cookware

[sage]

Hi! I'm well on my way to wearing out my two main saucepans and I need help. I'm staring at Amazon's cookware pages right now and I'm baffled by the whole aluminum / copper / hard-anodized aluminum / nonstick / stainless steel / cast iron question. There are so many options! I had no idea!

I have a crazy mix of different pots, most of which are hand-me-downs. My favorites are Cuisinart nonstick, followed by the Farberware nonstick, followed by a dented 3 quart copper-bottomed pot I got from Goodwill (it's a great size, even if it lists to one side a little *g*).

Anyway, the fact that there are so many options implies that the different materials mean something important, right? What do you all use? What is best? I cook only for myself, but I'm cooking a LOT now -- more than ever in my life -- and my poor old saucepans aren't coping well with the wear and tear.

Thanks for any advice!

Comments

[willidan]

Right now my two main type of go to pots are cast iron and hard-anodized. They are both super easy to clean and distribute heat evenly. But if you can afford it, try a stainless steal type pot. My mom is still using the set she got for her wedding, 45 years ago. They stand up to wear and tear and overuse like a dream. But she also has a set of copper pots she uses occasionally for special cooking needs. I personally dislike the copper bottom pots, but mainly because they are horrible to clean. And I can see no benefit to copper pots unless you make a lot of candy. Let us know what you choose and why. I'm curious as to which you choose.

[sage]

Thanks, the dented copper bottom pot is stainless steel, as is my giant soup pot. It is crazy how complicated all this is!