I bought my husband this set of Cuisinart pots and pans for his birthday earlier this year. They need to be replaced because they are complete crap.

http://www.cuisinart.com/products/co...ccs/77-17.html

Any recommendations for something not too expensive but not elcheapo either? I don't need a whole set, just one or two good pans, preferably something that you can cook bacon in without it stuck on the pan. Yes, they are that bad.

I have two choices for frying pans in the house, and I love them both.

1) Calphalon Anadonized pans. We get them at the outlets like Williams and Sonoma when they are on sale. Love these pans, the downside is they should not go in the dishwasher, and you can't use cooking spray on them. They come in just about every size you would need, if you treat them well, they will do the same, if you don't, they will last a few months.

2) Cast Iron. For many years it was a simple cast iron skillet, when we redid the kitchen it could not be used on the new stove, so we got another one (enameled) that can be used on the stove. For bacon I would always reach for the cast iron.


We also have a no name non stick large fry pan from a restaurant supply house, no brand name, made in Korea, non stick over aluminum. I want to say twelve years or so now, and it's still in great shape.

If you have a choice, the professional pans usually do a much better job if you stove can handle them.

Calphalon is probably my next choice. We are one of those rare households without a dishwasher due to space constraints, so no problems there. A cast iron skillet is on the wishlist! It might just have to wait until we move. We just do not have space anywhere in our teeny postage stamp house for things that do not get used everyday.

Apparently cordelli & I live in the same home & I've never realized it. I'd give the same answer.

For serious cooking , I am dedicated to my Le Creuset pots and pans. I love them. My favorite every day frying pans are a set I found at Costco a few years ago. I was dismayed that they were only available as a set, but they have been great. They conduct heat well, are non-stick and come in practical sizes. Just checked the brand name on a couple of pans and they are "Bialetti." I don't know if this is an every day item. If you see them, grab them. Excellent for every day use.
p.s. agree that Cuisinart pots and pans are total crap. I also hate All Clad. God help the one trying to remove egg yolk which sticks to an All-Clad Frying pan. Utterly hopeless.

Bialetti is the widely known brand in Italy for espresso machines and cookware. It's not an every day item here in the US, probably because they charge a fortune for people who want the brand name, but in parts of Europe, they are in pretty much every home. Great steal.

Another vote for Calphalon and cast iron skillets. The cast iron is heavy...but conducts heat perfectly! Treat it well, it will actually improve over the years. The Calphalon is perfect for everyday cooking.

Also another no vote on All-Clad, and its evil twin T-Fal. Both are cheap pieces of utter dog poo.

Not a suggestion you might expect - but I have long given up buying retail pans and buy from a catering supplier. In the UK the supplier I use is nisbets. Their basic range is always being used by chefs when there's a TV programme and to my surprise although they are a fraction of the cost of the brands they are better' last longer and offer a wider size range and offer some really great sizes. I had planned to replace them more often - but they have lasted much longer than I had expected. Obviously professional kitchens are harder on pans - so they are pretty robust.

I suggest you have a look at proper catering suppliers for their core pans.

Count me as another fan of cast iron.

I love my cast iron frying pans/skillets. I prefer them over my non-stick cookware.

I've seen them for sale at my local Costco for the past few years.

I too use cast iron 99% of the time. I am however in the market for a small, quality non-stick pan just the size for 2 fried eggs that is shaped so I can do the no-spatula flip. About 5 inch diameter I imagine. I'm having a heck of a time finding one online.

I too like the cast iron pan.

The other pan that I love is the Steka $2.99 non stick aluminum pan from IKEA.

It does the job, lasts about a year or so, and when the non-stick starts getting beat up, I can recycle it and not worry about the cost. Not the most enviro friendly option, but it's worked for me. However, now I may head out to the restaurant supply shop and pick up something a little more robust.

In case anyone in the UK is interested Vogue range by Nisbets is currently on sale from �5.99. Best pans I have used and used in professional kitchens.

There isn't such a thing as an all-purpose, high-quality, inexpensive pan. We've got several sizes of cast iron and absolutely love them for a great number of things, but they are inappropriate for acidic foods, sauces that require slow development, and a variety of other things. For certain foods you need to develop a good fond, and nothing works for this like stainless. Many years ago, we bought a set of Cuisinart based Consumer Report recommendations. They weren't crap, but were not nearly as good as we wanted, so we wound up giving them to our daughter. We bought a set of All Clad as soon as we saw a great price online. These have been terrific. For most of our non-stick, we have a set of Calphalon commercial (I don't think these are available any more) - excellent quality. We've got a large dutch oven from Le Creuset, and it is very versatile, but the enameled surface has held up less well than our Calphalon non-stick.

If economy is the object in your frying pan search, cast iron certainly fills the bill and will serve you well if you properly maintain it and know its limitations. I'd look for sales on All Clad stainless. They frequently have a 10 or 12 inch frying pan for well under $100 in special promotions. You could supplement that with a $12 Lodge cast iron from World Market or Target.

I like to go to Ross or other cheap local stores for specialty pans that probably won't see too much use otherwise. For $5 or less you can get some fantastic steals. I can't speak for the longevity of the pans, but what do you really expect for $5?