Cast iron cookware are great for cooking because they are inexpensive, durable, and high heat resistant. If you are willing to spend time to care for your cast iron cookware, it will give you delight in cooking for generations!

Season it
When you get the new cast iron cookware, you’ll need to season it before the first use, unless it came pre-seasoned, like those by Lodge Logic.

Scrub the cookware thoroughly with soap water and an abrasive sponge. Dry it with a paper towel and then let it sit on a burning stove until it is bone dry. A simple way would be to pour a bit of cooking oil to coat the surface and leave it for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess oil with a paper towel.

If you want to be more thorough, coat the whole cookware with oil (take care not to burn your fingers if it’s hot), then place it in the oven bottom up, and switch on the oven to 350 degrees F. Let it bake for an hour and then leave it to cool in the oven before removing it.

Season your cast iron cookware regularly to keep it a better ‘non stick’ than coated cookware.

Avoid Rust
Iron will rust when it is exposed to water. But this doesn’t mean you cannot wash your cast iron cookware. You can wash with soap water and don’t use abrasive scrubbers unless you are planning to season it right after. Remember never to soak it in water, soapy or otherwise.

After washing, immediately dry it with a paper towel and let it sit on burning stove until it is dry all over. Store cast iron cookware without the lid on to avoid condensation which will cause rust. If you store them in a cabinet, I suggest storing them together with a roll of paper towel. The paper towel will keep the humidity low.

If you find rust on the cookware, scrub it off with shortening, and remember to season it afterward.

Don’t Do These
Don’t run a hot cast iron cookware under the tap. It’ll break! Always leave the cookware to cool before washing them.

Don’t store food in cast iron cookware. It’ll destroy the seasoning and the iron will leak into the food causing it to taste metallic. It’ll also cause rust.

Don’t use cast iron cookware to cook acidic foods like tomatoes and food with citrus fruit juice (lemon juice, etc.). The food acids will destroy the seasoning.

Don’t wash your cast iron cookware in a dishwasher. They cannot be soaked in water, remember?

Keep these in mind and your cast iron pans and pots will last you forever.

Other tips on cookware maintenance can be found in my Best Cookware Set blog, such as how to care for copper cookware and how to care for non stick cookware.

Tags: Cookware Guide // Add Comment »

Copper cookware is expensive, but known for its amazing heat conductivity that will let you control the temperature precisely. Many professionals use copper cookware for its quick and uniform heat to cook with perfection. But copper cookware is also known for its beauty.

When you take the whole set of copper cookware out of the box, you might even feel reluctant to use them because they shine so nicely in your kitchen! Don’t worry, here are some tips for you to keep that pretty shine even after a lot of use.

Copper is a curious material that will discolor if it is highly exposed to heat and water. So since cookware is exposed to both all the time, you will need to take some action to bring back the shine.

To Remove Marks
If you like the natural patina on the cookware that develops over time, just remove the stains with hot soapy water. For stubborn marks, apply ketchup or tomato paste on the surface and rinse off after a few minutes.

To Bring Back Shine
Use 1/4 cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of coarse salt to make a paste. Rub this paste onto the copper surface of the cookware with a soft sponge or dish cloth. Then rinse it off with hot water.

To Make it Very Shiny
Polish your copper cookware with a proprietary cleaner like Radiance or Never Dull.

Copper cookware are usually lined with other metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. If they are, only apply the above methods on the copper surface. Clean the lining the normal way.

Don’t use abrasive scourers on copper cookware, like stiff brushes and steel wool. The surface will be scratched. Don’t wash copper cookware in a dishwasher if you can help it.

Even if you don’t care about copper cookware looking good, it’s important to keep it from discoloring too, because if the copper develop dark blotches it will become hot spots that will burn the food that is cooked.

Find out which is the best copper cookware set here, and check out this wonderful Calphalon Copper Triply 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan.

Read more tips on how to care for cast iron cookware and how to care for non stick cookware, or go to my Best Cookware Set main page.

