Reddit mentions: The best skillets

I love cooking! I especially enjoy cooking on cast iron and in the slowcooker. I do it on Hard Mode too, because both my SO and I eat mostly vegan (exception: I eat eggs), so it's fun and challenging to revamp old favorite recipes and dishes but in vegan form. A new cast iron pan can be bought for under $30, and small slow cookers are really cheap too. There are tons of vegan cookbooks out there, but I get most of my recipes and meal ideas online. My favorite site is Finding Vegan, a recipe amalgamation site. Beautiful pictures, and some really great food.

Also, I play ocarina! It's really easy to learn to play, and GREAT quality ones can be bought for really cheap, too! I suggest starting off with a basic, single chamber, transverse style ocarina in the Alto C. It's a professional-quality instrument, but it really will not break the bank, and as long as you don't drop it (it could break!) you will get a lifetime of beautiful sound out of it. There are no replaceable or tunable parts (like strings or reeds), so it's a one-time purchase with no future maintenance to worry about figuring out. Every ocarina I've ever purchased has come with a little fingering guide, plus a few tabs of easy songs, and once you practice just a little bit, you can play pretty much anything, provided your ocarina is in the right range/plays enough notes. And if you practice for years, you can be as good as my favorite ocarinist, Osawa Satoshi!

There are also more "casual" ocarinas, that cost quite a bit less, and offer a different fingering style, which isn't as intuitive as the transverse style, but it is easier for some people to learn, as it's just pattern memorization and tabs, and you really do not need to know how to read music at all. (you don't need to know it to play a transverse oc either). A lot of the smaller ocarinas can also be worn as necklaces as well, so you can take it with you and practice wherever you are! Fun! And they sound just as great as the more pro ocs too!

They are actually easier to learn than recorder (imo) and sound SOOOOOOO much better, as they are basically impossible to make do that horrible shrill screech that so many elementary school kids are able to make recorders do. They are also not very loud. If you live in an apartment with shared walls, you could go with a MUCH quieter (but more expensive) handmade wooden ocarina. Good news though! This craftsman also has a little kit for $25 where he sends you the pieces and you just glue it together. The great thing about wood ocs is that they are definitely quieter than ceramic, but they ALSO will not break if you accidentally drop it. I mean if you spike it, it might shatter, so don't do that, but just a clumsy fumble won't hurt it.

Just listen to how beautiful this wooden one sounds!

Anyways, if you are interested, check out those vendors I've linked (Songbird and Hind) and poke around their websites to see what's out there. There are also a few great amature ocarina players on youtube, so go watch some videos!

Word of warning though: if you start seeing STL ocarinas pop up during your searches (you will), take those reviews with a grain of salt. They have some iffy business practices, crappy customer service, and subpar ocarinas. Stick with Songbird and Hind. They are both great craftsmen, and great people to do business with. If you live outside of the USA, you should also consider Focalink-Stein, based out of Samoa (they used to be based in Taiwan). Songbird has a business partnership with them and is (as far as I know) the only American company that is authorized to sell the Focalink-Stein ocarinas, and they are literally some of the best ocarinas there are. If you live outside the USA, compare the shipping costs between Songbird and Focalink-Stein, and go with the least expensive option. They both excell at customer service, and will personally answer any emails with questions you may have. Again: Stay away from STL. Their (bad) ocarinas are nowhere near worth the hassle of dealing with them.

Anyyywaaaays, so yeah, vegan cooking and ocarinas.

Also, if yu have a pet of any kind (even a fish), you could try doing some clicker training. It's really fun and easy, and all you need is your animal, a clicker, some yum treats, and some patience. It's way cute. I've trained my cat to do lots of cute tricks like high fives and spins and stuff. :)

I was actually starting to draft a little cooking ideas post like this. This is just what I found value in and will ramble because I haven't really edited it down at all. So if anyone reads it and has notes please let me know, it's fairly directionless at the moment. It is also from the perspective of and aimed towards young single people but not exclusive to. I am also well aware a lot of you folks are good cooks or at least have a functional kitchen and I in no way want it to sound like I'm more knowledgeable than anyone with an hour to watch youtube videos.

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TL:DR Make sure your skills are on point before getting convenience tools as you might not need them, a cast iron or good stainless steel skillet and a good couple of knives can do most things in a kitchen, plan meals before you shop to avoid wastefulness.

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This post is big, flawed, and broken into two main sections. One is purely skills based, stuff you can totally do for free and can start doing right this moment. That's a big part of minimalism for me, gaining skills and getting good at some things rather than owning and being okay at a ton of things. The second section is more of a buy guide, again all from my experience.

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First off is to focus less on the equipment and more on the technique. Fundamentally, knife skills, understanding of cook times, heat, and technique, creativity and planning are some terms I like. In addition I have thoughts on tools and ingredients

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First, learn your knife, do drills, practice good form constantly. When I started in a fast-food-y sandwich shop when I was 16, the manager (who was a line cook for years) suggested I practice things like chopping a carrot as thinly as possible, or celery, or breaking down onion and garlic. Then I got to work with the prep team (which was cool because they taught me Spanish) to learn basic stuff like sauces and cooking meats. The result is a few years later, I have a decent knife. Not as good as a legit cook or anything but enough that I can confidently use a sharp knife to do anything a home cook would ever need to.

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Cook times. It's way less intimidating to work on food when you know "okay my chicken will take this long, oven takes this long, rice needs this much time", and so on. From a minimalist perspective, this will help you cut down on some tools such as a plug-in type grill, rice cookers, stuff that times or cooks food for you. Learning how to use heat also really improves the versatility of something as simple as a cast iron pan. Technique will allow you to make staple dishes or at least be able to take a guess at how to prepare just about anything, and the most valuable tip for that is look up how to make individual components of dishes rather than just recipes over and over. This becomes relevant in the next portion as well.

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Creativity. As some people are mentioning, "aspirational groceries" cause clutter and waste in the form of garbage and money. Creativity helps solve this when paired with planning. When shopping, I found it valuable to plan out meals for the week. Buy what you need, make a note of what isn't used, and refine. That's planning. Creativity is ending up with some random ingredients and Macgyvering it together so you don't waste or overspend. That is made much easier by having solid cooking techniques so you have a bit of a starting off point for creativity.

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Now into the stuff. I personally think a couple things are fundamental. Babish from YouTube has a great List . First off, get a good 7" to 8" Chef knife. I use a Gyuto but that's more because I impulse bought one when I first moved out and had all the money in the world from not having any expenses and was talked into it by a very nice saleswoman at the knife shop in town. Wusthof is a great name in knives and if you can get a hold of an 8" one of those, a bread knife, and maybe a pairing knife (I don't really use mine much but some people do) you will be able to do most things. I'd avoid buying a knife set just because you're more than likely paying for an extra 3 or so knives you won't use, and they're cheap for a reason. But to each their own, it is very convenient to have the steak knives, honing rod, and scissors that most of them include. No judgement here. Plus they're really really affordable.

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Now as to everything else, I'm not as researched. I think a good cast iron skillet is fantastic from a minimalist perspective as you can do most things that you'd really ever need to do on it, from frying to saute to some baking. Kent Rollins is first off a joy to watch but more importantly uses very limited tools. He does have his specialized "bertha" stove but for the most part it's just him with either open fires or a hot stove cooking in cast iron pans and dutch ovens. If you want to know more, I'd just watch the babish video above, he talks more about why he has what he has, such as this expensive but amazing set of pots and pans. Off the top of my head: baking sheets, a large cutting board, a meat thermometer (safety), measuring cups and spoons, box grater (or one coarse grater and one microplane grater), spatulas, tongs, etc.

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Like I said this is mostly ranting, and I'm going to research and trim it down for the future, but these are my thoughts at the moment.

Copper is pretty and has useful properties but if your able to persuade them to high quality stainless, you should for their sake and your wallet.

All-clad makes the best cookware, and seeing that you are buying copper already, you likely have a bit of cash to spend. Any higher end restaurant or large cash flow food service operation uses the standard “commercial” line of all clad, they call it MC2. Here is the link: https://www.all-clad.com/Collection/mc2_collection . Start with the 12in fry pan and work your way down. Second in line and a lot of restaurants use only this type of pan as it’s durable, cheaper than All-clad and it’s ability to be non stick is blue or black steel, https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000K9FKC4/ref=sspa_mw_detail_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . These are raw steel, they care called blue, black or carbon steel depending on the manufacture. They only make this kind in sauté pan “shape” but even if you give a copper piece for Christmas, it would be really nice to give this guy as well and will surly become their go to pan used daily. Other then all-clad they use the typical all purpose Vollrath or Don brand cookware which you wouldn’t want to use st home anyway.

Mauviel products are top of the line copper cookware, if a restaurant had to use copper for some reason, this is what they would buy. It’s heavy weight, copper is soft and bends really easy, so the heavier it is, the strength is from reinforced steel layers. You can find it all over, google search it but do your homework as it’s pretty expensive and a 10-15% off coupon might go a long way. Their heritage collection is extremely sturdy and what I’ve seen in commercial use but it was a 2 star Michelin restaurant and we used it for saucing table side, displaying fish (like sole) to be portioned table side or large items like roast duck or chicken. The items were never cooked in these pans, just for display. We did have a few 4-6-8qt copper pots with triple thick bottoms that we used for reducing liquids that burned easy or scorched, but a typical pot is fine if your not in a hurry. Look for cast iron handles vs stainless steel if you are looking for long term use. They both are, cast iron will add weight to an already heavy pan but it’s virtually indestructible. My self and other chefs that I’ve worked with also like the feel and style of the cast iron handle but if we had to use it all night long for 4-5 hours daily... we would prefer stainless to cut down on weight.

The biggest thing that you should look for is brushed copper versus polished. You will spend a lot of time cleaning the outside of this pan from hard water marks, finger prints or any oil residue left behind while the brushed looks just as good but easier to maintain. Take a look at this web page: http://www.falkusa.com/falk-copper-cookware-frying-saute-pans , it’s easier to see the brushed look on this cookware versus other websites. Falk is a good brand as well, they can be a bit more expensive as they are a smaller company and their pan weight is a bit more then most. Most chefs tend to avoid this brand because if they sauté / fry pan line. The sides of the pan are much taller then typical pans and the angle of the edge is smaller making it a little bit harder to maneuver or “flip” items in the pan by a flick of the wrist.

Key points:
-shop around: coupons and Black Friday deals save big time.
-brushed over polished
-cast iron handle over stainless

• weight: if it feels like it’s lighter then it should and it’s price is cheap when not on sale, it’s likely garbage.
  -avoid sets: they will try to justify a higher price by giving you more pans but how likely are you to use a 1/4 quart sauce pan or crepe pan.
  -warranty: most will have a lifetime warranty on them for manufacturing defects which is great. But, their warranty policy is likely worded very well to guard themself from miss use from the consumer which is more likely to happen vs traditional cookware.
  -introduce the blue/black steel fry pan with the copper set, a 8 or 9.5in pan will be these best $40 spent.
  -don’t be fooled into buying covers for all these pans. They typically can’t be displayed and hold no value being copper.
  
  ¥ most importantly.... do not buy copper cookware that is 100% copper on the outside and inside. It’s easy to bend and break, tarnishes easy which can get into your food or the chemicals used to clean the inside get in your food. Almost any utensil used to mix or stir will scratch or nick it. The only pot that is suppose to be 100% copper is the sugar pot. It’s used to get the temperature of liquid hot sugars to an exact temperature for the use in candies. Fluctuating a few degrees when it comes to hot liquid sugar is the difference between soft or hard candy or regular or caramelized sugar. There is no other use for such a pan and it would be a waste of money or the item has been electrically copper coated for show. They typically look like this: https://www.amazon.com/Mauviel-MPassion-2194-18-2-Quart-Saucepan/dp/B0002L5GIS/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1543088781&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=copper+sugar+pot&dpPl=1&dpID=31SBSQ3A3JL&ref=plSrch , so you’ll be able to spot them.
  
  On the flip side to all of this... my mother has a set of “Copper Chef” cookware that she got off the tv or bed bath & beyond. The whole set is like $140-$150 so it’s pretty reasonable. I know it sounds cheesy, and gimmicky and just crap cookware but I’ve used it many times now and for in home use... it’s good. Would I buy it for my kitchen? No, sadly I would be shamed from the culinary community and I can be pretty hard on cookware. But my mother cooks daily, they have a $300k kitchen with top of the line everything, full set of all clad, Viking rages... you name it, it’s there. But in the end she prefers to use the copper chef stuff, so it all depends on the user.
  
  Good luck! Sorry for the overly long post, hope you find something useful in there.

TL;DR warning

Are you willing to invest in some tools? Do you like Five Guys? (skinny burgers) The fastest burger procedure that I know of is Kenji's Ultra-Smash technique, which makes a pair of thin patties in no time. Takes about a minute per burger (two patties with cheese). Details here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/03/the-food-lab-maximize-flavor-by-ultra-smashin.html

You can also do a regular smash burger, which is thicker (McDonalds-thin), but takes longer (~1.5 minutes per side, about 3 minutes total per burger):

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-burger-lab-smashed-burgers-vs-smashing-burgers.html

The advantage of the ultra-smash is that it's super quick & you can toss a piece of cheese to melt between two patties, so you can pump out a ton of burgers in no time. You will need a few tools, namely:

1. A metal cooking surface
   
2. A hi-temp heat source
   
3. A smashing tool
   
4. A high-quality spatula
   
5. A scraper (if doing ultra-smash)
   
6. A cheap IR temp gun
   
7. A cheap digital kitchen scale
   
   It's not rocket science, but getting a proper setup will let you have a workflow that makes cooking for a crowd a breeze. I have a big extended family, so I cook in bulk a lot, but I also use this for just my immediate family because it's so fast to get setup. There is an up-front investment required, but everything you'll buy will pretty much last forever, so it's worth it if you like to eat burgers!
   
   So the first two things you need are a metal cooking surface & a heat source that can pump out a lot of heat. I don't recommend a regular grill because they simply don't get hot enough; you need 600 to 700F to do this. You can either do a compact setup (a 2-burger surface with a single burner) or invest in a quality flat-top setup (more expensive, but lets you do more burgers at once). The ideal surface to do this on is a Baking Steel, which is very expensive. There are knockoffs for cheaper, but I like BS because they have a Griddle version with grooves to catch the grease:
   
   http://www.bakingsteel.com/
   
   You can also do it with cast iron. Lodge has a griddle for $25:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LDP3-Double-Reversible-Griddle/dp/B002CMLTXG
   
   If I'm just doing a single regular smash burger at a time, I use a 12" cast-iron pan. $28:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cast-Iron-Skillet-L10SK3ASHH41B-12-Inch/dp/B00G2XGC88/
   
   If you do get into cast-iron, read up on this seasoning procedure (i.e. the way to keep it smooth & slippery without Teflon). It's a bit of a pain, but it's worth learning because anything you buy in cast-iron can be handed down to your kids because it lasts forever:
   
   http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
   
   You will want a heavy smashing tool as well. I have this massive 2.5-pound cast-iron press. It fits inside the 12" pan above (but not the 10"). $13:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Update-International-Heavy-Weight-Hamburger-Commercial/dp/B002LDDKZ6
   
   If you plan on doing ultra-smash burgers, you'll need a scraper. This is the one Kenji recommends, but you can probably find something locally: (Home Depot or Lowes)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Plextool-Wall-Paper-Stripper/dp/B00AU6GQLQ/
   
   Anyway, getting back to the cooking part: you'll need a hi-temp burner. I like Bayou Burners, they sell them on Amazon. I have an SP10: ($50)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ
   
   I use that with my 12" cast-iron pan for when I'm just doing a few burgers for the family. 15 minutes = 5 burgers. You can also slap a flat surface like a cast-iron griddle or Baking Steel on that puppy. Also comes in a square version (not sure how the BTU's compare). I also have some KAB4 burners that I use with my Baking Steel, among other things. More expensive, but larger shell & burner: (more even heat over the cooking surface)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-KAB4-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B0009JXYQY/
   
   For cooking more at a time, you can get a cooktop. Blackstone has a 36" cooktop available, but it doesn't get very hot (don't get me wrong, it's an awesome tool, but I've had trouble breaking 500F on mine, which means you're not cooking 1-minute burgers on it, plus the heating is kind of uneven, so you have to work in the hot spots for faster cook times). Also comes in a slightly smaller 28" version (but it's only like $50 less, so it makes more sense to get the full-sized version because you get so much more cooking area). The nice thing with this setup is that for $299 (or a bit less if you shop around at places like Cabela's), you can cook like 20 burgers at a time, it's absolutely insane! I make epic breakfasts on it. Plus it folds up for transport, which is really handy. We use it for all of our family events & holidays:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYN0438
   
   A better version is from Tejas Smokers. They make camping stove carts that have burners built-in & have griddles available separately. They get super hot, downside is the cost: you can easily spend $700 on a nice setup.
   
   https://tejassmokers.com/Camp-Stove-Carts/23
   
   Oh yeah, Blackstone did just come out with a compact outdoor griddle which can run off those little one-pound green tanks if you want. They go for around $99 ($79 if you have an Ace Hardware near you). I have not tried this, but it gets good reviews. I'd be curious to see what kind of temperatures it can achieve:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Blackstone-Portable-Griddle-Outdoors-Camping/dp/B0195MZHBK
   
   So that's a basic introduction to the cooktops: you need some kind of decently-sized metal surface, a hi-temp burner, a smashing tool, and optionally (but recommended) a scraper. You will also want to get a strong, high-quality spatula. A good one is $32:
   
   http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/equipment-the-due-buoi-wide-spatula-my-new-fa.html
   
   Available here:
   
   http://www.duebuoi.it/x/uk_usd/catalog/p/spatulas~805-16x10.html
   
   If you opt for cast-iron, get an infrared temperature gun (doesn't work too well on shiny metal surfaces like steel tho). $17:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-1080-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/
   
   A cheap digital kitchen scale is useful too, for measuring out the proper amount of meat. $14:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Kitchen-Capacity-Stylish/dp/B003E7AZQA/
   
   This collection of tools ensures that you have the proper workflow: a metal surface to cook on, the ability to bring the surface to a high temperature (and know what that temperature is for precise control), the ability to weigh your meat so you can pre-measure out what you need, the ability to smash the burger down, and also to properly scrape it off. Again, it's not rocket science, but if you have a wussy grill or a crappy surface or weak smashing/scraping tools, you're gonna have a bad time. You just need the right setup to pump burgers out fast!
   
   So on to prep. For ultra-smash, you do a pair of 2-ounce ground beef balls. In the tutorial above, they use a mix of meat for 25% fat. I just grab some regular 80/20 ground plus some salt & pepper. For regular smash burgers, do a single 4-ounce ball (optionally 5 ounces...useful if you have a big cooktop for a bunch of burgers at one time & are only doing a single patty per burger). The nice thing is, there's no special prep required for the meat, so you can make all of your burger balls ahead of time. If you have 10 people & are doing ultra-smash, let's say half of them get 2 burgers, so 15 burgers total, or thirty 2oz balls. If you have 20 people & are doing regular smash, again with half getting an extra burger, that's 30 burgers total or thirty 4 or 5oz balls. So that takes care of prep...adjust as needed. If you're feeding mostly dudes, you'll want to add more seconds (and thirds) to the equation.
   
