£150 budget for pots and pans - worried about non-stick but hate idea of the clean up!

[stillsleeptraining]

Can anyone help? I've never had anything but non-stick, which is a godsend in a world of v little time and fighting against mess. But I'm worried about the little I've read re non-stick.

Any advice?

Hopeful bump!

I know you are on a budget but can you get cast iron pans ? Lodge are particularly good.
They are heavy but will last a life time. I am still using my grans , I recon they are abut 70 years old.

I’m not sure what you mean about non-stick.

I’ve just bought some new ones from Pro Cook which seem great, they’re non stick.
10% off with Blue Light card too.

How about a mix of a non-stick frying pan, and stainless steel for the rest? Ironically, having said that, my stainless steel frying pan has been in almost daily use for 25 years, and is still going strong. However it's a bit of a pain to clean, and we use non-stick for eggs, pancakes etc.

Our stainless steel pans are John Lewis Classic ones; we've bought them over the years - I suspect the collection (not sure it's a set!) we have now would be more than £150, so it depends a bit on how many saucepans/frying pans you want.

Should have also said that we've had a series of non-stick frying pans, and none have lasted.

I can recommend these stainless steel pans www.amazon.co.uk/Judge-J306A-Draining-Saucepan-Stainless/dp/B07Z5KYXYR. They are really good value for money and you can buy the sizes you need rather than those that come in a pan set. Stainless steel is easy to clean with a bit of bicarbonate of soda. Handle & top of lid don't get too hot to hold, lip to pour and holes in lid so no strainer required. Get a throwaway ish non stick frying pan for eggs.

Thank you, all! Much appreciated. It's going to be our Christmas present from the in-laws.

Lots of food for thought

Had my asda simplicity ones for 2.5 years now still immaculate, bar 1 scratch on a frying pan thanks to teen using a knife to flip bacon.??

Do you have Costco membership? They have amazing pan sets.

We love good stainless steel for most jobs. Sandwiched with copper is fab

I've got ProCook stainless steel pans. I don't find them hard to clean.

I had a set of good quality non stick saucepans for a good few years and they still didn’t last well. I spent aaaages researching the best, most high quality non stick pans to replace them with, then one day we were in a cook shop and saw a great set of stainless steel pans and thought to hell with it, let’s just get these instead. They’re still perfect.

So we have -

3 stainless steel saucepans. Veg, pasta, spuds, soup, etc.

One medium size non stick inexpensive saucepan for scrambled egg / baked beans / white sauce etc. (It’s old but still perfect cos we only use it for things like that).

One large stainless steel frying / sauté pan, and a similar size non stick one. I use the steel if I want a good brown crust building up, and the non stick if I just want to fry it without trouble. And both if I’m cooking loads of stuff.

One med size non stick frying pan for omelettes.

One giant steel pan for huge casseroles

One Le creuset for smaller casseroles.

I replaced our nonstick because of health concerns. I went with IKEA stainless steel saucepans, which are fine for boiling pasta, veg, liquid stuff, indestructible, go in the dishwasher etc. I recommend going and lifting different ones as some of the fancier brands are quite heavy.

Then I got a ceramic frying pan from Baccarat. Ceramic is great - light, stuff does not stick to it. I Handwash it - it is easy to clean.

My Stellar stainless steel pots are around 20 years old and still great. Even if they get bad, soak in watery vinegar with washing up liquid and they are fine.

Frying pans with the non stick I've had many over the years, replace every couple of years and happy with with cheaper ones as I know they are only a couple of years before they lose the surface.

We've just replaced all our non-stick frying pans (previous ones were Le Creuset) with new ones made by Ninja because they were the highest rated by Which? They're performing really well so far - I'm so happy with them.

I've learned a few things about keeping non-stick pans in good condition (maybe some of these are obvious):

• after using one, don't rinse it under cold water immediately - wait for it to cool down

• don't store/stack anything directly on top of any pan without putting a sheet of kitchen roll or a little cloth between them to protect against scratches

• obviously don't use any sharp or metal utensils on it when cooking

• don't cook on high heat or exceed the heat limit specified by the manufacturer.

