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Cookware research
On the heels of my cookware review, I wanted to start a Q&A-type post about different cookware options.
I love my cast iron skillet! :) It's also a great way to add a little iron to our diets. I still use my cast iron skillet a few times a month, even though I have a nice stainless steel cookware set now. :)
Most non-stick cookware has some safety concerns associated with it (issues which DuPont has tried to conceal), and I am thankful to have eliminated non-stick cookware from my kitchen. Most kinds of non-stick coatings contain PTFE and PFOA, and even though pans are labeled "Teflon-free", be careful! Teflon is a brand name, so the same ingredients can be used to manufacture a "Teflon-free" item.
There's also a new product in the Cuisinart line called GreenGourmet Eco-Friendly Nonstick Hard Anodized cookware which is supposed to be completely safe, if you prefer nonstick cookware. In my research, it seems there is some controversy over whether hard anodized aluminum really doesn't leach any aluminum into the food, but most sources say it does not. For the record, even stainless steel will put trace amounts of iron, chromium, and nickel into the food. (Iron and chromium, of course, being essential minerals for our bodies, and the amount of nickel being insignificant.)
If you do consider the hard anodized aluminum cookware, be aware that most of Cuisinart's hard anodized aluminum cookware has a non-stick coating that is NOT PTFE-free (called "Quantanium" in the cookware's description), and only the GreenGourmet Eco-Friendly Nonstick Hard Anodized has a coating that is considered safe.
Researching cookware can be almost overwhelming, as there are so many different types, thicknesses, brands, and options! I welcome reader-input on this topic! Do you have questions? Suggestions? Helpful articles or blog posts on this topic? Please share! :)
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Question about Stainless Steel Cooking
Tammy --
I actually have queston about how to cook in stainless. I guess I've always been a little afraid to invest in it, even though I need to get away from the "non-stick" stuff. It seems everything I've cooked in the past, sticks in the stainless. Someone told me I need to pre-heat the pans before adding oil, food -- do you have any advice or suggestions?
--Pam
Cooking w/stainless steel
Pam, I will try to put together a post of tips for cooking with stainless steel next week! It is definitely a little different from cooking with Teflon. :)
cook ware...
Check out America's test kitchen... they have reviews of all sorts of cookware.
cookware
Ive also looked at stainless cookware, but am unsure of it because of it sticking. actually, I dont know anything about how to cook in it, so Im anxious to see what others say. What about those Visions cookware from Coring? I use corning casserroles all the time with no trouble, but I have a whole set of Visions that always would stick, so I never use them. I would love if anyone has any advice on them. (I think they quit making them, maybe because they stick?)
Corning Visions cookware
I don't know anything about the Visions cookware; what material is it made from? Some lower-quality cookware is very difficult to use, and it's more the cookware's fault than the user...
visions cookware
visions cookware by corning is glass, I guess its glass and not something that resembles glass, anyway, theyre made about like the corning casserole dishes, except they are clear amber color so you can see through them. no wonder you dont know about them, they were the popular item when I got married 23 years ago! Ive just never really used them but I love corningware. There must be some trick to it. I thought maybe someone would know. (unless all your readers are as young as you) youre a youngster to me Tammy!
Corning visions...
I think I have something like that but I use it for baking, not stovetop cooking... It is like this, except pink/purplish:
http://www.amazon.com/Corning-Vision-Visions-Round-Dutch/dp/B001B3XO9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1237092779&sr=8-1
I thought it was just for baking! Is that like what you have, or not?? :)
I use mine allll the time for baking whole chickens!! :)
I have cast iron skillets of
I have cast iron skillets of various sizes and use them daily. As far as sauce pans and stock pots etc. I love Revere Wear the best which is stainless steel with a copper bottom.
I love cast iron too
I'm a big fan of cast iron, though I HATE cleaning it. It tends to sit there for a long time and I dread the sight of it each time I go into my kitchen.
I really like stainless steel too. For ground beef, or other greasier meats, you won't need to oil it, as long as you preheat it and stir lots. With chicken though, I usually add about 1 Tbsp of oil to the hot pan before adding the meat.
I have always been told that you want a stainless steel pan/pot with a heavy bottom and the numbers 18/10 come to mind.