   There are a variety of buns you can get. Crap buns will make for a crap burger. See if you can find potato buns or brioche buns. Those are pretty soft. Buns aren't overly hard to make, but I have yet to find a decent recipe that takes under 40 minutes, so I usually only doing fancy home-baked buns for my family rather than a crowd. Buying 5 or 10 pounds of ground beef & making smash balls out of them will take you all of ten minutes, but making buns can take forever. Here's a good recipe if you want to try it out tho:
   
   http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/light-brioche-burger-buns/
   
   Or this, if you wanna get crazy:
   
   http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/fresh-cemita-rolls-mexican-sandwich-burger-bun-bread-food-lab-recipe.html
   
   Or this one, nom nom nom:
   
   http://amazingribs.com/recipes/breads/brioche_hamburger_buns.html
   
   But eh, just hit up Sam's/Coscto/BJ's and buy some hamburger buns in bulk, problem solved. Or find a local bakery that has good rolls. There's a good shootout of buns here:
   
   http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/the-burger-lab-whats-the-best-bun-for-my-burger-taste-test.html
   
   (continued)

I'm still not sure why carbon steel frying pans haven't caught on yet.

Basically carbon steel frying pans are a kind of happy medium between cast iron and your standard non-stick pan. Like non-sticks, they heat up pretty quickly, but like cast iron they are very durable, can tolerate very high heats (unlike a non-stick!) and once properly seasoned are pretty non-stick. I love it for making eggs in the morning because unlike a cast iron, I don't have to wait 5-10 minutes for it to get properly hot.

If you recognize the metal from their use in woks, which are pretty bad at holding heat, skillet style carbon-steel pans like the kind I'm talking about tend to be a little thicker and hold heat better.

There are downsides: fast heating means fast cooling, too, so unlike cast iron, they can't hold heat as well and you're not going to get the kind of sear and heat you can get with a cast iron or a stainless steel pan. On the other hand, they're not terrible at holding heat, and if you get a bigger pan (which you might want anyway) and leave yourself some breathing room, this isn't a problem most of the time.

They're also more expensive than cast iron and most non-sticks, but not by much. They also last forever (unlike non-sticks) so it ends up paying for itself over time.

If you're trying to minimize kitchen items, the carbon steel frying pan is a great all-around, utility player.

A good option is the Lodge Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Skillet, which like their cast iron comes pre-seasoned (but it's a good idea to do a round or three of seasoning anyway). If you get this, I highly recommend you pick up a silicone handle. It's almost a necessary accessory as it turns the pan from painful to hold due to heat and form to a friendly handshake from your frying pan.

That is the one I have and it's easily my most used pan. That said, I do eat way more eggs than seared meats. On the other hand, if I had to I'd still feel comfortable cooking a good, well-seared steak in this pan if for some reason I couldn't reach for my cast iron (I couldn't say the same about a non-stick).

If you want a little bit better heat retention, the deBuyer is in the same price range, but it's a little heavier, which'll help it retain heat. It doesn't come pre-seasoned, so you'll have to put a little bit more work into it. I don't own this, but it's generally a good, popular brand.

Fair enough.

So as a premise, I'm going to give you the /r/cooking answer (which I'd argue is the 'right' answer,) but a lot (most?) people in the US use a non stick for just about everything. Then again, most people cook bad food, so...

Anyway:

>for things like eggs, bacon, burgers etc

So right there I'd stop you and say that a true non-stick (either a Teflon pan or anodized / ceramic) is really best just for things like eggs, melty cheese, etc. Some people (rightfully) claim that eggs can be cooked in a really well seasoned cast-iron; they sort of can, but you have to use so much grease I argue it's more shallow frying than anything else. Properly cooking eggs in a true non-stick pan, like a Teflon coated pan, requires zero butter / cooking spray, etc. You actually shouldn't use it.

For things like burgers, bacon, etc, most of us would argue for either stainless steel (my preference) or cast iron. Cast iron (CI from now on) has some advantages, mainly relating to heat retention for giving awesome sears (like on a steak.) Stainless Steel (SS) can also do that pretty darn well, but not quite as well as CI. SS has the advantage of being more 'reactive;' If you turn the heat up or down, the pan reacts much faster than CI. CI is a diesel truck, SS is a Chevy 2500.

Neither SS or CI 'stick' when 1) properly heated and 2) properly used. Most people just don't know how to properly cook with those types of pans. Start here, and watch this vid on how to properly heat a SS pan. If you do that (and it's actually super easy once you've done it a few times,) you're 80% of the way there. So then your pan is hot, and you put in some oil (I prefer canola.) From then, your meat (like chicken breast, bacon, burgers, steak) goes in the pan and you don't touch it! If you put it in, and then 30 seconds later get all grabby-pokey-lifty, you're going to get really grumpy that that idiot on the internet convinced you to use SS, because it's going to be very stuck to the pan. If you're patient, and simply wait, the meat will get a perfect sear, and release on it's own in about 3-4:00. From there, give it a flip and repeat.

Here's where the advantages of stainless really shine: So after you've seared both sides (let's say of your chicken) you pop the whole pan in the oven for about 13 minutes or so to finish cooking the meat to the desired temp. Then you pull the pan out of the oven, pull the meat out to rest, and then deglaze your pan, toss in some chopped shallot or onion and garlic and maybe mushrooms, let it reduce aminute or two, holy crap get ready to blow the minds of anyone you're cooking for. Drizzle the sauce over your now sliced chicken, BAM.

So that was a bit of a divergent answer, but I felt it was important. When evaluating cookwear, it's not so much just a matter of 'Can this pan cook things,' it's more a matter of 'How do you use your cookwear to get the results you want.


If what you want is a properly good non-stick pan for eggs and cheesy stuff and omelettes, buy this. That'll last 2-3 years if you treat it well (ONLY wash with a washcloth, non-stick safe utensils, etc) For all your other stuff, I'd suggest a tri-ply stainless steel pan, like this or if it's in your budget, All Clad really sets the standard. This guy in 10 or 12" is pretty much the default CI pan for most people.


Feel free to ask questions. As for the pans you mentioned: I've seen really, really mixed reviews on them. I've never cooked with them, but I've handled them and they seem extremely light and thin (that means hotspots, inconsistent heating, and crazy fast reactivity (temps varyingw ildly up and down.) They seem to be jack of all trades masters of none, and I'd personally pass.

Before we begin, I know that by just looking at the length of this that you might find baking bread to be a bit daunting, trust me, it’s not and I’ll do my best to explain everything as best as I can. I will also tl;dr after every section.

I’m writing up this recipe because all it requires is flour (2 types), salt, and water. I know these days butter is quite expensive and going out and buying yeast is a pain (You can buy a big loaf of it at costco but what are the chances that you’re going to use 5 lbs of yeast?). If by chance you have enough money to buy butter and yeast (those recipes are so much simpler), I’ll post those up as well upon request.

This recipe is adapted from Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery. Mr. Robertson’s method doesn’t require a standmixer but it does require a kitchen scale and more importantly time. I’ve lowered how much water is in the recipe (known as hydration), because more water makes bread difficult to handle and shape. As you get better, feel free to up the hydration, the original recipe has 750 grams of water, I’m toning it down to 675 grams. I have also made some slight modifications to make it easier for those without much baking experience.

stuff you’re going to need:

A kitchen scale

Knife

A jar or similar type of receptacle

Whole Wheat Flour

Bread Flour

Water (hopefully filtered)

A few of big bowls/tubs

Oven safe cooking vessel i.e. tray pan, cast iron pan, dutch oven, baking stone etc

Oven mitts/thick towels to protect your hands

Oil (veggie/olive oil/pam spray)

Starter

Now to create the starter is going to take some time, and by “time” I mean around a week or two. Yes, you have read that correctly. BUT there isn’t much work required (just time is needed) and once you have your starter, you just have to maintain it (meaning you don’t have to do the 2 week from scratch).

1.  First we’re going to make a CULTURE. Mix In your receptacle 50 grams of wheat flour, 50 grams of bread flour, and 100 grams of room temperature water (avg temp is around 75 degrees) with your HANDS. Mix until there are no bits of dry flour, and scrape as much of flour off your hands back into the mixture. The consistency should be that of a thick batter. Cover the with a kitchen towel in a cool, draft free, and shaded spot for 2-3 days.<br />

   
   

2. After 2-3 days, check to see if any bubbles have formed around the sides and on the surface. If not, let it sit until it does (another day or two).
   
   
3. When bubbles have formed (there might be a dark crust that has formed, discard it) and it smells a bit like cheese, your culture has now become a STARTER. Stir your STARTER a little (don’t need to use your hands this time) and then discard about 80% of it, this doesn’t have to be exact. Replace the discarded portion with equal amounts of water and both flours (if you discarded 160 grams of the starter, replenish by adding 40 grams bread flour, 40 grams wheat flour, and 80 grams water 40+40+80 = 160) . This is known as FEEDING your starter.
   
   
4. Repeat the discarding and feeding process once a day every 24 hours at about the same time every day. Be sure to pay attention to the STARTER’s behavior, the volume of the STARTER will increase for several hours after feeding and then begin to collapse as the cycle winds down. When your STARTER rises and falls in a predictable manner, you’re ready to bake.
   
   TL;DR – to create starter mix equal parts water and flour. Leave alone until stinky and bubbling. Discard most of mixture and replenish discarded portion with equal parts water and flour daily until mixture rises and falls in a predictable fashion.
   
   Create your leaven
   
   In layman’s terms this mixture that you will mix into the bread later on that is going to give your bread a lot of flavor and also be the cause of lift for your bread.
   
   
5. Mix 100 grams bread flour, 100 grams wheat flour, and 200 grams warm water (80 degrees microwave the water for about 10 seconds or so) with a TABLESPOON of your STARTER. Wait 8 hours.
   
   
6. After 8 hours your leaven mixture should be bubbly and the surface should be a little wrinkly. To check if it’s ready take a small spoonful of your leaven and drop it in some water, if it floats it’s ready, if it’s not, give it another hour or two and check again.
   
   TL;DR – to create leaven, mix equal parts flour mix and water with tablespoon of starter, wait around 8 hours.
   
   Bread Time!!
   
   
7. In a big bowl mix 900 grams bread flour, 100 grams wheat flour, 600 grams water, and 200 grams of your leaven. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
   
   
8. After 30 minutes, in a cup, mix 20 grams salt and 75 grams warm water and add that to the previous mixture until all the water is absorbed. Cover with towel or plastic wrap.
   
   
9. Your bread is now going to go through it’s “bulk rise” for 3-4 hours (this is based upon the ambient temperature being around 75 degrees). If it’s warmer it’ll be faster, if it’s colder, it’ll take longer). Every 30 minutes you’re going to “fold & turn” your bread. So for example, lets say you placed your dough in a square container. You’re going to dip the hand you’re going to use to turn the dough in water (so the dough won’t stick), shove it in between the dough and the container on one side until you’re able to grab the underside of dough and fold it over the top. Repeat the process for all four sides. You’re going to notice that after about 2 hours, your dough is going to get aerated and softer, be gentler with your turns.
   
   
10. When you see bubbles forming on the sides of mixture and your bread is able to do this: WINDOW PANE TEST, you’re ready to divide your bread.
    
    
11. Flip your dough onto a well floured counter top. Split your dough into 2 or 3 pieces using a knife and do THIS to each piece. Cover each piece with towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes (this is known as bench rest).
    
    
12. After 30 minutes do exactly the same boule shaping you did in the previous step.
    
    
13. Get an equal amount of number of bowls as you have pieces of bread and lube them up with the oil of your choosing. Put the bread pieces in there so that the smooth side of the bread (the top side) is face down in the bowl. Let the bread rise until double in size.
    
    
14. Now this part is going to be broken up into two.
    
    A) If you have a dutch oven or a cast iron combo cooker then
    i) preheat your oven to 475 degrees with your cooking vessel(with lid) inside on the middle rack.
    
    ii) when the oven is ready, carefully, and I cannot stress this enough, CAREFULLY with oven mitts/towel, take out the cooking vessel. Invert your bowl of bread so the smooth side of the bread that you put face down into the bowl when you let it rise is now facing up and carefully place onto/in your cooking vessel.
    
    iii) with your knife, score your bread
    
    iv) with mitts/towels protecting your hands, place lid on cooking vessel and put in oven. Drop the temperature to 450 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes.
    
    v) After 20 minutes, with mitts/towels protecting your hands, take off the lid and let the bread cook for 20 more minutes, or until the top is dark brown.
    
    B) If you don’t have a cast iron pan or a combo cooker
    
    i) preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Then you’re going to have to STEAM YOUR OVEN
    
    ii) when the oven is ready, invert your bowl of bread so the smooth side of the bread that you put face down into the bowl when you let it rise is now facing up and carefully place onto whatever device you’re going to use to transport your bread into the oven.
    
    iii) with your knife, score your bread
    
    iv) Steam your oven, lower oven heat to 450
    
    v) put your bread in the oven
    
    vi) cook for 30-40 minutes until the top is dark brown.
    
    
15. Carefully with mitts/towel protecting your hands, take the bread out of oven and let cool for 20 minutes before devouring.
    
    tl;dr - Mix flour, water, and leaven then letting it rest for 30 minutes. Add more water and salt.
    Let it rise for 3-4 hours “turning and folding” every 30 minutes. Portion dough and let it rest. Shape dough and let it rise. Cook bread.
    
    I've typed this up as fast as I could, so if you see any mistakes or if anything is ambiguous please let me know.

The best advice I can give you is to check out the America's Test Kitchen equipment reviews. Some of the things they recommend will be out of your budget, but most of the things will get you great quality at an affordable price. I'm very active in my kitchen and I don't buy anything without first looking to see if it's an item they've reviewed.

Example: Victorinox Fibrox Knives. Commercial quality, BIFL knives, and a fraction of the price you'll spend on department store BS.

$600 is a stretch to outfit a kitchen, but there are soooooooo many kitchen items sold that you DON'T need. Stay away from gadgets that only have one purpose. You can do MOST of what your really need with simple, multi-purpose tools. So here's the basics:

1. Knives (Victorinox Fibrox)Amazon This is a decent starter set that will give you versatility starting off. Add as you go.
   
2. Pots and Pans - All clad is the BIFL industry standard. I have them and love them. But a set will crush your budget. A starting set will usually be cheaper than one-piece at a time. For your budget I'd recommend the Tramontina tri-ply wich ATK rated highly right next to All Clad. At around $140, it's a great set. Also, get a non-stick skillet and whatever other non-stick pieces you can afford. The best rated non-stick cookware (better than All Clad, I've had both) is good old Tfal. Ask for the All Clad Stainless stuff if you ever get married.
   
3. Food Storage - I consider good food storage to be a kitchen basic, and the I like Snapware Airtight. But if the budget is tight, you can probably get buy on Gladware for a while.
   
4. Other Tools - This list should get you started without too much "fluff"
   vegetable peeler, grater, liquid & dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, thermometers (instant read), spatulas (plastic & metal), Wooden Spoons, Ladel & Larger Spoons, Tongs, Colander
   
5. Bakeware - at a minimum, get 2 commercial style aluminum sheet pans and I recommend 2 silpats to fit. These will make flawless cookies, roast vegetables, whatever in the oven. I'd also get some wire racks to fit as well. The rest depends on what you want to bake.
   
6. Small Appliances - this is where it gets tricky. Remember, focus on multi-purpose machines. I'd rather have one high-quality electric motor than many cheap ones - less to break. The first appliance I would buy are: a stand mixer (kitchen aid), a food processor(cuisinart), a blender (my favorite value, the new Oster Versa (a Vitamix without the price tag).
   
7. Dinnerware, Flatware and Glasses - Stick with classic stuff. White plates never go out of style and make the food "pop". Doesn't need to be expensive now.
   
   I'm sure I missed some things, but this will get you started. My recommendations added up will take you over your budget but you can decide what's most important to you. Don't skimp on the knives or the pots and pans.

I'll throw my vote in for a sharpening stone. If he doesn't already have a nice sharpening set, maybe consider getting him something like a nice diamond sharpening stone; I've seen them for $50 or less.

Tools are always nice. Here are some suggestions to think about:
~ microplane grater
~ Japanese mandolines can be fun to have around.
~ Fish spatulas can be a handy tool.
~ Does he have a good quality peeler? Everyone has a "normal" peeler, but I like to have a good quality horizontal peeler, like one of these, to use sometimes.
~ Does he do a lot of baking? If so, maybe some silicone baking mats for his baking sheets, or maybe some parchment paper.
~ Does he like to use fresh citrus juice very much? Does he have a citrus reamer?
~ Does he like to use fresh garlic? Maybe a garlic press?
~ Silicone spatulas?
~ Does he have a pepper grinder for fresh ground pepper?
~ Does he have a set of mise en place bowls or something to use to keep his stuff organized when he's working?
~ Does he have a scale? You can find plenty of options for home-use digital scales that can weigh up to 11 or 12 pounds, and use either pounds, or grams (if he's doing anything metric.)
~ Something like a good quality cast iron pan can be a lifetime investment, because if they're well cared for, he'll be able to pass it on to his grandkids someday.
~ A dutch oven will always be useful to serious home cooks. The enameled cast iron type are very popular, but they come in many different sizes and shapes, so keep that in mind when picking one out.
~ Knives are always nice. Paring knife, utility knife, serrated slicer, etc.

Those are just a few suggestions that popped into mind. Good luck, I hope you find something nice for him.

Idk what cookware you do have but roasts (like a pork loin or whole chicken) tend to be cheap and pretty easy to cook. Eggs is a staple for cheap food. White fish or tuna are cheap too but don't eat tuna more than a couple times a week because of mercury. Protein powder is a very cheap source of protein however the upfront cost can be jarring.

Frozen veggies are my preferred choice but canned is good too.

The only spices you really need are salt and pepper. Kosher salt and a pepper mill are god tier. After that I'd say garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, cumin, ginger powder.

If I had to pick cookware that was reliable af I'd easily choose a cast iron skillet, enameled Dutch Oven and a small nonstick pan. The first two are both Lodge brands and you can do like 95% of cooking in just those two... possibly just the Dutch oven. There's also this 2 in 1 combo that might actually be the best of both worlds.

I'm a big fan of the Dollar Tree for kitchenware. One of the best purchases I made was a micro shredder and I use it for blocks of cheese. Way cheaper that pre-shredded. The only thing I wouldn't buy from there or any shopping center would be a knife. On a budget I love my Kiwi brand knife (~$8) and I've heard great things about Kuma but haven't had the opportunity to try one yet. Most cooks recommend Victorianox Fibrox but I can't recommend that on an extreme budget.

Also replacing breakfast with only coffee is a great way to save money. I had something else to say but I can't think of it at the moment. Cooking delicious on a budget is a hobby of mine.

Edit: oh yeah, DRINK WATER

I assume you have the combo cooker since you say you put the bread in the deeper part of it. The walls of the dutch oven/combo cooker should not be there to keep the doughs shape. All it does is give the dough a steamy environment for it to rise properly in the oven (called oven spring). Using the lid will eliminate the need for parchment paper (you can dust some corn meal or spread some oil on it) and is the combo cooker's strength when it comes to baking bread. You can also score it right after you've placed it on the lid.


