Right I need some advice and recommendations on a set if kitchen pots and pans etc. I am moving into my first house and as I have been living in rented furnished accommodation I do not own most of the kitchen stuff that you would find in a kitchen. I'm specifically asking about pots and pans, I have dug out a set from my parents house that I had when i went to uni, they are fairly cheap and a bit worse for wear but they will do for now. I do have a roasting tin, glass trays, measuring bowls and various other cooking things but I really will need a good set of pans and pots soon, and I do enjoy cooking quite a bit so will be wanting some good quality ones. So I want to hear all of your recommendations and opinions on what is good and what isnt, The more things in the set of course that would be great but a standard set of 3 pots and a good quality frying pan would be a good starting base. Or if you think buying everything separately will be better start recommending the stuff to get Price: I am fairly flexible on price as I will want some cookware that will last a long time so I do expect to pay for that but at the same time I don't have a huge amount of money so the better value for money the happier I will be. Also Ideally they will need to be dishwasher safe and withstand metal, plastic, wood and rubber kitchen tools.
I'm not sure you'll find all of this in one package. I'd expect most if not all quality pots and pans would recommend against placing in a dishwasher. In the case of the frying pan, anything with a nonstick coating will say no to metal tools and anything without one would rely on being properly seasoned for its nonstick properties, which a dishwasher will strip right off.
head on over to the Home Sense at the trafford center. they usually have box sets of Circulon, Analon, or other double anodised sets. as long as you read the instuctions, you cant go too far wrong. (the reason non stick breaks and degrades is often because it's only supposed to be used at a certain temperature, and people get them too hot. .. or get them too hot and dump them in cold water.) whilst you'#re there, pick up a trivet and some silicone tools too.
I didn't expect to see such a good answer so early on this forum! This, a thousand times this. Circulon or Analon are the only two brands that are easily commercially available that are worth considering. Buy a decent set of silicon tools and you'll be fine.
good stainless steel pans will last for ever and go in the dishwasher with no issues. I personally don't dish wash anything with any kind of non stick coating (be it teflon or just good seasoning) and nothing with a sharp edge (knives pealers etc.) www.nisbits.co.uk is well worth a look, lots of commercial grade stuff. Some of which is cheap in comparison to domestic stuff (other bits not so much but well worth a look!) Depending on your budget a couple of things to really look out for in my book are a cast iron skillet, le crouset cast iron casserole (expensive but will last a life time). Black iron frying pans (take a bit of care but are cheap and well worth the effort). Get some bamboo utensils the won't scratch your pans there cheap and hard wearing and will dishwash just fine (unlike some wooden spoons) Also worth a look in your local Chinese supermarket (www.wingyip.com or similar) again some awesome and cheap restaurant grade stuff (especially if you want a wok , steamer or other Asian food prep stuff)
Just grab a decent set of thick-bottomed stainless steel pans. We bought a set when we got our first house and they're still perfect, despite 19 years of use and abuse. Fannying about with non-stick this and ceramic-coated that is just a PITA. Someone will accidentally scratch the surface and it will degrade, and you'll grow to hate it and then spend a small fortune on a "better" replacement... and so the cycle continues, ad nauseum. Steel pans come up nice and clean if you soak them for a few minutes and/or use a scouring pad. Better yet - wash them before the food residue has time to dry out.
Well looks like It will be better to replace the metal utensils I have with rubber Thanks for this recomendation both of you will look at both of these brands and invest in a full set of silicone tools. I also have a Trivet already so thats a bonus. Was planning on going to wing yip as i live not far from the Manchester one to get a wok and some other Asian cooking items as I have been enjoying that more. And I was given a cast iron la Creuset casserole dish for Christmas a couple of years ago so I have that one and I love it, was planning on a cast iron skillet too as the amount of things they can be used for looks very appealing. Will look for some bamboo utensils along with silicone in that case. Looks like steel is the best thing to go for so will look into that and go from there. EDIT: think im leaning towards this set at the moment as price wise its seems to be a great price http://circulon.uk.com/circulon-premier-professiona-99823mo-5-piece-pan-set.html
I was going to chip in and say that the best pots/pans I've ever used have been from the Le Creuset non-stick range. They are ridiculously good, but they cost a pretty penny. As such I've ended up taking the same approach that I do with kitchen knives, work out what you need and go big on those. I found that I only use 4 pans regularly: a wok, a small frying pan, a large pot (stockpot size) and a medium pot. Anything else I don't use regularly enough to warrant spending the extra for a really good one, your priorities may differ remember though. To be honest, the biggest thing isn't so much the initial quality, but how you treat them and care for them. Great pans will die quickly if heavily scraped with metal, plonked in the dishwasher too often, used on a massively high heat for too long etc. All these things are easy to avoid and don't really take any extra effort tbh. What you will find though is that under these conditions, a good pan will absolutely outclass a bad one.
