Since Surfas closed in Costa Mesa I’m thinking of going to Chef’s Toys. My Vollrath pans are heavily used and I need to find a replacement. My wife likes to wash them with water after every use. I’ve also had them for a very long time. Anybody have suggestions for a good multi use pan?
Things I mostly cook in these pans
This All-Clad 3-quart saute pan is a jack-of-all-trades in my kitchen. Even heat distribution, solidly built as hell. Your grandkids will fight for this pan in your will.
First of all, I’m curious why they need to be replaced. I have an entire set of nonstick cookware that’s at least 15 years old and is in great shape. It’s Circulon and IIRC I got it at Costco. We bought a second home a few years ago and I needed more than I had so headed to Ikea. I’ve been super pleased with them. I wash everything with hot soapy water including my cast iron. Oh, and I have induction cooktop ranges and they work great on that also. In addition to “sets,” I also have DO’s and all manner of other things and I’m guessing all I’ve mentioned will last me forever. Just thought I’d weigh in.
That all clad looks nice but it’s way more than I wanted to spend.
My small pan was non stick but is not the same anymore. Eggs stick and whenever we cook anything with a marinade there is a weird reaction which results in a very sticky gooey mess. The meat gets very caramelized but doesn’t get a good char on the outside. It’s hard to explain but the pan is not working properly.
Sur la Table has a moderately priced house brand that is similar to All-Clad. Fits in with my Creuset and All-Clad stuff without shame.
A CH gave me a tip. Sprinkle some baking soda into a pan and scrub it around, rinse and wash and rinse. It’s restored pans of mine that had lost a bit of non-stick-i-ness. Might want to give it a try. The most expensive pan/pot I own cost no more than $100. Did you know Sam F from CH? He espoused that a great pot won’t make you a great cook. And that a crappy pan in the hands of a competent cook can make a great dish.
I like the look and feel of All Clad . Yes I have some . But somehow I am more attached to that pan I bought for 5 dollars at the thrift store .
Sam would have loved you 
Thanks I’ll try the baking soda trick.
I’m a more than competent cook. The small one is pretty much unusable. Can’t even cook scrambled eggs in them anymore.
Sur La Table seems reasonably priced.
I have a variety of pans accumulated over the years, all clad, cast iron, Creuset, etc. Once my non stick crapped out and stopped being non stick I replaced it with these a few ears ago and have been been very happy with them and they’ve held up great.
As I said, I just don’t get it. I have nonstick that’s easily 15 and more years and still honky dorey.
With older non stick pans you aren’t supposed to crank the burner up to high or use metal utensils to stir things or it ruins the non-stick surface (I’m going to go ahead and blame my ex wife for doing both of these things).
I use high but only use wood for almost everything.
I have this set and the All-Clad @J_L noted above. I love them both after I had to get rid of my starter set from ages ago. They are superb pans.
Delete.
I think this might be the culprit. I use plastic or wood cooking but use high temperature for a lot of cooking.
Best to avoid pans with non-stick coatings, then. Go with anodized or enameled. Or get used to plain steel.
Yeah I just use these for eggs, pancakes, quesadillas and sauteing veggies. For meats where I want a sear and need to turn it up high I use cast iron or all clad.
Okay, yard sale/flea market browsing isn’t for everyone, but some years ago I discovered what brilliant stuff Magnalite is – an alloy of aluminum and magnesium with high heat conductivity and zero reactivity to either acidic or alkaline substances, pioneered by Wagner Ware in the post-WW2 years, and that discovery coincided with a spate of it being offered at every street or estate sale or flea market I went to. All of my regular cookpots and more than a few stewpots and frypans are Magnalite too, for a total investments of well under $200. Those sales were also a great source for both cast iron skillets from a generation or two ago, of a quality that makes today’s Lodge offerings look like the crap they are, and a good deal of real tinned copper. Between those treasures and my cheap supermarket $16 or so nonstick throwaways I am well supplied.
And it gives you more money for more cookbooks What? About 500???