Friday, September 3, 2010
Paula Deen Porcelain 6 Piece Cookware Soup and Stew, Red
Kitchen Essentials® from Calphalon® Hard-Anodized Nonstick 13-pc. Cookset
Non-stick that"s Un-stuck - D. A. Bradford - Burbank, CA
I have used this cookware for several years. I have enjoyed the even-heating characteristics of the heavy anodized aluminum, the ease of non-stick cooking and have always been careful to use nylon or wooden cooking utensils with it. Despite my care and Calphalon's reputation for quality, the non-stick coating has partially flaked off the bottoms of nearly every piece. I can't understand why one should spend so much on cookware that will last only a few years. I have replaced it with Cuisinart's Multiclad Pro Stainless...yes, it's expensive too, but without a coating that will someday end up in your meal. I can not recommend non-stick coated/infused cookware of any brand or technology.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Cookwell 6 Piece Surgical Stainless Steel Stockpot
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Lynns Stainless Steel 10 Piece Cookware Set
Lynns Saturn 7 Piece Cookware Set
Regal Ware 3-Piece Induction Cooktop/Cookware Set
My first experiment was to boil water and to try out the different heat settings. I noticed when I boiled the water that although the cooktop had two circles on the top which made me think that the heat would come from the outer circle if I turned up the heat, this was not the case. Turning up the heat makes the magnetics in the system whirl faster, but the heat source comes directly from the smaller ring. The pan burns hotter where the small circle is on the cooktop.
My next experiment was with food. I sprayed cooking oil inside the pan coating the bottom and the sides. I turned the heat to medium and heated up partially frozen mac and cheese that I had taken out of the freezer and had nuked for 1 minute to get it out of it's container. As the mac defrosted I added in some previously cooked hamburger from the fridge, frozen peas and frozen corn. I noticed that the mac was sticking to the pan so I added about 1/2 cup of cold water. I put the lid on the pan to help things heat up.
When I saw the liquid start to bubble, I took the lid off and stirred. The bottom was still trying to stick. It did not heat evenly and I had to stir the food towards the center to get it all heated. End result - food did not burn, heated up quickly, but I had to shift food to the heat source to get it hot. I think a teflon coated pan would work better.
The inner cooktop was hot when the pan was removed but it cooled down quicker than my glass top stove. I think with a little practice I can get more comfortable with it's use. I will be taking this to school with me to teach my students cooking on Fridays so they can apply their math and reading skills. I hope they will get excited about the science of how it works as well.
Maxam KT17 17-Piece 9-Element Surgical-Stainless-Steel Waterless Cookware Set
But it wasn't. Right off the bat, I was amazed at how colorful and flavorful my vegetables were, in less time and very little water (waterless cooking should actually be called less-water cooking in most cases). The carrots were awesome! I can cook meats and vegetables in the same pot, sort of in layers, in less time than conventional cooking - the steam control valve provides a sort of low-pressure pressure-cooker effect, cooking the foods in less or no liquid in less time. Meats sear to the bottom, then release as they cook, in no liquid - and clean up is easy. Even foods that seem to be "stuck," like the little browned parts of fried potatoes, soak off in minutes and clean easily. Anything that doesn't remove completely in water comes off readily with a Brillo-type pad (hooray for stainless steel!).
Something else I appreciated was that the sizes were ALL good sizes for our growing/larger family of ten. So many sets include little pans as standard, then charge a fortune for add-ons like 3-qt saucepans, etc. This set gave me four saucepans, a pretty big frying pan (just under 12 inch), plus the biggest Dutch oven I'd ever seen, at over 7 quarts! And the smallest saucepan is almost 2 quarts, so it's actually useful. The egg poaching insert with easy-clean cups is a bonus; great for quick breakfasts!
I have had my pots and pans for over ten years and they get HEAVY use. They still look great and work wonderfully. These are the pots and pans my daughters want for their kitchens. We liked the set so well that we wanted to make
this cookware available to our friends for their kitchens.
Combine this heavy duty stainless steel set with a few Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers for a well-outfitted kitchen!
By the way, this same manufacturer has another line besides Steam Control, but the distributors I "interrogated" said the others aren't quite the top of the line that these are. These should be the last pots you'll ever need!
To use the steam control valve, start cooking on medium to med-high heat (don't use high heat unless boiling something, like pasta water). Then when the valve begins to whistle (like a teakettle), close the valve and turn the heat down to low and finish cooking. The 9-element construction allows you to stack cook with this cookware (although I have not personally tried this): Begin cooking on individual burners and when the valve whistles you can invert the lids to stack the pans to finish cooking. The handles are resistant to heat, cold, and detergents.
I've been amazed at how easy-release they are even though they aren't "non stick," and they clean up very easily. And if you think you can't cook eggs in SS, think again. I have photos of eggs cooked with a thin lecithin/oil film (like Pam) and I don't even have to touch the pan with a spatula to slide the eggs out. Just don't cook above medium heat.(The one thing you need to remember is that they arrive with a thin coat of factory oil over them, so you should wash them really well before first use or they could slightly discolor from cooking the oil all over the outside.)
I also use my Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers DAILY, by the way. The KR cookers and my SS cookware are a great combination.
Love it - Mattman -
We have had this set now for a few years. Works great still. Some of the whistles like to fall out.. Not sure what to do with that. But use some part of it almost once a day. You still need a good stick free pan for other stuff. But for chicken, veggies, and other stuff. Works great.
Saladmaster - beth sims - charlotte, nc
I've owned Saladmaster cookware for over 13 years. I have never had a problem with any piece of this cookware and am extremely pleased with my purchase. It is by far the best cookware i've ever owned. i'm planning to buy a set for my daughter.
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