I will be needing some good Knives too, A friend ages ago told me that he swears by some Japanese knives but i don't remember the name of the type of knife it was. But i had an ok knife set that will last a bit longer till I can get a few very good ones. I think the heat thing is something I have not really considered much in the past and that along with using just rubber/silicone kitchen implements will really help I think a reason I was looking for a set was that at the moment I don't know what I use most and what I will get the most benefit from etc, as I said I have the le creuset casserole dish already and I love that thing, and a good Wok is very high on my list.
The wing yip is an experience if you've never been before. Be prepared to stare blankly at a lot of stuff and have no idea what it is or what you'd do with it. That said it is a great place to pick up some odd ball stuff you don't see many places (a couple of my personal favorites at the moment are Beef short ribs, Flank steak and white miso) Also if you cook a lot of rice, pick up a rice cooker!
Knives? I have a set of Global which are fantastic. Usually picked them up when on deals, as otherwise they're flipping expensive, but well worth it. You'll also need to invest in a sharpening stone, and never ever ever ever put them in a dishwasher. Pots and pans, we have a set of Le Creuset saucepans that are lovely but not suited to every task, then a mix of other types (eg: milk pan).
Aah yes knives can be a real nightmare to navigate, they're full of dodgy claims and snake oil, even in the more expensive ones. Generally though you get what you pay for, just some plateau earlier than others. I'd really advise checking out some dedicated knife forums as the users tend to be very well informed, often they take a good no bull**** stance too. I found out a little too late and have had some buyers remorse. A great piece of advice here is that you only need one good knife. Good sets are basically pointless as a result. I've found I do 99% of my prep with a single Santoku knife, if I had a chefs knife I'd use that instead. So in other words plough all your knife budget into a single good chefs knife if possible, it'll do you proud of you take care of it. Myself I picked up a Kai Shun Kaji Santoku 5 years ago. It's been a brilliant knife and still cuts like new (I sharpen it every 3-4 months or so on a 3k grit whetstone), but I wouldn't have bought it had I been better informed at the time. Whilst I love it to pieces, I didn't know that Kai's steel is a bit more chip prone than other manufacturers. This has haunted me a little as somebody chipped the tip of my knife, I also managed to lugging chip the centre by being careless. I've since sharpens them out, but it would have been better had they never occurred at all. It's worth doing your research. Many will probably say "jut pick any decent one and you'll be fine", yeah they're right to an extent, but you'll enjoy cooking more if you have a really good knife that simply works well all the time. Case in point, we have a Global knife set, which are good high end knives, but they're absolutely trashed by my Santoku. They go dull much quicker and are less comfortable to use, but you can treat the Globals rougher. Look up the different steels and then buy knives based on that. Many high end knives add aesthetic points like Damascus pattern welding etc. in order to help sell at their high prices. Personally I like these elements so am prepared to pay for them, but they may not be on your list of priorities. That's why it's worth learning what the knife is made of, one brand may use the same steel but eschew all the fancy patterns in order to sell at a low price. Just ask and I'd be happy to offer a more in depth look into things for you. Should help to clear up the terminology and sort the available products.
I was planning on a rice cooker but not just yet in a month or so maybe. And the wing yip experience is one I have had as i do pop in there to get some things but admittedly I don't actually look at meat in there but i might just have to start doing so as I do like beef short ribs.. This is the main bit of advice I have been told in the past get a very good chefs knife. I have seen some people in the past saying Santoku knife or chefs knife will do fine for most people its mainly down to personal preference. But looks like I will have to do some research into what knife to get
TK Maxx for everything bar electricals.... then there is also house of fraser which seems to constantly have a sale on.
Globals are a very soft steel that can be honed sharper but dull quicker. I would go with wusthoff or henckel. Good value and good quality steel. Great all rounders.
Got some of those already I know my parents have used Wusthoff for a while so Might just look at those
