Hellobee Boards

We have junky ones right now, but I think our next set will be calphalon. My dad has them and they are the bomb..... and yes, I just said the bomb.

as a great alternative to all clad, we got the cuisinart multiclad. they're awesome & so much less $$$$. all the reviews we read of them were glowing, so we were pretty sure we'd be happy with them. we also have a cuisinart green gourmet nonstick for scrambling eggs and a lodge cast iron that i love. here's the amazon link for the multiclad ones, i highly recommend them!

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP-12-MultiClad-Stainless-12-Piece/dp/B0007KQZWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353957205&sr=8-1&keywords=cuisinart+tri+ply

@hilsy85: I have both sizes, but I tend to use the 3qt. more because I like to put a lot of stuff in my soups and noodles, and even my pasta sauces. If only using for actual "sauces" the smaller size is fine. It more so depends on what you cook a lot?

Same thing with the stock pots. I tend to make BIG batches of soups and stews, etc, so I always fill up the whole pot! 8qt might be kind of big for most people's needs. But I use my 6 1/2" Calphalon all the time. The dutch oven I have says 12 1/4"?

I think that we have this set
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=119173&RN=398&

2 years old and in great condition still. Can be put in the dishwasher but we don't. We also have some stainless steel pans, and a cast iron that we use all the time.

@hilsy85: I know. The price point hurts a bit, I agree. We have two - one was a very generous gift, and one was a gift to me from my husband because he had been traveling for work so much. They could take the place of a few pans, IMO.

@hilsy85: I've also seen Le Creusets at my TJMaxx HomeGoods and they have outlets if you have one nearby! I admit I had to get my Staub one over a LeCresuet because of the color and the little coq au vin design. But from all my research, both brands are top notch!

@hilsy85: My 8 qt. is a Williams Sonoma brand one that comes with double steamers. I got it a looong time ago on sale and it rarely gets used except for when I'm making a big vat of chicken soup or something for a party. It's all stainless steel, so not as heavy as the dutch oven, but it's a bear to wash. Like @chopsuey119: said, probably a piece my MIL is more likely to use.

@aprk: Nice gifts! I've got to go check out what a brasier is now! I don't think I have one of those yet! P.S. I love kitchen stuff. lol

yay for new pots and pans!

we have mostly all-clad (stainless steel) and le creuset.

for all-clad, we have a 12-inch skillet, 10-inch nonstick, 4-quart saute pan, 4-quart stockpot, and a 4-quart saucepan (the saucepan is repetitive of the stockpot and i could do without it). the ones i use the most: 12-inch skillet, 4 quart saute pan, and 4-quart stockpot.

i also have a tall 6-quart calphalon stockpot that i mainly use to cook long pasta.

for le creuset, i have a 4.5 quart and 6 quart. the 4.5 quart is my workhorse. i use the 6 quart rarely (maybe twice in 2 years?).

oh, we also have a 2 or 3-quart cuisinart saucepan for smaller things.

We have the Rachael Ray set, too!

It definitely depends on how/what you cook; I make large quantities of Korean soups so my large stockpot was a must but other people might never use it!

All-Clad stainless steel:
3 qt, 4 qt, 8qt
10" nonstick, 12", 4qt saute/simmer pan
roaster

Le Creuset:
2 qt, 4.5 qt

If I could add anything it would be a 2 qt saucepan for making single servings.

@shopaholic: the brasiers are great. http://cookware.lecreuset.com/cookware/product_5-qt.-Braiser_10151_-1_20002_59120_21058 shallower, but wider, than the dutch ovens. I think mine is 3.5 qt.

We have Calphalon contemporary stainless steel- I think the 10 piece set plus a couple extras I got. They are on the heavy side but cook really well and evenly.

I have these Paula Deen ones, I LOVE them- they were pretty inexpensive but have worked great and look so good! I have everything pictured, plus the huge pot, in Robins Egg (blue)

We have both All-Clad and Le Creuset. For Le Creuset we have the small, medium, and large (3, 5, and 8qt I think?) dutch ovens. The large one is really heavy and we don't really use it that often. But in general the quality of Le Creuset is great and I think definitely worth the investment!

I don't love our All-Clad pots because the handles are long and the pots themselves are really heavy so they're hard to maneuver. But no, the handles don't get hot, which is nice. I love our All-Clad pans even though I get a work out every time I pull one out of the cabinet! We also use All-Clad for our pasta and stock pots, and love them!

Boy, I feel like such a nerd waxing poetic about my kitchen supplies.

By the way, I've been seeing a TON of Le Creuset at Marshall's lately so you might luck out there!

@hilsy85: It sounds like you have whittled things down pretty well already if you're going just with that list above.

As for replacing your fry pans, I'd suggest a steel frypan, like those made by De Buyer or Matfer. You treat it as if it was a cast iron pan, so it builds a natural non-stick coating...but it is much lighter than cast iron. Won't be as light as the cheapie aluminum fry pans, but it gives great feel and will last years longer.

Just to add to my earlier post, I pretty much cook everything in 2qt saucepans, so much so that I have 4 of them! If I'm searing/roasting/frying, then I use my steel fry pans. My favorite of which is a 12.5"x9" oval pan. (I also have a more "normal" 10" round fry pan) It's probably unwieldy for most people, but I love that it can sear as well as double as a whole chicken roasting pan without needing a separate roasting pan.