What's in your kitchen?

Cast iron pans are really interesting, and I hear they cook very well. It's strange cleaning them, though (as I've done it a couple times), don't you think?

We don't have very nice pans at my place - it's just not a priority with us; we're not that picky about how our food turns out, apparently. .

I have one Teflon fry pan I use to cook eggs and other than that I use stainless steel. I love my waterless cookware and it promotes healthy eating.

I usually use my non-stick pans for cooking, especially the items that are hard to clean up such as scrambled eggs, pasta dishes, etc. I have used some stainless steel pans but only if it has plenty of liquid in it while cooking.

I have a lot of cast iron ware, it really does last forever if you keep them seasoned right! One huge frying pan I have was my grandmothers, and she passed away about 40 years ago. I have a complete set of cast iron that was my grandma's and from other relatives. My Dr actually suggested once that I cook in cast iron because I could use the extra iron that leaches out. I only have one thing that is Teflon, and that is a huge frying pan that I make eggs in once in a blue moon.

I love my cast iron fry pans. I have one 8" and one 10" pan. I often cook meat in them. But when I do, I usually have a sticking problem the next time out.

So, I have found that by cooking some potato in a hash brown style, the sticking problem goes away.
I also only clean the pans with scalding hot water and a stiff bristle brush. The pans clean up nicely for me that way.

I also have a teeny cast pan that I figure isn't much bigger than a large spoon holder. I think it's for cooking eggs in or a single hamburger or something.

I have one hand me down 24cm pot given by a friend who migrated to the US. It's AMC brand stainless steel. It's a good pot. Apart from this one, I have a TEFAL Practica pan with lid, another one without lid and a milksauce pan with lid. I am also using a Tupperchef steamer + casserole set and TEFAL essencia milksauce pot with lid. Both these stainless steels are 18/10 grade. It's very useful and I am trying to keep it as shiny as it would be since the day I bought it but alas the shine is not there anymore even though I use copper cleaner to scrub the pot. But it doesn't matter as long as my pots are not black like soot will do. I am kinda fussy when it comes to keeping my pots clean. Can't stand blackblack on them.

My kitchen too is a medley of aluminum, cast iron, non-stick…I use whatever catches my fancy and as per the dish being cooked. I boil the milk in my aluminum pot and most of the cooking is done in aluminum wok. Indian cooking requires a lot of frying and seasoning with spices so the aluminum wok works best. Though non-stick wok absorbs less oil and its healthy, but really with all that stirring (even with wooden spatula) scratches are bound to happen and it really reduces the longevity of the wok. Also we don’t use any dishwasher so its best to use the aluminum wok which is easy to scrub as hard as required. For frying and for food which requires less oil, I use the non-stick pans.

Hi mtdewgurl74! I do have about almost every kind except for the copper kind. I also have one clay pot which I bought specifically used for a local dish that I cook which my husband loves. Thank you for the tips about cast iron pans. I would really try it out.
Take care and blessings to you!
lovelots..faith

I don't cook much, but when I heat soup I usually use a saucepan that has a copper bottom. Sometimes I use teflon. When I make grilled cheese sandwiches I use a teflon frying pan. The copper bottomed saucepan is one my mother gave me.

My cookware is a collection of hand-me-downs, cast offs, and curbside treasures along side a couple of actual purchased new pieces. I have a couple of really old cast iron skillets that hardly ever get cold for long so keeping them seasoned is easy. My husband and I received a full set of cast iron pots as a wedding gift but I could never get them to fully season right. Something about the surface of the pots was just not right. Something about some of the newer cast iron.... give me a 50 year old pan even if it is all rusted up and it will clean up and season just fine. I did just that for a few pieces recently for a friend. One or two pieces were old enough to have seen a covered wagon and they cleaned up great. Even baked corn bread that turned out of the pan nicely. Most of my other pots are stainless steel with copper bottoms that have all but been scrubbed off over the years. I have a few T-Fal "non stick" pans... non stick only if you never ever burn something greasy in them ... at least the coating doesn't come off... One T-Fal pan might get to see the light of day once or twice a year for holiday cooking when everything else is in use and I need another pan.