To ask for your advice on saucepans!

[snapdragongirl]

I’m looking to treat myself to a set of saucepans. Current pans are a mish mash and are really tatty, things I’ve inherited over the years or just cheap ones I’ve picked up as and when. Would love to have a nice matching set of decent quality.

What should I be looking for? I love the look of stainless steel, and have heard the non stick coated pans aren’t great as they start to wear out and the coating gets into your food? Pro cook seem to have some good offers on for pan sets, I’m looking to spend up to £150 ish on a set of 3 or 4 good pans.

What would your advice be on what to go for?

Also looking for an upgrade.

I love the Le Creuset stainless steel range. Going to go and have a look at Stellar now.

DP just bought a set of Hexclad pans at great expense which annoyed me, until I actually used them and I’m impressed so far.

Have you good storage space @snapdragongirl
I don’t, so the Tefal Ingenio range with a removable handle is brilliant for us.
They come in stainless steel and also in black with a black non stick interior surface.

Like others, I have Prestige SS (induction-compatible) pans that are honestly immaculate after 20 years, and I remember they were bought cheap in TK Maxx!

I also have a (cheapish SS) stockpot, a few Le Creuset/Chasseur casseroles of various sizes, a JL SS sauté pan and 2 x cheap but excellent SS IKEA frying pans.

The JL SS sauté pan is versatile because of the high sides - you can do a lot on that one.

Stainless steel pans will be non stick if you use the Leidenfrost effect to cook with them. You just need to heat the pan up until a tiny splash of water skates across the surface as a little ball (before it evaporates). Then add your oil and the food you’re cooking. Knowing this was a game changer for me.
all those instructions on oven chips etc to preheat the baking tray also then made sense - the chips etc no longer stuck!

Stellar pans.. 45 years old and counting....

We've had our stainless steel ones for over 25 years and they still look like new! Dishwasher safe and durable. Just checked and they are Stellar.

Tom Kerridge from M&S

I bought some le creuset stainless steel a few years ago. They still look brand new and conduct heat SO much better than my old ones. I'm sure I'm using significantly less gas to cook as before!

I've also got a set of Procook. They're great.