Tags: Cookware Guide // Add Comment »

Normally there are skillets, saucepans and stockpots in a cookware set, but there are many types of cookware used for different purposes. You can buy any of these to add to your cookware set.

Griddle – A flat pan with tiny sides used for grilling omelets, pancakes, hamburger patties, etc. Griddles come in round or square shapes.

Skillet/Frying pan – A pan with flat bottom and short sides used for frying and sauteing. The short but not minimal sides make it easy to turn food to the other side with a turner or spatula. Non stick skillets are a favorite with people who want a diet with less fat.

Grill pan – A type of skillet with ridges on the surface for the fat to drain away from the food and collect around the rims.

Saute pan – A pan like a skillet with straight instead of flared sides, used for sauteing foods. It has a long handle and a short handle, and often includes a glass cover.

Braising pan – A round pan with two short handles, a heavy glass lid and flat bottom, used for braising and can be placed in the oven for casseroles.

Saucepan – A round pot with high sides and a long handle, used for making sauces, heating soup, cooking noodles, and many other purposes. Some of them have rounded sides while others have straight sides. Some of them have a pouring spout. Some of them include a lid as well.

Stockpot – A tall, round pot with straight sides and two short handles. This is used for cooking a large amount of chili, stew, soup or stock, or boiling pasta. Comes with a cover.

Dutch oven – Something like a stockpot, only wider instead of taller. Can be used for cooking stews and chilis, and is very popular for camping use.

Wok – A pan that is bowl shaped with either a rounded bottom or a flat bottom. There are two short handles and some include a cover. It is a pan of Asian origin and can be used for stir-frying, sauteing, deep frying and steaming with a metal rack placed across it.

Stir-fry pan/Chef’s pan – A deep round pan which is not unlike the wok, but slightly smaller with one short and one long handle instead of two short ones. It is good for stir-frying and sauteing.

After reading up on the different types of cookware, do you want to get them one by one or a whole set at once? See what I have to recommend for cookware sets here:

• Best Stainless Steel Cookware Set
• Best Copper Cookware Set
• Best Hard Anodized Cookware Set
• Best Cast Iron Cookware Set

Or go back to the Best Cookware Set main page here.

Tags: Cookware Guide // Add Comment »

KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 10-Piece Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set

KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 10-Piece Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set

• 10-piece cookware set includes 1-, 2-, and 3-quart covered saucepans; 8- and 10-inch skillets; 6-quart covered stockpot
• Heavy-gauge hard-anodized aluminum construction heats quickly and evenly
• Premium, scratch-resistant nonstick surface provides superior food release
• Dual-riveted stainless handles with silicone grips; break-resistant glass lids
• Pots and lids oven-safe to 400 degrees F; wash by hand; 1-year hassle-free replacement warranty

Truly Non-stick
If you’re looking for a set of nonstick cookware, the KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 10-Piece Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set is awesome. Only add oil or butter if it is needed for flavoring. You will not need cooking spray when cooking with this set, and nothing sticks!

In fact, you should NOT use cooking spray on this set. The non stick coating will degrade and spoil if you do. The food never sticks to the pan, not even sticky rice or fried fish.

“NOTHING sticks to this cookware. everything seems to just slide right off. I mean even water on these pans beads right up!” – M. Bomhoff

Easy to Clean, but No Dishwasher
That means that it is very easy to clean the pots and pans as well. Remember to clean without using harsh scrubby to protect the non stick coating, and only to clean by hand. No dishwasher cleaning for this set. This could be a negative for some people who hate doing dishes.

But the only grudge I would have found with this cookware set is that the smallest skillet tips when it’s on the stove empty. That’s because the handle is slightly heavier than the pan itself.

Other than that, this KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 10-Piece Hard-Anodized Cookware Set is just the right set of cookware for medium size families, the handles are riveted and wrapped for a comfortable cool grip, and KitchenAid is a great company to buy from.