The way I do it (I only have a dutch oven and not a combo cooker) is cut some parchment paper to a little bigger than the proofing basket. I then put my cutting board on top and flip everything. You should be able to hear the dough exit the basket. I then score the bread before I lift and gently place it into the dutch oven, which has been in the oven preheating at 260 degrees. I put the lid on and wait 20 minutes before I remove the lid, lower the temperature to 230 and bake for another 20-30 minutes. The finished dough should have an internal temperature of 95-100. I've had great success with this method. Here


Now, I can't stress this enough: the dutch oven/combo cooker should not be there to support your dough's shape. If it is you are not shaping it/developing the gluten enough. You might get some good bread either way, but you will never get that open crumb structure that everyone's after. If you want to get a nice open crumb here is what you do:

• Use relatively high hydration (70% is nice and manageable even for beginners)
  
  
  
• Make sure to develop the gluten structure during mixing. Trevor J Wilson on YouTube has a few excellent videos, particularly his on the Rubaud method.
  
  
  
• Fold the dough a few times. The more folds you do, the better the structure (usually). I do one about every 30 minutes for the duration of the rise, but 3 folds during the first 1.5 hour is sufficient to get a good crumb. You have to make sure you don't deflate the dough during each folding session. You will definitely get plenty of doughs that will come out like flat discs, but eventually you will get consistently good bread.
  
  
• Pre-shape and shape. This adds tension and will give you a nice sturdy dough that will support it during the oven spring.
  
  
  Hope this helps and wasn't too long of a description. Good luck with future bakes!

Different surfaces for different things.

One decent nonstick pan is great to have for things like eggs, but isn't great at high heat applications like searing meat. You'll never build a good fond in nonstick, and having pots lined with nonstick coating is just unnecessary. A couple of pans -- a larger one for cooking fish or day-to-day "I'm just browning some ground beef" kind of stuff, and a smaller one for fried eggs or whatever -- will be plenty. You don't want to spend too much on a nonstick pan, though, because by their nature their lifespan is limited.

One cast iron pan is great to have because it's great at really high-heat applications, but can also be used for any number of other things -- you can sear a roast in it, you can bake a deep-dish pizza in it, or brown off some chicken and then braise it in the same pan. It can become pretty nonstick over time, with the right care, but that's a long-term process. Cast iron is heavy, though, and requires different care than other pans (it's not difficult to take care of, just... different. You can't chuck it in the dishwasher and walk away.)

For an all-purpose workhorse, look for stainless steel. It's good in a wide range of applications, and can do almost anything reasonably well. It's a little more prone to sticking (which is a good thing in many cases), but it's also durable enough that you can scour the fuck out of it on those occasions when you need to.

More important than the surface of a pan, IMHO, is the base. Avoid anything with a thin base; over time, it'll warp, and that creates hotspots and wobbles that make cooking a pain in the ass. You want pans that have a pretty thick base. If you can get something that has a layer of aluminum sandwiched in, that's great. Aluminum conducts heat better than steel, so pans will get hot faster with some aluminum included. You don't really want to cook directly on aluminum, though, so something with steel and aluminum layers in the base is ideal.

You're probably not going to find one single set that covers absolutely everything; I'd advise one base set of stainless steel, and then a few add-ons as time/money allows. I know Cuisinart does a pretty nice set of tri-ply stainless steel pots and pans that runs under $200, and goes on sale for even less regularly. Add a T-fal nonstick pan or two, and one good Lodge cast iron skillet, and you'd be well-equipped for most things.

I use the oven cleaning cycle to clean the pans, then I use the acidity scrub, then use one of the stainless pads to scrub them clean under running water. Then dry them and get them dry dry in the hot oven.

I’ve used the organic flax oil method of seasoning you will see floating around. I do a minimum of 3 cycles. I think I’ve done 2 more just on the cooking surface, but that’s not necessary if you maintain the pan.

One tip, when you put the warm pan with the thin, thin coat of fresh oil in the hot oven, as the pan gets hot, the oil will pull together into tiny droplets on the cooking surface. Set a timer at, say 5 min and 10 min, and just wipe the cooking surface with your rag/paper towel if you see the beading. Otherwise the little droplets will set permanently. It’s just a cosmetic issue.

The key to cast iron is to set yourself up for success. They will continue to get more and more nonstick as you use and maintain them. Take the few minutes of time this takes, every time. Don’t be afraid of using plenty of fat when you cook, it’s good, not bad.

I do tend to avoid acidic foods, like tomato sauces. I’ve read this isn’t required. I don’t use soap because I don’t need to. I clean the pan when it is warm with hot water and scrub it with either one of the linked chain mail things or a stainless steel scrubbing pad. Often just a scotch pad I keep unsoaped for this purpose. Once it’s clean I dry it with paper towels and heat it on the stove. There’s always a little brown iron stain the rubs onto the towel, that’s why I use paper.

Get the pan hot and dry. You follow a similar process as when you prepare to cook, except when the pan is hot you put in a tiny bit of oil, maybe 1/2 teaspoon. Have the burner on medium high or high. Rub the oil into the inside of the pan and keep heating the pan. I use avocado oil for this. I’ve read the high temperature fats are best. Avocado, safflower, lard, sunflower etc. You just need a thin coat. Heat the oil till it starts to smoke. Rub it with the paper to catch the beads as they form.

The thing to know is that when the oil begins to smoke, the molecules are converted into a stable nonstick surface which builds up over time. When I learned this and began doing it I could tell a difference over time for sure. Don’t walk away and let it burn, watch it and let it reach a good smoke point, turn off the heat, wipe the beading up, let it cool.

Keep this up, love your pans, and you will gradually see them transform into a great cooking surface. Nonstick doesn’t mean you don’t need oil, and it doesn’t mean that often scrambled eggs won’t leave a coating that needs a 5 min soak and scrub.

If you like the cast iron, try one of these carbon steel pans. They are more temperature responsive and seasoned almost the same way. They ship with a coating of rust protection waxy oil which has to be cleaned off first. These Mauviels end up with a great surface. I feel guilty I rarely use the all clad stainless anymore.

Mauviel Made In France M'steel Black Steel Frying Pan, 9.5-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K9FKC4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_iZ--Bb340YF45

One of my favorite memories as a kid was on our trip to Disney. We didn't have a lot of money but my moms boyfriend at the time was wealthier and decided to take us all on a nice trip. The trip didn't start off great. I'm the oldest and while I was excited to be going to Disney (I love rides) I knew I'd probably be spending a lot of time either babysitting or going on baby rides. I also felt really alone because even as far as the plane ride went we couldn't get seats together so I ended up having to sit in a different part of the plane with people I didn't know. From pretty much the second we got there my mom and her boyfriend began arguing, the timeshare we were suppose to stay in was messed up, etc. My sister and I who were never close (spent the majority of our lives arguing) were stuck in an extremely small room together along with my baby brother. So then started our Disney trip. My mom decided it was a good idea for us to save up our allowance for souvenir money at the parks which was a smart idea EXCEPT she also decided that we should have to use our allowance money to pay for the parking in the park and my brothers stroller rental to help "pitch in". Within the first couple of hours my brother ended up getting separated from us which led to a huge freak out and a lot of arguing between my mom, her boyfriend, and park staff. As a pre teen I was extremely embarrassed but luckily everything turned out fine, he just wandered of. The second day we ended up spending 99% of the day in the kiddie areas to avoid another issue like the day before. Then finally on the third day my sister and I convinced my mom to let us go off to some of the bigger rides by ourselves. Before we went off her boyfriend pulled us aside and handed us the money we had given "to pitch in" and then some. He explained that we shouldn't have to use the money we saved up to pay for anything and some extra for being good sports. And we were off! After some initial arguing about where we wanted to go first (we had a time limit) we were stopped by some park staff. Again we argued because we were convinced we were in trouble or that our mom had freaked out and wanted us to come back, another embarrassment. We were wrong and the staff asked us if we wanted to join in on a little talent contest they were having. So we went with them over to where some other staff, dressed as characters were, along with a bunch of other people. It wasn't anything huge just about 10 people including us. So they went around asking other people to do their "talents" some people sang, one woman did sign language, etc then they got to us. Immediately my sister and I looked at each other and just began dancing. We did the whackiest dances we could think of and hysterically laughing. We ended up winning the "talent show" and my sister got to take her picture with all the characters and get all of their autographs (something which was really important to her). After that we agreed on rides we would go on together, stopped off to get some snacks, and souvenirs before going back. This is an important memory for me because pretty much ever since then our relationship changed. We all of the sudden didn't mind being in a small room together even though we had shared a room our entire lives and hated it. We actually started talking to each other and almost 15 years later we have a great relationship. Haha funny thing is shes moving to Florida soon so maybe one day we'll revisit Disney and win another talent contest. Thanks for the contest and taking me down memory lane!

This is under $20

WOODPECKER

Consider an induction range with a convection oven. I, too, had an electric range until recently. I absolutely despised electric. And I, too, was looking into a gas range... but then I tripped on induction ranges, bought one, and I love it.

I like induction better than gas. I had gas for many years before moving to a home with an electric range. Induction reacts instantly to temperature changes. It heats incredibly fast. The top is nice and flat so it stays nice and clean, where gas ranges tend to get pretty grimy with all those grills and indentations that get burned on grease that is almost impossible to get off. And stuff doesn't burn on to an induction cook-top like it does with electric. There are other pluses too long to get into here.

You'll need cookware that works with it, but we found some great stuff for decent prices, and much of what you have may work just fine... if a magnet sticks to the bottom of your pan, it will work on induction. If it doesn't stick, it won't work. This is the stuff we bought. We like it better than our all-clad stuff, and it costs a fraction of the price: This, this, and this.

Anyway, look into induction. Like this one.

Alright- I'm gonna throw at you my standard 'I've got cash to buy new cookware: what do I get' list. It's pretty much the same for a guy/gal who just got divorced, a dude/lady moving out of the dorms and into their first apartment, or really anyone who is working with nothing but some bare cash and wants to turn it into food.

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1. 10 or 12 inch cast iron pan - Lodge. Goes for $18 on amazon. You want this for 'general purpose' preparations; that's essentially putting heat on anything that isn't fish or eggs (more on that later). You're gonna get it pre-seasoned so some regular maintenance (eg. make bacon in the pan once or twice a month) will keep it just fine. Wash it with soap and water after each use, dry it thoroughly, don't ever let it sit in water (it can and will rust). It'll last longer than you. This isn't going in the dishwasher- sorry. But it's easy to clean and will reward your patience. Steaks, pan pizza, shallow frying, roasting a chicken, fajita veggies, making quesadillas, pan nachos, whatever it is that isn't fish or eggs goes in this pan.
   
   
2. 6qt enameled dutch oven - Also lodge. Goes for 50 bucks on amazon. This is your big-deal saucepan for building tomato sauces, stews, soups, deep frying (get a fry thermometer), braises- anything where you need a lot of liquid and need to put some heat on that. It's enameled because acids can leech into raw cast iron and alter the flavour of your food; and tomato is acidic (for example). Making short ribs? Sear 'em on the stovetop, move the pot into the oven for a final braise. This sucker will also last longer than you. Yea- it's dishwasher safe, but if you want it to stay pretty wash it by hand- it takes a few seconds and she's a pretty looking thing. Treat her right.
   
   
3. 12 inch stainless pan Tramontina, 18/10, Tri-Ply, fully Clad 60 smackos on the 'zon.com. You don't really need this per-se if you've already got your 12" cast iron, but if you go 10" on the cast iron (which I recommend, they're heavy and 10 is easier to manipulate), snag this puppy in 12". She's your go-to roaster for things that won't fit in your 10", for example. Or if you're prepping a multi-course meal she's available when your cast iron isn't.
   
   
4. Nonstick pan any cheapass pan will do this one is $12, so whatevs. This pan has exactly two uses, so listen carefully. Eggs. Anything egg-based (except quiche since that goes in the oven- but fuck quiche, and poached eggs since they go in water)- so omelettes, eggs over easy, eggs over hard, eggs scrambled, crepes. Fish. If you need to put heat directly on fish it goes in this pan. Abuse the piss out of this thing if you want to, but the second anything starts sticking to it- throw it out and have a new one shipped amazon prime. This is disposable just like every piece of nonstick cookware in the world because none of them last forever, and ignore anything that tells you differently.
   
   
5. Stock pot specifics are also unimportant this one is 22 dollarydoos. This pot has 3 major requirements- it needs to be big, it needs to have a lid, and it needs to be big. Nothing crazy or special about this thing because it only has a few major uses: bringing liquids to a boil/simmer is one of the major ones. This is where you'll make your stocks, boil your pastas, and really that's about it. Water should be the first thing in this pot most of the time.
   
   
6. Saucepan don't really care about this one either- here's one I think it's $30. Just like your stock pot- this is for liquids (sauce pan- duh) except smaller. Late night ramen, rice, and steamed milk are going to be its biggest uses initially. Over time? It'll take anything your dutch oven doesn't have to do, and anything your stock pot doesn't want to do. Requirements? Lid. Handle. That's about it.
   
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   You'll notice the startling lack of any 'set' or anything of that sort here. That's because sets of pots you don't need are dumb. You'll note none of these have glass lids, that's because glass breaks. You'll note none of this stuff costs a fortune, and that's because it doesn't have to. This setup can handle 95% of cooking tasks without breaking a sweat, and without your credit card company celebrating the new statue they can build outside their main office because of all the money you spent. Leftover cash? Buy a knife, get a few wire racks and baking pans, and buy a nice cut of steak, some pasta, some salmon, and veggies to try out your new gear.

Nonstick is okay in certain circumstances. I have a good quality 12" Nordic Ware pan which I got off Woot and is great for some purposes. If you're warping your pans, you're probably getting it too hot and then throwing it in the sink. Even a high quality pan is not immune to thermal shock.

My biggest advice is to NOT buy a set but to buy individual pieces as you need them. If you must buy a bunch at a time, I advise going à la carte.

Here's what I recommend:

• A 6 qt enameled Dutch Oven - Mine is made by Tramontina but Lodge and Le Creuset make some great ones as well (just expect the French made Le Creuset to be far more expensive.) This pan is a great multitasker and you can make bread in it, cook stew, boil down bones for stock etc.
  
  
• 2 qt and 4 qt saucepans. Look for high quality welded handles instead of rivets. Tri-Ply (where a layer of aluminum is pressed between two layers of stainless) is your best option and All-Clad is a nice made in the USA option, but Tramontina (sold at some Walmarts but also Walmart.com) and Sur La Table's store brand are also excellent.
  
  
• A 12" stainless skillet - again, go with TriPly from Tramontina or Sur La Table (All Clad if you are rich)
  
  
• A 12" Cast iron skillet. These are a pain in the ass for the first year or so and you'll get a lot of circlejerking and such about the best way to season (expect lots of stupid old bacon jokes and rednecks talking about cooking "critters" they ran over and stuff like that.) Wading through that mess, you can find that cast iron is essential but not the only thing to cook in.
  
  
• 12" T-Fal Non-stick skillet Again, not BIFL but a good quality piece that will make cooking eggs a lot easier if you aren't willing to deal with cast iron.

Carbon Steel. I used to use cast iron like every one else in America but I got a carbon steel pan for Christmas. I love it. The crusts I'm getting are fantastic. I need more practice before I say for sure that the sears are better than cast iron but they're at least as good, maybe better.

Lighter weight than cast iron. They heat up quicker and cool down faster, which is great for going from searing to making a pan sauce.

I don't think most Americans have used a carbon steel pan. Most of the people around here are going to tell you to get cast iron. I'd ask them if they've ever tried carbon steel. My guess is that they haven't. I'll never go back.

Edit: here is the one I have. I chose it because it was recommended by America's Test Kitchen.

It's a little more expensive than cast iron but well worth it. I mean, you're gonna have the thing forever.

Oh yeah, they're just as non-stick as cast iron if not more so.

I got this combo cast iron cooker from Amazon. I'll remember to let you know though when I weigh my dough when I bake next this week, but if it helps, I generally use the tartine country bread recipe! I know thought that sometimes I feel like by breads bake the perfect size in the Dutch oven I linked above. Like the dough to Dutch oven capacity ratio seems to be perfect with the tartine bread recipe!

Also your flat top is looking good! Almost there! Sometimes I honestly feel like I just get lucky, I don't even know why mine does that hahaha

ooo I like this game.
A small microplane is great.
A good quality paring knife too I love the garnishing set from opinel. Or any opinel paring knife for that matter.
handheld little blowtorch (check amazon, there are some decent ones for under 30$)

as a woman of the cheffy persuasion I always love getting little gourmet ingredients in my stocking too.

Have you ever had "Noble" syrup? https://www.mikuniwildharvest.com/shop/product/noble-tonic-01-tuthilltown-bourbon-barrel-matured-maple-syrup/

the tiny bottles of this product are ridiculously adorable.

I also love getting infused salts.

A tiny pestle and mortar might be cool too! They are around 10$ or so.

Also a little cast iron pan. And then suggest that she bake a chocolate chip cookie in it and that you top it with ice cream and you eat it together. Then you're pretty much a hero.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LMS3-Miniature-Skillet-3-5-inch/dp/B000LXA9YI/ref=sr_1_27?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1449512537&sr=1-27&keywords=cast+iron+pan

plus it's cast iron, so will last forever. like your love. (aww)

Nonstick is the best for frying eggs but they aren't going to be BIFL. That said, if you take care of a good one it should last you for years. The best value I have found is T-fal. Get whatever size is most appropriate for your cooking. I have had mine for about 5 years now. It says safe for metal utensils but I always use only plastic or wood on it. I also hand wash instead of using the dishwasher.

If you want truly BIFL, go for cast iron and make sure you season it well.

Now this is a conversation I can get in on.

Let's begin with my stainless steel measuring cups. I bake a lot so these are so useful. The 1/8 cup comes in so much more use than I ever imagined it would. And they're just so much nicer than plastic ones. I want to get a set of stainless steel measuring spoons but haven't yet.

Next, I would probably say my French Press. Coffee is important, and my French Press makes some delicious coffee.

I absolutely love this skillet. Works like magic.

I also recommend this 3 tier cooling rack to everyone. It's so useful and stores so well.

In the fall/winter I use my crock pot a whole lot. I also find having large mason jars to be useful for storing food, though I also have this tupperware.

Finally, my KitchenAid stand mixer. Self explanatory. It's fucking awesome. I just want to spend every waking moment putting it to good use and baking everything under the sun.

Let's do it in the kitchen.

You're an adult now, just cook. It can be tough cooking for just one person because but it's doable.

Learn some basic, cheap recipes and get comfortable eating leftovers.

Here's one for you:

Hamburger Gravy

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (get the cheap stuff 75%/25%, you're a poor student)

1 1/2 cup white rice (uncooked)

1 family size can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, (low sodium is healthier but doesn't taste as good).

Cooking

I cook my rice in an Instant Pot, it's very fast, easy, and requires no supervision. Takes about 10-13 minutes depending on how much rice I'm making. I used to have an amazing Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic Rice Cooker that was the most amazing thing ever, but an ex-girlfriend stole it, so... Use the Instant Pot, it's cheaper and faster anyway.

