Moderate priced pots..

[mattl]

I'm kind of in a quandary.  A while back I broke my 2.5 L Visions cookware pot.  It was a good size for boiling potatoes, making a small batch of pasta and any number of other things.  Been looking for a replacement, but find Visions stuff on eBay very pricey, not sure why.  Replacement used ~$40 plus shipping.

 

I also have a set of old, from the mid '50s, club aluminum that is stored in the basement.  I have a 3qt. pot, about the right size, but it, as all the other Club aluminum stuff lacks handles - I guess that was their weak spot.  Handles on eBay are not cheap either $15+

 

I used the Club pot the other day for some pasta and was quite surprised at how evenly it boiled, the entire bottom was bubbling up, the Visions did not do that on my gas cooktop.

 

So that said, what is your preferred cookware? I have a fair amount of Calphalon, and it's ok, don't really want to invest in that at this point.  Really don't want stainless, so should I opt for the replacement handle or Visions pot?  I'm not looking to spend a lot.

 

[washdaddy]

If you're happy with your visions cookware you might have some luck finding it in second hand shops in your area like a Goodwill or Salvation Army store.

 

[combo52]

Best Cook-Ware For Stove Top Cooking

Is seldom glass, Visions and Corning Ware are not good conductors of heat. Medium to heavy copper is best followed by aluminum for evenness and fast heat transfer.

 

I use mostly SS with the heavy aluminum-ss bottoms or the same with copper sandwiched in the bottom, as all my cookware goes in the DW.

 

You can get good quality cookware at Ikea for reasonable prices if you want new.

 

[vacerator]

There are good sales

going on now. Today is free shipping day at many online merchants.
I have a huge Rachel Ray "oval" black anodized aluminum dutch oven/stock pot with a glass lid. It is a heavier gauge with an orange handle. I've had it about 5 years now. It was about $60.
I've boiled potatoes in it, pasta, made jumbalaya, coque' au' vin, soup, stew, and sausages. It sauté's great also.
She also has round ones.
If you don't want non stick, Cusinart, etc. have moderately priced stainless ones.

 

[alr2903]

On gas water will boil faster and not lose as much of the rolling boil for pasta with the heavier club aluminum pot. Magnalite  is my go to pasta pot, you will still need potholders the handles on the 6qt. are cast with the pot. Squatty shaped pots heat better on gas for boiling water. 

 

[norgeway]

For years

I have used only vintage cookware, Club, Aristo Craft, Vita Craft , and West Bend Flavor Seal, but I took the advice of Mark Harman and bought a few pieces of All Clad that were on sale.....He was right, nothing I have ever used compares with it!I will still collect cookware, but I intend to get a full set of All Clad to use every day.

 

[gansky1]

I've been trying to find information on the All-Clad outlet (factory seconds) sales and haven't been too successful yet. A friend of mine used to get emails about their online outlet sales and hasn't received them for some time now. As soon as we get the info on where to sign up for these sale notifications, I'll pass it along. He's been able to get some amazing deals on All-Clad products from pots and pans to utensils and small electrics.

Hans (and Mark) are right, for stainless cookware the All-Clad is really good stuff.

 

[panthera]

Visions

If you like it, is beginning to show up in our area at thrift stores and estate sales quite frequently. It's been about 30 years now since it's peak, no? 

I never much cared for it, to be honest. Every piece I ever had took hours of scrubbing or a run through the self-cleaning oven after nearly every use. I think that's why you can see through it - because everything burns onto it unless you watch it like a hawk. Do have a lot of Corning Ware Pyroceran with the ground flat bottom - that stuff cooks very well.

 

Older Presto pressure cookers, the cast aluminium ones, are a dime a dozen without their lids or seals. They have all the advantages of other heavy, large aluminium pots and pans (their Frymaster 100/400 skillets are the best frypans ever made, period.

 

That's the direction I'd go - most folks don't see the value in them, so they're cheap. Great heat distribution, even cooking and standard lids fit nicely on top of them.

[this post was last edited: 12/16/2016-09:49]

 

[luxflairguy]

I have to agree with John and Hans about All Clad.  Love my many pieces.  My teflon coated 12" skillet is over 20 years old and still flat as a pancake on the bottom.  I've been giving as wedding presents the last 2 times, Emerilware, which is made by All Clad (or was).  I have a couple of pieces and like them.  I'm also impressed with the Calphalon  Contemporary non-stick cookware.  But discolors in the machine.  You also need to ask yourself about how long you want to own this cookware.  And the type of stove you're cooking on.  Are you going to make the big leap to induction in the future?   My daily driver's are vintage Cuisinart, Revere Proline and All Clad coupled with any number of my Le Creuset collection.  Cookware is also a personal choice.  Happy shopping!  Grreg

 

[ea56]