I do still worry about the forever chemicals (PFAS) in non stick cookware but on the other hand I assume we're all already riddled with them so yeah, might as well enjoy well-cooked omelettes

You want Scoville pans for non stick. Feel much better quality than the price suggests and often on sale in Argos or Asda.

For stainless steel, we have some Jamie Oliver branded tefal ones that are over 20 years old and are still in excellent condition having been used several times a week and washed in dishwasher.

Seconding the Judge brand recommendation and the PP who suggested using cloth pan protectors.

So many people recommend Pro Cook on MN - thought I’d take a look.

You could get this set for £180, @stillsleeptraining; stainless still saucepans with a non-stick frying pan.

https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-professional-steel-cookware-set-6-pieces

(I have nothing to do with them! My current pans are stainless steel / copper sandwich Kitchen Aid, bought about 15 years ago bit by bit from T K Maxx. Don’t think the range has ever been available in mainstream UK shops, at least, I’ve never found them. They’ve brought utter joy every day.)

I have a set of heavy stainless steel saucepans (they clean well and if burn anything you can use wire scrubber 😊)...i also use tefal frying pans and tefal wok. Non stick are great as long as you dont use with metal utensils

(Too late to edit my phone’s idea of what a saucepan is made of!)

Don’t buy Scoville pans - all the black stuff comes off and your left with a silver pan. To be fair the company has replaced for free but I’ve had issues with both roasting trays and Stockport / pans but we are a large family so they get used a LOT

I'm stuck with pans I've had for years. Non-stick definitely for frying and scrambled egg pan. Stainless steel for larger saucepans and casserole pot. Cheap and nasty for oven - line with non-stick tinfoil, no cleaning at all, a game changer.

At your price point I’d get this set from Dawson’s.

Why?
20cm is my most used size of pan.
The steamer insert works as a colander.
The frying pan looks sturdy, but not suitable for smooth stuff like pancakes. But frankly frying pans don’t last long with me.
Have a look at the website. They go MUCH higher in price and quality but the discounts are excellent.

You need to factor in what type of hob you have to ensure your choice is compatible.

I would also like to say that much brilliant quality cookware is available second-hand on eBay etc. People will sell entire sets of enamelled cast iron as they've changed their kitchen decor, or items being unwanted gifts etc. With a budget of £180, I would definitely consider second-hand as your money will go really far. If you are already concerned about the chemical toxicity of non-stick pans, I imagine planetary health may also be an area of concern for you? If buying second-hand hand, you avoid being part of the process of your demand stimulating the supply process which invariably involves the extraction of finite resources, use of toxic chemicals and burning of fossil fuels during the manufacturing process, followed by further burning of fossil fuels in the shipping and distribution stage. Best avoided; those unintended consequences of buying new will be at least as harmful globally as ingestion of forever chemicals. Environmentally, a much gentler choice is to buy Kate's duplicate wedding gift off eBay and have it posted from Bolton to Bath.

Stainless steel saucepans last forever, just make sure you pick a handle that'll stand the test of time. Mine are coming up to 30 years old and are still ...stainless.

Cast iron frying pans develop a virtually non-stick patina after curing and subsequent use. I fry crepes in mine with minimal fat, and they never stick. I mean, I fry literally everything in them, and sticking isn't a problem unless I've taken my eye off the ball and burnt something. But the you can use a brillo pad without a second thought.

For stews, casseroles and soups, I use Le Creuset enamelled cast iron, which is great as it goes both on the hob and in the oven. My two oldest casserole pans are chipped, scratched and stained (I found them like that on a wall outside a house 30 years ago when I was a student) but they're still my favourites, despite having acquired a few others since which remain in near perfect condition 20 years on (tagine, a couple of wide, shallow lidded casserole dishes and a smaller pan). Clean up is not an issue.

I recommend hard anodised baking trays and roasting tins by Mermaid. Virtually indestructible and easy to soak clean or scrub with a brillo pad. The non-stick property is down to how the metal is tempered and not a toxic layer of chemicals.

We use stainless steel. I find it pretty easy to clean, comes out fine from the dishwasher. Also have a non stick pan that I use for pancakes once a year and the occasional omelette. Anything non stick that we have had in the past hasn't lasted, the coating eventually starts to come off in areas and I worry then about the chemicals.