If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you buy
(A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated, or (B)
A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper sandwich and
spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two quart. These to
be purchased at restaurant supply store.
TIA Allan

"Allan Matthews" > wrote in message
...
> If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
> cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you buy
> (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated, or (B)
> A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper sandwich and
> spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two quart. These to
> be purchased at restaurant supply store.
> TIA Allan

How about one stainless steel, and one teflon, and some guidelines and which
to use for what?

Sharon

"Allan Matthews" > wrote in message
...
> If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
> cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you buy
> (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated, or (B)
> A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper sandwich and
> spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two quart. These to
> be purchased at restaurant supply store.
> TIA Allan

Give each of them a gift certificate for the restaurant supply store.

Let them get what they need or want.

Starting cooks know what they need more than you could ever know.

Dimitri

Dimitri wrote:
> "Allan Matthews" > wrote in message
> ...
>> If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
>> cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you
>> buy (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated,
>> or (B) A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper
>> sandwich and spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two
>> quart. These to be purchased at restaurant supply store.
>> TIA Allan
>
> Give each of them a gift certificate for the restaurant supply store.
>
> Let them get what they need or want.
>
> Starting cooks know what they need more than you could ever know.
>
> Dimitri


I concur, Dimitri! The few times I was given cooking stuff I was even
*asked* what I wanted. That wasn't what I got LOL

Jill

Allan Matthews wrote:
>
> If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
> cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you buy
> (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated, or (B)
> A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper sandwich and
> spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two quart. These to
> be purchased at restaurant supply store.

The reason I don't own any non-stick is that
the finish doesn't hold up unless you never
touch it with a metal utensil and never
overheat it. I prefer not to own anything
that you have to baby like that. My last
non-stick pan was left empty on a running
burner which I intended for only a very
short period of time to dry it off, but
something diverted my attention, and when
I got back to it, it was smoking.

I knew the fumes are highly toxic, so I held
my breath while opening the kitchen window
and dousing the pan in the sink. Then I
evacuated the area and turned on the large
fan I keep in the bathroom for pulling air
through the house. I opened the front door,
and within a few minutes the deadly fumes
were largely gone.

I examined the pan, and the surface looked
just like it did before the incident.
I probably could have continued to use it.
But I threw it out. No more non-stick
for me!

I didn't notice any ill effects from the
fumes.

On the other hand, when I was that age,
I ate a lot of eggs, and those pans do
an excellent job of that. I did a lot
of ham-and-cheese filled two-egg omelets,
always aiming for centers runny with egg
and melted cheese. I'd used thin pre-sliced
deli ham, rolled into a tight roll, then
sliced into thin slivers. Combine that
with grated cheese and scatter in the
center of the omelet as soon as the base
sets up. Flip over half the omelet onto
the other half to form a sealed D-shaped
envelope. As soon as you can get it
out of the pan without leaking, it's ready.

If they were my grandchildren, I'd want
to get them started on cast iron. I'd
season it for them, but also explain the
process so they know how to treat cast iron
if they have to reseason it or at least
feed the seasoning to maintain it.

Maybe one covered cast-iron pan for omelets,
bacon, sausages, and pan-fried anything. Plus,
a good metal spatula (they're hard to find
these days -- most are cheap chrome-plated
steel). A small covered stainless-steel or
aluminum pot for soup, rice, pasta, and popcorn
would be a good and cheap companion for the
pan. Pan for frying, pot for boiling and for
frying operations which don't leave a residue
sticking to a raw metal surface such as
popcorn and deep-frying.

After the pan, spatula, and pot, the next
utensil I'd consider would one of:
soup ladle, slotted spoon, aluminum steamer
basket, large ladle with many holes (used for
deep-frying -- don't get the traditional
Chinese style made from bamboo and brass
wire because they are impossible to clean),
cheese grater, cutting board, knife, and tongs.

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> Dimitri wrote:
> > "Allan Matthews" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
> >> cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you
> >> buy (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated,
> >> or (B) A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper
> >> sandwich and spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two
> >> quart. These to be purchased at restaurant supply store.
> >> TIA Allan
> >
> > Give each of them a gift certificate for the restaurant supply store.
> >
> > Let them get what they need or want.
> >
> > Starting cooks know what they need more than you could ever know.
> >
> > Dimitri
>
>
> I concur, Dimitri! The few times I was given cooking stuff I was even
> *asked* what I wanted. That wasn't what I got LOL
>
> Jill

Thirded.
--
Peace! Om

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." -- Dalai Lama

jmcquown wrote:
> Dimitri wrote:
>> "Allan Matthews" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
>>> cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you
>>> buy (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated,
>>> or (B) A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper
>>> sandwich and spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two
>>> quart. These to be purchased at restaurant supply store.
>>> TIA Allan
>>
>> Give each of them a gift certificate for the restaurant supply store.
>>
>> Let them get what they need or want.
>>
>> Starting cooks know what they need more than you could ever know.
>>
>> Dimitri
>
>
> I concur, Dimitri! The few times I was given cooking stuff I was even
> *asked* what I wanted. That wasn't what I got LOL
>
> Jill

Sucks to be you.

