advice...suggestions.....for cookware.....

Hi all.....i am wanting to purchase some new cookware.......and...i began searching online....and jeez.....there are so many different kinds......that i just dont know where i should invest my money......so of course i said to myself.....i am sure that the people on the forum will definitely have some good suggestions......personally i feel that i am not "up to par" with everyone's knowledge here.....i am just your basic mom of four with a husband that works and goes to school....but i love reading the forum because i learn so much....i am being really serious....but i digress.....

back to my initial thought.......i am wanting to buy some new cookware.....i LOVE to cook.....i cook alot.....everyday......so to me buying some new "pots and pans" is an investment....i want something that i can buy now.....and not have to replace......something i can use for a very long time......i have a large family....four kids and my mother is with us for a while now.....i know cookware can get expensive....but i cant really go over $150 - $200...cheaper would be better....if it is more...i am still interested...because i just like kitchen/food ......as for what type i am looking for......

im latina.....and there are these pots we use in alot of latino families called calderos.....they are not non-stick or anything like that....but a good durable pot.....and i love them.....i have one that i use but i want something a little bit better......im not unhappy with my pot but.....hey....i just want something new....lol.....i have a very old....very good cast iron skillet....but it is small.....and it takes me a while to cook for seven people in it.....

okay i have rambled on enough,......hope it makes sense......i would love to hear what suggestions you all have......thanks.....

Becky

so i was previewing and i realized something i left out....i have a glass cooktop.....i know that some cookware cannot be used on glass.....so thought i would throw that in....

annemarie i have heard of calphalon.....but....there is stainless steel.....anodized......enamel cast iron.....copper......thats what i mean......which type is recommended......pros cons.....that kind of stuff....

Becky, here's a link to a great cookware tutorial - it's a little dated (6 years) but it answers some of your questions very nicely, I think: http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=25717

We are cast iron all the way over here.
We have an 8" and a 12" skillet, they are basically non-stick, can use any kind of tools in them, can finish stuff under the broiler (can't hurt cast iron) also we have a #8 cast iron pot thats at least 90 years old, and a Le Creuset about 4 quart pot thats 40 years old. Same deal, you can sear stuff in the pot, then finish cooking in the oven with the same pot. I'm thinking Pork Chops with Sauerkraut here.
Great stuff and it's not expensive, even heat and it lasts forever, you can hand it down to your kids. I just got my youngest daughter a #8 pot at an estate sale, it was $25, I had to clean it and re season it and it was ready to go.

Becky, here's a link to a great cookware tutorial - it's a little dated (6 years) but it answers some of your questions very nicely, I think: http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=25717

marsha....thanks for the link....i am reading it now.....i always think it is so nice when someone adds a link.....just shows you took the time to look for something....thanks again......

We are cast iron all the way over here.
We have an 8" and a 12" skillet, they are basically non-stick, can use any kind of tools in them, can finish stuff under the broiler (can't hurt cast iron) also we have a #8 cast iron pot thats at least 90 years old, and a Le Creuset about 4 quart pot thats 40 years old. Same deal, you can sear stuff in the pot, then finish cooking in the oven with the same pot. I'm thinking Pork Chops with Sauerkraut here.
Great stuff and it's not expensive, even heat and it lasts forever, you can hand it down to your kids. I just got my youngest daughter a #8 pot at an estate sale, it was $25, I had to clean it and re season it and it was ready to go.

gary....i have a cast iron that my mother in law gave to me.....and i love it.....just that it is small....i see alot of new cast iron pots but they dont look traditional.....they are cast emanel....which i have never worked with and .....well .....it doesnt look like a cast iron to me....lol...so i wonder if it works the same.....

just thought of something as i hit submit....when i first got married.....my mother in law gave me TWO cast iron pans.....and.....one of them looked horrible......so what did i do.....I THREW IT AWAY!!!! .....arghhhh!!!!!! if i knew then what i know now.....jeez.....

The guy that wrote it, Sam Kinsey, is a friend of mine and a professional opera singer and gourmet cook who lives in NYC. He was number 73 or something in Saveur's "Top 100 People of 2008".

And no, ladies, he's no longer single. Sorry.

You can find all kinds of cast iron skillets at antique malls, the ones with the names on them are more expensive but they all work just the same, the cheaper ones have no names on the back, but if you just look at them you can pick out the quality ones, they have a smoother finish to them. My 12" skillet is a new one from Lodge, we had to season it, but I'm told you can get them seasoned now. Good hunting ! You can usually find them at yard sales for next to nothing. Not hard to get them cleaned and back into service.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Informat ... onPans.htm

If they were just invented today, we would be spending a couple of hundred apiece and it would be a cooking revolution.

You also need to check the book or on-line from the manufactuer of your glass cook top. Some of them say NOT to use cast iron.

One of the best bangs for the buck,in my opinion, is the Le Creuset enameled cast iron "dutch" oven. It will last a lifetime. You can get a pretty decent size for around two hundred bucks, or find it cheaper used on ebay. One other "investment/lifetime" items would be a 12" saute or sauteuse copper pan from Mauviel. Not only is it a very useful item, but they look cool as well.

Becky,

We use Calphalon One cookware and I love it. Becky...not so much because she doesn't think it cleans up very easily. The point being that there are going to be trade offs no matter what.