Other hard anodized cookware worth mentioning are the Rachael Ray 10-Piece Hard-Anodized Cookware Set and KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 12-Piece Hard-Anodized Cookware Set. Get the WearEver Premium Hard-Anodized 10-Inch Saute Pan to go with your cookware set, because it’s the best frying pan that I like.

My Best Cookware Set main page has more tips and reviews.

Tags: KitchenAid Cookware // Add Comment »

The Calphalon Copper Triply 2-½-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Stainless Lid is crafted with precision to deliver premium performance.

Great Performance

As its name suggested, the saucepan is constructed by bonding three difference metals together. Its copper exterior does not only contribute to its warm and classic look but also the best heat conductor. Then there’s the pure, heavy-gauge aluminum in the saucepan’s inner core. The combination of two of the three metals results in the premium performance of the saucepan. This will sear and brown food quickly with all the control that you need.

The interior of the Calphalon Copper Triply 2-½-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Stainless Lid is made from stainless steel. It will not tarnish or react to highly acidic food. Personally, I like that it is highly reflective so that I could see the color and texture changes and judge how the food is cooking. All three metals are bonded under extreme pressure into a disk and then drawn into its shape so that all of the walls are equally thick.

Ergonomically Designed

The Calphalon Copper Triply 2-½-Quart Shallow Saucepan with Stainless Lid is designed to work effortlessly. Thanks to the Cool-V design, the handles will stay cool on the stove so that you will not burn yourselves while cooking. Plus, the handles are secured by heavy duty stainless steel rivets. I love that the rims are flared so transferring stew and soups from the saucepan to the serving dish are easy and non-messy.

Maintaining the saucepan is easy – just don’t put it in the dishwasher as the detergent is too harsh and would tarnish the copper. To restore the shine, all you need to do is polish your copper cookware with a paste made from 1 ½ cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of coarse salt with a sponge or dishcloth. Rinse it in hot water afterwards.

The lifetime warrantied Calphalon Copper Triply 2-1/2-Quart Shallow Saucepan is a great buy! Amazon has some great deals on it from time to time.

Copper cookware is always attractive when you buy it but you’ll need to know how to care for copper cookware so that they keep on looking nice in your kitchen. Otherwise you might be better off buying a set of stainless steel cookware or hard anodized cookware that don’t need a lot of polishing.

Find out more in my Best Cookware Set blog.

Tags: Calphalon Cookware // Add Comment »

If you are looking to add on to your existing collection of cookware, the Calphalon DS9DC will be a great addition. This five-star cookware set has among the few amazing pieces from Calphalon at an excellent price.

Calphalon DS9DC Commercial 9-Piece Hard-Anodized Cookware Set

Heat Up Quickly

All of the pots and pans in the set are either spun or drawn into shape to ensure that the thickness of the pan are even all over and thus guarantee even heating throughout. Like cast iron pans, anodized aluminum will heat up rapidly, possibly faster than cast iron since aluminum is a better heat conductor. Another plus of having anodized surfaced pans is that they will not rust within time. Should this happens, well, you can always make a claim from Calphalon any time because the set has a lifetime warranty.

Due to the hard anodized surface, the Calphalon DS9DC will have food sticking on it when you want it i.e. when you’re browning or searing the ingredients and releases the food once it is cook thoroughly. Be reminded that these pans are not non-stick pans. These pans are meant to give you those delicious crusts when you’re browning your chicken or making thin crepes! If you’re not used to this, either stick to traditional non-stick pans or make sure you cook at a low to medium heat to prevent food from burning.

Easy Cleanup

With this set of cookware, caring for them is a breeze. One, you don’t need to oil/season the pans. Two, you will only need water and a small amount of dish detergent to clean small mess. If there’s food sticking on the surface and is too stubborn to part with the pan, all you need to do is soak the stain with water. It should lift off the surface easily after that.