Rice cookers and Instant Pots typically come with a cup for measuring rice which actually measures about 3/4 of a cup, and the inside of the cooking vessels have graduated measuring lines showing you how much liquid to add for the amount of dry rice you're cooking.

Put the two "cups" of rice (1.5 cups actual measure) into the Instant Pot and fill it with water to the "2" line. Close it up and make sure the pressure valve is closed (I've failed to properly cook my rice too often because I am dumb and don't check this). Once everything is set, just hit the "rice" button.

While the rice is cooking put the soup in a sauce pan along with a can full of milk, any milk works but I prefer whole milk myself. Put the sauce pan on the stove, medium low and stir frequently.

Now that the rice is cooking and the soup is warming put the ground beef in a skillet. I like a good [cast iron skillet] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JSUA/) myself, they're cheap and indestructible, and because of the heat transfer properties of iron they tend to cook foods evenly without burning.

Cook the beef on medium high until it's browned, then drain all the water/grease out into a Tupperware container, do not pour grease down the drain! you can seriously make life hell for yourself and your neighbors if you do.

Add the beef to the soup, increase the heat to medium/medium-high and continue to stir frequently. You want the soup hot enough to bubble a bit, but not a full boil.

By now the rice should be just about done. Let the pressure out, take the lid off, wait a few seconds for the steam to abate then, with a large plastic spoon (you don't want to scratch the bottom of the Instant Pot), "fluff" the rice, just scoop and turn the rice in place, loosening it up, and letting more steam out.

To serve, scoop some rice on a plate, ladle some soup onto the rice, season with a touch of black pepper, and eat.

The rice is enough for 2-4 servings depending on your appetite, while the gravy is enough for maybe twice that. Typically it would be enough for two dinners for me, a 6'4", 225 pound man) and my girlfriend who is pretty petite.

Cost:

Beef: get the cheap stuff, depending where you go and the quality you get, this can be between $2-$5/lb. If your super poor, get a 10 pound tube of ground beef at Smart and Final for like $25, then break it up into 1 pound portions and freeze, otherwise it's about $5/pound most places. So let's say $5.

Rice: the cheapest food on Earth, and it's healthy too! You should probably plan on this being about $1/pound. Get a 10 or 25 pound bag and you'll be set for at least a quarter. Pro-tip: rice goes with literally everything. Add it to all of your meals for some good, clean carbs. Pair it with smaller portions of what you'd normally eat to get the same caloric intake but healthier and cheaper. Anyway the rice in this recipe has a marginal cost of maybe $0.15.

Soup: I think Ralph's usually has the family size can of Cream of Mushroom soup for $2-$3.

So, all in for one person, you could probably make at least 5-6 servings for $8, and it takes maybe 15 minutes to cook.

Store the rice and gravy separately in Tupperware in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Mix together in a bowl and b reheat in the microwave for 90 seconds to 2 minutes for leftovers. I prefer to make fresh rice each day, but making one larger batch then reheating it works as well.

Alternatives

• You can swap the rice out for a baked potato or mashed potatoes if you're feeling fancy.
  
  
• I've tried it with shredded chicken breast and Cream of Chicken soup, but it takes a bit longer, is a bit more work, is a little more expensive, and I don't like it as much, so I basically never do it, but you do you.
  
  There you go, cheap, quick, not totally unhealthy home cooking.

You're in luck! It just so happens that I know some great recipes with boneless skinless chicken breasts:

Chicken marsala

• The good: Few ingredients, doesn't require fancy equipment. Pour the extra marsala sauce over pasta for an inexpensive and impressive meal. Gives you an opportunity to make the joke "I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."
  
  
• The bad: If you're under the legal age, you may have to ask an upperclassman to buy the wine for you.
  
  One pot chicken and vegetables
  
  
• The good: all-in-one healthy meal. You're getting protein, fiber, micro-nutrients, all the good stuff. Set it and forget it. After the initial prep work, throw it in the oven for 45 mins and go relax.
  
  
• The bad: chopping veggies is a little tedious. Get a roommate or SO to help. You'll need an oven-safe pot. I use the Lodge combo cooker which has gone up in price since I bought it. Do yourself a favor and don't google "Le Creuset."
  
  Chicken fajitas
  
  
• The good: Spicy and delicious.
  
  
• The bad: None. Fajitas are F-ing awesome.

Please, for the love of god, cthulu or FSM, get a better pan. Personally i suggest cast iron. I know non-stick is appealing but you would really enjoy cooking on a nice, seasoned cast iron pan. They hold heat, cook evenly, don't add little bits of teflon. People like allclad or calphalon but for a lot of reasons I prefer cast iron. A great cast iron pan is maybe $20 new.

You are clearly a creative food lover. Take the next step.

I have a 10" Calphalon Cast Iron skillet that I got for like $20 at Target. I have another cast iron skillet 12" that I got from World Market. It's enameled on the outside and bare on the inside and unless I'm cooking eggs just about anything skillet/pan related happens in one of those pans.

I have some calphalon non stick skillets that I use for eggs/fish/etc. But they might get used once for every 20 uses of the cast iron. Aside from that I have some le Crueset enameled cast iron stuff. I have their Wok, and a Dutch Oven, and a big cast iron fish pan like 14" oval shaped thing. It's great for whole fish, but I don't use it for much else.

But if I were starting from scratch it'd probably be something like the following:

Dutch Oven

Stainless 12"

Cast Iron 12"

Cast Iron 10"

Saucier

Multi Pot

Pot 2 qt


I'd possibly get two of the Multi Pots. I know the additional steamer/pasta baskets are redundant but it's nice to have another pot for things like chili or pasta sauce (Although you could use the dutch oven) But with two stainless pots like that you can do sauce in one and pasta in the other. Also looking up another 6-8 qt stock pot it looks like the same Calphalon pot is $75 while the multipot set is $80, and you could always use the additional baskets as colanders.

You'll probably want some decent glassware, casserole dishes, and a few cookie sheets, loaf, and/or lasagna pans to really round out the kitchen. But the pots/pans listed above would be a great place to start. I should get back to work. :)

Tried to think of a gifts in that price range.

• How about a Thermapen. It's a fantastic instant-read thermometer.
  
  
• Le Creuset Dutch Oven. We love this thing. Having said that, the price seems to have gone up from $200 to $240. Unknown if it's from holiday pricing or inflation.
  
  
• KitchenAid Blender. Not sure which model is best but any one should be awesome.
  
  
• Lodge Logic Cast Iron Skillet. One of the best buys we've ever made. Great pan, comes pre-seasoned, and AFFORDABLE!
  
  Oops, I just remember that America's Test Kitchen reviews products! Someone put together a list on Amazon of their 2012 Best products. See also one of their books.
  
  Note: Sometimes you can't view their content because it's behind their paywall.

First, CONGRATS! I'm not sure how much you want to spend, but I found a couple options that are cubba friendly :)

• This is more of a pricey, but classy option.
  
  
• This dress comes in a bunch of colors and styles, plus you could totes wear it outside of an interview.
  
  I would wear this as a good luck charm, but sterling silver doesn't like me :(
  
  Item for if I win :)

Congratulations on learning to cook the way you have. I had a health crisis in 2015 and had to give up basically all restaurant and processed foods. I wish I'd done it ten years sooner.

I'm not a fan of enameled cookware. I'm always afraid I'm going to scratch or chip it. Maybe it's in my head, but I prefer the cheap Lodge cookware. I figure it's made for camping and use over open fires, so it should survive my kitchen.

As far as maintenance, I'm not much on cleaning things myself, but I've learned to treat cleaning my cast iron like a zen practice. It's not too bad, usually just a couple of minutes with an occasional re-seasoning.

Also know that when you're cooking with cast iron, you don't need as much heat. I rarely use medium heat on my stovetop. In fact, I fry bacon and eggs with my stove dial set on the line between warm and low. If you allow yourself the time to cook with lower heat, you'll spend less time on skillet maintenance in the long run — too much heat can burn your seasoning and cause stuff to stick.

If I had to recommend just one piece of cast iron, it would be either a basic Lodge 10.25 inch skillet (https://www.lodgemfg.com/round-cast-iron-classic-skillet?sku=L8SK3) or a Victoria 12 inch skillet (https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Skillet-Seasoned-Flaxseed-Certified/dp/B01726HD72). The Victoria is a little lighter and a bit more ergonomic than the 12 inch Lodge. I've used both Lodge and Victoria 12 inch skillets and I prefer the Victoria, especially for use in the oven.

My other recommendation is the Lodge dual handle pan in your preferred size (https://www.lodgemfg.com/dual-handled-pan?sku=L8SKL). I have two 10.25 inch dual handle pans and they're just incredibly convenient. Not having the long handle makes a bigger difference than I ever thought it would. They fit my camping grill, they fit in my toaster oven, and I have a 27" stove so it's nice not having the handle to get in the way.

As for size? I've got skillets as small as 3.5 inches all the way up to 15 inches. I use them all, they all fit different cooking needs. My favorite size is the 10.25 inch. It heats up fairly quickly, doesn't take a lot of oil to fry in, it's a great size for pies and the absolute perfect size for turning a pound of ground beef into taco meat. My only real complaint is it's a little cramped for cooking bacon (that's where the 15 inch skillet excels).

I've been building my collection of All-Clad and Staub, and have the expectation that they will last forever and be handed down to my kids.

In case you're contemplating sets vs open stock, I'd strongly encourage open stock. First, you can often find individual pieces on sale at random intervals, second, you make sure that you only fill your kitchen with the pieces you're really going to use. Basically I make a list of the ones I wanted, and kept an eye on the prices, and bought one a month for a while, depending on what was on sale.

Here's my core collection:

• All-Clad 12-inch Fry Pan: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005AL5F/
  
• All-Clad 1-Quart Sauce Pan: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005AL5J/
  
• All-Clad 2-Quart Sauce Pan: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005AL5K/
  
• All-Clad 4-Quart Sauce Pan: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T6M6CG/ (I like the extra side loop on this one because at 4 quarts it can start to get a little heavy)
  
• Staub 5-Quart: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KLZ0FE/
  
  Here are some extra ones that I also love:
  
  
• All-Clad 3-Quart Saucier: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ZR4C08/
  
• Staub 8-Quart: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I7DMTG/ (It's great not only for big batches of stuff, but also for bread baking.)
  
  I also have a 10-inch All Clad Non-stick skillet. I know there's a lot of dissent around buying a high-end non-stick piece because they do wear out, but I happened on a good deal, and have been very happy with it. (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005AL5E/). I'm also fortunate enough to have a 10-inch cast iron skillet that's a family heirloom, that I love dearly.

Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food is a great primer on the science of cooking. I read it in culinary school, and it was a great distillation of the main concepts (which cuts are of meat are good for braising, searing, roasting, etc. and how to properly perform each technique). If you end up enjoying Alton Brown's style, I would also recommend Fish on a First Name Basis for fish cookery. Lastly, Cook's Illustrated is a wonderful resource on food and cooking. The yearly online membership is only approx $25, and you get access to all previously published recipes and equipment reviews.

In terms of equipment, the knife I personally use is the Victorinox 10-inch chef knife. Japanese steel is great and all, but for the same price you could get this knife, a good electric knife sharpener, and a honing steel and still have some left over. The best knife is a sharp knife after all. I would also highly recommend a T-fal non-stick pan for a solid multi-purpose first pan.

Finally, for an herb garden, I generally try to aim for either expensive or infrequently used herbs for indoor gardening. The reasoning behind growing expensive herbs is pretty straightforward. I primarily grow infrequently used herbs to avoid wasting what I wouldn't use up when cooking (as you mentioned is oft a problem). In my region, basil, sage, thyme, tarragon, and oregano would all be good candidates to grow. Parsley, cilantro, and bay leaf tend to be cheaper at the market in my area, so I usually just purchase those.

I'm a big fan of my carbon steel over my cast iron, mainly due to the same ability to heat up, but they cool quicker (more responsive when sauteing), and most importantly are a fair bit lighter. They retain the same non-stick properties as cast iron as well.

As for the EU, I have to assume you can get any of the big French manufactured pans that we have to import to the US. De Buyer, Matfer, Mauviel. I have the Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel and I love it.

As for seasoning, just follow the traditional French method that most of the pan manufacturers recommend (potato peels, salt, and oil). America's Test Kitchen found it had perfect results with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xxMGT1ocWI

You're probably better off not getting a set (there are usually a few nice pieces you want and a bunch you don't), but they can be a decent way to save some cash. Cooks Illustrated has great cookware reviews and tend to like All Clad a lot (money no object I agree, but shit it's a lot of money). They recommend a Calphalon set that is pretty reasonably priced and I know they make good stuff. But besides that, I'd definitely get some cast iron into the mix. Both a skillet and a glazed dutch oven. Two of my favorite pans right there.

To expand on this a bit...

Definitely check out Craigslist and/or call Goodwill/SA/thrift shops in your area. Many times they have cast iron stock for next to nothing. Cast iron is cast iron... Unless it's cracked, it's fine. Nothing some oven cleaner and lard/shortening won't turn back to brand new.

I've got quite a few sizes, but I find that I use my behemoth Lodge:

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L14SK3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Skillet/dp/B00063RWUM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395461461&sr=8-1&keywords=lodge+skillet+16

More than anything. Great size for two ribeyes, big enough to brown 8# pork butt before going into the slow cooker, and you can cook an entire breakfast (bacon, eggs and hash) in one pan. It also keeps stovetop spatter to a minimum when doing burgers due to it's size.

It also doubles as a formidable weapon. :)

For cooking steaks... My way is a bit different than /u/AliasHandler, and more like Alton Brown's. Kosher salt steaks 45m-1h before and keep on wire rack. Toss pan in 500 degree oven. Oil steaks with canola oil. Pull pan, set on hot burner. Toss in steaks, sear for 1.5 minutes or so. Flip, add a pat of butter on top, shove back in oven. Cook another 2-5 minutes depending on thickness and doneness desired. Rest 7-10 minutes.

You want that pan HOT. In the summer I'll put the cast in the grill, as I can get it up to 600+ degrees, and get even better sear/caramelization on the outside. After doing it in cast iron, you'll never want a gas-grill-grate cooked steak again. :)

Edit - And please understand that rare doesn't equal raw. Don't be afraid of the pink. ;)

1. Hiking or biking
   
2. at least 120 minutes
   
3. at least 600 minutes
   
4. I would love to be this person walking through these woods in Scottland
   
5. It's not exactly a national park, but Groton State Forest. Other than that it would be the Cleveland Metroparks.
   
6. Over 50 miles
   
   Ah, the great outdoors.
   
   I'd love to have this cast iron skillet off of my 'I could really use' wishlist.
   
   Thank you for giving me motivated to go for a walk today. =)

I purchased this Cooks Standard set 4 years ago for $225 and I've been loving it. No need to worry about using metal or scrubbing hard. I do occasionally use Bar Keepers Friend to polish up the pans for a brand-new look.

If you don't want this brand/set specifically, for sure get at least tri-ply like already mentioned. I think metal pans (vs non-stick coating) are better for all around cooking. Sure, you need to use more oil/butter in your cooking, but moderate amounts of fat are important in a diet. Its highly processed, added sugars, and excess salt you need to worry about.

For when I needed a non-stick, like for eggs, I picked up this T-fal and the non-stick is fantastic, even after a few years of careful use.

I also have a Lodge cast iron dutch oven set which is great for when I use it, but I find it difficult to use effectively. Perhaps I'm just not using the proper techniques, so I don't get much use of it... but I do love to use it when I get around to it. Learning proper care for cast iron is essential - read up before you use (and possibly ruin!)

1.) [Something that is grey.] (http://www.amazon.com/PetFusion-SmartGrip-Litter-Gray-Twist/dp/B007SQFRMU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=35DW5BWHD972D&coliid=I38TYTP3QO3VYV)

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3.) [Something food related that is unusual.] (http://www.amazon.com/Nut-Milk-Bag-New-Improved/dp/B00158U8DU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3S72V8PR4PYO1&coliid=I2AH1R1GSQ52JT)

4.) [Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!)] (http://www.amazon.com/Mommys-Helper-Car-Seat-Shade/dp/B00125NZSQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2YFT1UP19UC6T&coliid=I1TXQG28XXBC0I) For my daughter, so she doesn't melt in the car.

5.) [A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it!] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-Left-Behind-ebook/dp/B00BSY6U6K/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=ZJTYBG9S817P&coliid=I13JIN1E80H7G) Well, I haven't read this one yet, but I read her last book, Me Before You, a few months ago and LOVED it.


6.) [An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!] (http://www.amazon.com/Home/dp/B002G690B6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=LVUGPBTDLHFS&coliid=I2V27LFTC98I6K)

7.) [Something related to cats.] (http://www.amazon.com/Da-Bird-Cat-Toy-Store/dp/B000F9JJJE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=35DW5BWHD972D&coliid=I32WEJ4UV0RR)

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9.) [A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?]
(http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Restored-Edition-Colin/dp/B00364K6YW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=ZJTYBG9S817P&coliid=I2JAGS8BIXE6M9) Because Colin Firth.

10.) [Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.] (http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-12-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUB/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3S72V8PR4PYO1&coliid=I14266M2SVKSXM) Well, if I had to survive on my WL items alone, I would surely die. BUT, I figure this could at least come in handy to cook over open fires and it is the most weapon-like thing on my list.

11.) [Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals.] (http://www.amazon.com/Reebok-Kettlebell-10-Pounds-Lime-Green/dp/B008R5HY54/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=39MD4F4AQ4MXM&coliid=I2XGPU1DE4SJW5&psc=1) Gotta get off the baby weight!

12.) [One of those pesky Add-On items.] (http://www.amazon.com/Kotobuki-Plastic-Egg-Mold-Fish/dp/B002TZ04JG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=LVUGPBTDLHFS&coliid=I2PHEI57WW2PIY)

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14.) [Something bigger than a bread box.] (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Condo-Furniture-Scratch-House/dp/B003XLIVZ4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=35DW5BWHD972D&coliid=I33YA670HLM8GP)

15.) [Something smaller than a golf ball.] (http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Gold-Peridot-Dangle-Earrings/dp/B001H54K4O/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=24R3M5GIPRKSE&coliid=I25YHXC05Q9VTT)

16.) [Something that smells wonderful.] (http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Forte-Loose-Leaf-Canister/dp/B006TZFOVU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=28JN11TB2DHP4&coliid=I3P4PBFBU5HWL6)

17.) [A (SFW) toy.] (http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Little-People-Friends-Exclusive/dp/B008ZUGOAW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2YFT1UP19UC6T&coliid=IIMNWL3OA8808)

18.) [Something that would be helpful for going back to school.] (http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-2109-0309-Ultimate-Professional-Decorating/dp/B008GXE7P2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=29KYW0DBB8ME2&coliid=INH34JY48VH4F) If you are going to school to become a baker.

19.) [Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.] (http://www.amazon.com/Blendtec-40-620-54-Twister-Jar/dp/B0087Q1T1S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=29KYW0DBB8ME2&coliid=I394DCB2QJ4RAZ) Making my own sprouted nut butters!!

