XP: Pots/pans set on your registry?

beckyh77 · January 2013

Is anyone registering for a new pots/pans set? FI & I got a few Target gift cards between the two of us for Christmas and I think we're going to pick out a new set now instead of adding a spendy item like that to the registry. The cookware we use now is a hodgepodge mix of things, some of which I've had since college, and they don't sit level on our flat top stove anymore.

I've read that the copper-bottom pots wouldn't be a good choice but beyond that I'm not sure what to go with. I really like stainless steel but am worried about how it will be to clean.

Thoughts?

AddieCake · January 2013

We got new Paula Dean ones, which I really like so far, but I'm not sure if Target has those. We ended up getting them b/c nobody got us the ones we registered for from Target, which had been the TFal. The last TFal set I bought lasted me 15 years.

krizzo17 · January 2013

We bought the cast iron Calphalon Contemporary 12 piece set - they're really heavy, but we do a lot of cooking and have a gas range, which is particularly nice with the cast iron. Target carries some less expensive Calphalon (which is not to say cheap or low quality!) if you want to use the gift cards there.

As far as the registry, we put on the 12 piece set as well as each individual item, since we had money set aside to complete the entire registry after the wedding. We figured people were more likely to give individual pieces as gifts, but if we ended up buying it ourselves, we wanted the completion discount as well as the discount for buying the whole set. Turns out we got 2 pieces, so we returned them to Macys, used the store credit for other registry completion items, and ordered the pots on amazon where they were much cheaper.

Hope that helps!

beckyh77 · January 2013

My brother and his wife cook with cast iron all the time and swear by it. I'm leaning towards a Calphalon stainless steel set right now.

hoffse · January 2013

Stainless isn't a pain to clean if you cook with it correctly. This simply means letting the pan heat first, adding a little EVOO or butter once it is to temperature, and then starting to cook. Remnants slide right off if you do that. Stainless gives you a sear that's really hard to achieve with non-stick, and the best part is that it can go in the dishwasher.

The best stainless pans have either copper or aluminum running throughout the entire core of the pot/pan, not just the bottom. Copper is better but is usually a good bit more expensive. Both of those metals are highly sensitive to heat so you can get more control (unlike stainless steel which is a poor conductor), but they are both reactive with food so that's why manufacturers have a stainless layer as well. These kinds of pots/pans are referred to as "tri-ply" because there is a layer of stainless, a layer of copper/aluminum, and then another layer of stainless. If you hold a triply pot in one hand and a non-triply in the other you will feel a significant difference. It sounds strange that this matters, but I can tell you my cooking went up about 6 notches when I finally switched.

As for price, Triply can be a bit spendy but there are plenty of good lines and good deals out there. You don't have to pay all-clad price (I actually dislike all-clad because the handles hurt). FI and I ran into a 13-piece cuisinart triply (aluminum) set at Costco about 6 months ago for $150. That was a steal, so we bought it. Those things will last us at least 10 or 15 years, and since they were so cheap we don't worry about keeping them perfect. I run them through the dishwasher all the time. I actually prefer a cheap triply set to something nicer (like full copper) because I feel like I can abuse them a bit and it doesn't matter.

OliveOilsMom · January 2013

We currently have the stainless steel Cuisinart set as well. I love it and I'm big into cooking. I also have a few non-stick frying pans, for use with eggs or other sticky foods. I would recommend registering for a good set, rather than getting a potentially sup-par set from Target. The difference will save you money down the road, because if you get a good set, it will last 15+ years if you treat them well!

Also, my mom has had Revere copper bottom pots forever. My grandmother had them too. My mom even inherited some of my grandmothers pots and still used them - so who knows how old they are! With the exception of some loose handles after 30 years, they are singly the best set of pots and pans I have ever seen! I would have totally registered for a set of them, but unfortunely, most places do not sell Revere. They are mostly found in Corningware outlets or online.

lls31 · January 2013

We got the Anolon Nouvelle set and we absolutely love it. It's a copper bottom set and we have nothing bad to say about it. In case it matters, we have a gas stove.

B2Z728 · January 2013

We didn't register for a set, but rather for multiple pieces that we needed or wanted to upgrade. I specifically wanted some new nice quality stainless steel pieces. Like PP's have said, I also went Calphalon's Triply line.

We registered and received the ones listed below. I have definitely noticed that they indeed cook things better than what I had previously.

10 inch omlette pan:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?wrn=-683362078&SKU=17467964

5 qt saute pan:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?wrn=-683362078&SKU=17468090

8 qt stock pot:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?wrn=-683362078&SKU=17468057

In addition, we needed a new large nonstick skillet that wasn't warped and chose this one:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/regProduct.asp?WRN=-683362078&sku=14385720&

We also needed a cast iron skillet:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?wrn=-683362078&SKU=14385720

I've tried them all out except the cast iron skillet and they've all been amazing and cleaned up wonderfully.

redjellybean128 · January 2013

I have a stainless set from Giada's line at target. I really like the set. They aren't dishwasher safe, but they are not hard to clean at all.

I did register for a calphalon nonstick set at Macys to have the option of using a stainless or nonstick pan depending on what I'm cooking.

XP: Pots/pans set on your registry?

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