Stainless Steel vs. Non-Stick
 

Alright, so my dad is getting me cookware for my birthday. I've always loved to cook and almost all of my pots and pans are hand-me-downs. Most of them are nonstick, so I'm not overly familiar with cooking with stainless steel. Can the resident cooks on GC help me with the prons and cons of each? I have a couple hundred bucks to work with, and I think the original idea was to buy a set, but I guess I can go whatever route that I want. Brand recommendations? Specific piece recommendations?? Stainless steel vs. nonstick? Help!!

Creuset.

-Rudey
--Copper pots look really cool hanging in a kitchen.

Non-stick is great for things like omelettes and anything fragile that might be ruined if it stuck to the pan. But it's also annoying that it can't go in the oven at high temperature, and if you stick it in the dishwasher you'll damage the nonstick coating. You also have to be careful to use the right utensils so you don't scratch them.

I like stainless for browning, sauteeing and cooking with things that just run all over in a non-stick, such as olive oil. I think sauces work best in stainless, too.

With the pluses and minuses of both, I have some of both. I have some of the cheaper Calphalon pans, and a couple good stainless All-Clad pans that are awesome.

I totally agree with Rudey. If you can afford it Le Creuset is the BEST. Conducts heat well, easy to clean, and good and heavy. Just be careful if you have a glass cooktop, because you can break it. :)

My husband has a habit of using forks and teaspoons to cook with (his standard meal, when he can't find anything else is eggs)...so my non-stick pans now look like crap, and stuff gets stuck to the places where the teflon is gone. My pans were a wedding gift, and since most people were coming from out of town, we didn't register and told them "no gifts". If I had picked them out myself, we would have gotten stainless.

I prefer my cast iron pans to either non stick or stainless. A well seasoned cast iron pan is the best in my opinion and if they are taken care of correctly, they last forever.

Le Creuset
All Clad Copper Core
All Clad Stainless Steel
Calphalon One Non-Stick

Check out Williams-Sonoma.

my fiance is a chef, we have Le Creuset and Calphalon. you will definately need both the stainless and non-stick.

Absolutely!

Cast Iron pans are good, but so few people know how to really season and keep them properly. I just use mine for cornbread.

Yes, Le Crueset's stuff is great. I have a roaster and french oven, but my cast iron pans are inherited from my grandma...they're old and seasoned perfectly and I won't get rid of them until I have to. They're also great to take camping!

ETA: the All-Clad copper core stuff is beautiful - as is any copper cookware - but I'd never buy it because you can't put it in the dishwasher. Stainless can be a pain to clean, so I'd only buy the stuff that can go in the dishwasher.

My boyfriend and I just moved in together and we got a set of the Emerilware. They are actually made by All-Clad. We got the normal stainless steel set and they are good weight and the set comes with a good selection of pots. We also purchased Calphalon One non-stick pans. Right now Bed, Bath and Beyond has them in sets for around $50 I believe. The only thing to remember is you cannot use non-stick spray on them!

Since you probably won't be spending a ton of money, get a good set that will last you and some good non-stick pans.

Personally, I love my TFal pans for a reasonable set. I've had them for almost 20 years now and none of the non-stick stuff is coming off. Their thermospot line is really good for heating evenly. Nothing sticks to them, but I can do sauteeing, etc. without a problem too. It's not a big deal to only be able to use certain utensils with them. I just keep the utensils in a utensil holder right next to the stove. That's the first thing that people go for that way...

Copper would be great, so would cast iron, but they are more difficult to maintain.

Have you seen this brownie edge pan?
 

http://www.bakersedge.com/index.html


If you like brownie edges more than the center pieces, this might be for you.

Awww. True southern girl at heart. I have all 3...cast iron, stainless, and non-stick. My suggestion is to get a good set of stainless , one or two good non-stick, and a couple of cast iron for corn bread...that is if you know how to use them. IF you don't I would stay away from them.