20.) [Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand.]
(http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Friends-Wheelies/dp/B00650F5SG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2YFT1UP19UC6T&coliid=I3RS9BP4QYQAC7) Because tiny Super Friends in cars are awesome for raising a baby nerd. (On a related note, this question made me realize that I am boring and practical.)


fear cuts deeper than swords

1. I got this cookbook as a gift for xmas and I'm obsessed. You don't need fancy ingredients and everything is delicious. You could get him this, or another cookbook if you wish, and the ingredients to whatever recipe catches your eye & have a romantic night in cooking it together!
   
2. I don't have dogs but I've heard this toy is awesome
   
3. cast iron is always a good gift for people that like to cook. He'll have it forever.
   
   Hope this helps, thanks for the contest!
   

I have four lodge combo cookers:

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cooker-Pre-seasoned-Skillet-Convertible/dp/B0009JKG9M

​

As long as you season them once they are pretty indestructible and will last generations if properly cared for. They fit a 8-9 inch banneton perfectly, which you could probably fit up to a 1,200g boule at the very max. Comfortably you can easily do a 1,000g boule with great success which is what I typically go with.

Maybe I'm not as skilled as the other cast iron cookers around here, but I just use what I have on hand to season my skillet. I bought a Lodge combo cooker and it was pre seasoned so I don't know if you are starting from a truly unseasoned skillet or it's pre-seasoned and you just want to improve/maintain it. Usually I just wipe it out with some canola oil because that's what's sitting next to my stove. I have also wiped it out with lard because that's what was on the counter after I made pie crusts and of course I have used bacon grease because I had that on hand after making bacon.

Not knocking what other people use on their skillets but I just wipe my skillet out with whatever fat is near by and my skillet still has a great seasoning on it. I feel like it's more important just to use the skillet and always make sure that you oil it after use. I also leave my skillet in the oven sometimes when I'm baking something and season it then too just because I can.

A tri ply stainless steel (Cuisinart's Multiclad Pro, Caphalon's Tri-Ply) would be a good place to start since they heat up quickly and evenly, assuming you don't have a nearby commercial kitchen store. They will be heavier than a pure stainless or aluminum pan. All-Clad is great, but significantly heavier and more expensive. A d5 or copper-core will probably run circles around the Multiclad while still being dishwasher safe.

I usually do anodized aluminum (Caphalon Unisons are the best value in my experience) for affordable nonsticks, though they need to have low to medium heat at most to avoid headaches and potential poisoning. I use them for omelettes and not much else. I'd start out with:

1. A small saucepan (1 qt) for sauces.
   
2. 10" omelette pan (one stainless, one nonstick)
   
3. A Dutch oven (Macy's Martha Stewart Collection surprisingly doesn't suck).
   
4. Non-enameled cast iron (this Lodge can double as a dutch oven if you want to save money). You need to season it yourself, and clean it with rolled up aluminum foil (instead of soap) for best results.
   
5. Pasta stock pot (a cheaper Chef's Classic or aluminum-bottomed pan should be sufficient). At least 8 qt.

A perfect chef's knife is the first place to start (that's my preference, the Wusthof Ikon Classic 8", $160). Go to a kitchen supply store, or even Bed Bath & Beyond, and test drive some steel - see how comfortable it is in your hand, how balanced it feels. If you want to save money for other things, you can't go wrong with the Victorionx Fibrox 8" chef's knife, at an extremely reasonable $40. The chef's knife is an impossibly versatile tool all on its own, but if you want a smaller knife for detailed work, grab a paring knife from whatever manufacturer you choose for your chef's.

A huge, heavy cutting board ($88). For most of my life, I went with the $20 3-packs of plastic OXO or other cutting boards, ranging from small to extremely small - nothing will slow down your cooking more than an inadequately sized cutting board. Things roll off, you pile up your chopped veg and run out of space, you feel constantly crowded, and you can never carve a whole chicken or roast. Buy a piece of non-slip material (usually used for carpets) ($9), place it under the cutting board when you use it, and it will never slip or slide around - more convenient and safe.

A Thermapen. Expensive - it's $100, but it's the fastest and most accurate kitchen thermometer money can buy. A less expensive alternative would be the Lavatools Javelin at $24 - not quite as good, but a damn sight better than any other digital food thermometer you'll get your hands on. This is essential for cooking any meat, deep frying, baking - it will change your game.

An All-Clad Sauté Pan ($129). Also expensive, but an absolute essential tool for everything from sautéing to braising to deep frying. Do not go cheap with your stainless - you can do cheaper than All-Clad, but even heating, comfort, and build quality are absolutely essential.

An inexpensive but awesome nonstick set($164 for 11 pcs). Alternately, you could get a very versatile 12" TFal Professional Total Nonstick, an impossibly stickless, oven safe, dishwasher safe wunderkind.

A 12" Cast Iron Skillet ($34). These are kind of a pain to take care of, but are invaluable for searing, baking, even serving. It'll last you a lifetime if you take care of it.

You could make a sourdough starter. It'll take about 1-2 weeks so hopefully if you start now it'll be ready once you need it. You can follow these directions: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/7-easy-steps-making-incredible-sourdough-starter-scratch/ That starter has a higher percentage of water than FWSY's, but you can just switch to the feeding method in the book once the starter becomes active.

You could also make sure you have all the supplies necessary. At a minimum you'll want:

• kitchen scale: A recipe weighs about 1800g, plus the mixing bowl, so make sure the scale goes that high. https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Stainless-Pull-Out-Display-11-Pound/dp/B000WJMTNA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510750&sr=8-1&keywords=oxo+scale
  
• dutch oven: The book recommends 4 qts. I've had success with 3.2 qt combo cookers. Two dutch ovens would be even better as all the recipes are for 2 loaves. https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Cooker-Pre-Seasoned-3-2-Quart/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510707&sr=8-1&keywords=combo+cooker
  
• thermometer: Ken Forkish is very particular about the temperatures in his recipes. https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-PT12-Javelin-Thermometer-Chipotle/dp/B00GRFHXVQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482510838&sr=8-2&keywords=pen+thermometer
  
  Nice to haves:
  
  
• Banneton proofing baskets: You need something to put your dough in as it rises. In a pinch, a mixing bowl will work. Banneton baskets are purpose made for this. I use an 8". The ones I've bought are no longer sold on amazon, but I suspect any 8" to 9" round basket will do. Heres one: https://www.amazon.com/Forsun-Banneton-Brotform-Proofing-Rising/dp/B01CNV40D6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1482511260&sr=8-4&keywords=banneton+proofing+basket
  
• Big tubs for mixing: Most mixing bowls are frustratingly shallow for 1800g recipes. He recommends these in the book. They're pricey, but they do work well: https://www.amazon.com/Camwear-Polycarbonate-Round-Storage-container/dp/B000KIE73I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1482511122&sr=8-5&keywords=12+qt+cambro https://www.amazon.com/Cambro-RFSCWC12135-Lid-Round-Container/dp/B0001MRULO/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NNK0EN78A5YB6WWHQDRK
  
  Note that he has a section in the book on equipment, so you could wait to read that before spending money, but all the items linked above have worked well for me.

This is what I've used that either I've had for over a decade or else is obviously of good quality. Much of these have already been mentioned. You still have to know how to care for this stuff. Just because it can last your whole life, you can make it almost unusable if you don't know how to cook and abuse it.

1. Cast iron - keep it seasoned, never use dish soap, never put it in the dishwasher, never drop it on the floor.
   
   
2. All-Clad and Calphalon stainless pans - never burn the pan with too high heat (only low to slightly medium heat in stainless pans) and never use a metal scouring pad to clean them. Use a sponge and Barkeepers Friend if they get some tough grime on them.
   
   
3. I have some enameled cast iron that I like very much and use for braising. It's just awesome. But I'm sure that it will chip if I drop it or flake if I overheat it (400 degree max for Lodge, LeCreuset doesn't have a max temp). So I just don't drop it or overheat it.
   
   
4. You will want to invest in some good knives. They aren't cheap. You will need to learn how to maintain them and how to sharpen them, otherwise you can ruin them too. But any good knife, if properly maintained will last a lifetime. I decided that my price point, the sweet spot where I got the most performance for my money, was with the Global and Mac brands. They are excellent. You will need to buy a couple of good water sharpening stones from Chosera or King, and a good honing steel like a Henkel.

Don't even worry about it. But since you got rid of the pan that sucked, get this one instead: http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Thermo-Spot-Indicator-Dishwasher/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1416599057&sr=1-1&keywords=t-fal+professional+non-stick Yes, totally recommended by America's Test Kitchen but also, totally recommended by my DH who makes me awesome eggs most mornings. How much does he love this pan? I am not sure the comments field is big enough, but it's $26 and it is so awesome, we have the 8" version for small stuff as well.... and we don't even like non-stick for anything else these days, we are pretty much All-Clad stainless snobs. (Except for my T-fal stock pot, because that is also the shitznit.) Seriously, be kind to yourself. Eggs are great for her, so make it easy on yourself.

Does the recipe specify a bake time?

Is the recipe a secret? If not, could you post it? If you post the recipe, there's a good chance I could recognize the style and, by doing so, figure out the most appropriate utensil to bake it with.

The most important aspect of making pizza, the aspect that almost all beginners fail to grasp, is the impact of the oven setup and the way the oven setup influences bake time. If you bake a pizza for, say, 5 minutes, it will be an entirely different pizza from the same formula baked for 12 minutes. The formula is pretty important for achieving success, but the oven setup/bake time is far more important and the choices of utensils to bake with all impact the rate at which the pizza bakes.

The link you posted was to a pizza screen. Screens are frequently used to bake pizzas in conveyor ovens, but, occasionally you'll find home bakers using them on stone to avoid having to master launching dough off a peel. The problem with that, though, is that you're putting material between the hot stone and your pizza, and, by doing so, extending your bake time.

The concept of bake time's impact on pizza is a little advanced, and could very well be inapplicable to your great grandma's recipe. But if you're going to get into pizza making, it's never to early to learn the importance of baking utensil choices/oven setup.

If your great grandma used a pan, it was most likely something like one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B000G0KJG4

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JSUB

She also might have used an aluminum lasagna pan, which is virtually the same thing as the baking sheet.

I know this will sound callous, but, you live and you learn. $120 non-stick pans just aren't worth the extra money. The nature of the beast is that, unlike a hardened metal like stainless steel, or a super thick metal, like iron, your non-stick coating will wear out. Maybe it was overheated and the non-stick surface doesn't release as well or maybe it just starts flaking off.

Whatever the case, I regard my non-stick cookware as near-disposable. As such, I wouldn't worry about buying a primo non-stick pan. America's Test Kitchen ran several pans through a gauntlet of tests and rated the Inexpensive T-Fal 12" pan as one of their favorites, so you have that veneer of scrutiny. I have a similar pan (older from TJ Maxx) and it works well for what it is. Higher end pans will likely be thicker with a layer of less heat conductive metal in order try help maintain a steady temperature. All aluminum pans will have far more hot spots and make it easier to burn food.

We registered at Amazon for the selection and convenience. We could find just about anything on amazon, and could add anything else through the universal registry feature. Guests shipped most gifts to our home, which was great since we live across the country from where we were married. I'd heard the return policy was rough, but luckily we didn't have any duplicate purchases. Amazon's registry was perfect for our needs.

Some of the most-used items we received:

• VonShef mixing bowls.
  
  
• Narrow measuring spoons. These fit inside containers and are so much less messy.
  
  
• Glass tupperware set.
  
  
• Adjustable temperature water kettle. Our household is really into coffee and tea, and this has made all the difference.
  
  
• Coffee grinder. Our total splurge of a grinder that was generously gifted by another coffee nerd.
  
  
• Griddle pan. Perfect for grilled cheese, pancakes, etc.
  
  
• The Harry Potter box set. We put this on there to break up the typical household list and were so excited for a nice hardcover set!
  
  
• Cast iron dutch oven/skillet combo.

Ok I think if you want to take your cooking game to the next level start with this. Learn how to use cast iron and cherish it. It might seem hard at first but it's actually really easy. Will last you years if properly taken care of.

If you want to just cook to survive, and have a pan that is easy to clean and not worry about too much, get this. And to be honest this is pricy for a non-stick pan. I would go to your nearest Walmart and get a non-stick pan for 20 bucks or something.

Wal-mart has pretty good deals on cast iron as well. Thrift stores can be good, but only if you know what you are looking for. Some cast iron has been made for decoration and other purposes and the metals included in the iron may be unsafe to cook on. I actually know a guy who won't use any cast iron made in China, as he doesn't believe many of their foundries use the best quality control on their metals.

Lodge makes good stuff and if you are buying new it isn't too pricey. I have purchased a 12" pan and a 3 qt dutch oven with another pan as the lid. I pretty much do all of my cooking right in these.

I would imagine if you need to start now, you could get the dutch oven with pan-lid for around $40 bucks if you shop around or check it out amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-3-Quart/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1420130913&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven+pan+lid

They asked? Yes, that's bullshit.

Anyway, you don't need a set of cast iron pans. Honestly, you only need one. There are small pans, to be sure, and grill pans in endless variety, but a single 12-inch pan is all it takes. Amazon link to the one I have here.

It's THE way to cook a steak, as far as I'm concerned. And, since it's full iron, you can toss it in the oven as a shallow pan for baking chicken. Vegetables need care, but anything you would cook with heat works fine. Just make sure you have gloves, the handle gets hot which is the only downside. There are pans with wood handles, but those don't go in the oven very well.

As a single man, the ability to cook myself an entire meal for one in a single pan is awesome. I imagine that's why you like the wok. What do you use?

So I have thought long and hard (heh) about this for awhile. I am making a serious change in my life to cook and eat healthy things. Now that my daughter has started to eat solid foods, I have been wanting to only give her the healthiest things to eat. I grew up only eating macaroni and cheese and refusing all vegetables. I want her to learn to love all foods and have an appetite for exploring new dishes. So my goal is to buy fresh foods, not those meal kits that I used to make for us. I want to start making all of her meals for her myself and rely less upon the canned/pouches of baby food. I want to cook new and exciting meals for my husband and me.

Going along with this, I want to lead a more active lifestyle. I am tired of being cooped up in this house all the time when there is a wide world outside ready for me to explore it. There are so many wonderful people out in the world and sometimes I just sit back and don't go out of my way to meet them. I want to know more people and have a real life friend. I think that this will also help out with my anxiety issues greatly.

My goals are:

• Trying a new vegetable/fruit every week.
  
• Planning my meals out ahead of time.
  
• Giving June home cooked meals at least once a day.
  
• Going for a walk or some activity 5 times a week.
  
• Meeting up with other people.
  
  I will track my progress using MyFitnessPal to log my meals and exercise. As for the trying new things, I will probably mark them on my calendar, and can post the new things that I try at the end.
  
  I will need the help of /u/ReisaD because she would be a great cheerleader for me. /u/Akeleie because she already motivates me to workout. and /u/homeallday because she is lovely. :)
  
  I have a few cooking items, but this pan would be lovely as I have never used cast-iron before.

You are so very welcome! Your bread came out beautifully! Awesome job. Bread making is a journey. A joyful one I hope. And it can be very satisfying. Especially while eating!!
You may find this cast iron combo easier to deal with in putting your dough in - I’m sorry it’s a link to Amazon, but it has the best description of this Lodge Combo. It’s the one ILodge Combo

Enjoy your journey!

Lodge has a a Dutch Oven in which the lid is actually another frying pan.

“3.2 Quart Seasoned Cast Iron Combo Cooker. The Lodge Cast Iron Combo Cooker does it all. A deep skillet, a fryer, a Dutch oven in one, plus a lid that doubles as a shallow skillet or griddle. This versatile piece is perfect in the kitchen or great outdoors.”


I loved the versatility aspect. The bonus is you also have a unbreakable container to store precious items when in transit. I think it will be my next purchase.

Here’s a link for you, and happy camping.

I have a lodge 15 inch cast iron skillet as my largest skillet. It's huge and weighs about 10 lbs, but it's fantastic for searing a meal's worth of chicken and finishing in the oven.

Other options that fit are 2 porterhouse steaks or 9 -10 strips of bacon. I rarely use it to cook entirely on the stove top since my electric range only covers 12 inches. Whatever I make ends up in the oven.

Definitely worth it for being my favorite piece, and one that generates the most conversation when guests see me using it!

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L14SK3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-Skillet/dp/B00063RWUM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420409798&sr=8-1&keywords=lodge+15

Cast iron pans are AMAZING for cooking almost anything in. Try to avoid cooking highly acidic foods in them, because that can break down the seasoning that builds up as you use the pan. In other words, use an enameled pot for dishes that have a lot of tomatoes. The best cast iron frying pan to get is the Lodge 12-inch skillet -- it's big and heavy, but not too big for your stovetop, and it provides a lot of room to fry in. They typically sell at Wal-Mart for between $16 and $19, depending on the Wal-mart you go to. It's very easy to find a used cast iron pan at yard sales, flea markets, Goodwill, etc; but based on experience I've seen those pans are usually the 10-inch size or smaller, and if you only have one cast iron pan then I'd suggest going for the 12-inch size. (TJ Maxx/Marshalls had a shipment of those Lodge cast iron pans earlier this year, with the 12-inch size going for $14.99; if you look in one of those stores you may still be able to find one.)

I'll admit to being biased in favor of cast iron, so based on my advice above for an enameled cooking pot, I'd likewise suggest a big, heavy, enamel-coated cast iron pot. The really expensive enameled pots like Le Creuset can run into the hundreds of dollars, and their owners swear it's worth the price; but for most folks, a less expensive brand of enameled iron pot will perform just as well for a fraction of the price. If you're near an Aldi's, with its own brand names for just about anything in the store, you can usually find a 5-quart enameled iron cooking pot for $20 to $30 in there. Wal-Mart sells a 6-quart enameled iron pot by Lodge for $50, which I think is a great price because Lodge is a very reliable and durable brand.

> spiceindiaonline.com/crispy-chicken-65/

I'm inclined to mostly agree with /u/Amnizu. I dont think I've ever seen deep frying in a pot like that, even if it is heavy bottomed, the outside is not heavy so it will not retain the temperature of the oil as well as cast iron would. A $20 Cast Iron pan is usually my go to for frying. Even safer and probably better would be something like this. A Quart of Oil is actually quite a bit in that kind of pot. When using the Cast Iron get an 1-1.5 inches of oil up to temp then slowly add in each piece of chicken. The recipe you are using has water in the ingredients which is ok, as long as you don't have excess sauce on the chicken when you put it in. Water and frying are not friends. You might even want to reduce the amount of water just a little. To be safe keep some Baking Soda near by to put out any potential grease fires. I'm no pro so take what I say with a grain of salt. I usually use a cast iron pan and it comes out great, makes the house smell though. Hope this helps.

You know what adults really love at things like this? Shit they actually would use and not throw away. Like a cast iron pan, or a chef's knife (side note: I wouldn't buy that personally but it's the best looking one I can find for $25). I still have a blanket that I got from a White Elephant a few years ago. Doesn't match a thing in my house, but it's comfy and comes in handy all the time.

For the kids, and adults honestly, I'd recommend a nerf gun (expect to remember people getting shot with it the entire rest of the party), Jenga, or a mini helicopter.

Even if a kid gets stuck with a cast iron pan you know their parents are going to give them twenty bucks for it to make em happy.

