Does anyone have any preferences?

Julie (one of our fab users) has recently asked us about Paderno cookware, has anyone used these?

I use a bit of a mix-match with no real "theme" to my large cookware collection. I don't actually know much about Paderno, but I will see what I can find out.

To the Blog collective, my current. primary cookware is Calphalon, with a piece or two of All Clad (shape or size which Calphalon does not make). I do not know why I became partial to Calphalon, perhaps because it was similar in weight to Le Creuset, which my mom used. I just saw the Paderno at Bridge Kitchenware, a restaurant shopping supply store in Manhattan and thought it was BEAUTIFUL, AS IN CHRISTMAS PRESENT kind of beautiful. I'm kind of excited, but might have separation anxiety parting with my Calphalon (not enough space in NYC kitchen cabinets). Oh well, soup kitchen auction will benefit!

Well I use Paderno and love them. It is a Canadian made product from the east and it is stainless steel.

They are expensive but the have life time guarantee. I purchased mine one by one and Home Sense so check them out when you are there.

I did get my Paderno. It is unspeakably, indefinably, fabulously wonderful and that is sooo grammatically poor, I apologize to the Blog collective. I have had NO separation anxiety with my former Calphalon cookware. The Paderno achieves the same uniform cooking surface, as it has a thicker base, without the heft and weight of the Calphalon cookware. I cannot express how happy I am with it. Michel and I purchased a second set for our/his place up North since I am there so much and I've gotten so acclimated to cooking with it. He even enjoys cooking with it. I taught him the nuances of making an Omelette this weekend and the uniform cooking base was perfection. I might someday even get a breakfast in bed when he feels really comfortable in the kitchen. He'll cook a beautiful chicken stew with mushrooms and onions, but is afraid of an Omelette. Go figure. Anyway, I love cooking breakfast; it is probably my favorite meal to cook. Although with this cookware I just love cooking anything. It is just delicious.

Paderno is nice and comfortably priced, however I have noted that the main gang on TV (who can choose whatever they wish) is pretty loyal to All Clad unless they are pushing an endorsed product. I use these (Copper Core) and they are excellent on gas or electric. Clean up easily as well, but the Copper Core is not supposed to go through the dishwasher.

All-Clad for its performance and wide availability. There's an internet source that sells factory seconds (minor cosmetic problems) that are perfectly usable for pretty good discounts.

I use All-Clad aluminum core stainless steel pots and pans. I don't bother with copper core, too expensive. I have a nice Lodge frying pan. I plan on getting some kind of enameled cast iron pot but I'm not sure what brand I'll get. I also have a little non-stick Greenpan which seems to be ok so far, although I have heard bad things about Greenpan.

There are many fans of All-Clad, including TV chefs,but I find them overly expensive for my budget. I bought my Pandero on sale and it has the same heat dispersion feature. I also own several pieces of Lodge Logic cast iron which is also splendid cookware and I think essential to any cook's kitchen. Glad to have you on the site.

I GAT ALL MY COOKWARE FROME HSN YOU CAN GET EMERILS
WHICH IS MADE BY ALL CLAD FOR A GREAT PRICE AND FOR NON
STICK NOTHING IS BETTER THEN THE GREEN PANS FROM TODD ENGLISH HOPE THIS HELPS, AS I AM ON A TIGHT BUDGET BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE GREAT PANS FOR GREAT RESULTS.
SHOP HSN YOU CAN ALSO MAKE PAYMENTS WITH NO INTEREST.

I notice you use a white enameld heavy duty pan for a lot of your dishes. I love these type of pans unfortunatly I only have one and it tends to be a bit on the small side for certain dishes. Yes I know creusant makes great pans but $$$$$$$ wow! Is there a less expensive alternative out there?

We got most of our Le Creuset from an outlet store. We went around black friday(oh dear!) and there was already 25 percent off. We were added to the customer's list and it was bumped to 35%. All of the outlet's are seconds, we had to look until we found a great one, the only defect was a single drop of red paint on the top of the rim. The subsequently mailed us specials on discount merchandise. Be warned, if you want a matching set, this isn't really the way to go. Our outlet store usually carries sets that are on their way out, with the exception of orange(the original color.) It cooks just as well as the expensive retail stuff...

Does anyone know about Staub(I think that's how it's spelled) cookware. I heard that they were a good rival to Le Creuset and I would love to know more.

Yes the Le Creuset pots can be rather expensive but they are certainly worth the money. That being said you can often find other brands that are less expensive. I have one that I have had for several years and it is not a Le Creuset (I think it's a Mario Batali on that I bought for about $30 on sale). It is still in pretty good condition. I think you just have to make sure that whichever one you buy, that it is a solid enameled cast-iron pot.

I also try to only buy from stores that have good return policies - that way if the pot doesn't last as it should you could possibly return it or exchange it.

I have also heard that Staub pot are very good...but I have not used them myself. I did also hear from someone recently that Staub pots are not what they used to be, but like I said, I am not sure as I have not used them myself.

Hope this helps!

