Thursday, March 13, 2008

Cookware

The weather is amazing! It's a perfect 75 degrees! I love being warm, but not so hot you can't leave the windows open. It's been heavenly here this week!

Not much exciting going on today so I thought I'd share some of my favorite new things. I don't have completed sets of these yet because I wanted to make sure I could cook with them. I have used Teflon all my life, but it's so dangerous and constantly needs replacing. I'm almost ashamed to admit how much research I did before I began investing in new cookware. One thing I learned was that for smooth-top stoves, you must use smooth bottom cookware. I don't have a smooth top right now, but I want good cookware that will last, so just in case I end up with a smooth-top, my cookware must by smooth. You'd be amazed how many brands put grooves and things on the bottom. That criteria ruled out many options. I had been hearing alot about hard anodized, but found out it's not dishwasher safe... wha? Who wants that hassle? We have a couple stainless steel pieces that I really like to use as sauce pans, but the handles are coming loose. I see the cooks on Food Network using it all the time, so I decided to look into it more. All-clad seems to be the big name, but it also comes with a ridiculous price tag. I went to Kohl's one day to check out some Calphalon pieces. They were really nice, but I was drawn to the Food Network brand.

They felt much better in my hand, and the lids fit tighter and sounded less tin-like then the Calphalon. The other bonus was that I could get extras of the saucepans I use most often. Since the Food Network brand come with a lifetime warranty, I bought 2 pieces to try. I am in love! They cook well, clean up easily, feel great, and look beautiful! I'm definitely going to save up to purchase a whole set! Now, stainless is great for many things, but non-stick skillets will always have a place. Much to my surprise, I found out that once "seasoned", cast iron is non-stick! How cool it that? Cast iron has been used forever, it's pretty cheap, and you don't have to wash it at all! My kind of stuff! Target has these pretty red enamel-coated pieces I'm lusting over.


1 comment:

Thompson Family said...

So for for the first several years of Rick and I being together, all he owned was a cast iron skillet... hmmm, isn't that funny for an outdoorsman to own cast iron. I have to say, it cooked fabulous!! We still have 3 skillets but they have been put into the motorhome. I might just have to go dig them out again after being reminded how great they are. My only issue was how heavy they were. But that isn't too much of a problem when I make Rick do the cooking :-) I am LOVING the red!