You really need to take some photos and describe it better. How heavy is the pan? Is it light enough for you to wave it around in the air? If not, it might be cast iron. A 12" cast iron skillet weighs around 8lbs (going by these details on the Lodge pan on Amazon).

What color is it on the outside? Cast iron will be black all the way around. What material does it seem to be made of? Aluminum is very light and often pretty thin. I doubt it is stainless steel because the inside being black would mean it is just really dirty.

Did you ever wash it? Will that stuff that you can scrape off wash off with a good scrubbing?

Have you asked your mom? Most pans have specific ways that you need to care for them to keep them in good shape and to work their best. For example, you shouldn't use metal utensils in Teflon coated pans because you'll scratch the non-stick surface. Also, you shouldn't let cast iron pans sit around wet because they'll start to rust and they need a good season to perform their best.

• Everything except the acidic stuff so like tomato sauces or lemon stuff etc. (you can but you need it really well seasoned).
  
  
• No you don't really need to invest in it. It'll probably out live you assuming you don't lose it. Some are really expensive because it's more about buying for the brand than the actual quality. For example: A 12in Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is $34.. It's pretty much the gold standard for cast iron stuff in North America. And if you look on the reviews you'll see that more than 2000 people bothered to write a review and they'll agree with me.
  
  
• Pre season means that the factory applied a layer of oil (I think it's soy oil) to polymerize the fat to the skillet and create a non-stick surface. It's not a bad thing but more often than not, these non-stick surfaces aren't true non-stick surfaces. It's more of a marketing gimick. When you get your cast iron whatever, season it yourself.
  
  
• Yes there are downsides to cast iron. (1): It's heavy as fuck. It weighs almost 10 pounds which might not seem like much but your wrist will get more of a workout than a life time of masturbation cooking with this thing. (2) In bare cast iron, you can't cook acidic stuff. (3): It's not very sensitive to heat. So if you heat it up, it'll stay warm for a while. (4) You have to wait a little to let it cool down before you clean it. Because if you take a hot skillet and you clean it immediately in cold water you can crack it via thermal shock. It will be non stick after you cook in it enough. It'll take a month or 2 depending on how much you use it.
  
  
• On my stove top the biggest burner is a double burner. Meaning it's one circle surrounding another. The stove top has an option to warm up the inner ring or both rings. When I use the 12 incher, I have to use the both ring option. So go measure your stove top burners and check.
  
  
• While the 12in Skillet is a really versatile piece of cookware based on it's shape alone, if you could only get one piece of equipment, you'd get a lot of versatility out of the Lodge Combo Cooker. The top is only a 10 inch skillet though so take that in mind if you want to make pizza in it (the pizza will be smaller.

I second the 7pc Cuisinart Multi-Clad Stainless set. It is a quality set that will give you the most versatility. The multi-clad will provide more even heating that some of their cheaper sets. You can use any utensils with them and you can take them from stovetop to oven, which can be very handy. At 8 quarts, the stock pot is plenty big enough for pasta, chili, or deep frying.

Eventually, you'll probably want to get a nonstick frying pan and rubber spatula for eggs and other things that easily stick in stainless steel. This 8 inch one, also by Cuisinart is pretty good for the money. This spatula by OXO is well-made, and only $7. Stainless steel will be just as good, or better, for most things, but eggs are best in nonstick.

A 12 inch cast iron pan would be handy to eventually get too, if you want to be able to cook steaks indoors. They're also good for baking corn bread and making pancakes. I wouldn't get one immediately, but they're nice to have.

Make sure you're getting plenty of fiber. I eat less b/c of it and feel fuller/better energized throughout the day.

I've been eating a breakfast of shredded wheat/rolled oats/flax/kiwi/banana/unsweetened almond milk and sometimes blueberries.


Soups are super easy, use water or veggie broth and get some lentils and boil that sucker up and on the simmer phase throw in the works...Zuccinni/squash/mushrooms/spinach/carrots (towards the end). Mix it up sometimes with rice/spices/whatever. An hour of time to basically get meals for a week.


Grilling veggies is really easy and tasty. I'm not a big "salad" person, but I LOVE grilled veggies. Get a cast iron pan like this.

Takes next to no time to heat up and you can throw some garlic/mushrooms/peppers/sweet potato slices/onions/portabellas/broccoli/carrots/corn/whatever your heart desires. I eat a lot of veggies for lunch/dinner because of these two methods.

I'd recommend at minimum 1 non-stick pan, 1 big and 1 medium pot, 1 big stainless steel sautee pan with high walls & lid, and 1 small stainless steel pan. At least, that's what I use the most. If you like cast iron get a skillet too.

I got my 12-piece stainless steel Cuisinart set from Bed Bath & Beyond because my mom gave me a coupon. It's very nice. I don't care for cookware with glass lids. All-clad makes great stainless steel cookware too.

For a non-stick skillet, T-Fal is recently popular. I like mine. It doesn't feel cheap yet its cheap enough that I don't worry too much about scratches. Got mine on Amazon.

For cast iron it's really hard to beat Lodge. Their skillets and Dutch ovens are top notch once properly seasoned. Never mind any cast iron that says it's pre-seasoned, best to give it 3-4 more coats to start with. It's easy just time consuming. I bought mine at Orchard hardware actually but you can find it on Amazon too.


Enameled cast iron Dutch ovens are a joy to use but Le Creuset, while undeniably top notch, is prohibitively expensive. Lodge, Cuisinart, and Tramontina are cheaper brands but I believe all their enameling is done in China.

We have Calphalon stainless everything plus a workhorse cast iron skillet and dutch oven. They're all great for everything. My husband got the Calphalon pots on sale on Amazon as a set and it was a great deal. I've never wanted for another type of pan or pot honestly. I just replaced my cookie sheets with Nordic Ware aluminum sheets and praise the cooking gods, they are amazing.

​

Edit: adding some links :D

Cookware: https://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Tri-Ply-Stainless-13-Piece-Cookware/dp/B003L1CW8S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1542771501&sr=8-4&keywords=calphalon+stainless+steel+cookware

Baking sheets(I really can't recommend these enough): https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-43174-Delight-Aluminum/dp/B079Q671Q5/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1542771580&sr=8-5&keywords=nordic+ware+bakers+half+sheet+pan

For anyone who is curious, Amazon has a pretty cheap pre-seasoned pan, goes around $16-$20 and is a very good pan if you learn how to take care of cast iron. It's not hard but like knives, takes a little care.

I don't use it too much because I cook mostly for myself and don't need to use such a large pan for the majority of dishes, but there are smaller sizes that are even cheaper out there. I prefer my somewhat lighter hard anodized pans that don't stick and keep a nice even heat.

I'm sure all clad are nice but way too expensive, because you're paying for the name brand and they know it. As for in college, unless you're living in a shared house you won't have a good enough kitchen to use them in and they'll probably get dropped or misused if they're left anywhere that someone else can use them.

Before you add too many non-stick pans to the list, remember, they are a disposable item. No non-stick pan will last forever.

The pan you will use day after day will be a good traditional skillet. The one I have was only like 30 dollars. This one is expensive, but it the one selected as best by Cook's Illustrated. I don't generally buy the most expensive anything, but I also don't have the benefit of others buying me things off of a wish list :).

To me, a decent stainless skillet is very easily the most important tool in my kitchen, so don't be afraid to ask for a good one.

You can't go wrong with a #8 (10.25") or #10 (12") Lodge skillet. They are both pretty cheap on Amazon or at Walmart.

Do read through all the great tips and information in the FAQ. Cast iron is different than most other modern cookware, so learning cooking, cleaning, and care tips is important.

For searing steaks, I like to use the "reverse sear" method, and Alton Brown's method works great.

I personally would get the following way sooner if I was building my kitchen all over again.

Also if there is a place you can get bulk spices near by I would go there for your spices, because if you havent already noticed spices are pricey at your local megamart.

Lavatools Thermowand - Same form factor as the much more expensive thermopen but at 1/3 the price.

Lodge cast iron skillet - great for searing meats or as a good starting pan.

OXO Bench Scraper - Makes prep work much easier and safer as you don't use your knife to scrape your food off the cutting board.

Immersion Blenders - When you dont want to use your big blender or want to blend something in your pot or pan.

Stainless Steel Cookware - Has a little bit of a learning curve but is great after the fact.

Aeropress - Life is too short to make shitty coffee.

Edit: added a thermometer/spelling

don't go talking too loud you'll cause a landslide, Mr. Jones

$25 item - 12 inch

$10 item - Pack of 6

$5 item - $5.85 at the moment :/ Sorry if that breaks your rules. But it does have free shipping. Set of 3, 12oz.

I vote for 2 people at the $10 gift. Two winners are better than one! But four is maybe stretching thin? I figure this way two people can still win and get significant prizes off their wishlist.

Solid job! Definitely better than my first steak-cooking experience. A few recommendations, echoing the other ones here:

1. Try and cook at a higher heat. You started to develop a nice crust, but getting the cast iron scorching hot will give it a complete, brown, and crispy exterior. While you're prepping, stick your pan in the oven at 400 degrees to get it hot and then throw it on a high burner just before cooking.
   
   
2. If you're pan searing, adding a few knobs of butter + garlic + thyme about halfway through cooking will add a lot of flavor. If you choose just one of those though, make it the butter. Basting it [Gordon Ramsay style] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEx9gPhtjzs) will really complete what you've got.
   
   Again, nice work - happy cooking!
   
   EDIT: Took a second look and I noticed it was a nonstick. I can't recommend highly enough investing the $30 in a [Lodge cast iron skillet] (http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-12-Inch/dp/B00006JSUB). It'll last you a lifetime and cook considerably better than anything else!

With the acid/tomato thing, I have found that once the seasoning is well established I can make chili and other acidic things without any real issues. Same with soap which I'll use after broiling fish in the pan.

I'd say that my dutch oven doesn't get as much use as my skillets, but then if I had a something like this or the oven listed in the original post, at least the lid would be used often. My current one has a self basting lid that is a pain to clean and season.

Really, the lid is a make or break for the thing. If you want to use coals on top, get one with a lip. If you like to see your stuff cook, find one with a glass top. You get the point.

I have Griswold, Wagner, Lodge, and Benjamin & Medwin pans. The Griswold was a gift from someone that doesn't cook in cast iron pans, and the others were purchased new. The Griswold is used the most, Wagner and Lodge both seem to be fine, but I like the handles and the (semi) polished surface of my Wagner pans a bit better. The Benjamin & Medwin pans were purchased new about 20 years ago and are have the worst quality control. I don't believe they are still made.

Your Lodge should serve you well. Here's a photo of mine after 30+ years of use.

By the way, I like this red silicone handle (link to Amazon page). I originally bought one for my 12" Lodge High Carbon Steel pan but I tried it on my 12" Lodge cast iron pan (as shown in my photo) and I think it works great. I had to firmly force it on the 12" Lodge cast iron pan handle but, once on, it stays in place great (there is an inch or so of extra length that hangs off the end of the handle but that doesn't bother me in the least).

Of course, that means that pan stays on the stove top and doesn't go in the oven anymore but I have other cast iron pans I use in the oven. This is my 17" Lodge that I mostly use in the oven.

I always recommend these items in these type of threads, they'll get you off to a really good start.

1. A $29 Victorinox Chef's Knife
   
   
   
2. A good cutting board for $12-15
   
   
   
3. A cast iron pan for $15-$20
   
   
4. A utensil set of some kind for $15-20
   
   
   
   From there I'd get a solid set of pots and pans and/or a dutch oven. A rice cooker also is pretty helpful. I use mine constantly. Good luck!

I have enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens, which I use quite a lot. And yes, they work great. You are correct that cast iron handling characteristics are comparable to my steel skillets. The noticeable difference is that the skillets are much more responsive to me adjusting the heat of the burner.

As a first approximation, you can compare going from a cast-iron pan to a steel pan as a similar epiphany to what you'd experience when going from an electric stove to a gas stove. Things are similar in principle, but adjustments take effect immediately and cooking is much more straight forward.

The other difference is that many cast iron pots/skillets have a very rough surface. Even after seasoning them, they still tend to be somewhat sticky, whereas steel doesn't have this issue. Enamel can address that, but it has its own pros and cons (e.g. enamel cannot be seasoned).

My ideal choice for a basic set of cookware is:

1. carbon steel skillets and wok
   
2. enameled cast iron Dutch ovens
   
3. stainless steel clad stock pots and sauce pans
   
   I linked a couple of products that should be a good starting point. I tried to go with choices that I know to be good quality, but where possible avoided paying extra for well-known brand names. Of course, you can pick alternatives, if your preferences are different. Also, for a well-stocked kitchen, you probably want multiple different sizes of each.

300$ is top of the line stuff, you should be able to find stuff under 100$ pretty much everywhere. Have you checked Amazon, Walmart or similar? For example I have a no name SS from Macy's I bought almost 15 years ago and it cooks perfectly, still in pristine shape. I think I paid like 30 bucks for it.

Otherwise if you want a one size fits all nonstick pan to hold you over, Cook's Illustrated rated T-Fal their top pick. It's 26 bucks on Amazon US. It's a great pan!

https://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Nonstick-Thermo-Spot-Indicator/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483926536&sr=8-1&keywords=nonstick

Congratulations on your new home! When my roommate and I moved in together, we bought a ton of home-y decorative stuff. I'm still trying to make up for the kitchen tools that we don't have, thus my kitchen tool wishlist! I'd really like a cast iron pan!

Anyway, don't be scared! You're going to have great time settling in! Just make sure you have the essential stuff to start with (toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, SHOWER CURTAIN!) and you'll be all set! (STOCK MY HOUSE and thanks for thinking of RAOA during your move! :D)

Mondays I can deal with, what I really hate is sunday evenings.

Oh god, I just wanna stay up and play computer games but I have stupid work/school tomorrow nooooo....


This skillet would be nice. I can use it to make delicious, delicious foods...

That or these slippers. I'm pretty sure my apartment doesn't have an insulation...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0096K1ZDG/ $60

No idea what kind of knifes you need. I like this set. I avoid serrated knives as they tear the meat.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008GKDJ/ $15
Lodge is pretty much the go to cast iron pan. It's relatively cheap, but it is a pretty simple design after all.

You have 75 bucks left in your budget, I would get this:

https://www.amazon.com/Lavatools-Javelin-Limited-Ambidextrous-Thermometer/dp/B01F59K0KA/

Resist the urge to go cheap on instant read thermometer, it was the single best thing I purchased that drastically improved nearly all the food I cooked - especially steaks.

My pan is a Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Round Frying Pan, 11 7/8"

It's 100% amazing. I love this thing and I use it almost every day. By far the best fry pan I've owned. Would mostly definitely recommend it.

I'm trying to make the switch to cast iron now. Still learning how to not burn my food on it... but giving me a new challenge in the kitchen is something I'm enjoying, especially after hearing the praises of cast iron sung so often.

I know a lot of people are critical of Lodge for one reason or another, but I bought the combo cooker and have been loving it so far. Very versatile pieces.

I've moved on from using to nonstick to stainless. It'll take a few more minutes to clean at night but nothing cooks better and nothing will last longer. I don't recommend using Teflon coated pots and pans because of their health ramifications. Pros use stainless. You'll learn how to use it soon enough.

http://amzn.com/B009JXPS6U

I also have my trusty 10" Lodge cast iron pan. It's my favorite piece in my kitchen and never leaves the range because I use it everyday for breakfast and dinner. It will soon become your favorite in a few years because you have to learn to care for it.

http://amzn.com/B00G2XGC88

Thank you so much, this sounds amazing. I don't have a stainless steel pan either, but I did get an Amazon gift card for Christmas so this may be a perfect opportunity to use it! I think I'd have more uses for cast iron so that's what I'm looking at now, is this one worth buying?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00006JSUB/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1451859322&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=cast+iron+skillet&dpPl=1&dpID=41RgtPTWtgL&ref=plSrch

The food looks amazing, but you seriously need a new nonstick pan. The stuff that's flaking off and getting into your food is not something you want to be ingesting on a daily basis.

http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Thermo-Spot-Indicator-Dishwasher/dp/B000GWG0T2

http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Ultimate-Anodized-Thermo-Spot-Indicator/dp/B00EXLOVU2

Both of these are oven safe, dishwasher safe, and metal utensil resistant. Recommended by Test Kitchen, and I love mine.

My name is Linda and I love to cook and bake! Trying new recipes, feeding people! It's a passion. I may not be able to eat a lot, but I am a foodie! I have certain recipes that are always called for by friends....like pig candy and my snickerdoodles and banana bread! Come visit and I will feed you!

item

Thanks for the contest, it's fun!

I got a 12" Lodge cast iron skillet off Amazon for $17 bucks a few months ago. It's pre-seasoned and fantastic, and Lodge is a great brand. Ships free too. I absolutely adore it.

Check it out: http://amzn.com/B00006JSUB

Cheese Burger Dip:

​

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 yellow onion, diced
  
• 1/2 lb. ground beef (I used 80/20)
  
• 7 slices bacon
  
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 tsp garlic powder
  
• kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  
• diced dill pickles, for garnish
  
• minced fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
  
  

  INSTRUCTIONS
  

  
  

• Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Spray an 8 inch cast iron skillet or 1.5-2 qt baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  
• To a large skillet, add bacon slices and cook over MED-LOW heat until browned and crispy.  Remove to paper towel lined plate, reserving grease in skillet.
  
• Increase heat to MED-HIGH.  Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.  Add ground beef, crumble and cook until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.  Transfer beef to another paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease.
  
• When bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble.  Add crumbled bacon, cooked hamburger and onion, cream cheese, 1 cup of the cheeses, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
  
• Transfer mixture to prepared skillet or baking dish, top with remaining 1/2 cup cheeses and bake until bubbly, about 12-15 minutes.
  
• Top cooked dip with diced dill pickles and a sprinkling of fresh parsley (if desired), and serve hot.  I like to serve this with potato chips.
  
  

  TO COOK IN SLOW COOKER:
  

  
  

• Complete steps 2, 3, and 4 as directed.  Next, transfer to a 2 quart slow cooker, sprinkle with remaining cheeses, cover, and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or HIGH for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until warmed through and bubbly.  Proceed with step 6 as directed.

This is the one I love.

T-fal E93808 Professional Total Nonstick Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Fry Pan, 12.5 Inch, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aExCybX9K8BH9

It's a great pan, and cheap enough to throw away and buy another one once the non stick wears off. Great for a situation like yours.

If you are still considering getting your mom pots and pans, there are some great and affordable options out there. Tramontina enamel pots are much more afforable than Le Creuset and are top rated by Cooks Illustrated. They also rate the T-fal nonstick skillets very highly (I have 2 and love them) and these are totally affordable. If you want to go high-end in terms of brand, the All-Clad stainless steel skillet is around your price range (with a little Bed Bath 20% off coupon) and it's an excellent skillet that can go in the oven and that has a lifetime warranty.

If you're considering getting one, I'd go for either this one or this one.

The second is better if you like a handle on your skillet. I got the first one, and it's perfect. It lets me do virtually every cooking task I'd need to, and with proper care ought to last pretty much forever.

Check out /r/castiron for cleaning/reseasoning tips.

