[lace-chat] cookware for daughter
Thanks to everyone for their sage advice! Devon ** See what's new at http://www.aol.com To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace-chat] cookware for daughter
My Farberware has naked aluminum on the bottoms, and the Revereware is only plated with copper. The Farberware is light to pick up, but nice and heavy on the bottom where it counts. Several years ago, I bought two Farberware saucepans and put my very expensive complete set of solid-aluminum cookware out by the road with a sign that said free. One of the saucepans came with a double boiler, the other with a steamer: exactly the same as the double boiler, but perforated. I don't use either much, but the stainless- steel steamer is indispensable when I make yogurt dip for my Fourth of July party. (Dump whole-milk yogurt in the top, set in fridge, come back the next day to find dip in the steamer and whey in the saucepan. Whey can be substituted for buttermilk in most recipes, and it's a tasty drink if you can't see it.) I also have a five-quart Farberware pot and a six-quart Revereware pot. I used to carry the Revereware pot half-full of fruit salad to pitch-in dinners; since it was tall and narrow, the salad didn't spill. But I don't live close to a fruit stand now, and take deviled eggs to pitch-ins. I also use the Revereware pot for bean soup, set over a very low fire because it hot-spots. Oddly, the lowest possible setting gets it to boiling too much after a couple of hours; then I set it in a cast-iron skillet to moderate the heat. (Oddly, because smaller pots don't boil at all at that setting.) I use the Farberware pot for everything else; mostly for steaming corn (I have one of those folds-up-like-a-flower steamer racks to set in it), since there are only two of us and I seldom need a big pot. I used to use the five-quart pot for the annual pot of cocoa, but we moved and the bike club won't drive a thousand miles for the New Year's Day ride. It won't hold a whole gallon of milk, what with stirring and the other ingredients, so I used to fill my Blue Denmark milk jug [quart pitcher] before pouring the rest of the gallon into the pot, intending for the guests to dilute the cocoa, but they liked it strong. I also have a large collection of ironware: the older the better for ironware. As the years passed, the walls of cast iron got thicker and heavier, the grinding-smooth of the inside was done less carefully and then stopped altogether, and the curve between the side of a skillet and the bottom got sharper and harder to clean. But even the new stuff is usable --- if you totally ignore the utterly-ridiculous seasoning instructions that come with it. Aside from filling the house with toxic fumes, it puts on a thick coat of soft soot where what you need is a thin coat of hard varnish. Just keep the pot oiled, wipe it with a paper towel before and after every use, and the season will come of itself. And before using a new pot, or an old one that you don't know where it's been, scour *thoroughly* with harsh abrasives, boil water in it, and then scour some more. When we cleaned out the garage after moving in, we found a round iron griddle. It seems to have been intended for a bed of coals and is utterly useless on top of a stove, but it's the best baking dish I ever had! It's just the right size to bake a pizza on, and is just the ticket for frozen fried chicken and other convenience foods. (Sob. The doctor banned junk food. But I still make a stoneground- wheat pizza now and again. Hey, everything in there is on my diet; I'm just not supposed to eat so much bread and cheese and so little vegetable.) I have a set of skillets: two each of tiny, small, and full size, and one medium. I left the *big* one hanging on a nail in the old house; while useful for boiling down tomato sauce, it was a very poor design intended to look like a standard skillet, and you couldn't lift it by its single handle. It should have had two ear-type handles. Only the full-size skillet has a lid; I use the paired skillets as lids for each other. I do wish I'd gotten around to looking for lids at Wallace-Armor before they went broke! The skillet lid came with my widest and shallowest iron pot, which I sometimes use as a deep skillet. My other pots were found in the garage, and most don't have lids, and the one that does is quite small. I recently acquired a dutch oven, with the intention of making bean soup on the outdoor fireplace. Making soup takes a very large pot because you have to leave room for it to boil violently if you don't want to stand there watching it all day. Never got around to making soup, but I've been baking most of my bread in the kettle all summer. Avoids heating up the kitchen, and uses up the driftwood and fallen limbs. -- Joy Beeson http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/ http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange http://www.timeswrsw.com/craig/cam/ (local weather) west of Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A. where I *told* the weatherman to save some of that rain for now, but would he
Re: [lace-chat] cookware for daughter
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I was wondering what others on the list have found to be good quality cookware at a medium price available now. I have, and like, Farberware. I got my first pots and pans in a set over 40 years ago, and am still using them. I managed to burn up one kettle and missed it enough to go shopping for a replacement, thus I have one of the newer style pot and lid. The styles have changed a bit over the years and there's several styles to choose from, but the basic construction is the same. While I like a nonstick skillet for some things, my main pots are stainless steel. The Farberware has an alumimum (or copper) core for quick heating, and the stainless body for easy cleaning. There's probably more than one brand of stainless pots with a core of a quick heat metal. Check them out. I suggest this basic multipurpose type of pot rather than the all aluminum ones (too heavy). Revere Ware is pretty but takes more cleaning to keep the copper bottom clean. I think it has the same basic construction of Farberware, but has the copper bottom exposed. The basic sets with 3 pots and 2 pans, plus lids, is not too many pieces of cookware to have. You may want to add a larger pot also. Explore a kitchen store, or a large department store that carries a range of brands. You should find something that suits your requirements. Best wishes, Alice in Oregon -- after a long day of demo at state fair To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace-chat] cookware for daughter
Fellow spiders, Many years ago I abandoned my original dime store set of cookware and bought a 1 qt, a three quart and a double boiler of Revereware. It was stainless steel clad and I am inclined to think it wasn't copper that was in the middle of the cladding, but possibly something else. They were sort of middle of the line, but received good consumer reports. The number seems to be 89A and it was made in Korea. These are great pots with very heavy bottoms and easy to take care of exteriors. I was hoping to buy something similar for my daughter who is getting her own apartment. But it would appear that Revereware has been bought by Corning and they are selling sets that all have glass tops, which seems to me like an unnecessarily fragile way to cover a pot. For a casserole and frying pan I use Le Creuset, cast iron, enamel, since I have never been a big fan of teflon type cookware, although I hear they have changed a lot since my last experience with them. We are debating whether a girl with a third floor walk up should be burdened with such a heavy casserole pot and fryign pan, though. I was wondering what others on the list have found to be good quality cookware at a medium price available now. The fact that so much of it seems to be sold as 10 piece sets is rather off-putting when you think you may not like about half the items, so it would be nice to buy it in single pans. Any thoughts? Devon ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace-chat] cookware for daughter
Hi Devon It would depend on how the cook is going to use the pots! and how much stovetop cooking she likes to do. Will she entertain (bigger pots needed) or just for herself and one or two guests at any time. If the latter, a lightweight coated frying pan with glass lid and a saucepan with lid should do. The coated pans have come a long way - best to use them at heat no higher than medium-low so the coating doesn't buckle. I bought an expensive oneand ruined it by using heating such as I would do for my cast iron pan (why? I didn't think...). The next one I bought was $15 from the hardware store and its label had included the handy hint about lower heat - these pans heat quickly and retain the heat on low, when the burner is turned off, they cool off quickly. V. efficient. Easy to clean by wiping with a towel (paper or cloth) and a rinse. My cheapie pan is great. I have another stainless steel pan (similar to all-clad) for stews or large meals. However if I'dknown the temperature to use on my expensive fry pan I would still have it. Go to a kitchen store where you can buy individual pieces, and a universal lid. You might pay the same for a set, but - not as good an investment. HTH -- bye for now Bev in Sooke, BC (on Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada) Cdn. floral bobbins www.woodhavenbobbins.com To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
