<p>As you may be aware, my fiance and I are getting married in September. We’re trying to decide which pots and pans to put on our registry, since there are a couple of showers coming up for us, but we’re totally perplexed. </p>
<p>What kind of pots and pans would you recommend for newlyweds? (You can answer with either material, brand, or line – we’re not picky!) We like to cook, and are probably at about an intermediate level; an easily washable set would be a plus. Most importantly, we want a set that will wear well and will last for many years.</p>
<p>Ah. A subject on which I have an opinion:).</p>
<p>Here’s my recommendation. It’s not a set, but that’s good thing because each piece can be $$$ and this way all sorts of people have something to give you. Also, given recent data on non-stick cookware and possible cancer links I keep non-stick to a minimum.</p>
<p>1 10-inch Lodge cast iron skillet
1 non-stick griddle - great for pancakes etc.
1 non-stick omlette pan - All-Clad nonstick
1 10-inch All Clad saute pan, i.e. straight side with lid
1 Le Creuset round pot with lid - smallish
1 Le Creuset round pot with lid - bigger:)
1 All-Clad stockpot - for soups, stews, really tall
3 Revereware pots, small, medium, large, with lids and steamer insert. These are because when you just need to boil water for pasta or vegetables, you don’t want to carry the heavy All-Clad types of pot to the stove and that much $$$ isn’t necessary.
1 All-Clad Roasting pan with insert for turkeys
2 colanders - one large one small, I like metal with feet to stand up
2 mesh strainers, one large one small for things like rinsing rice
1 rice cooker - not kidding, it’s critical:)
1 wok - any heavy steel is OK
1 or 2 glass or ceramic pie pans, for ceramic I like Emile, um, Emile whatever it’s called…
Plus of course the wooden spoons, and spatulas, and whisks and so on.</p>
<p>And, if you have a deck, the little Weber Q is great for grilling even in cities.</p>
<p>I could go on and on. Make sure you get LOTS of potholders too.</p>
<p>^^Alu, I’m coming to raid your kitchen. So, quick, LOOK THE OTHER WAY!!! :eek: (Oh, and cook somethin’ special and leave it on the counter, huh?? <em>rofl</em>)</p>
<p>~b.
p.s. Alu, do you have one of those saute pans with the handle on the opposite side too? And if so, do you like it?</p>
<p>I don’t have a saute pan with a handle on the opposite side, and, B, on target as usual, I was thinking just the other day that I wanted one:). It is hard to pick up a pan full of sauteing chicken with just one hand when you just want to shake it a little bit…</p>
<p>Tonight just having filet mignon, artichokes, and frozen french fries. Can you tell my 17-year old son was the boss of the menu???</p>
<p>just off to the side, i don’t want to distract b/c pots and pans are the topic, but
is it still “forbidden” to buy a bride a good set of knives? When we married, they were expensive and I so wanted a nice set. We ended up using wedding money towards it, instead. Relatives told me it was bad luck and don’t ask for knives.
But I wonder if I shouldn’t give a bride/groom that item? Times change.</p>
<p>Once answered, please go back to pots-pans for the bride.</p>
<p>My only funny suggestion is that we lived on Le Creuset Cast Iron big pots, but also little saucepans. I agree, that’s saucepans should be lighter; that’s NOT the place to
go cast-iron. My kids grew up with all cast-iron, and never knew pots could be lightweight. So in his first apartment after college, my S picked up the roommate’'s lightweight modern saucepan and practically threw it over his shoulder, he was so surprised how light it lifted.</p>
<p>Whatever you choose, I enjoy having one soup pot with a bottom more like a fry-pan, to sautee veggies or brown meat (if that’s your wont) along the bottom… then turn the heat down low… add liquids and make soup, all in the same pot. </p>
<p>MMM, soup.</p>
<p>In addition to the stovetop pots/pans, I also like some pans that go from microwave to dishwasher, with covered glass lids (lately I use these for rice; do it in the microwave while I cook all else at the stove on the other pots/pans). And nesting mixing bowls that can go into a microwave, with pouring spouts. Very useful, I find.</p>
<p>Add on: a metal pan to bake brownies (12 x 12 or 12 x 16 or w/e)
cookie baking sheet
one loaf pan to make a banana bread (unless you use a breadbaker machine)</p>
<p>If your kitchen cupboard space has limits, or if you don’t want to hang up the pots/pans from ceilings, then seek out nesting sets of pots/pans when you can.</p>
<p>I do have a saute pan with a handle on the opposite side and I love it. Highly recommended! I’ve got a set of Circulon which we like a lot. The new silicon mitts and potholders are fab: you can plunge your hand into boiling water and not feel a thing. </p>
<p>(Is this going to turn into another menu thread? Tonight we’re having an oven rolled rump roast with onion-mushroom gravy, garlic whipped potatoes, sauteed portobello strips, and steamed green beans with almonds. What else is on the menu out there? Oh, I have a really easy recipe for oven-baked spiced french fries, if anyone wants it…)</p>
<p>I have given knives and never heard of the bad luck association. </p>
<p>I have a med and a large saute pan with the handle on the opposite side and I love them. </p>
