large, 1 small, 1 milk and 1 large covered frying) I think from BHS on offer when I first left home. I can't remember how much, maybe £30 or £40, but certainly not excessive as I was quite poor at the time. That was 30 years ago and they are still going strong. They've outlasted many non stick pans, but I'm not a fan of non stick anyway. People forget about BHS but they do some good value sale stuff.

These look good..

http://www.bhs.co.uk/en/bhuk/product/home-lighting...

http://www.bhs.co.uk/en/bhuk/product/home-lighting...

edit, sorry just noticed the budget, will have another look.

5 piece for £31 delivered

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/201044587609?limghl...

Great value but overbudget at £82 delivered

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Meyer-6-Piece-Cookware-S...

No Frying pan, but good price

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stellar-5-piece-pan-set-...

Cheap, no idea what they're like

http://www.domu.co.uk/vonshef-saucepan-set-and-lid...

These look ok..

https://mahahome.com/p/Premier-Housewares/Kitchen-...

A couple of hours on the internet will find you a good stainless set that'll last you years.

Edited by Nuisance_Value on Sunday 29th March 11:15

[IrateNinja]

I bought a set of the cheapest non-stick Asda ones when I first moved out about 5 years ago. I only recently ditched them after the coating started coming off for a set of all stainless steel Robert Welch ones.

[petemurphy]

thanks all

[Mobile Chicane]

John Lewis non stick aluminium. I have a frying pan and milk pan used almost daily and they're still good after 7 years.

[petemurphy]

IrateNinja said:

I bought a set of the cheapest non-stick Asda ones when I first moved out about 5 years ago. I only recently ditched them after the coating started coming off for a set of all stainless steel Robert Welch ones.

dam u for telling me robert welch do saucepans! - had some knives off them for christmas and theyre fab and theyre made not far from me so so want all their stuff!

[petemurphy]

i presume stainless steel with a non stick coating are pointless - the reason to go stainless steel is u can wirewool them if needed?

ie these look good but dont want non stick coating? also well into organic food etc so bit dubious of high chemical coatings:

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet...

i want these now someone justify them to me:

http://www.robertwelch.com/Products/Default.aspx?i...

[Ultuous]

I've a couple of got a couple of Sainsburys' hard anodised frying pans - the quality is very good (I've had one for at least 6 years, distributes heat well and still as good as new, despite being used several times a week) but check how usable they are in the store, as there's some ill-thought design...

I bought a second, smaller one a few months ago based on the quality of the first, only to find the handle 'outweighs' the pan - i.e. it's frustrating to cook with, as whilst warming oil/ garlic/ whatever before throwing in any significant weight it struggles to stay horizontal on the hob!

[petemurphy]

Ultuous said:

I've a couple of got a couple of Sainsburys' hard anodised frying pans - the quality is very good (I've had one for at least 6 years, distributes heat well and still as good as new, despite being used several times a week) but check how usable they are in the store, as there's some ill-thought design...

I bought a second, smaller one a few months ago based on the quality of the first, only to find the handle 'outweighs' the pan - i.e. it's frustrating to cook with, as whilst warming oil/ garlic/ whatever before throwing in any significant weight it struggles to stay horizontal on the hob!

interesting thanks - think i'll get the sains ones for now then add the robert welch ones to my birthday list!

[IrateNinja]

petemurphy said:

dam u for telling me robert welch do saucepans! - had some knives off them for christmas and theyre fab and theyre made not far from me so so want all their stuff!

It's addictive isn't it? I started from a gifted knife too and building a bit of a collection.

[DeuxCentCinq]

Have you got a Homesense near you?

Always see decent brand stuff in there for cheap.

[sherman]

Go to tk maxx. You wont get a set of pans but you will get decent quality individual pans and you will be able to choose exactly what you want.

[mattdaniels]

Sorry to buck the trend, I have a Sainsburys cooks collection frying pan and I'm really not very impressed with it. It's not very thick, doesn't heat evenly, and slightly buckled now. Was a nice stop gap as a non stick pan but that's all.

Edit - sorry just re-read the OP and spotted the budget limit. Carry on, as you were.

Edited by mattdaniels on Friday 10th April 21:46

[vladcjelli]

A slight tangent.

I don't particularly want especially cheap pans. I'd be happy building up a decent collection, replacing what I have as we go.

Unfortunately, the two pans I really like out of my collection, their line has been discontinued.

Where shall I start buying with no fear of never completing my setup?

[mattdaniels]

I think it's impossible to predict when manufacturers will change their range. So not an easy question to answer.

FWIW I'm really impressed with a couple of pans I have in the Swift Supreme non stick range, and will be buying more as I go along.

[uncinqsix]

There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to types of pots and pans.

For normal saucepans, any plain stainless with a sandwich base (aluminium or copper between layers of stainless) is fine. You don't need a non-stick coating as the kinds of things you'll be cooking in a saucepan aren't going to stick anyway.

For frypans/skillets, I think plain carbon steel is best. They need seasoning, but once you've done that and used them a few times, they're non-stick for ever more. They perform brilliantly as well (and are cheap). De Buyer make some good ones (Force blue or Carbone Plus). They're not pretty though, if shiny things are important to you.

For casseroles/dutch ovens, you need enamelled cast iron like Staub, Le Crueset or Lodge.

The worst thing you can do is buy a set that tries to do everything with the same materials and construction.