Yes, for stainless steel
Yes, for stainless steel 18/10 is considered the best (18/8 is good, 18/0 is not!). (The numbers refer to the percentages of chromium --18-- and nickel --10.) A heavy bottom on the pan can help disperse and transfer heat; the multiclad cookware actually doesn't have a heavier bottom, due to its design (layers). :)
Love cast iron and stainless steel!
i LOVE LOVE my cast iron skillets! i have them in 2 sizes. they heat so much better than anything else and they are awesome for frying. i also have a stainless steel pasta pot and saucepan which i like. i recently replaced my teflon saucepan with the stainless steel and i feel much safer.
Cookware!
Hi Tammy,
I LOVE my cast iron pot. We use it for making Asian steaks a lot. However, for the day to day, you can't beat stainless steel. We were blessed with a wonderful Calphalon set for our wedding.
As far as the people with cleaning issues: YOU HAVE TO TRY THESE TIPS! If you haven't tried it yet, I recommend Barkeeper's Friend. It comes in a can that looks just like Comet. You can buy it at Walmart for under $5. Sprinkle a little in your pan and everything scrubs right off! Your pans will look better than new.
Also, I recommend the pan scrapers on the end caps at Bed Bath and Beyond for tough cleaning. . . They are hard white melamine with colored grips. Feel free to drop by my website with a comment if you need cleaning tips on them. :)
Sarah
http://ourcozyrobbinsnest.blogspot.com
Pans & Caiden update
I have a couple of cast iron pans that I really like. I also got a set of Ultrex from HSN quite a few years ago. We never buy things from tv...LOL, but we has seen these demonstrated so many times. They looked great & were warrented for lifetime. They are non-stick, but I had been under the impression that it was something 'different'. I dind't know that non-stick was bad. I'll have to look into that!
I replied to your comment about baby Caiden. I thought I should copy & paste it here so you'd be sure & see it. Thanks so much for your prayers!
Hi Tammy,
We went to the hospital on Saturday evening, but the family had checked a box for "no visitors" so they wouldn't even tell the mom of the baby that we were there. When Caiden's mom found out we had been there she was pretty upset that she didn't know it!
I am SUPER happy to report that Caiden was taken OFF the ventilator & is now on the C-pap machine. It's sending in oxygen, but he IS breathing on his own now. He is on antibiotics for a blood infection, but as of Tuesday he wasn't running fever that day. This is also WONDERFUL news!
He's also suffering severe withdrawl from all the meds they had to have him on while he was on the vent for almost 2 weeks, so they are giving him some meds to help a little with that.
That's the most recent & the BEST update I've had!
Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers. I know he still needs them. I am giving God Almighty all the glory!
(I'm never really sure about blog commenting etiquette, so I'll copy & paste this to your site's comments so I know you'll see it.)
We also bought the Ultrex
We also bought the Ultrex and for other people out there just giving a warning (besides just the dangers of nonstick), buyer beware.... I always highly praised my set for 18 months..... Now they are in terrible condition... NON STICK is COMING OUT - One small saucepan, which is one I use the least has none left and THEY ARE TERRIBLE ABOUT BACKING THEIR WARRANTY - I have had mine not quite three years and not one pan is in good condition, a lid is unuseable for over a year now, all pans have nonstick coating missing and it does chip out in food, although they assure you it will not. I also have not had one replaced.... They just give you a big run around and you send them pans with so many people not getting any replacements back. I would now not even consider nonstick after reading all the information on the dangers, but I bought these before I became aware. Just please please please look at something else when buying cookware, as I am still trying to save for a quality set to replace this expensive set my husband bought for me. I am very interested in what all of you will praise, so I will know the right ones to buy.
Blessings, Deena
Ultrex cookware
Deena, I have heard similar stories about the Ultrex cookware!
Thankfully, with so many reviews and online resources, we don't have to make big purchases "blind" any more. When we're considering a big purchase (haha, I think cookware was by far the biggest purchase we've made besides our car!) we usually spend hour after hour reading about the options... and then have trouble deciding! ;)
I am thankful for my cookware, since it is something I use multiple times every day. I guess it is one of those things we splurged on a little since we do eat 99.5% of our meals at home, from scratch! :)
We have two cast-iron
We have two cast-iron skillets, one enameled cast-iron Dutch oven (a wedding present), and a set of Farberware stainless-steel cookware (also from our wedding), including a stockpot. However, we don't usually use the stainless-steel skillets because they stick so badly. In fact, hubby finally bought a cheap (Walmart) nonstick skillet, despite my concerns, because he hated making eggs in the cast iron and stainless-steel skillets....
