Different Types of Cookware

Discussion in 'Horn Depot' started by georgecostanza, Feb 23, 2012.

  1. georgecostanza

    georgecostanza NBHorn7’s Protégé

    My birthday is coming up soon, and both of my parents are hounding me about giving them a birthday list. Being a college student, I'm preparing to move into an apartment after I graduate. One of the things I have on my list of needs is a good set of pots, pans, etc.

    I was wondering if anyone knew the differences between aluminum, stainless steal, anodized, and porcelain pots and pans. What are the pros and cons of each? Which products are more effective cooking tools?

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. 14tokihorn

    14tokihorn 1,000+ Posts

    Aluminum-
    Lightweight, affordable excellent heat transfer. Will discolor w/ acidic foods, acids may even pit the smooth cooking surface (not good, unless you want molecular aluminum in your foods). So you wouldn't want to shove a pot full of, say, tomato sauce in the 'frig to store. AFAIK, most decent items will be non-stick anyway. The purists would probably say that stainless browns better than non-stick (ie: searing a steak).

    anodized-
    AFAIK, this refers to aluminum; eliminates the drawbacks of [above]. Not sure, but I imagine that specific utensils would be preferred to avoid scratching.

    Stainless
    Tough, poor heat transfer. Thickness of the skillets, pots, etc. is definitely an issue. Also 'clad' stainless cookware is great stuff (overcomes heat transfer problems).

    porcelain-
    bakeware,I think, is the common use, because there is much less radiant heat transfer from the vessel itself, or is it more - check me on that.

    A Lodge cast iron skillet would be a great item on your list. Maybe a 14 inch. Learn to take care of it.

    And Happy Birthday.
     
  3. 14tokihorn

    14tokihorn 1,000+ Posts

  4. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts


     
  5. brntorng

    brntorng 2,500+ Posts

    Cooks Illustrated is an excellent resource for all things cooking related including comprehensive reviews of kitchen stuff. You can subscribe free for a couple of weeks if you want to try it out. They tested cookware sets and the All-Clad Stainless Steel Cookware Set came out on top. Also recommended are the Tramontina 18/10 Stainless Steel TriPly-Clad Cookware Set and the Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware Set, both at a lower price point. In my experience, their testing is top-notch and their recommendations spot-on.

    Have to agree on the Lodge castiron cookware. It's nice to have at least a skillet for blackening, etc.
     
  6. Texanne

    Texanne 5,000+ Posts

    I don't cook much, and I don't know jack bananas about cookware, but I do know that I love love love my T-Fal.
     
  7. BigWill

    BigWill 2,500+ Posts


     
  8. georgecostanza

    georgecostanza NBHorn7’s Protégé

    Thanks for the input! [​IMG]
     
  9. 77horn

    77horn 500+ Posts


     
  10. VYFan

    VYFan 2,500+ Posts

    The best kitchen things are the highest quality and cost the most. They also last the longest. (Good knives, mixers, blenders, etc., are extremely cool.) On the other hand, at your stage of life, don't burden yourself with good things. Realistically, you won't have the same things 10 years from now anyway. They'll be lost, stolen, damaged, rejected by your girlfriend or new wife, etc.

    So, just get some decent matching things at a reasonable price, so the potential girlfriend will say, "It's so sweet that he actually has matching cookware and cutlery. Of course, when we get married, it's all going to have to go."

    So, I would go for higher volume of lesser quality at your age. Target, stainless steel, e.g. If your parents are going to go ahead and buy something way out of your own price range anyway, go for knives. Top quality knives--Cutco, etc.--can be resharpened for a lifetime.
     
  11. georgecostanza

    georgecostanza NBHorn7’s Protégé


     
  12. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

Share This Page