I like my old fashioned Farberware stainless steel. It heats evenly due to the aluminum sandwiched between the stainless steel bottoms on the newer versions ot the aluminum bottoms on the older version. There is a wide range of size that is available, but I wouldn't personally buy any of the newer stock available in stores now. I would suggest ebay, thrift stores, estate sales or garage sales.
Eddie

 

[passatdoc]

I have a 12 piece set of Multiclad Pro from Cuisinart. I paid $270 for it, a number of years ago, and noticed this week that Amazon is selling the same set for $200. I have augmented my original set by adding a couple of woks (one All-Clad, one WMF) and a 5qt casserole (basically, a 5 qt sautee pan w/cover with short handles on both sides, fits in oven better than sautee with long handles). This set includes a 3.5 qt covered sautee pan, which may be large enough for many people's needs. I bought the Everyday set fifteen years ago, after upgrading my gas range to a model with a 12K BTU burner. Sparks--caused by embedded carbon--began flying out of my copper-bottom Revere Ware pans, and I was advised by several professional chefs to change to sandwich bottom or clad pans.

I also saved two pieces from my previous Cuisinart Everyday Stainless collection, a Windsor pan and a 3 quart soup pot, when I gave that set away to someone at the office moving out on her own with no kitchen stuff whatsoever. Multiclad Pro does not to my knowledge offer a Windsor pan or a 3 quart soup pot.

The pans heat up quickly and evenly. They clean up nicely in hot soapy water, and are dishwasher-safe. They are not non-stick, but then there is no coating to flake off into one's food. Add a bit of olive oil and heat pan slowly and it'll pass for non-stick. As the name implies, these are three ply clad extending up the sides of the pan. Not just a sandwich disk applied to the bottom of a regular pan.

What I really like is their exterior brushed/matte finish. Hides fingerprints and water spots. The interiors do have shiny finishes, but that's what vinegar or Barkeeper's Friend is for. The set is now four years old and still looks brand new. My impression is that this stuff lasts a lifetime.

There is one precaution I recently read about: heating salted water (as for pasta) from tap water cold may cause pitting of the metal. I haven't followed this precaution until recently, and I don't notice any pitting, but in case they're right, I now defer adding the salt until the water is already boiling. My previous modus operandi was to use salted hot tap water, since the water heater has already brought it up to 140 F, on the basis that less energy is used by the cooktop to bring it to a boil. I still do this, but omit the salt until it boils.
[this post was last edited: 12/16/2016-13:02]

 

[panthera]

Salt and stainless steel

As long as the salt is added to the water and not vice-versa (and thoroughly dissolved, in case you're using large crystals), not harm will occur. Pure salt with a little water and heat at the bottom of a stainless steel pan will pit it.

I've got Revereware from the 50's with no pits, so it's not inevitable. 

 

[passatdoc]

OK, good. I meant 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) salt thrown into 4 quarts/liters of cold or line-hot water and then placed over a high flame on a gas range. Perhaps that explains why i have no pitting after four years of unintentional "misuse".

 

[passatdoc]

ps had I purchased my 1983 Revere Ware with the sandwich bottom, I would have had no issues with sparks flying out from the bottoms. But with the copper bottoms (stupid choice: tough to keep clean, plus I always stowed them in a cabinet, so no one appreciated the copper color), this was a major issue. They were ok on the simmer burner or the two standard (8K BTU) burners, but could not handle the heat output of the 12K burner on high flame.

 

[lordkenmore]

Just considering the two suggested options in the first post... It seems like the price winner is a Club handle. $15 is actually cheap.  You probably CAN get a new pan for $15...but it will have all the weight and quality of those disposable aluminum pans they sell for roasting a turkey.

 

I have used Visions, and have had mixed feelings. My mother had a few pieces, and they worked OK. I didn't find them at all hard to clean IIRC. BUT her set had nonstick bottoms, and that probably made a huge difference. However, good luck finding a used pan with a good nonstick coating, plus (for me) I try to avoid nonstick these days. I wouldn't say that I, myself, would avoid Visions, but it wouldn't be my #1 choice. It was a decent cheap pan...but I think stainless is better in that its probably more durable. The only real plus I see to Visions is that it should be as nonreactive with food as you can get. But this seems like a very small worry for something only being used to boil stuff.

 

 

 

 

[launderess]

Had no idea Club Alumium was so valuable.

Several months ago while passing saw a set in a box out for rubbish from local thrift. As said box also contained some blue flower Corningware with glass lids (great for microwave use), abandoned any shame and took the lot home.

Have yet to use any of the Club Aluminum ware stuff. IIRC it mostly was a huge dutch oven, frying pan and other things, all with lids.

Had some Corning "Visions" several years back. Got the pieces from local thrift and didn't think much of them. IIRC soon gifted much of it on, but kept the small individual bowls with lids as they are great for making individual portions of things in microwave.