A skillet will have angled sides
A Saute pan will have vertical edges

Cast iron, Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, and Aluminum are some material choices. Each of those will come with different or no finish options. Like Non-stick, Hard anodized, or enamel.

So cast iron will be think and heavy. Great at non stick and even heat distribution. Avoid acids.

Stainless and Cast Iron are great because you can do a lot of damage to them and still be able to bring it back to new.

From what you say I would get a Cast iron skillet and a Stainless saute pan.

Cast Iron $16

I hear great things about All Clad for stainless. But its hard to say if its a good match for you without a price range. The Cast Iron skillet is a good start though.

Also for me at least non stick is only good for eggs or other low heat applications.

For starting I highly recommend the Lodge cast iron combo set! It's all the cast iron I can justify having (though I do get excited when I see cast iron on sale...). For $37 you get a skillet, pot (also useful as a high-sided pan), and dutch oven. I use the skillet daily for eggs and everything else. A dutch oven is a handy piece of hardware, I use it to make the most delicious sourdough bread. 😋

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_RiICzb5EXWA2Z

Also get yourself a pair of handle mits for ease of use:

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00JG5PVUY/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdo_5rICzb6SHVMM0

Cast iron skillet is relatable to bombs in that if the bomb is ever dropped you are going to need versatile things. This can serve as a nice heavy hat to protect your head from zombies or other mutations. It can cook your meal, and its a great impromptu weapon as well, it also makes a nice Bong sound when struck, which kinda sounds like bomb!

Change jar

Lodge cast iron.

I've gotten a 12 inch skillet ($20 at Target) and a 5 quart dutch oven with a 10 inch skillet lid ($33 on Amazon). I use them almost every day and they're my favorite tools in the kitchen, as well as my sturdiest.

I also got a Saddleback medium bifold wallet that's been perfect for the last couple years. I anticipate many more decades to come with it!

Going through this thread, I've remembered a couple more. I now have 2 Orion belts that I wear almost every day! The first is the hot dipped harness leather belt, and the second is the tan harness leather belt that I got for around $28 on Massdrop.

The last BIFL item I've gotten is a pair of Ex Oficio briefs this Christmas. They've been great so far...hopefully they hold up!

The answer is seasoning! When we open we crank it and put a few thin layers of oil on it which burn on, creating a wonderful nonstick surface just like you would on a cast iron pan. If you're looking for a pan that performs exactly like a flattop's surface, look into carbon steel. They develop a beautiful patina that is so nonstick, gliding your fingers over the surface will make you giddy.

Stainless steel could be seasoned, but that's kinda missing the point of stainless. Best forget about doing scrambles in them and get yourself a nice carbon steel pan or griddle.

Hey scourgeobohem!

I really don't know much about curing meat, other than that it requires precise conditions/temperatures - an apartment might not be the best environment for it.

As far as aging/pan-searing your steaks though, I would point you to this guide by food-genius J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Absorb every consonant, for it is gospel. He is the final word on making the ultimate steak at home, without a grill. My first piece of advice would be to stop using the stainless steel and get yourself a cast-iron pan. It's able to absorb/distribute much more heat, and will go a long way in getting that crunchy sear you're after. Above all, it'll last a lifetime, and this nice silicone-handled one is only $24! They require a little love - no washing with soap, ever, and obviously never run through the dishwasher. But their ability to sear the everloving fuck out of steaks is second-to-none. Also, when used properly, they're naturally non-stick - making them ideal for eggy brunch bakes, fish, and more!

Now when you say apartment-friendly smoker - do you mean indoor smoker? Because if you wish to live, none such smoker exists. Smokers, by definition, produce smoke, which can't be done indoors - you will die and everyone you love will die. That being said, if you have a balcony or some such, these little vertical smokers can be very effective and not take up much space. But frankly, I prefer a steak with a crispy, seared crust and rare interior - something very accomplishable with the humble aforementioned cast iron pan.

Lastly, when making fried veggie (let's say spinach) balls, I would definitely go with shredded leaves. If you use whole leaves, and take a big ol' bite of your ball, and don't bite clean through that particular leaf of spinach (which you definitely won't), you'll drag the whole leaf out of the ball, tearing it apart. Check out any kind of vegetable fritter - you'll see that the veggies are chopped up/shredded into little bite-sized pieces!

I would suggest a cast iron griddle and a dutch oven/skillet pan combo like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009JKG9M or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LEXR0K

Another less common, but surprisingly useful tool is an immersion blender. It's great for anything from creamy soup to pudding to protein shakes.

It's toast. Don't buy another one; replace it with this pan, the T-Fal oven safe 12" non-stick. It's recommended and used by America's Test Kitchen. I have one, and I love it, but it's also $28, so when it dies in another 2 years, I won't cry when I have to buy another one.

I learned this lesson with my Scanpan 9" skillet, which lasted a good 5 years or so before getting so scratched up that it's not really non-stick anymore, but that cost $75. Buy a good one, but buy cheap, and assume it's disposable and replaceable on a ~2-3 year cycle.

How about a Lodge 5- Piece Cast Iron set?

Here is a set on amazon. Only $80 - great price. I love mine. I use them both on the stove and while camping.

Hope that helped!

If you don't already have one, my top recommendation would definitely be a food scale!

Other than that, I've found that Amazon often has good deals on some of my favorite snacks (I often order protein bars and beef jerky through the site). I've also bought some dumbbells for at-home strength training. There's also lots of good cooking tools you could get, although I suppose it depends on your needs -- I recently bought this chopper (because I'm trying to cook with more veggies and I have terrible knife skills) and this mini cast iron skillet (because I do a lot of cooking-for-one).

As little as possible. The more crap you have, the more it weighs you down.
That said, every home needs some necessities to get by. For me those generally involve cooking, sleeping, and repairs. I just finished watching Parks & Rec and am in a bit of a Ron Swanson mood.

For the kitchen (all recommended by America's Test Kitchen):

Victorinox 8" Chef's Knife

Victorinox Paring knife

CDN Instant Read Thermometer

Lodge 12" skillet - cheap and will last you forever

Crockpot, 6qt - the one kitchen appliance I'd cheat with. Easy delicious meals. Toss in a cheap cut of meat (chuck roast, etc), salt, pepper, garlic, onions, carrots, whatever. Let it sit for 6-8 hours. Dinner for 3 meals.

Tools:

I'd probably just pick up a cheap set of craftsman stuff (screwdrivers, hammer, sockets, pliers). Splurge on the ratchet and any power tools you need:

Bahco 3/8" ratchet - same as snapon F80 at 1/2 the price

Other misc. tools that are quite handy:

Magnetic stud finder - in a new place you're going to be hanging pictures, installing shelving, and mounting curtain rods. These are dirt cheap and super convenient.

Multimeter - Flukes will last you for life. If you need to do any electrical work, these are great. If you don't want to splurge up front just borrow them or buy a cheap $15 one at home depot.

Bedroom:

Get comfortable pillows and nice sheets. Don't get all caught up in the 1000 thread count crap, it's a hoax. Just get at least 400tc or so, and preferably egyptian or pima cotton. My favorite sheets are actually a super cheapo brand that are 60% cotton 40% polyester. I prefer them because they feel more "smooth and cool" rather than "soft and warm".

Obviously get real furniture: dresser, bed with headboard, etc.

Electronics

I won't go into too much detail here, but consider cutting the cord (/r/cordcutters).

A cheap Roku3 + netflix + an OTA antenna can go a long way.

If you have a lot of pictures/media/etc, don't forget about backups. I'd look into an inexpensive NAS, or at least a USB harddrive. They are dirt cheap and worth the insurance.

Insurance

Lastly, don't forget renters or homeowners insurance. If you are renting, you can get rather good coverage for quite cheap. I just paid around $50 for 12 months of coverage on my apartment ($15k coverage, $1k deductible). I shopped around at 5 different places and Amica came out the cheapest by FAR.

Other than that, you don't need much. Buy less crap. Don't buy some $50 automatic electronic wine opener when a $1 wine key will do the job. Same for a can opener.

I just picked up a Lodge Combo Cooker and I am curious to know what the best way to season it would be. I heard that it helps to just cook up like 5 pounds of ground beef to get a good surface.

Get this T-Fal. I know you aren't in the US but we have a magazine and cooking show called America's Test Kitchen and they found this to be the best for cooking eggs. It has great non-stick properties that lasted longer than any other pan they tested. I use mine every morning.

The best non-stick pan by far is the T-FAL E9308 for $25.74. This is a case of paying less and getting more. The pan has decent weight, it heats relatively evenly (they seem to dome, with a high point in the center), has a lifetime warranty, and most importantly the coating is absurdly slick. I'm not a T-Fal guy, probably like you, and first went to a $160 pan, but this is simply a better pan.

http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Thermo-Spot-Indicator-Dishwasher/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453570389&sr=8-1&keywords=t-fal+nonstick

The T-Fal outperforms the $120 All-Clad, $160 Scanpan, and $100 ceramic coated pans. The All-Clads are pure trash -- amazing steel pans but their non-stick doesn't actually prevent sticking. The Scanpan is great but the coating died for me after a year with med-high heat. Others on Amazon have the same problem and there doesn't seem to be a serviceable warranty.

Edit: lots of grammar

Congrats on the fancy new job! That 30oz fillet the other day was epic O_O I'd take it pan-seared, medium rare, with lots of pepper. Mmmm.

We all know that cast iron is the way to go. Or else, No soup for you!

/u/kickballa, let's dine like some classy folk!

Thanks for the contest, pretty lady!

If she likes classic cooking, you can get a nice hardcover set of both of Julia Childs "The Art of French Cooking" cookbooks for around $60, i believe. That plus a great cast iron pan and maybe some spices that are a bit of a splurge (think saffron and vanilla bean) would be a great cooking themed gift!

Info on the process from New York Times via Wikipedia. They're great! I definitely recommend a dutch oven, though, and one properly sized. My 6qt is too big for a normal sized loaf so I bought this cast iron combo cooker and it worked well for my first loaf and I Like that it has a lot of other possibilities with both side of it. Thinking of using the shallow side for smaller pizzas.

I'm a huge fan of grilling, but a pan fried steak can also be great. Get yourself a good cast iron pan (https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Skillet-Pre-Seasoned-Ready-Stove/dp/B00006JSUA/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=10%22+lodge+cast&qid=1566208922&s=gateway&sr=8-1) or any thick bottom pan really and watch you some youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFDElc5sfSM

Totally off-topic, but have you looked at Cooks Standard on Amazon? They are great quality stainless, but far cheaper than, say, Cuisinart. :)

Ikea makes a really good non stick for 25$ or so. It has all the things you described.

Also the tfal prof 12.5 has a thicker bottom and does a great job. It's also around 25$.

If used both and enjoyed both. The Ikea one is much heftier. But the tfal pro is very slick and makes the perfect French omlette.

Edited: 7 years is a good life span for a non stick. Mine last a year to two years depending on how much I abuse them. So 25$ ever 1.5 years puts you a little behind your 100$ u year investment.

Edit edit:

Ikea pan with lid
https://m2.ikea.com/us/en/p/oumbaerlig-frying-pan-70292095/

Tfal

T-fal Nonstick Fry Pan, Professional 12-Inch Nonstick Pan, Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator, Black, Model E93808 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_rrEwCb32CNRBH

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Here's a beach in Tel Aviv, Israel. I took this picture when I went with some friends for my 16th birthday.

Here's a little tiny skillet (Kitchen wishlist) that would be perfect for making eggs over the campfire in the morning :)

The key is to buy cheap (but good quality) non-stick. Not something from a grocery store, but do some research and you can find good pans for not a lot of money. Yes the finish will wear off eventually, but if you're talking about a $30 pan, who cares at that point? I've bought this pan twice in 6 years and I couldn't recommend it enough.

How good of friends are they, or how good of friends do you want them to be? Buy them both one and a couple of handles and you've got two 10" Lodges for ~$40 shipped!

I just looked it up at Cook's Illustrated - in their two non-stick categories ("Inexpensive Nonstick Skillets" and "Small Nonstick Saucepans") they don't seem to recommend the Cuisinart nonstick pans. They didn't seem to hold up, and lost their "nonstickiness" pretty quickly. :(

For the Inexpensive Nonsticks (from Sept, 2010), they liked the 12.5 inch T-Fal Professional Total Nonstick Fry Pan.

For the "Small Nonstick Saucepans" (from March, 2006), they liked a couple of different ones, but the 2 1/2 quart Calphalon was at the top and surprisingly affordable.

ETA - I took a "meats and sauces" class from a chef a few years ago. He said he wasn't generally a fan of non-stick, though he understood why home chefs used them. He thought there wasn't a substitute for a good stainless steel pan that was well heated and oiled. I know I've adopted that for cooking meats, and I get a better result. But I don't make a lot of eggs (not a huge fan), so I'm not sure if that's practical.

For the cast iron, don't spent hundreds of dollars. Lodge makes awesome heavy duty skillets that will last a lifetime for under 50 bucks. They are much more heavy duty than either the Caphalon ones or the Utopia Kitchen ones.

Look at the weight of a cast iron skillet for an idea of how well it will retain heat (this is what cast iron does super well). The Lodge one is almost 20% heavier than the calphalon one, and is even heavier than the larger Utopia Kitchen one.

If you're on a budget then the Utopia one is OK, but if you can spend a bit more, the Lodge one will be something you can hand down to your kids.

• +1 for $30.59 cast iron and $30.00 non-stick. See if you can get a non-stick that is oven safe. It will be more versatile.
  
• $13.58 Make sure to get a high temp silicone spatula so that he can use them in his non-stick pan. Nothing sharp in the non-stick, ever.
  
• $39.95 Get him a decent, sharp knife. The Victorianox is a good knife that you can get for cheap.
  
• $5.78 Tongs, metal tongs from the asian market are about 3 bucks but totally useful.
  
  Total ~119.90
  That leaves you ~$80 to get ancillary things like measuring cups and spoons, cutting board, and a sauce pot.

FWIW, the T-FAL E93808 nonstick pan is Cook's Illustrated #1 nonstick pan, and has more than a thousand 5-star reviews on Amazon, where it is currently about $25. I own two of these and I can tell you they are my "go to" pans, have performed flawlessly over several years - they heat incredibly evenly, and outperform pans that cost me a LOT more money (I am an AVID home cook). Amortized over the lifespan of these pans, you're paying probably 20-30 cents a month for them - they definitely seem like a frugal choice. Here's the link to Amazon (though I think you'll find them elsewhere as well): http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Nonstick-Thermo-Spot-Indicator/dp/B000GWG0T2

[Matfer Bourgeat] (https://www.amazon.com/Matfer-Bourgeat-062005-Frying-8-Inch/dp/B000KENOTK/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1540054719&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=matfer+bourgeat+black+steel+frying+pan&refinements=p_n_srvg_2947266011%3A2972982011) black steel pan.

It's not a beautiful piece of cookware like stainless steel, but after seasoning this is the best pan I've ever had. Lighter than cast iron and indestructible.

The non-stick surface can be restored anytime with any high heat oil.

Also, on a side note, consider getting the roommate a very cheap cast iron pan.

It's EXCELLENT at searing things, and pretty much indestructible. Here's a super cheap, very reliable cast iron pan.

That way you can avoid strangling him later if he does it again ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Yep, I was able to cook them just on the skillet. Highly recommend forming smaller meatballs (1.5" diameter) so they cook faster. I also use a cast iron skillet, so the heat is perfectly distributed. Definitely get one if you don't have one.

I cooked the meatballs on medium heat for 5 minutes and then simmered for 5 minutes after adding the curry sauce ingredients.

Outstanding! For a cast iron skillet, the Lodge brand at Amazon is an especially good value.

I feel like for 50 bucks you can find a nice dutch oven or one of those cast iron cookers. I've heard people have great results making bread in these.

On another note, that website's play on the word "artisan" has me really irked.

I already own a decent skillet, a frying pan and a cast-iron skillet (at least I think it is, it looks like this).


I want to be able to boil rice/potatoes/pasta, saute veggies, cook a steak/hamburger, make pasta sauces, stew/slow cook, make sauces, ... You get the idea. These tasks are all pretty basic, so I think you do pose a good question if I'd need all those pots.


Would it be a good idea to get these pots:

• Standard pot
  
• Stockpot (also useable for stew/simmer/slow cook?)
  
• Sauce pan

This is a little over 15$ but if your mom cooks cast iron pans are awesome! 😂
here

My parents' house burned down around Thanksgiving and they asked me for pot & pan recommendations as they rebuild. Here's a list I sent them of things that ought to last forever but won't break the bank (no Mauviel, Staub, All-Clad, Le Creuset, etc). #1 on the list is a 12" Lodge skillet, just like the one we have. :)

• 12" cast iron skillet, along these lines: http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-12-Inch/dp/B00006JSUB/
  
• 8-12qt stock pot. Here's a reasonably priced 10qt model: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-76610-26G-Classic-10-Quart-Stockpot/dp/B007HN67KU
  
• 2.5qt sauce pan (optional)
  
• 3.5qt chef's pan (not optional), similar to this (the rounded bottom/edges is critical): http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinox-Elite-Quart-Covered-Chefs/dp/B001BKKB3Y
  
• Stainless roasting pan (root vegetables, turkey, etc): http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP117-16BR-MultiClad-Stainless-Rectangular/dp/B0041Q409G
  
• 5-7qt enameled cast iron dutch oven (we use this as our primary soup pot. We only use our stock pot for pasta or when we're making soup for a really large crowd): http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Island-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK
  
• Cuisinart electric kettle (this is SOOOOOOOOO much more efficient than either the microwave or the stovetop -- we never knew what we were missing until we bought it): http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPK-17-PerfecTemp-1-7-Liter-Stainless/dp/B003KYSLNQ
  
• Measuring cups and spoons: http://www.amazon.com/Kitchenmade-Stainless-Steel-Measuring-Stackable/dp/B00IRQNHTK and http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Steel-Piece-Measuring/dp/B000P0W4MC
  
• Pyrex measuring cups (a 2qt and a 4qt)
  
• Nesting glass mixing bowls: http://www.amazon.com/Luminarc-Stackable-9-Piece-Bowl-Set/dp/B000V6W5ZG
  
• Large stainless steel (lightweight) mixing bowl. I'm not sure exactly how big ours is, but it's probably similar to this. We use it when we make salads for crowds, or any time we don't want to crowd whatever we're preparing. http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Group-Mixing-Bowl-13-Quart/dp/B001E0HQSO
  
• Colander (pasta, veggies): http://www.amazon.com/Bellemain-Micro-perforated-Stainless-5-quart-Colander/dp/B00O97D0DO
  
• Strainer (berries, rinsing beans):http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-8-Inch-Double-Strainer/dp/B00004OCLX

I think the secret is to have the oil the right temperature and to have the right pan. Having the right size pan means your eggs won't spread out too much, that prevents the whites from overcooking before the yolk sets. A good non-stick pan will allow you the confidence to flip the eggs which leads to a better looking egg. I highly recommend these from t-fal. If you tend to make 2 eggs at once this pan is just the right size. T-fal Professional Total Nonstick Oven Safe Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Fry Pan/Saute Pan

If you only like to make one egg at a time this pan is the perfect size.