I have my mom's old set of Le Creuset, it's the flame pattern from when she got married (1956), which my sister's will not use because it is so heavy. Hello, isn't that the point of the cookware. I originally took it for sentimental reasons, but when I really began cooking, realized the virtues of such dynamite cookware and how lucky I was to have it. I also have a few pieces of Staub (very nice if you don't have the L.C., I have a grill pan and a pot I bought when I was at university a few decades ago -- can't tell you about quality today it's old stuff) and Lodge Logic which makes terrific cast iron pot ware, a necessity in any kitchen. My NYC kitchen is more limited than my Montreal kitchen which has the space for the immediate universe, so I need to control myself or it would be overflowing in no time flat.

I do love my Paderno cookware, but one cannot turn a high flame on when using it (it is not recommended) so I don't do it. I prefer it to my one or two pieces of All-Clad. My younger sister swears by her All-Clad, but it just doesn't thrill me. I prefer my old stand bys. JMO.

There are a load of places on-line where you can get potware at a discount; especially if you wait for around holidays and the turn of the year. Always sales at those times. I refuse to pay full price, even for the good quality ware.

I use wolfgang puck all stainless steel and they work really nice. I have about 5 pieces with lids and I got them for 20something or less a piece at marshalls. Does anyone else have any experience with them?

I bought a 9.5" Mauviel frying pan. It's the M'Cook 5-ply stainless steel version. I was going to go with NS until I started reading/watching this website. I'm so glad I went SS! Made in France :)

Shirley,

I have a set of the Wolfgang Puck cookware I got years ago, before they were available on HSN (otherwise I would probably have overlooked them, assuming they were on a par with Ginsu knives and all that.) At the time I bought it, it was the largest set. 27 pieces, or something like that. It included stainless spoons, whisks, spatulas, and so on, as well.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I love them. They cook very well, and evenly. They are easy to maintain. And, the set came with plenty of nice, heavy glass lids, which is important to me, as they really hold the heat in.(no need to wrap them in towels when cooking rice, and so on) Also, although I've dropped lids a few times, both on hardwood and linoleum, I've never managed to break one, or indeed even damage the metal edges. In fact, I have not managed to ruin even one piece that came with the set, and I have had them for at least five years, probably more.

Ordinarily I would not advocate buying sets of cookware, as they often contain things you will rarely use, if ever. But, I found the selection in this set to be quite practical. Of course, some pieces I use more often than others, but all items in the set have seen a good deal of use at this point, and there is nothing I wish I didn't have, or that I have wished I had something else instead of.

Everything is durable, oven-safe, and it is, all-in-all, one of the best purchases I have ever made.I will no doubt be passing these down to my children, and that's a pretty good thing, for a set that only cost me about $300.00

I have over the last few years gotten the Food Network tri ply set at Kohls and more recently a set called REAL CHEF from shopnbc and am very happy with both. I have some old enamel cast iron from my mom years ago. I see myself using induction more than gas these days but still have my gas stove. For the price I paid for the two sets of clad cookware I got I still saved hundreds over all clad.

A potential economic alternative for enameled cast iron are used Belgian "Descoware" pots of Julia Child fame. They were bought out by Le Creuset years ago, but you can often find them at garage sales or used goods stores. The price shouldn't be too bad, even though they've become somewhat of a cult item. I have an old family set. Heavy beasts, but the dutch oven is unbeatable.

Bill

I have mainly AllClad, Le Creuset and a few pieces in Calphalon. They all perform well. I was given a lovely Staub 5 quart Dutch Oven for my birthday last year. It's very nice, but I think if it came down to it, I'd choose my Le Creuset Dutch Oven over the Staub. As much as they go on about the black interior being better than the cream colour on LC in that it doesn't stain, I just don't like it as much and I find the Staub much harder to clean. That being said, it's still a lovely pot, but I think LC has the slight edge.

My husband and I splurged on nice new pots a few months ago! Like most of you here, I have All-Clad and a couple of LC pieces. I know some of you recommended not to buy a whole set because you do not use all of the pieces. I am one of those that did but I was a lucky one! I was able to swap out 2 of the pieces in the All-Clad set to something I would use. Thank you Williams Sonoma! Be sure to purchase Bar Keepers Friend to clean your stainless steel pots! This makes your All-Clad look brand new! (If anyone has other cleaning tips, I am very open to it) Another piece I love is the All-Clad grill pan. It's great to use on top of the gas stove to do a quick grill especially on the snow days!

I think All Clad great, but it is really meant to be used by someone trying to make their living in the kitchen, not because it works so well but because it is so well made and durable. If you can afford it go for it. I don't run a pro kitchen, I'm just trying to make really good meals for my family and I can do that with the cheaper brands.

i have pot set with circle and a house in it on the bottom any one no name of this set

Although my collection of cookware consists of All Clad, I have over the years have accumulated pieces from Calphalon, Staub and a few others. I also have a few pieces of Piazza Signature Select from Italy. Unfortunately the Piazza cookware are becoming harder to locate in the USA (or online) - but I keep looking. I really like their products and have recently been trying to find a new source (any help would be appreciated).

I have a lot of copper pots - all inherited, and most need to be retinned, so I've stopped using most of them.
Anyone know of someone who retins in Vancouver? The last time I took one pot in, they wouldn't retin - only 'resilver', so now I have to polish the inside AND the outside.

I am not aware of anywhere but I will ask around and let you know if I hear of anything. Cheers!