Personally, the combination of pots and pans in the Calphalon Commercial 9-Piece Hard-Anodized Cookware Set is not really desirable for first time owners. However, it would be great to add this set to your existing collection. The price for this set is known to fluctuate, so time your purchase to get the best deal!

If you like this Calphalon cookware set, maybe you’d like to check out these also:

• Best Hard Anodized Cookware Set
• Rachael Ray 10-Piece Hard-Anodized Cookware Set
• Calphalon Tri-ply Cooper 10 Piece Cookware Set
• Simply Calphalon Stainless 10-Piece Cookware Set

Or go back to my home page of Best Cookware Set.

Tags: Calphalon Cookware // 1 Comment »

If you are looking for a set of cookware to use everyday or as a gift, this Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Non-stick Hard-anodized 17-piece Set will be suitable for you.

Complete Combination

Of all the cookware sets I’ve seen, I would say that this set has everything that you would need on a regular basis. The two skillets are great for fixing breakfast foods like fluffy pancakes or crispy bacon and sunny side eggs while the saucepans are great for cooking your dinner menu like rice and steamed veggies. These are among the pots and pans in the set which includes two inserts; one is an all-purpose covered steamer and the other is a deeper pasta insert.

You may think that with these entire pieces, storing it will be a nightmarish experience. Well, the set doesn’t need much space when stored away properly. Of course, to prevent any damage on the surfaces, she makes sure that when she stacks them up together, she put the cardboard pieces from the box in between the pots and pans.

Fast Cooking

The pieces in the Cuisinart 66-17 Chef’s Classic definitely heats up much faster than most other cookware. There’s a learning curve with this one; you might burn the first piece of bacon you cook with one of the skillets but soon you’ll be a pro at controlling the amount of heat. In my own experience while cooking in her kitchen, the stockpot gets water boiling in more or less five minutes. Cooking pasta with the deeper insert was fast and I needn’t need a colander to drain out the pasta! Hooray for less cleaning up!

I believe that the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 17-Piece Cookware Set is a great gift to give – to someone else or even for you!

Hard anodized cookware are quite good for non stick cooking, and while you’re at it check out this best non stick hard anodized frying pan to go with your cookware set. Other excellent hard anodized cookware set include the Rachael Ray 10-Piece Hard-Anodized Cookware Set and good value comes with KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 10-Piece Nonstick Hard-Anodized Cookware Set.

Back to my Best Cookware Set page here.

Tags: Cuisinart Cookware // Add Comment »

When one of your favorite food is pancake, this Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 10 ½ Inch Round Griddle is the most delightful piece of cookware to have.

Makes the Best Pancakes

Although my cast iron skillet works just as well, this ½ inch deep round griddle is much more efficient and easy to use for pancakes and omelets, because the spatula can be easily slipped underneath to flip them over.

Cast iron cookware is just wonderful for frying. Nothing sticks! I’ve made stacks and stacks of pancakes and this is way better than non-stick Teflon. Especially when it’s also non-toxic.

This Lodge Logic Round Griddle can be used straightaway because it is pre-seasoned but some would like to do their own seasoning before using.
I find it no trouble at all to re-season this griddle after every use, though some folks who’d rather use the dishwasher for everything should think twice before buying this. Tell you what, the perfect pancakes are really worth the effort.

I just use this griddle for pancakes and omelets but others have found it useful for rotis, chapattis, tortillas, dosas, quesadillas, crepes, bacon, eggs and even pizza. Since it is oven-safe up to 500 F degrees I imagine it’d make a very good pizza pan.

As the whole griddle is made of cast iron, even the handle, mittens must be used to hold it when it has heated up. This might be a downside for some, but I wouldn’t expect anything else of this griddle since it’s meant to go into the oven.

This Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 10-1/2-Inch Round Griddle is flat and easy to store away too. I just hang it up on the kitchen wall!

You may also like to read my reviews on other cast iron cookware such as:

• Lodge Pro-logic 14-inch Cast-iron Wok
• Lodge Logic 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet
• Lodge Enamel Cast-iron Apple Pot

Reviews and recommendations in my Best Cookware Set main page here.