T-fal Specialty Nonstick One Egg Wonder Pan

The 8 inch pan has an indicator in the center that lets you know when your pan is at the correct temperature. Having the pan hot enough prevents food from sticking. They are non-stick but I always use ghee, coconut oil or bacon fat to cook my eggs for additional flavor. So, bring the pan up to temperature, add the fat, pour the eggs in and let it cook until the edges are brown. Flip, turn off the heat, let cook for 1 more minute.

A good and small nonstick pan is key in my book. Cook on high heat, constantly but gently move the cooked egg around to allow the runny part access to the pan to cook, lifting the cooked part for the runny part toget underneath in some cases. When ready, flip with the pan.

This one works amazingly well

Edit: If your sketched out about flipping the egg, try it over the sink. If the cooked egg easily slides around on its own, it should flip rather easily. Oh, and i guess it's my cake day, whatever the hell that's worth.

Carbon steel is my GO TO pan for damn near everything now. I fry my bacon in it, then my eggs. I'll use it for quesadillas, burgers, grilled cheese, etc. I haven't had my stainless pans out of the cupboard in at least a month. My cast iron pan is now reserved for potatoes, perogies, cornbread, and anything where my carbon steel pan is a bit small.

http://smile.amazon.com/Matfer-Bourgeat-062005-Frying-8-Inch/dp/B000KENOTK/ I do reccommend a proper french pan over the lodge ones. They're much smoother, and Matfer Bourgeat welds the handles so you don't have rivets on the inside of the pan (I prefer that for egg pans) I have the 9 1/2" pan which is big enough to cook 4 half strips of bacon, fry an egg or two (I've had 3 in there, but if you do that you're gonna have them in weird shapes instead of being round. IDGAF, but you might). I'm currently preparing a 10 1/2" pan for my mom's mother's day gift, and I'd probably recommend that one as an egg pan. I'll do 6 half strips of bacon in it, and 3 eggs with no space issues. It seems to be the right size if you're cooking for more than just yourself. Then again, you might as well but a few because they are awesome.

My lodge combo cooker, bought it about 3 years ago. I have a couple of Griswold's but I use this more than any of my other pieces. The top/skillet has shallower sides that are a little rounded so I find it easier to flip eggs. It's not smooth but it cooks just as well as any other skillet I have. Plus I use the deep skillet for bread and making chili. I also use my 10 inch lodge alot too, it's good to have a couple of that size around..
Lodge LCC3 Cast Iron Combo Cooker, Pre-Seasoned, 3.2-Quart https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hlMIzbD4CPP78

All Clad is the best, but it may fall into "crazy" territory depending on your budget. You do want tri-ply though. I've found cook's standard to be a good budget All Clad alternative:

https://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Standard-NC-00239-12-Inch-Stainless/dp/B0055Q2CX2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1496676468&sr=8-4&keywords=cook%27s+standard

I'd also suggest buying the exact pieces you need and not a pre-selected set. Maybe start with a 12" skillet and a 3 or 4 qt pot. Cook for a while with those and see what else you may need - smaller/larger pots, cast iron, non-stick skillet for eggs, etc...

Don't buy expensive ones. I treat mine well but expect to replace them once a year or so. I only purchase restaurant type pan at supply places (or at Sams Club) so they only cost $30 or $40.

I have been testing out this T-Fal Professional 12" fry pan which got a top recommendation from Cooks Illustrated. It's been a super performer and it's only $30. So far not a single scratch although I only use plastic utensils and hand wash. It's only defect is that the bottom is slightly convex so oil has a tendency to slide to the edges rather than stay flat on the surface.

If they lasted 2 or 3 years I'd be very happy.

IMHO all the posts about using other types of pans are not reasonable. There's nothing like a non-stick pan for many types of food prep. I have no problems using them.

Lodge makes this Dutch oven/skillet combo. I love it.

Lodge Combo

There's a number of excellent tutorials about how to season them. I find the Lodge to be a bit "bumpier" than other coast irons I've used. This means it takes a lot of costs of seasoning to create a smooth surface. Canola oil is the classic choice, with flax seed oil being the new kid on the block. I've tried both, and I think canola is bit easier to get a good seasoning with, but once perfected, the flax is seriously glossy. Eggs sliding around glossy.

3 pans I use the most:
Iron Skillet. It's good for manly items like steaks. Also a grill pan now that I think of it. Skillet with a cover, I use this the most. When a recipe says you need to cover your skillet and simmer, this is the guy for you. Dutch Oven, this pan is my favorite. It's really good for a lot of recipes. This one would probably be the last on the list, because I would consider it advanced, because you use it to braise meat, but you could use a crock pot and it would be much easier.

Note: I just picked links for pictures, I'm not recommending these specifically

There isn't any point to an expensive non-stick pan.

The best rated one I could find was a T-Fal pan that was highly rated on amazon and tested very well on America's Test Kitchen.

http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Thermo-Spot-Indicator-Dishwasher/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426220328&sr=8-1&keywords=t-fal+nonstick+pan

Edit: to be clear I have had this pan for over a year (maybe two at the most?) and have used it twice a day, and expect to have to replace it soon, so take that for what you will.

Irregulars from All Clad are amazing. It may have a scratch or two but it will still last a lifetime.

I highly recommend the 3 quart All Clad saucepan and the 12 inch fry pan.

These are my two favorite pans.

I always say to never buy a set. I think you pay too much for things you will not use.

I would say you only really need 4 things:
A good non-stick skillet. Tfal has a great 12in non-stick oven safe skillet for only around $35. Necessary for cooking fish and eggs.

A good dutch oven. I suggest an cast iron enamel. Tramontina makes a great 6.5 qt dutch oven that WalMart sells for only $65. Perfect for soups, frying, pasta, and even roasting.

A stainless tri-ply saute or skillet. I recommend one that if fully clad, but those usually run >$100. One with a tri ply base should work. You can fry, saute, brown, and do just about anything in one of these. This is my primary pan.

Finally, a large (4qt) stainless saucepan. This is for any sauces, some frying, potatoes, and lots of other things.

I've been impressed with the Cooks Standard brand sold on amazon. This frying pan or this saute pan can be pretty versatile cooking tools. They include lids and are oven safe.

Congrats, I just accepted a job offer as well!

No soup for you!

My favorite meat would probably be a nice ribeye cooked medium (or medium rare) mmmmm so juicy and tender.... great now I'm hungry...

I'd summon a million people if I could, but I'll just stick to the one that needs it most, /u/szor needs to put some meat on them bones :)

Oh oh, my kitchen item is this! of all the kitchen stuff I have, I'm still missing a decent cast iron pan.

I have this one and love it https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_AI7WzbE5ZFV7M

The long handles mean you have 2 well functioning skillets in addition to the oven capability. The smaller size hasn't bothered me but I also plan on getting a 6qt enameled in the future so you'll have to decide what's best for you.

I bought a T-fal E93808 12" pan for $25 back at the beginning of 2016 and it gets consistent home use. I never expected it to last this long. I have a sizable dent on the side from dropping it and the handle rivets and screws came loose recently so I fixed that with JBWeld. The main pan surface still works amazingly well for the age and price. I basically assumed it would be disposable and last a year. Its not BIFL but its excellent value and really good performance. I try to use plastic spatulas and avoid steel wool but otherwise I'm not very careful.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GWG0T2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There is a t fal non stick pan on Amazon. It's cheap and has an overwhelming amount of reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Nonstick-Cookware-Thermo-Spot-Indicator/dp/B000GWG0T2?crid=29PF1W4J2I0R0&keywords=tfal+professional+nonstick&qid=1537432909&sprefix=T+fal&sr=8-4&ref=mp_s_a_1_4

Vollrath is also a good name that can be found at a kitchen supply house. Our kitchens at work use exclusively Vollrath and the chef said they replace their non stick about once a year. Which being used in a commercial kitchen is pretty impressive.

I don't know about other brands, but I know Le Creuset sells a multifunction pot where the lid is a skillet and you place it upside-down onto a base that turns it into a dutch oven. The bigger one is like $350. (I used to work there.)

OP: I'd go with a dutch oven and a cheap nonstick. The nonstick will barely weigh anything and should be relatively small (I wouldn't go bigger than 10") so it should be portable. The nonstick is a small addition for way more convenience.

Edit: Boom, Lodge multifunction. Best $30 you'll ever spend.

Got this after America's Test Kitchen ranked it best non-stick skillet, hasn't let me down yet:

T-fal E93808 Professional Nonstick Oven Safe Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Fry Pan / Saute Pan Dishwasher Safe Cookware, 12-Inch, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_g5PExbB45FJ3S

Which 12" skillet are you using? the lodge L10SK3? I believe that clocks in around 8.5 lbs

There are several lighter alternatives that are still cast iron.

Here's one example at ~4lbs
http://www.amazon.com/ExcelSteel-Inch-super-lightweight-frypan/dp/B0010D6RMG

CI did a review of several of them but found the performance extremely uneven; but you may be able to adapt to their properties.

The best alternative to maintain all of the properties you're looking for would be an uncoated carbon steel pan. You season and care for it similarly to cast iron and it develops a similar non-stick coating.

As long as you get a model with a metal handle it can handle the same amount of stovetop-to-oven traffic as your cast iron.

Just as with cast iron, the thicker the carbon steel pan, the more heat retention it will have and the more even the heat will tend to be; but at the expense of weight and responsiveness.

Here are a few examples:

http://www.amazon.com/DeBuyer-Mineral-Element-Frypan-Round/dp/B00462QP0W

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-CRS12-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet-12-inch/dp/B005U93RYW

http://www.amazon.com/World-Cuisine-Black-Steel-Frying/dp/B001KZHF1G

Here's some approximate specifications I was able to dig up

• WC: 1.5mm thick, ~2-3lbs (~2 for 10", over 3 for 12.5"
  
• debuyer mineral B: 2.5mm-3mm thick ~4lbs 10", ~5.75lbs 12"
  
• lodge: 2.64mm thick, ~3lbs 10", ~4 lbs 12"
  
  [edit] It looks like the de buyer mineral b pan has a silicone button on the end that will likely be bad for putting under the broiler, but couldn't find any manufacturer recommendations for oven temperature or if you can just pop the thing off.

Great job! If you get really into it look for a lodge, cast iron duo pot/lid to get the best crust on that bread you could imagine.

Lodge 3 Quart Cast Iron Combo Cooker. Pre-seasoned Cast Iron Skillet, Fryer, Dutch... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_ipDCCbNX8KY63

http://pinchmysalt.com/baking-from-tartine-bread/

My wife has been into this for a few years now, and we are never devoid of crispy, crackly bread!

Lodge. I'm a little confused as to what you meant by your second question, but I needed a cast iron skillet, that's what they had at City Target, and I'd heard good things about Lodge! I've been using a lot of olive oil, but it's making lovely food.

Have you considered a seasoned cast iron skillet?
The Lodge ones are cheap and will last forever if you wash them properly after use.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00006JSUA/

I got one of these 7 years ago after a few years of wasting money on the usual variety of non-stick pans and its still going strong.

You need to take a little care in how you clean it after use, but its great to cook with.

Sure! Those were the only two pictures I took, unfortunately, but...

I used about a 60/40 mix of lean ground beef/pork. To the mix I added a bit of cayenne, one large clove of garlic (pressed) and two beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper and mix that shit up. With your hands.

Cover the meat and put it in the fridge for the moment while you chop up 1 green bell pepper (or any color, really) and one sweet onion. You can chop them however you like. Fry them up in a cast iron pan if you have one (if you don't, do yourself a favor). Season with salt and pepper then lay them out to cool on a sheet of parchment paper.

While the veggies are cooling, make your bacon lattice (it's easy, don't worry), one pack of bacon did it for me.

Take the meat out of the fridge and put it into a gallon sized ziploc bag, get as much air out as you can, then flatten it down so it fills up the whole bag in a sheet. Cut one side off of the bag so the meat is exposed, lay down your cheese and veggies, then roll that bitch up.

Being careful not to rip it or tear it apart anywhere, lay it onto one side of the bacon lattice and roll it so the bacon wraps just all the way around.

I put mine in the fridge for a few hours at this point and got the BGE set up for indirect cooking at about 275. Lay on some smoking chips of your choice (I used apple) then cook until it reaches at least 165 internally. Mine took about 1.5 hours, maybe a bit less.

This is just what I used in mine, but you can really fill it with anything you want; it's quite a versatile dish. Happy smoking and share your results!

I just got my first All Clad pan (saute style, vertical sides) off eBay; a little scratched up but only paid $85 shipped. It is a beautiful pan. If you dig deep enough in the reviews the one thing people hate or tolerate about them are the handles; why they don't have a top is beyond me. I am not too picky so am fine with it but they are pretty bad. I then found myself in need of a small saucepot and tried out the Cooks Standard line - very inexpensive tri ply and I am very impressed by the quality and ergonomics. Personally I'd pay less then half and get this and spend the rest of your money on something else, like more cookware or a nice japanese knife or cutting board.

I love this miniature skillet. It’s so tiny and cute.

Edit: someone already said tiny skillet!!!! So I’m changing mine to gem-shaped candy/gelatin molds

Agreed with the other poster here, I've had no problems with a Le Creuset enamel Dutch oven at high heat. Generally the handles are the least durable; the stock plastic ones are rated to ~450° iirc.

I bought a Lodge combo cooker Dutch oven for baking, and love it. The low sides on the skillet top make loading a loaf and scoring it super easy. I burned my hand once wrangling a sticky, difficult loaf into my high sided Dutch oven. Here's a link to the lodge [dutch oven](Lodge LCC3 Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Combo Cooker, 3.2-Quart https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8sFYxbAPY4PN1).

I trust Lodge to make good pre-seasoned cast iron. For the most part Amazon.ca has prices that are reasonable enough for me since I already have prime for the free shipping - http://www.amazon.ca/Lodge-LMS3-3-5-Inch-Miniature-Skillet/dp/B000LXA9YI/

> I got a water heater for Christmas. So did my husband. :P

I have it on good authority that I'm getting this. But it's sort of like Kittendaddy is getting it too, because we'll both benefit! 😹

NICE. I wish I had had more patience for searching out used pieces. I gave in and bought some that I'm sure is sweat-shop produced in China because I am a grocery store person.

I ended up buying this stock pot:
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/salt-stainless-steel-stock-pot/3305769?poc=226082&skuId=46799784

Skillet:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055Q2CX2/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_x_2_w

And both sizes of this saucepan:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00421AYIG/ref=s9_acsd_al_bw_c_x_4_w

I kept a cast iron griddle and skillet, as well as one non-stick skillet for eggs. I got rid of all of the rest of it and haven't looked back. The stainless is SO MUCH nicer than my hard-anodized non-stick giant wedding set with useless cookware sizes.

$40 Chef's Knife

$15 Cutting Board

$40 Cast Iron Dutch Oven

$10 Stainless Steel Cooking Utensils

$99 Food Processor

$205 is the best I could do.. you could probably get a cheaper cutting board.. but.. that was the best large plastic one I could find..

I've been putting together a birthday/Christmas gift list...

• Outlier Nycos
  
• Taylor Stitch Townsend denim
  
• Booze (Bulleit Bourbon)
  
• Wool socks
  
• Gift cards to BB, J. Crew
  
• Kiva microloan (try it free!)
  
• A decent camp knife
  
• Cast-iron frying pan
  
• Good kitchen tongs
  
• Paracord
  
• Any hobby stuff - for me it's ski goggles, ski lessons, firearms course fees, rifle locker, etc.

I'm using the lodge cast iron combo cooker and I really like it. It is good because you can bake with it upside down, like a bread oven cloche (using the bottom on the top acting as a large domed lid).

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cooker-Pre-seasoned-Skillet-Convertible/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?adgrpid=57694863284&hvadid=274716765092&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9022196&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4040917449113359869&hvtargid=kwd-302136551955&keywords=lodge+combo+cooker&qid=1555722764&s=gateway&sr=8-2

Ha! I probably have the least manly/cool wishlist ever.

The manliest thing on my list is probably this cast iron skillet.

The manliest thing I've probably ever done was change my tire on the side of the road. I was pretty damn proud :)

If you want a good inexpensive non teflon pan that will last forever I suggest a lodge cast iron skillet.

This dutch oven has a lid that doubles as a 10" skillet.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LCC3-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-Cooker/dp/B0009JKG9M/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1394343050&sr=1-1&keywords=lodge+cast+iron

If you like the dutch oven you might want to consider the reversible griddle/grill.

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Single-Burner-Reversible-Griddle-10-5-inch/dp/B000E1WA7Q/ref=sr_1_47?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1394343097&sr=1-47&keywords=lodge+cast+iron

10" is a good size for cooking for one or two people. The 12" pans are a lot heavier and so i tend to stick with the 10" unless i really need the surface area, and then i often use the griddle.

I decided to stalk /u/call_mecthulhu's wishlist. Fun fact about /u/call_mecthulhu, they have a lot of the same interests as me and I even added some items (SFW and NSFW) =P to my wishlist because of their wishlists. =D

I noticed this was listed as a highest priority, but since that is practical and not fun...I'll also say this or this.

...I always feel like somebody's watching meee...

Solution: Buy a cast iron pan for ~$20 on amazon/craigslist.
$20 is a small investment for great steaks every time.
If you have a religious belief that prevents you from using cast iron, you could always try broiling:

http://thepauperedchef.com/2006/11/is_broiling_a_s.html

A regular pan can't get hot enough to sear steak well. Myself, I like a thick cut of sirloin or new york strip which is seared on the outside for 2 mins/side and rare in the center.

p.s. 10 inches is about right for cast iron. Any bigger and it will take a long time to heat.


http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-4-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1256169569&sr=8-4

Amazon was a bit less than $30CAD when I ordered it for a 10" Lodge preseasoned shipped to my hands. It's been excellent. I'd imagine it'll be cheaper in the states.

EDIT: Oh I see you're a Canuck! Also check out the camping section of Canadian Tire. I saw a fantastic size I want there 7" which is awesome for when I work nights and I can cook myself breakfast like a brekky wrap or shakshuka or whatever, it was like $15.99, but I can't remember how much the bigger ones were.

It can be found for less money.

I love mine, use it constantly. I love that the lid doubles as a skillet.

If cast iron is too heavy, get a carbon steel pan. It too gets seasoned like a cast iron, and is great for searing.

Like this Lodge Logic model.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-CRS12-Skillet-Pre-Seasoned-12-inch/dp/B005U93RYW

Below is the recipe - I also added broccoli :

Ingredients -

• 1 package super firm tofu
  
• 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
  
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  
• green onions for garnish
  
• rice for serving
  
  Instructions -
  
  
• Remove tofu from packaging. Place about 4 paper towels on a plate. Set tofu on top of plate and cover with more paper towels. Place a cast iron pan or something else that is heavy on top. Let sit 30 minutes.
  
• In a medium bowl, stir together Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
  
• Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces. Place in bowl with sauce and toss to coat. Let sit 30 minutes.
  
• Heat olive oil in a medium cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once really hot, add tofu. Once nicely seared on the bottom, flip over. Continue to cook until seared on bottom.
  
• Drizzle with sesame oil and remove from heat.
  
• Sprinkle with green onions and serve with rice.

I would recommend this since the shallow skillet is perfect to use as the base. Easy to score when the bread is in it too.