cookware advice

[al0ss4w0rds]

I'm getting married this coming August, and my fiancee and I recently started registering for wedding gifts. At the moment we have a very mismatched collection of cookware...some hand me down old nonstick, some new very cheap nonstick, and my favorite, my 12" cast iron. All of it doesn't even add up to a complete set. I love to cook, so I'm really

Comments

[quietchildae]

I love my wok. I couldn't survive without my wok. And a good wok is an absolute necessity, no cutting corners there. I use it pretty much daily, for almost everything I cook.

The other pan I couldn't live without is a medium saucepan with a well fitting lid. A nice skillet for frying bacon/searing meat and stuff too :)

[pkitten]

I have a set of Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel, that I got for my wedding 6 years ago. I absolutely love. I'd say there are a few things to consider when registering for gifts. Firstly, who is going to be buying your gifts, what's their price range like...you can ask for something super expensive, but that doesn't mean that some one will buy it for you

[kayre]

I'm at that age where I'm doing this again, and find that I do most of my cooking with just three things: wok, 14" skillet, soup pot. I've switched to stainless in all cases and love it. Health questions about nonstick are just too scary for me, especially when the coating starts to flake and you realize you're eating little bits of it.

I do also have a couple of smaller cast iron pans, and I've upgraded my baking sheets to restaurant-quality stainless as well. Some odd bits of Corningware for microwaving also come in handy.

[mcval]

I've used Le Creuset for years. My parents had some from their wedding, so i used it growing up, and my dad gave me my own set for Christmas the year i turned 20. I get another piece or two every year, and i love it. My favorite pieces are the large wok, the 1.25 quart saucepan, any of the large dutch ovens (i have 3, including the huge oval one that is about 3.5 gallons), a 12 quart stock pan. I also use a large round lodge (cured cast iron) comal for tortillas, pancakes and crepes, and a stainless steel calphalon omelet pan. And i have a huge (16 inch, maybe?) deep cast iron skillet that belonged to my grandmother.

I've got a couple other saucepans and a 12 inch skillet, but i don't use them as much.

[njlorelei]

This is what I currently use most often in my kitchen -

All Clad - 1 qt, 2 qt, 3 qt sauce pots with lids
All Clad - 6 or 8 quart stock pot
All Clad - 10 and 12 inch fry/saute pans
Circulon - nonstick - 8 inch and 12 inch fry pans
Le Creuset - 3 qt braiser and 9 qt dutch oven
Wok

I love all of it.

[triedthistwice]

What do you use your braiser for?

[njlorelei]

Sometimes for braising meat, but usually for risotto or paella or lentils. I also used it for stew or soup if I'm only making a small portion and don't need the big dutch oven.

[triedthistwice]

Ah! I've been wanting one specifically for cooking rice in because I make it so much and I don't want to use my cast iron skillet.