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Anyone have a suggestion for a good set of cookware? Not go to Paris to Le Cordon Bleu expensive cookware but not cheap junk either.

Cast iron.

Texsquatch wrote:Cast iron.

Commander Cody wrote:

Texsquatch wrote:Cast iron.

Winner!

Best new cast iron I have found is lodge cabin

Saltgrass or Texas RoadHouse

For a starter set I suggest the Kitchen Aid 10 piece set. They are heavy gauge stainless and have thick bases with a copper layer for even heating.
Although I prefer the stainless lids, they have tempered glass lids, which are okay. I have purchased this set for myself and for several wedding gifts. Target is a good place to purchase this set.

For additional cookwear I suggest a restaurant supply store - In the Houston area, AceMart has some very good products at very reasonable prices. I have purchased some excellent quality non-stick pans and large stock pots at their stores.

I used to like All Clad, but since they moved production to China the prices have remained high, but the quality has decreased.

In general, I avoid the "Celebrity Chef" endorsed products. IMO, the price to quality ratio isn't very good.

Cast iron product is great for certain applications, but not for most every day cooking needs. For cast iron cookware, I recommend Lodge.

about 10 years ago, my wife and I bought a set of ANOLON Cookware.
10 years later, still in great shape.

We never wash in dishwasher, always wash immediately after use and cooled down.
This is basically our set: ... but I think we bought an extra pan.

By the way, my wife learned the hard way, do not put in oven!

It would be helpful to have more background information in order to answer your question.

My thoughts are:
Do you know how to cook or are you buying for your SO (if so, does she)?
I worked in the restaurant business for seven years and that is where I learned how to cook

Is your cook top gas, electric, smooth top, induction, or a combination, etc?
I currently have a two burner natural gas/ two induction units cook top and I use different pans for each

Are you willing to do what it takes to care for your equipment?
Some you can put in the dishwasher and some you have to hand wash. Some can take metal utensils and some only wood, plastic or silicone.

How many people are you cooking for on a regular basis?
If it is just you and or one other it will be different if it is for a large family

Do you care if it is non-stick or not?
Non-stick sounds good but requires more care & non-metal utensils, is less durable, & typically will not work with induction cook tops

Do you have a budget?

Is a warranty important to you?

Here is my situation.

I have restaurant experience.
I do most of the cooking.
I have a wife and two teenagers.
I have both gas and induction cook tops.
I care for my equipment as well as I care for my weapons.

I have a few non-stick
(Lincoln Collrath) http://vollrath.com/Vollrath/Products/P ... -Guide.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some cast iron (Avid or Lodge)

One high end enamel over cast iron (Le Creuset French Oven)

One high end skillet (Demeyere)

Lots of industrial kitchen pots and pans ( Royal Insustries, Inc.)

Once you decide what you want, check out the retailer "Tuesday Morning" and or restaurant supply stores in your area. I got the Royal pots from Restaurant Wholesale Supply.

Good luck to you in your search.

PM me if you have any question.

Thanks for the input so far. I appreciate it and look forward to more suggestions.

I cook weeknights and we cook weekends. We cook just for the two of us. We don't cook anything fancy at all and don't really have any desire to do so. We have an old time electric stove with the spiral elements. The blankety blank that built the house managed to somehow fix it so you have your choice of either a disposal or a dishwasher. Long story I'll skip, but we have a disposal so everything is washed by hand in the sink.

I don't have delusions of being or desire to be a great chef. I just want to maybe grow and expand from where I am now by 10-15% while still keeping things very simple. We currently have a few decades of hodge podge that she accumulated over the years. I think it would be nice to have a matching set with matching lids that fit exactly.

I'd like to only need to buy one set of good but simple utensils to use with whatever I get. I could probably spend whatever I wanted but that would be like buying a Ferrari to take first driving lessons so I'd like to stick with a few hundred dollars for a set of cookware and basic utensils.

I hope I've covered everything. If not, point out what I missed and I'll try to cover that as well.

I have one "Orgreenic" skillet that is really great.

We've been switching to Cephalon or Kitchen Aid stuff, the better stuff that's usually not at the big chain stores.

(More) Expensive but holding up very well so far.

Le Creuset.

I would recommend a tri-ply cookware similar to All-Clad high end product. All-Clad is a really top name in professional cookware, but WAY out of our price range at over a grand for a 14 piece set http://www.amazon.com/All-Clad-Stainles ... B004ZR4G6S" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

We bought a set of Emeril Pro-Clad a few years ago, which is made to All-Clad specs, but manufactured in China vs. the US http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GD ... advisor-20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The tri-ply design makes sure your cookware heats evenly all the way around, which is important. We have a ceramic cooktop, and our previous cookware was Revereware. It didn't sit well on the cooktop as it would expand and contract with the heat and not conduct the heat into the pan. Not very good. This cookware does a great job. My brother's wife has a set of All-Clad and we have used both. The only difference I have found is the handle style. Here is a review of the Emeril set http://www.thecookwareadvisor.com/emeri ... e-proclad/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are some other companies making tri-ply cookware now, but I really haven't researched them. I would buy another set of the Emeril cookware in a heartbeat.

Tuesday Morning.

We're done with buying "sets" of cookware. There's always one or another that doesn't meet our requirements.
I think it's possible to find a good "set" of pots, but impossible to find a good "set" of pots + pans.
We recently reached the point where the finish on our old-style Emeril pots had gone beyond it's service life. The newer Emeril stuff is just not the same quality. Not worth the price tag. Wound up replacing it with Calphalon found at Tuesday Morning.

Wife is fairly particular about all-metal pans... nothing about the handle that makes it unable to in the oven. Again, Tuesday Morning was a good source and a steep discount for good stuff.

The one problem I'm finding with our new glass-lid pots is that it's impossible to balance the lid half-open, which I like to do when cooking pasta. In the summer, half-open helps keep the heat in the pot and not in the house. Year round, half-open helps keep splashing down but doesn't result in pasta foaming over. I find myself using our old aluminum lid on our new pasta pot. FWIW.