On 7/25/13 7:15 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
> I just ordered a metal, deep lasagna pan. Thank you Sheldon for the link!
> I did not get the one you posted at Amazon but the deeper one at OSP/Brylane
> Home. The link for it showed below but when I tried to order it, the link
> was no longer valid. I did however track it down and I also ordered this:
>
> http://www.brylanehome.com/decor/4Ot...3&StyleNo=0385
>
> So I should be set for a while at least with pots and pans. But... It
> occurred to me just now that I rarely use any of my smaller pans any more.
> I guess my microwave has replaced those things! Used to be if I needed to
> reheat a leftover, I would use the oven or the top of the stove. Now I
> rarely reheat leftovers this way. Perhaps soup because if done in the
> microwave, the container I use gets too hot.
>
> I do have a large Revereware Dutch Oven but they do not make Revereware like
> they used to. Hopefully this will work better. Mostly I use my two
> Circulon pans, one being like a deep skillet and the other more of a rounded
> shape but still like a skillet, my Rachael Ray pasta pot or my old
> Revereware pan that I pop popcorn in. I tend to use that for other things
> too. Rice, heating a can of soup, etc. I think I have only pulled out my
> smaller pans maybe a few times since I moved here.
>
> Do you find that you use your pans less now, if you have a microwave? I
> realize that not all people here do have them. My mom doesn't cook a lot
> but when she does, she seems to use a lot of pans. Perhaps more than I
> would if I were to make the same meal.
>
>
I've got lots of expensive pans I haven't used for years. A cheap 1-qt
Revere pan and a cheap iron skillet with a silicone cover (fries and
bakes) would handle almost everything. (I've even melted the copper on
the pan, but when I've overheated it, a couple of hammer taps will get
it to sit flat.) If I overheat the skillet, I can season it with
linseed oil. When my microwave failed, I decided I was better off
without one.

Now my cheap 6-qt aluminum pressure cooker has become my favorite.
Because it can take advantage of a full-size burner and the aluminum
spreads the heat well, it will heat a given amount of food faster than
most pans, with no stirring. The pressure ensures that everything gets
hot and minimizes the heat and humidity in the kitchen. For some
purposes there's no need to come up to full temperature. It's light and
easy to clean.

Unlike a microwave, my pans don't have timers. For that, I have a
digital beeper on the side of the refrigerator.