Asking Chefs, cooks and the die hard home Chefs. What is the best cookwear or best pieces of cookware. Both stovetop and oven worthy?

Written by: Josie

Published on: September 16, 2022

Question

Asking Chefs, cooks and the die hard home Chefs. What is the best cookwear or best pieces of cookware. Both stovetop and oven worthy?

Kylie97 · Answer

For the home cook a small set of stainless cookware is very handy. For me I always keep a good non stick skillet to cook eggs in and I eat eggs pretty much every day. Next would be a good heavy dutch oven that you can put in the oven. Mine has a ceramic interior because teflon doesn’t stay non stick for long and a good dutch oven can be pricey. You want to cook a whole chicken, roast, chili, stew, boil pasta cook cornbread(I haven’t tried that one but I’m touching on a few basic pots for all around use). Next would be saucepans. Stainless work well and having at least one non stick one for items that are hard to clean out of the pot like caramel. In all honesty I have a large assortment of skillets. Lots of non stick ones with different non stick finishes, stainless ones with lid for simmering meats and for making things like gumbos and stroganoff, and in multiple sizes. Next I would suggest corning ware or pyrex glass ware for the oven and the microwave. You didn’t mention the microwave but I do a lot of cooking in mine. I find that many foods(stuffed peppers for example) can be cooked on 20% power and it will take almost as much time as oven cooking but the food will come out like it was cooked in the oven without heating up the kitchen. So if you use a microwave you need a selection of microwave cookware. I use mine for things like winter squash, Bacon, eggs instead of boiling when I need one quickly for tuna salads, and a long list of other things besides simply defrosting. When was the last time you cooked a meal and every thing was done except the meat. Close but not finished. A half minute or so in the microwave will finish it in the middle. Which brings up another suggestion. My favorite item in the kitchen is an indoor smokeless grill. They are truly not smokeless but they can grill a steak to perfection, or shrimp on a skewer or shish kabobs. Even grilled squash or peppers and many more things. For basics though the skillets, pots and dutch oven are the minimum to cook a decent meal in. From that point on you have to decide what fits the type of cooking you do the best.

Non-Stick Cookware Set, Pots and Pans – 8-Piece Set

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Eliza · Answer

This question is likely to open up a can of worms. Most professional kitchens I’ve been in use stainless steel due to its durability and cost. Home cooks are a different story. Some will swear by cast iron, others by stainless steel or enameled cast iron. Carbon steel has its devotees as well. Many people such as myself have a variety of pots, pans and skillets at hand depending upon what we are cooking that day. I have a couple of cast iron skillets, a variety of stainless steel skillets, saute pans & sauce pans. I also have a couple of enamel coated cast iron dutch ovens. I keep a couple of non stick skillets on hand also. They’re handy for eggs and my wife and daughter find the weight of cast iron hard to deal with. Like a lot of people I don’t like sets as you tend to get things that you seldom use. I prefer to buy individual pans. With the exception of the non stick pans which I consider disposable I tend to buy the best quality which I can afford at the time and keep them for a long time. My two cast iron skillets originally belonged to my grandmother and now I have them. They are at lease 80 years old and as smooth as glass and I expect them to be in the family for many years to come.

10 Pcs Non Stick Cooking Set w/ Frying Pans & Saucepans

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Nevaeh · Answer

i recently bought a few Scanpan pieces - 2 saute pans and 2 pots. cooking the exact same way, these pans & pots made a huge difference in the flavor of the food. other my cast iron skillet i’ll never use or buy another piece of cookware.  you do have to take care of the scanpans … dont expose them to high heat and every once in a while i simmer some baking soda paste in them to remove the residue that won’t come off.  the only downside is the company doesn’t exactly live up to it’s lifetime guarantee. they’ll make you jump through a lot of hoops to replace an item.

Melody · Answer

At least one plain cast iron skillet. It lasts forever, you can use it for any sauté or frying, and yes, also for omelettes – I use it all the time and wouldn’t waste money on a single-purpose pan for omelettes.
And yes, you CAN wash cast iron with soap and water and a metal scouring pad. There some ridiculous notion that you can’t but that’s just ignorance trying to pass as wisdom.
And a big simple, cheap pot, like a six quart or eight quart pot. It can be a simple cheap aluminum job. You can use it to boil water for pasta or for blanching vegetables, for steaming whole heads of cauliflower, etc., and even for canning. And of course, for washing vegetables or mixing dough – you don’t need to differentiate between “bowls” and “pots” since they’re the same thing.
Those are cheap.
Then get an enameled dutch oven. Le Creuset and Staub are considered top of the line, but there are others from Europe and elsewhere and Lodge is loved by many.
And some ceramic or glass baking dishes. Staub makes some but you don’t have to spend a lot here either, unless you want something beautiful to take to the table.
I’d get a good roasting pan too. You can go high-end but I have an old aluminum one that my mother got before I was born and it’s just fine.
And finally, a few good saucepans, like a two quart and a three quart. I have specific personal requirements for these. One, they have to have a non-metal handle. I don’t want to use a pot holder all the time. Two, they have to be easy to pour from. Three, they have to be higher rather than wider. Four, they have to be stainless steel so I don’t worry about scratching them or damaging the finish somehow. Five, they have to have heavy enough or thick enough bottoms that I can turn on some heat without getting serious hotspots. That means aluminum or copper bottoms.
And guess what. There’s a brand that accomplishes all of that and it’s been around forever. That’s Farberware, believe it or not. Thick aluminum bottoms, plastic handles, and I use one of those every single day. I use it to boil water for tea and coffee, to make various sauces and custards, to make oatmeal, and just about anything I’m not roasting or frying. There are better looking pans but I’ve tried and discarded many. Oneida made a nice model, but it’s discontinued for a few years now.
You also want some good mixing bowls. Glass is great, but metal is nice too. I do a substantial amount of baking so I’m always using them.
Finally you may want a frying pan with a ceramic or non-stick interior. Not to use for frying, as that is why you have cast iron. I have a couple and use them for one thing only – poaching fish. I can cook a piece of cod with white wine and garlic, or a piece of salmon with some tomatoes, etc. They’re crap basically, as a high heat ends up warping them, but they’re great for poaching something gently, plus with a glass cover, it’s easy to monitor the cooking.
I don’t understand non-stick pans and pots or anything that I have to be careful with. I want something that can handle extreme heat and won’t warp out of shape. The things I’ve mentioned are things I’ve had and used extensively for decades.
And function is vastly more important than price. Sometimes a cheap thing is a better option, sometimes not.

Peyton · Answer

I have both home use and professional grade cookery. They all are aluminum and as thick as possible. Whatever is great as a brand and widely used in pro kitchens everywhere. I also prefer aluminum handles and anything stainless when possible.
For inexpensive pro use cookery check both Smart and Final and Cash and Carry.

Josie97 · Answer

For me it's my cast iron. Treat it right and you'll cook everything in it. Going from the stove top to the oven is never a worry. DON'T WASH IT WITH SOAP.

Luna · Answer

Cast iron and enamel ware are the two best performers in the kitchen. While more fragile, seasoned enamel ware is the formula one of cooking gear. Cast iron is less expensive and more rugged. Where enamel wins is in how it is non-reactive. This makes it suitable for all types of cuisine. Properly cared for, either type can last for many decades. See my answer in: What does an aged cast iron skillet look like?