Mauviel

Decent cooking gear should last many lifetimes. The pricing for lifetime+ high-end stuff (there are a number of brands to choose from) isn't too bad if you hold out for a sale, and if you buy a set, rather than individual items.

Stellar stainless steel cookware - will last at least one lifetime and is fantastic to cook with. We use ours for Aga cooking, but works just as well on conventional hobs and cookers. Not cheap but nowhere near as expensive as Mauvier. I struggle to imagine what extra benefit (other than cosmetic, if copper floats your boat) the extraordinary prices would bring.

Mauviel definitely built to last a lifetime.  The 28cm casserole dish we  have looks great and functions well.  Useful to make decent quantities of food.  Would a cheaper one do the job?  Probably! 

Thanks for your replies. Winky is right, sets can be significantly cheaper per item. I also noticed that buying in France is a serious option.

I'm planning now a trip with my wife to France to buy and collect some cookware.

Unless massively abused, almost anything made from unlined stainless steel will last almost indefinitely (i.e. longer than your lifetime rather than the just for the pot's lifetime!), but they're not 'non-stick' (however burnt on residues can be cleaned off using abrasives without causing damage).

Two things to note are that it's well worth looking for items with encapsulated bases as this improved the evenness of heating; and that if you wish to use them on induction hobs then you need to look for specific compatibility there as well.

For non-stick pans I find that ceramic linings work best and is the longest lived; particularly with children around who sometimes think they know best and insist on using steel implements in non-stick pans!

Hi Ardbeg.  

You do not say anything about your cooker (and it is not in your profile ).  Until recently, we cooked on gas, but when we came to replace the cooker, building regulations had changed and we could not accommodate another gas cooker without significant structural alterations to our kitchen so reluctantly switched to electricity.  After much research we opted for a cooker with an induction hob and now wouldn't choose another method of cooking.  However, we then found that nearly all our existing aluminium, stainless steel and copper pans would not work.  Fortunately, they were mostly rather old and ready for replacement, so we equipped ourselves with a collection of triple layer le Creuset saucepans and frying pans which work very well but were far from cheap.

Moral: if you think there is a possibility that in the next thirty years or so you might upgrade to an induction hob (and I'd strongly recommend it), it might be worth checking that any pans you buy can be used on such a cooker.

Roger

Peakman posted:

Hi Ardbeg.  

You do not say anything about your cooker (and it is not in your profile ).  Until recently, we cooked on gas, but when we came to replace the cooker, building regulations had changed and we could not accommodate another gas cooker without significant structural alterations to our kitchen so reluctantly switched to electricity.  After much research we opted for a cooker with an induction hob and now wouldn't choose another method of cooking.  However, we then found that nearly all our existing aluminium, stainless steel and copper pans would not work.  Fortunately, they were mostly rather old and ready for replacement, so we equipped ourselves with a collection of triple layer le Creuset saucepans and frying pans which work very well but were far from cheap.

Moral: if you think there is a possibility that in the next thirty years or so you might upgrade to an induction hob (and I'd strongly recommend it), it might be worth checking that any pans you buy can be used on such a cooker.

Roger

Roger, thanks for your reply. My wife raised the same point - a very valid point. Therefore I switched my attention from the copperware to the solid steel series - as suggested by Huge too.

I've ordered an hour ago:

Mauviel M'Cook saucepan diameter 7.1 inch (18 cm),
Mauviel M'Cook cocotte diameter 9.4 inch (24 cm),
Mauviel M'Cook frying pan diameter 9.4 inch (24 cm),
Mauviel M'Cook saute pan diameter 9.4 inch (24 cm),
Mauviel M'Cook lid diameter 9.4 inch (24 cm),
Mauviel M'Cook Cooking Pot + lid - Size : 24 cm

Its all dishwasher proof and supports induction.

I have an old kitchen which is build in 1926 and extended over the years in a very suitable way. Since it is an old kitchen, the space on the cooker is limited. So 24 cm diameter was the best possible option for us. I hope the lids are interchangable.

Thanks all for the advice!

We've been using induction for the past 12 years (congratulations on choice: faster even than gas, instantly controllable like gas, but no gas to leak, no excess water vapour generated - and  more energy efficientbthan gas or conventional electric).

But as Paekman noted, many metals not suitable. Cast iron is. Some stainless steel (but not all), while other pans like aluminium and copper increasingly are having ferromagnetic bases fitted/embedded-: for years itbwas a struggle to find decent pans, but now far more common.

we have one big pot, from Germany IIRC, that was pretty expensive but very good, has lasted well, however I'm away this weekend and can't check the make. 

N,B, some pans heat up better than others!

tip: take a when shopping - the stronger it sticks the better, and it won't work on induction if it doesn't

Great times ahead. It arrived in a wooden crate. The funny thing is that the postman behaves the same compared to delivery of a Naim Amp by post. They first ring the bell and check if the address is right, only then they unship the heavy stuff.

Nice. That'll last you a life-time and more. Did you get a couple of smaller pots as well?

Winky, will decide it later. The smaller pots are usually for sauces etc... and I'm not that experienced yet. My wife and I agreed that we buy such things later but first ... new dinner plates. We currently have only unique (!) dinner plates and soup cups. It pretty terrible actually. Half of them can't be used in the microwave and we use almost all our plates, cups and cutlery per day. So 12 dinner plates, soup cups, 12 forks, 12 spoons and 12 knives are scheduled before Christmas dinner.

+ a photo of the kitchen. As you can see, I had to buy good pots in order to repect the kitchen and its makers. Its entirely handbuild, and the floor is made by an Italian craftsman in the twenties. Still in a very good shape, but expensive restorations were done obviously.

As an active home cook this is a wonderfully heart warming post, makes a very nice change from discussions about politics. You must tell us how the saucepans perform. Cheers from NZ. 

Thanks Stephen. Food is also much more important than politics. Real live changing.

Since I have good pans now, I have some observations.

1. I need less gas. The pans are much more efficient. It reminds me of the volume knob of my supernait: I can only use a limited

2. The heat is spread evenly in the pan and therefore the food does not burn in the middle of the pan and remain uncooked at the sides.

3. The maintenance is a bit special but works well. I used vinegar to clean the pans. Works perfect.

4. I need less oil / butter. The trick to heat the pans first, then put in the butter / oil makes them perfectly non-sticky.

5. Cooking in larger volumes saves much time. What can be the meal soup on Sunday, is the starter on Monday.

Given these things - especially that I need less gas - means that in a few years they will be cheaper than regular pans.

Until now, pancakes were good. Also prepared 8 litres of vegetablesoup and 5 litres of peasoup.

We have family visiting us on Friday. I think I'm going to prepare a nice stew.