Tags: Lodge Cookware // Add Comment »

The Lodge Pro-Logic 14-Inch Cast-Iron Wok is great for cooks who rely heavily on woks – especially those who are ardent Asian cuisine fans! This wok will not only help you produce the most mouth-watering dishes but also will last for a very long time.

Even Heating

This wok is one of the best woks that I’ve ever used in my kitchen because it heats fast and even. Its flat bottom ensures that heat is transferred quickly from the burner to the wok, spreading through the sides of the wok. In the meantime, the cast iron ensures that heat is well retained. This is so important when you are stir frying, simmering and braising. You will never get uneven cooked food ever again!

It comes out of the box ready to be used. The pre-oiled cast iron makes cooking with the Lodge Pro-Logic 14-Inch Cast-Iron Wok easy and healthy. You will no longer need a large amount of oil to start cooking your dish! You will also need not to worry about food sticking to the wok’s surface thanks to this innovative pre-oiled cast iron!

Sturdy and Safe

This wok will last even if you use it very regularly. The surface will not peel of chip off! If it does, you can always report to the manufacturer and get a new one since it comes with a lifetime warranty! There will be no issue with the manufacturer if you need new parts or a totally new product! It is also safe to use thanks to the flat bottom that will keep it from sliding off from the burner!

Do be reminded that the Lodge Pro-Logic 14-Inch Cast-Iron Wok needs more maintenance than your normal anodize aluminum cookware. Use hot water and a stiff brush, then dry it off before rubbing the surface with oil. It needs extra work but it is very worth it! Head to Amazon.com to check for any price deals!

Other Lodge cast iron cookware I have reviewed include Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned 10-1/2-Inch Round Griddle and Lodge Enamel Cast-iron Apple Pot.
You can find my reviews for other types of cookware in my Best Cookware Set home page too.

Tags: Lodge Cookware // Add Comment »

Are you looking for a sturdy, high-end fry pan? This All-Clad Stainless-steel Fry Pan has a three-ply structure consisting of a thick core of pure aluminum that capable of consistent and even heat distribution sandwiched between layers of stainless steel.

Premium performance

I always believe to the adage “You get what you pay for.” For the price you’re paying for the All-Clad Stainless-Steel Fry Pan, you will get nothing less than premium performance. You will get dependable, even heating from the aluminum core. The solid stainless steel surrounding the aluminum core results is the best cooked meals AND it will look just like the day you bought it even after years of use.

I love the All-Clad Stainless-Steel Fry Pan for shallow frying, sautéing and browning. It will retain the flavor and moisture of the food much better than any other pans, resulting in a mouth-watering dish. All I need to do when I want a pan-fried breaded fish fillet is drizzle some oil, put the breaded fillet into the pan and wait until the pan “let go” of the food, which indicates that the fish (or anything really) is perfectly cooked on one side.

Pop the pan into the oven after you’ve seasoned and browned any types of meats to oven-cook it. Other than being oven-safe, it is definitely easy to wash! However, the handles will get hot despite the stay-cool handles.

Easy to clean

Some people are just lazy to wash dishes by hand so the good people at All Clad made these pans dishwasher safe. However, it is always best to wash your premium pans by hand. All you need is your regular liquid detergent and dish cloth/sponge. Do not use harsh, steel-based cleaning scrubbers to clean your pans though – it will just ruin the aluminum core.

The All-Clad Stainless-Steel Fry Pan is an excellent cookware and it makes a wonderful investment. To get the best price, just click away to Amazon.com!

If this stainless steel fry pan delights you, you will certainly like this All-Clad Stainless 9-Piece Cookware Set. I have reviewed many other sets of stainless steel cookware such as Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Cookware Set and KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials Cookware Set

Look for other types of cookware in my Best Cookware Set blog too.

Tags: All-Clad Cookware // 1 Comment »