<p>I have a hodgepodge of brands. I started out buying Revere-ware, one piece at a time, early on in my marriage. I collected the in-store grocery stamps, filled a page, then was able to buy a piece “cheap.” I started my pot collection that way. That was 25+ years ago. Then, about 10 years ago I started adding some cephalon or all-clad pieces. Funny, my hodgepodge matches some of Alumoms list. I feel special! </p>
<p>Another favorite is my large pasta pot set. It must hold 6-8 quarts, has the strainer that sits inside, and a nice glass see through lid.</p>
<p>Ask for a <em>good</em> wok; I went through several cheap-o ones before my H got me a nice one with good metal and a strong, well-attached wooden handle. But then, we wok-cook at least 4x/week.</p>
<p>Also, a cell-phone. To call out for reservations when you don’t wanna cook.</p>
<p>I still believe in the knife superstition:). And love my Crate and Barrel nested mixing bowl in a range of colors - ceramic, kind of like a little bit of art…</p>
<p>Moot - you are cook supreme. What does your list look like? I was cheating a little bit, as I recently had the opportunity to furnish an empty kitchen so had to really focus:).</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the non-stick cookware link with cancer mentioned by Alumother. It is actually not the teflon itself, but something that is used to make it, which is not in the finished non-stick lining, which is the concern. If you want to worry about something, worry about microwave popcorn (the lining of the bags contains a related chemical of concern which may get into the popcorn as it cooks), but don’t worry about the non-stick cookware.</p>
<p>I like All-Clad (almost) all the way, although I do think 1-2 cast-iron enamel (such as Le Creuset) are good as well as a couple of cast iron skillets. While the All Clad stock pot and saucepans may be heavy, the handles do not get hot on the stove AND you can put them in the oven, because everything is metal (no wood/plastic/rubber), which comes in handy mnore often than you would think.</p>
<p>Today, I would go with the All-Clad MC2 because it is easier care (you can put it in the dishwasher). They didn’t have that line when I bought most of mine (I have the LTD dark anodized exterior), which is cool looking, but you can’t put it in the dishwasher as that will mar the exterior.</p>
<p>And if you give mootmom a set of knives, you’d better also give her a first-aid kit too! Hee.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions – especially Alumother, that’s a great list! And I should have clarified that we’re definitely registering for open-stock stuff, not a whole big set. Most of our friends are penniless grad students like we are. :)</p>
<p>Just to answer berurah, above: I guess I would say we cook light-ish – we like to do low-fat cooking when possible, but we also like to have treats every once in a while. Lately we’ve been cooking a lot of relatively simple meals from our Rachael Ray cookbook. In the past month or so we’ve been on a kick to recreate a bunch of California Pizza Kitchen pizzas (that’s not really pot/pan-related, but it’s fun!).</p>
<p>
We’re moving into a brand-new apartment at the end of the month, and counter space and kitchen storage were two of the major criteria in our apartment choice. Our kitchen right now is about 25 square feet, and it’s totally obnoxious for two people to try and cook in at once. But the new apartment! It will be utopia!</p>
<p>New microwave popcorn worries: there is some sort of lung disease affectlng workers in plants that manufacture the artificial butter flavoring…they are calling it popcorn lung. So far, no link to microwave popcorn users. But, the chemical may soon be banned…</p>
<p>OK… about knifes:<br>
From “Superstitions A-Z”–
KNIFE
A knife as a gift from a lover means that the love will soon end.
A knife placed under the bed during childbirth will ease the pain of labor.
If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a coin, or your friendship will soon be broken.
It will cause a quarrel if knives are crossed at the table.</p>
<p>From American Folklore:
The Gift of a Knife
Question: Can you tell me what the folklore or tradition is when you give a gift such as a knife? When you give a purse as a gift, you put a penny in it. I have heard that there also is a tradition of including something else when you give a knife as a gift. Have you heard of this?</p>
<p>Answer: In cultures ranging from Latin America to Asia, giving a knife symbolizes severing a relationship. You give a knife to indicate that you are no longer friends. Among the Bavarian peasants, when a friendship is severed by the gift of a knife or pair of scissors, the untoward result may be averted if the recipient smiles pleasantly when the gift is made.</p>
<p>When it is considered bad luck to give a gift of a knife, money is usually included for the recipient to “buy” the knife, or include a coin with the knive; the traditional amount to include with the knife (at least in the USA) is a penny.</p>
We’re trying to decide which pots and pans to put on our registry, since there are a couple of showers coming up for us, but we’re totally perplexed. </p>
(Oh, and cook somethin’ special and leave it on the counter, huh?? <em>rofl</em>)</p>
Hee.</p>