Discussion
Did a quick search, most recent thread I found was 2016 so worth asking again.
OH tells me our 15yr old copper bottomed SS saucepans are getting to the end of their working life and has asked me to research some decent replacements.
We have a couple of Le C non stick frying pans which we're quite impressed with so thinking Le C SS pans - any better options for a gas hob?
OH tells me our 15yr old copper bottomed SS saucepans are getting to the end of their working life and has asked me to research some decent replacements.
We have a couple of Le C non stick frying pans which we're quite impressed with so thinking Le C SS pans - any better options for a gas hob?
My Le C cast iron pans are over 30 years old and and while there is some discolouration on the internal finish they are still perfectly usable. Originally used on gas and now induction, perfect for the latter as the bases stay flat. The only downsides are that the wooden handles mean they cannot go in the dishwasher and they are heavy so the large pan full of water is too heavy for my wife to lift safely with one hand.
What you using the saucepans for? Boiling water or something more complicated like making sauces? Cast iron are great for a steady consistent heat such as cooking meat or boiling water but lack the quick adjustablity of heat for something like a sauce that a copper bottomed pan would have.
LordHaveMurci said:
Did a quick search, most recent thread I found was 2016 so worth asking again.
OH tells me our 15yr old copper bottomed SS saucepans are getting to the end of their working life and has asked me to research some decent replacements.
We have a couple of Le C non stick frying pans which we're quite impressed with so thinking Le C SS pans - any better options for a gas hob?
Technically, I don’t believe copper pans can ever reach end of life. They usually get a bit middle aged as people scrub the tin off the inside eventually but you just get them re-tinned and polished and they’re like new again. OH tells me our 15yr old copper bottomed SS saucepans are getting to the end of their working life and has asked me to research some decent replacements.
We have a couple of Le C non stick frying pans which we're quite impressed with so thinking Le C SS pans - any better options for a gas hob?
If you haven’t found them a pain to cook with then it makes more sense to have them refurbed.
Toltec said:
My Le C cast iron pans are over 30 years old and and while there is some discolouration on the internal finish they are still perfectly usable. Originally used on gas and now induction, perfect for the latter as the bases stay flat. The only downsides are that the wooden handles mean they cannot go in the dishwasher and they are heavy so the large pan full of water is too heavy for my wife to lift safely with one hand.
I never knew you could use Le C cast iron on induction. Great pans though - one of the benefits of the NAAFI in Germany was dirt cheap Le C, we must have one of everything they ever did at the time just cos it was so cheap. Some have never been used 
DonkeyApple said:
Technically, I don’t believe copper pans can ever reach end of life. They usually get a bit middle aged as people scrub the tin off the inside eventually but you just get them re-tinned and polished and they’re like new again.
If you haven’t found them a pain to cook with then it makes more sense to have them refurbed.
Copper bottomed SS pans. OH overheated one, the copper is coming away slightly & she says they're becoming hard work to cook with. If you haven’t found them a pain to cook with then it makes more sense to have them refurbed.
Le C SS set is £260 at the mo, will watch Amazon (& others) for a week or two as they have been as low as £190ish in the last 12mths.
I changed pans a couple of years ago. After some deep thought I have De Buyer iron skillets/frying pans and despite almost buying the Le Creuset S/S pans, went for Stella 7000 instead.
The Stella pans are great, the s/s handles stay cool, they have litre/pint volumes engraved on the inside and clear lids that drain nicely through holes in the rim. They're less clunky than the Le C.
The De Buyer frying pans are nicely heavy and need seasoning before you get the best out of them. Heat and cool repeatedly with oil.... or just get on and cook with them, eventually, if you don't wash them up with too much Fairy Liquid, the raw iron becomes non stick and they look like you've just borrowed them from La Gavroche.
All are suitable for induction if necessary.
Ps. buy a small non stick pan for scrambled eggs. Saves on the scraping and the scrubbing.
The Stella pans are great, the s/s handles stay cool, they have litre/pint volumes engraved on the inside and clear lids that drain nicely through holes in the rim. They're less clunky than the Le C.
The De Buyer frying pans are nicely heavy and need seasoning before you get the best out of them. Heat and cool repeatedly with oil.... or just get on and cook with them, eventually, if you don't wash them up with too much Fairy Liquid, the raw iron becomes non stick and they look like you've just borrowed them from La Gavroche.
All are suitable for induction if necessary.
Ps. buy a small non stick pan for scrambled eggs. Saves on the scraping and the scrubbing.
TooMany2cvs said:
LordHaveMurci said:
OH tells me our 15yr old copper bottomed SS saucepans are getting to the end of their working life
Eh? I didn't know they had one, unless they were abused... What defines this, apart from manufacturers wanting to sell replacements?A very PH answer...
https://richmondcookshop.co.uk/index.php?cPath=21_...
Lovely stuff. I reckon about £4k would buy the ones I would use/cuddle.
https://richmondcookshop.co.uk/index.php?cPath=21_...
Lovely stuff. I reckon about £4k would buy the ones I would use/cuddle.
Rider007 said:
Jesus Christ 
that decimal point must be in the wrong place. Could pick up a decent shed to work on for that price
Not cheap, but a set like that could easily last a lifetime and even be handed down. My MiL had a cast iron frying pan she got from her mother which we would have had if she hadn't become a bit forgetful towards the end and cracked it by putting it in a sink of cold water while it was hot. that decimal point must be in the wrong place. Could pick up a decent shed to work on for that priceI buy cheaper non-stick frying pans though because the coating will always fail or at least become less effective after a few years, having said that the most recent ones with Greblon C3+ coatings are holding up incredibly well. Two and a half years old and still pretty much perfect, not bad for £18, cheapest I can see at the moment is £22-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pyrex-Inductiva-28-cm-I...
Edit. Even cheaper at Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pyrex-Inductiva-Induction...
Edited by Toltec on Saturday 7th July 12:42
TooMany2cvs said:
Depends on how you treat 'em. If you work on the basis that they've got a "15yr working life" before they get scratched and burnt etc...
If you are a chef and work them hard then you will get a shorter lifetime, but still good working life out of them. If you treat your pans like s
t or cannot resist shiny, shiny then buy cheaper ones.Can you lease them?
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