High or Higher End Cookware?

CobraBob

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Yes, a little oil, upside down in the oven for an hour at 375deg turn the oven off and leave them in there to cool. For a new pan it may take 2 or 3 times. The best thing to do is to use your cast iron pans, the more you use them, the more non stick they get.
Thanks for that info. We bought a nice cast iron fry pan last year and haven't used it yet. :( I will use your recommendations for seasoning and START using it now. LOL.
 

VegasMichael

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Well, my seasoning attempt turned into a crap show. 15 minutes in, smoke started billowing from the oven and set the smoke detectors off. Shut it down and turned on the fans and opened the windows. Not sure if I put too much oil on or what. The oven was just cleaned as well. FML.
 

72MachOne99GT

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Our cookware is all shit. Lids have bad seals (Rachel Ray) and the wok is all chipped to shit.

In for recommendations as well, plus any additional recommendations for a 8-12qt stock pot.
 

DSG2003Mach1

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The ex wife was all about the calphalon nonstick stuff, I still have em and while they don’t get used so much anymore they’re about 8 years old and still in good shape.
 

90lx

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Well, my seasoning attempt turned into a crap show. 15 minutes in, smoke started billowing from the oven and set the smoke detectors off. Shut it down and turned on the fans and opened the windows. Not sure if I put too much oil on or what. The oven was just cleaned as well. FML.
I season mine outside on the grill because of that same reason.
 

Bullitt1448

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Well, my seasoning attempt turned into a crap show. 15 minutes in, smoke started billowing from the oven and set the smoke detectors off. Shut it down and turned on the fans and opened the windows. Not sure if I put too much oil on or what. The oven was just cleaned as well. FML.
My guess is too much oil. You just need a little oil, put maybe a teaspoon on a paper towel, give the pan a wipe, there should be nothing that will drip off.
 

Bullitt1448

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Thanks for that info. We bought a nice cast iron fry pan last year and haven't used it yet. :( I will use your recommendations for seasoning and START using it now. LOL.
As above, only a little oil, just a wipe with a little on a paper towel. you may have to do it a couple of times on a new pan. It will likely still stick a little the first few times you use the pan but the more you use the pan the better it gets. I just did pancakes in ours this morning, a little butter in the pan and no sticking at all. NEVER put a cast iron pan in the dishwasher.
 

PhoenixM3

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Are you using metal spatulas and spoons on the non-stick or plastic? Do you scrub the non-stick pans with abrasive pads?
Exactly, I buy a decent set of non-stick pans only to find my wife using metal tongs or spatula. Perhaps she needs to go back to wife school for REFTRA (refresher training for you civilians).

 

smashedheadcat

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We’ve had made-in stainless pans for around 5 years now and they’ve been great. We also have a few cast iron pans.

For nonstick, we have a few “from our place.com” pans. They’ve been great too, but we’ve only had them for 18 months or so, so I can’t speak to their durability.
 

Blown 89

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Well, my seasoning attempt turned into a crap show. 15 minutes in, smoke started billowing from the oven and set the smoke detectors off. Shut it down and turned on the fans and opened the windows. Not sure if I put too much oil on or what. The oven was just cleaned as well. FML.
Too much oil or you used the wrong type of oil. You should barely have any on there and it need something with a high smoke point like vegetable oil.

When you clean them do it while they're hot. Mine go from the stove/oven straight to running water with a brush. The steam coming off will decrease and dislodge food. In the rare event that there's food left on it I have a chain mail pad I'll use with a little soap. While it's hot I return it to the hot oven or stove then I put a thin layer of oil and let it cool while the heat source cools.

Cast iron won't warp when run under water like that and if you wait to clean it too long the hardened food just degrades the seasoning. If used properly cat iron is very easy to clean and take care of and shouldn't ever need a complete reasoning.
 

SolarYellow

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If you buy All Clad, make sure you buy the pans MIA. I have yet to buy any Made In but many of the items are made in France, Italy and the USA but I'm betting some are made in others places.
 

Bearbo

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I have bought several items from Made In and it has all been excellent. The only cookware has been the Made In non stick and I couldn’t be happier.

Previously owned Scanpan and All-Clad. Think I will stick with Made In for now on.
 

JPKII

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Good advice on the cast iron stuff.

I use All Clad (copper core) frying pans for things like scallops or fast searing things. Mostly I use my 10" and 12" Lodge cast iron. Like almost every dish. And I abuse the crap out of them. They are perfect and nearly indestructible. And cheap.

Having spent hundreds on a SS frying pan vs. my cast iron? I'll take the cast iron any day of the week.

Same goes for the enamel dutch ovens. I splurged and bought a Le Creuset. Pretty color. But it does the same damn thing the Lodge enamel stuff does. The Lodge is 1/4 the price and I don't have to be as concerned with screwing it up. Maiden dish in the Le Creuset was a roast beef with taters, etc. Everything comes out great, go to make my gravy and used my All Clad metal whisk. Enjoy dinner. Start clean up and notice the bottom of my brand new Le Creuset all scarred up from the metal whisk. Crap... My Cuisinart dutch oven has survived a decade of abuse. So same concept, the expensive stuff just isn't worth it in the long run. You have to be careful using them. I'd rather have something cheap that I can abuse and not stress about. The Le Creuset sits on the shelf and looks pretty while I use my Lodge or Cuisinart dutch ovens to actually cook with. lol
 

mysticsvt

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Pots I DGAFA but my skillet I do. Now I replace it about every 6 months with another cheap $50 skillet. I don't know that one would last long enough to make it worth it for me. I wash them carefully and don't cook incredibly high temps if I don't need to. Good luck, let us know what you find out.
 

Double"O"

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Cast iron has changed the way i cook drastically....i friggin love it. Takes time to season it and learn it but man its awesome. And the flavors are just better...and iblove my iron dutch oven a lot too

That being said my stainless stuff is midrange shit from several different manufacturers. I do preffer copper core stainless
 

Double"O"

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Cast iron is wonderful if you know or learn the proper care. Lodge is good stuff.
And a damn good pricepoint...i have a couple lodge cast iron pieces and they are real nice

I just got 4 8oz cast iron crocks (ramikins if you will) ...awesome!
 

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