I cook only in cast iron or
I cook only in cast iron or stainless steel cookware now (dh finally relented when I showed all the problems with no stick stuff) It is hard to find a nice, heavy skillet in stainless steel, they want to make them all nonstick it took us three stores to find one that fit all of our necessary qualities. I have my eyes on a couple of Calphalon ones (local to us) that I will be getting next. I have slowly weeded out all aluminum stuff out of our cooking stuff and am looking for somethign to replace aluminum foil now. I love my stainless steel skillet I have not had problems with sticking but as I said it is a good heavy one (the cheap thin ones will stick horribly!) Ialso have a couple of enameled casserole dishes that I love (enamel over cast iron) but they are really heavy!
Mary in Ohio
Question:
Is it safe to use cast iron on those new "flat" electric ranges - the kind with the glass-like top? Sorry I don't know the right word for them. My mom has a stove like that, and she's afraid to use cast iron on it. It just seems so big and heavy, like it might scratch the surface of the stove top. Has anyone tried it?
I'm trying to only use
I'm trying to only use stoneware, glassware or castiron. I use my cast iron almost daily. I do still use my 2 aluminim pizza pans and a large aluminum cookie sheet (2 1/2 dozen cookies at once). I've posted on my blog several entries about my use of castiron/glass/stoneware cooking. Maybe they will give you some ideas.
Kolfinnas Korner
http://kolfinna.wordpress.com/
Cast iron!
I love cast iron, but my rental house right now has a ceramic cooktop and I know from the one I owned that they don't go well together due. I use them in the oven a lot though. I'm staying with my non-sticks, too, in spite of the fears. I just wish I could buy one that lasts.....
http://hopewellmomschoolreborn.blogspot.com/
Cast Iron and new cookware
I think you may be thinking of the ceramic cooktop. I have that and I use my cast iron cookware on it all the time and my cooktop still looks brand new.
Tammy, congratulations on the new cookware! I've been married 21 years and have used the same small set of Revereware. It's held up pretty well for as many years as I've used it, but it had started to pit and turn. We finally broke down and bought a new set of stainless cookware. (17 piece, but different brand than yours.) I've had it six months and still haven't been able to bring myself to use it. It's actually a very pretty set, and I feel like as soon as I use it, it may not have that pretty new look anymore. It's silly to be this way, I know. Did you have this problem, or is it just me?
I'm going to use your recipe for the beef barley soup, so I MIGHT use my new pans... LOL.
Sherri
Too nice to use...
Well, I think it is just something I got used to. I mean, now, I let my pans drip-dry in the dish drainer -- so they usually have a few water spots... the bottoms are a little scratched now from use on the stove, and even the insides have a few scratches (although I usually use wooden or plastic/nylon/silicone utensils)...my pans are not always perfectly shined but that's life! :) They are beautiful pans but we bought them for FUNCTION, not to look pretty! ;)
Plus, since I had basically no other pans left to use, ummm, I started using mine immediately! :D
I'm finally using one of my new pans!
I'm using your recipe for beef and barley soup, it's cooking as I type. It smells so good! And yes, I finally broke out the new cookware. =) I had to get my husband to get the big pot for me, and he banged in on the cabinet door, then the cabinet itself, then....well, you get the idea. The 'new' sure didn't last long! LOL.
I use wooden utensils as much as I can, so I'll just keep using them along with the few plastic utensils I have.
Did the same research
I went through the same thing in December, when Yahweh laid it on my heart that I needed to consider my pans. Weird thing, that - I mean, what is the big deal about pans? My mom had given me heavy aluminum pans with matching heavy lids, and we noticed that they were behaving... oddly.
I cut out teflon ten years ago because of the health issues, and it's been just as long since we've bought pop in cans (I have some weird theories about Alzheimers and aluminum)... and thinking about that, I thought "And here I am, using aluminum pans!?"
We went down with my X-mess money and bought stainless steel - three pots, two fry pans, and a 'kettle'. I LOVE what we have, and feel much better about things. I don't trust the aluminum. It just doesn't sit right with me, although scientifically, I can't tell you why.
Odd that I'm reading of another person going through the same process as I did, only three months later...
AnnaMatrix
Cookware
Hi Tammy,
I did a little research too. I bought the greenware and I love it. I had all cast iron but it was too heavy for me to lift.
I made a post on my blog with pictures.
Hugs,
Elizabeth
Waterless?
Has anybody tried waterless cookware? My mom has it and loves it.
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