Recommend some pots & pans

[Scantily]

Hello chaps,

I'm in need of a full set of pans as our are knackered. We would need a milk pan, small, medium and large pans and a small & large frying pan, budget is £200ish.

Our current pans are meyer Anolon supposedly last forever super non stick, all I can is that after 4 years of careful use and washing the coating has come off several which has rendered them almost useless.

I have noticed the circulon range which you are supposedly even allowed to put in the dishwasher, but after my experience of the Anolon I am sceptical of the super long life type non stick coatings and their longevity.

My questions:

Can anyone recommend the circulon range?
What are the alternatives?

I have used some stainless pans before and everything stuck to them like a bd.

Thanks for the advice.

[mart 63]

I bought a 4 pan set of Circulon elite premier from Debenhams yesterday.Good quality and have some good reviews.Half price at £130.

Edited by mart 63 on Monday 30th December 11:41

[HughS47]

Le Creuset toughened non-stick pans:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Le-Creuset-Toughened-Non-S...


These are absolutely fantastic - they work on all hob types and can go in the oven. I can't recommend them enough. Well worth the significant outlay - we have the three saucepans and two frying pans and they are such good quality for everyday cooking.

[grumbledoak]

I don't bother with non-stick any more. I have a set of these copper bottomed S/S pans and would recommend them if you can find them:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marco-Pierre-White-Stainle...

[GCH]

Solid cast iron pans- no coating, and no covered handle.

[jmorgan]

GCH said:

Solid cast iron pans- no coating, and no covered handle.

Having been through the magic coating that never last over the years and watched the magic coatings became more of a hinderance, this is my choice now, and bare stainless pots. Done the Le Crueset etc and a good pan is a good pan, does not need the name (I did get the Le Cruset in France and saved a mint of what they would have ripped me off charged me for over here, it was a long time ago).

[Kateg28]

I bought a Vrai Gourmet large frying pan in 1995 and it still looks amazing and cooks beautifully. It is huge and heavy (I sometimes need someone else to pick it up and drain it when cooking large meals )

It was £90 then, assume it will be a lot more now. I would still recommend them though.

[Odie]

I use a mix and match of pans, tefal non-stick to cast iron, black iron & stainless. I just buy individual pans as and when I see a need for one.

[cerbfan]

I'll be going for Stainless or Cast Iron next time round. Have had Circulon for the past few years and whilst they have been ok, most of the none stick coating has now gone along with a couple of the handles coming loose on the lids.

What worries me with these non stick pans is if all this non stick substance, I think Teflon is coming off, it mostly must be coming off during cooking and ending up in your food to be digested. Doubt this will be doing us any good (apart from maybe reducing the chance of constipation over the years!)

[Scantily]

Ok, so if stainless steel is the way forward then what brands should I be looking at?

Also, how do you get around everything sticking to the bottom?

[Shaolin]

Here's a cut and paste of a post I made to a similar thread recently:

" http://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-professio...

After finding that most of our old pans didn't work with new induction hob.

VERY pleased with them so far (recommendation from PH) good useful range of sizes, a couple of the saucepan lids also fit the frying pans. Only thing that's missing is a steamer insert, fortunately the one we had fits one of the saucepans perfectly."

Continue to be very pleased with them. Cleaning them is very easy, nothing has stuck very hard and a scourer gets it of easily enough without wrecking the pan. Quite heavy though (not Le Creuset weight) the Mrs. complains about the big ones, but then it's only me who uses them.

[R39S1]

I have a set of stainless steel, copper bottom, wooden handled pans from Prestige with a
Lifetime warranty. I got them in 1987 as hand me downs from my mother who'd had them at least five years. They have survived shared flats, burnt offerings, weeks of not being washed. They now go through the dishwasher all the time as part of family life. The handles have no varnish on them but the pans are spotless! As I had had them for over 25 years I thought I'd write to Prestige to tell them how their "lifetime" pans were doing, only to find the company had gone broke and the name had been bought by another company who weren't honouring the life time warranty Prestige gave at the time! So I didn't bother. However as the pans are going strong I may wait for their 50th So the moral is buy quality I guess.

[jmorgan]

Scantily said:

Ok, so if stainless steel is the way forward then what brands should I be looking at?

Also, how do you get around everything sticking to the bottom?

How are you cremating stuff?

I use the cast iron skillets and griddles for frying and the stainless for the rest. Sauces need you over them when getting to temp and seem to be OK after on a low heat with a stir every now and then.

[Scantily]

jmorgan said:

How are you cremating stuff?

I use the cast iron skillets and griddles for frying and the stainless for the rest. Sauces need you over them when getting to temp and seem to be OK after on a low heat with a stir every now and then.

I just mean when frying things in past experience protein rich meat would stick very easily, though this was with my mothers likely cheap stainless pans many years ago.

I like the look of the procook set, thanks for that link shaolin.

[NIIKME]

Circulon/Analon. Ours are 10 years old and showing no sign of degredation - and we use at least one or two pans from the set every single day! So much better than the tefal crap we had before.
If only you could buy baking sheets that last as long

[boyse7en]

I got stainless steel pans, with stainless handles, and glass lids (so I can see whether stuff is simmering/boiling/boiled dry) to use on out induction hob about 8 years ago. The brand is Judge, but I don't know the model/range name.

They are great as they go hob to oven and clean up really well. The only downside is that frying stuff can stick, so steaks/bacon etc get done on a cast-iron griddle pan that cost me about £10 from ProCook.

[gary71]

grumbledoak said:

I don't bother with non-stick any more. I have a set of these copper bottomed S/S pans and would recommend them if you can find them:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marco-Pierre-White-Stainle...

Same here, I bought a set a few years back on sale and they are still perfect. I previously used the Circulon pans until I had eaten most of the coating... These stainless pans are excellent and go in the dishwasher unlike the non stick ones.

I do cheat on the frying by using a carbon steel wok for everything except steak which goes on a non stick griddle.

[10 Pence Short]

NIIKME said:

Circulon/Analon. Ours are 10 years old and showing no sign of degredation - and we use at least one or two pans from the set every single day! So much better than the tefal crap we had before.
If only you could buy baking sheets that last as long

This. I've got 3 Circulons which I use daily. I even use the metal whisk with them whichn has seemingly done nothing to them at all. Great for even heat, easy to work with, no faults to date and tough as old boots.

You don't need to dishwasher them, either (though you can if you want).

[campionissimo]

These are brilliant.

http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-classic-ii-coo...

I've had mine for 16 years - they cook evenly, they feel solid, and they clean up beautifully and easily.

NO need for non stick at all.

[Bonefish Blues]

These: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002VXWA1G/ref=...