Sidney wrote:
> I haven't cooked in the various "big" name stainless cookware for many
> years. During college, I used the cheap Revere brand which got
> things hot. Bad stoves and marginal pans were usually good for a
> outline of the electric burner coil with anything I cooked that
> wasn't totally liquid.
>
> Anyway, I graduated college and got a Calphalon "try me" pan. Wow,
> what a difference! Hard Anodized aluminum is a little bit of pain to
> hand wash but, it sure cooks nice. Nice even heat throughout the
> pan, even on small burners. No scorching or burning except when I do
> something really extreme (and stupid ;-). It heats quickly as well
> so, it is very good for a quick meal.
>
> I like my Lodge cast iron as well but, it is a totally different
> cooking experience. It takes a long time to heat up and stays hot a
> long time when removed from the heat. But, there is nothing like a
> well seasoned piece of cast iron. Tried La Crueset once but, had
> mixed feelings. Enameled cast iron, hmmmm......
>
> Sid
>
I guess it depends on from which college you graduated. I despise
hard-anodized cookware. It's terrible to keep clean and has those awful
plastic handles.

Love my cast iron. I do have Revere stainless which I bought 20+ years ago
and works perfectly well for everyday cooking. Mom has Revere she's owned
for over 50 years.

The one thing I love about cast iron is, if your electricity goes out for a
number of days, you can cook just as easily on the grill or over a wood
fire. I realize this is not a normal situation. But it happened to me back
in July when Memphis was hit with a freaky storm and even the office shut
down for days. I was without electricity for 5 days. Cast iron saved the
day! I was cooking breakfast on a cast iron griddle on the grill, first
bacon, then eggs, then baking hot water cornbread with the bacon drippings.
I steamed rice and grilled veggies... Imagine if Y2K had actually been an
event... would Calphalon have made the grade?

Jill

>
> "June Oshiro" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I was browsing the Kitchens Etc. store today looking for egg cups,
>> but I took a quick stroll around the pots and pans. My cookware of
>> choice is All Clad (stainless steel, have 4 pieces to date, think
>> they're fabu), but I notice a lot of manufs. have a stainless steel
>> line.
>>
>> Tonight, I saw the Viking line of ss pans, very impressive looking,
>> shiny and heavy. (I knew Viking made ranges and other kitchen
>> appliances but never knew they made cookware, too.) I know Cuisinart
>> has a line of heavy ss, too.
>>
>> Do you really think there's a major difference between top of the
>> line items? I was just thinking that I have cast iron pans made from
>> different manufacturers, and they're more or less identical in
>> performance.
>>
>> -j.