Allan Matthews wrote:
> If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
> cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you buy
> (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated, or (B)
> A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper sandwich and
> spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two quart. These to
> be purchased at restaurant supply store.
> TIA Allan


I'd ask each opbe what they prefer. Their cooking styles may be very
different and what would please/thrill one might never get used by another.

gloria p

Gloria P wrote:
>
> Allan Matthews wrote:
> > If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
> > cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you buy
> > (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated, or (B)
> > A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper sandwich and
> > spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two quart. These to
> > be purchased at restaurant supply store.
> > TIA Allan
>
> I'd ask each opbe what they prefer. Their cooking styles may be very
> different and what would please/thrill one might never get used by another.

You're thinking about adults, and assuming
these kids have cooking skills.

Kids that age don't know what they want.
If they cook at all, they'll use what they're
given. Even more likely if they're given
a demonstration of how to fry an egg, how to
make rice, how to boil pasta, etc. using
the tools that they're given.

If that's too much trouble, he could get
them each one of the GTXpress devices
discussed recently here. I think that
comes with an instructional video. If
you haven't cooked for yourself before,
you can actually learn quite a lot from
this preposterous machine. I had an
electric sandwich maker very similar
in principle to the GTXpress when I was
a college student, and I used it all
the time. I had a mini-refrigerator,
so I could make a melted-cheese sandwich
without even leaving my room or dirtying
any food preparation surfaces.

I could make an omelet with several
ingrediants (usually dried parsely,
salt, and pepper and maybe Bacos
artificial bacon bits or tiny frozen
Alaskan cocktail shrimp) dirtying only
my big Pyrex measuring cup and a fork,
which I could rinse off in the bathroom.
I even made tiny burritos in it, but
ground meat releases too much fat which
then needs to be cleaned up.

This was about the same time I was doing
a great deal of my cooking in my big
Pyrex cup using an immersion heater.
If the OP considers going down this road,
don't forget the immersion heater. And
if you don't already know it, immersion
heaters must be immersed the entire time
they are powered, otherwise they overheat
and fail almost immediately. They are
very dangerous little devices for this
reason. I wonder if they still sell them?

Boil a can volume of water in the cup,
open a can of condensed soup, beat it in
quickly with a fork, and BAM! you've got
hot soup!

Gloria P wrote:
> Allan Matthews wrote:
>> If you had three grandchildren, who recently had left home and need
>> cooking utensils, and you would spend about $100 on each would you buy
>> (A) a modest set of cooking pans, probably some teflon coated, or (B)
>> A 10" skillet with 2 inch sides Stainles steel and copper sandwich and
>> spend the rest on same style sauce pans (one and two quart. These to
>> be purchased at restaurant supply store.
>> TIA Allan
>
>
> I'd ask each opbe what they prefer. Their cooking styles may be very
> different and what would please/thrill one might never get used by another.

In spite of my efforts, my daughter's taste in self-cooked meals lean to
ramen and Hot Pockets. She'll eat a complete meal if one is prepared for
her, but she is as yet not inclined to prepare them for herself. I will
not interfere. I'm sure we all remember that the first flush of freedom
from the parental overlord is a heady one, and nothing I say or do will
change a thing. She will come around eventually, when she's ready. They
all do.

Sets of cookware and utensils would be lost on her at this point. She
wants mugs, plates and bowls, flatware, paper towels and a microwave
oven. I say, it'll do.

I'd go for the Good Stuff. Buy the frying pan first, then add a piece
every Christmas or anniversary, until they have a whole set of really
good cookware.

LassChance

Lass Chance_2 wrote:
> I'd go for the Good Stuff. Buy the frying pan first, then add a piece
> every Christmas or anniversary, until they have a whole set of really
> good cookware.
>
> LassChance


Is there some way in webTV to actually quote part of the post you're
replying to? It's standard Usenet etiquette to quote a portion of the
previous text so people have some idea what you're talking about.

Jill