 

[earthling177]

Well, I suppose you'll have as many different opinions as there are people here. Here's mine, to be taken with the appropriate amount of salt you think it's necessary.

I have one All-Clad 10" frying pan. Got it new for a good discount at the time, so didn't look at it much, just got it home, washed it and put it into service. It's OK, but I don't think I'd pay even close to full price for it. I dunno if mine came warped and I didn't notice or if it got warped a bit at a time with the years of use, but it is now warped enough that when we use it on the new induction stove it's annoying and noticeable. If we are just cooking stuff instead of using it to sear at high heat, we can just slip a silicone pad under it and it works fine, but I'd be leery of doing that if the pan goes over 400F. Many people like the handles in All-Clad, but I just don't like how they are uncomfortable when the pot is full and they tend to get hot and you need pot holders.

Anyway, when we got the induction range (coming from a standard coil one), I got a new set of pots from Circulon -- that was nearly 4 years ago, we paid maybe 200 bucks for the Symmetry 11-piece set. They heat up and cool down very fast, the pot itself is made of aluminum with some high-end teflon inside and anodized outside, which is wonderful for heat distribution. They are fully dishwasher safe, the only thing I don't much care for is that the handles have indents that keep water and some people get annoyed by that when unloading the dishwasher. I don't mind, but might choose the same manufacturer and a different line with different handles next time. The other thing that might be important is that the line is very pretty but tends to have small bottoms, particularly the items that have a "rounded" bottom instead of a "tulip" shape. That might not bother you if you have gas or coil burners, but it will affect heat/power transfer with smooth tops/induction. I think these are oven safe up to 350F.

After a year or so, I was browsing my local Bed, Bath & Beyond with one of their 20% Off coupons, and found out they have an exclusive line from Bialetti called Aeternum Revolution, so I tried buying a 14" frying pan. It's aluminum core, with non-stick ceramic interior and red silicone exterior and a thin induction compatible stainless bottom. They say it's "hand wash only" but I've been machine washing them for a couple of years or so and so far so good. They also heat up and cool down quickly and are very nice so far. They're oven safe up to 400F. I've bought a 6-quart Dutch Oven, a 10" square griddle, and a couple of frying pans so far, and I like them except that I'd rather they were blue, gray or black instead of red, but at the prices they are sold, I've done well using the 20% Off coupons a few times a year. They have a 10-piece set for about $160 before coupon discount.

I think it depends on what and how you cook. Most of my pots are non-stick and not supposed to go into a 450+ F oven, but I usually do not need anything in the oven that hot, and if I do, I use the appropriate vessel, including pyrex, metal sheet pans and a Le Creuset dutch oven I have. Same thing for stuff that I want to prepare in a way that it sticks to the pot for a while so there'll be a fond, I have a few regular pots with no teflon.

Good luck!
-- Paulo.

 

[mattl]

Well, that certainly was a plethora of opinions! Had no idea I'd get so many responses.  Regarding the Club,, Aluminum, I see two types of handles on eBay - one with a metal collar and those without - anyone know if they are interchangeable?  The weak spot is at the connection, and if I go that route having the metal end might make it stronger.

 

I've never had an issue cleaning the Visions stuff, it all goes into the dishwasher, and occasionally needs a stronger scrubbing.  I've been using it for decades, all the pure glass stuff, no non-stick.  I've got a real mishmash of stuff,  Corning Wear with the ground bottoms from the first smooth top Corning ranges in the early '70s, frying pans from the late 40's, Calphalon I bought a few years back, the afore mentioned Club aluminum, and a few pieces of Revere Ware with copper bottoms I picked up at the Goodwill for $.75.

 

I do a fair amount of cooking, and I've adapted to what I have, I'm sure others would have preferred a complete set of All Clad or something similar.  It may just be a learned behavior, but I liked the weight of the large 2.5L Visions pot, it felt good in my hand even when full.  That is what the Club piece has going for it, some weight. Funny thing about the Club stuff,  When I was growing up it was in a box in the front closet for quite some time.  My mother said she wouldn't use it on the old gas range and she saved it until we got the '59 Frigidaire CI range.  At this point all are lidless and handleless...

 

I do make a sweep through my local Goodwill every few weeks, but for some reason the location near work is shifting more toward clothing and their housewares is almost non existent anymore. Hate to drive across town to the other locations, but they seem to stock more household stuff.  Got a SA next to work, but hate going in there, stuff is very disorganized and kind of scummy - nothing that can't be cleaned up, but still.

 

[man114]

I've been buying up good vintage stuff at thrift stores when I see it and had good luck. Lustre Craft, Health Craft, Royal Prestige, Vollrath Vacuumatic, Prudential ware, etc. I did find two more recent Sitram commercial pans which are quite nice.