The Best Cookware Needed In Every Kitchen
My goal has always been to teach people to cook from scratch. To cook efficiently, you need the best cookware. I’m going to show you some of my favorites.
You can start with cheaper brands, but if you have two or three excellent cookware, they will last a lifetime when you care for them. I want to invite you into my kitchen today to see what I use. Be sure to tell me your favorite cookware so I can share your ideas with my readers.
When I got married over 56 years ago, aluminum pans were the name of the game. They worked fine for many years. Then someone thought of making non-stick pans. They were so awesome, nothing stuck to them, making after-meals cleanup much easier.
But after a few months, the non-stick finish started flaking off and attaching the “stuff” to our food. Or, we would see bare spots where the non-stick finish used to be. Those pans were soon trashed, not knowing if that finish was toxic. Raise your hand if you had some of those!
The Best Cookware Needed In Every Kitchen
Cast Iron Pans
My mother used cast iron pans, so I’ve used them. If you season them well, nothing sticks to them. Yes, they are heavy and feel bulky, but I love them.
I soon learned that if I bought cast iron pans without a long handle, I could always use them. This is one of my very favorite pans, shown below.
12-Inch Cast Iron Fry Pan
I realize this pan is heavy and awkward to use for some people, but it’s still one of my favorite pans, which I use almost daily. This is a Lodge 12-Inch Skillet. It’s perfect for cooking scrambled eggs, making fajitas, doughnuts, bagels, and even Lefse.
It’s left on my stove day in and day out. Yes, I use it that much. I love fried onions and bell peppers, especially the red, orange, and yellow ones. They are so sweet and mixed with onions, all I need is a tortilla, salsa, cheese, and maybe a little meat, I have the tacos you can imagine.
Pros:
It makes food taste awesome, and the price is reasonable. If you keep it seasoned, it will be non-stick, and if cared for properly, it will last a lifetime.
Cons:
You have to hand wash it, as it is heavy and bulky. They do not work well on glass-top stoves.
8-Inch Cast Iron Fry Pan
Do you sometimes want a fried egg on toast or just plain with a slice or two of bacon? I sure do! And this pan is the one to use. It makes a fried egg in butter—well, it’s the best fried egg ever!
When I was growing up, my dad made fried cheese in a cast iron pan about this size, yep, fried cheese!
Oh, plus chicken livers and onions, and sometimes just liver and onions. I love memories! 8-inch Cast Iron Pan
Pros:
It makes food taste awesome, and the price is reasonable. If you keep it seasoned, it will be non-stick, and if cared for properly, it will last a lifetime.
Cons:
Must be hand-washed. They do not work well on glass-top stoves.
4-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan
I have three of these. I’m almost sure one of them is at least 30 years old. It’s a Farberware Stainless Steel 4-quart Saucepan. I love a few pans without long handles sticking out.
You still have to use hot pads to pick it up, but at least the handle is not in my way while I’m stirring. This pan is perfect for making a roux, boiling water, and making a small pot of soup.
Pros:
Stainless steel, dishwasher safe, and affordable.
Cons:
None.
6-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan
When my family comes, I always make Creamed Chip Beef on Toast, and this is the pan we use. I will add the recipe below the pan in case you want to print it out and give it a try. Who grew up with cream-chipped beef, creamed tuna, or hard-boiled eggs in a white sauce?
Maybe your family used a 6-quart saucepan! Farberware 6-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan.
Mark uses this pan to boil pasta or spaghetti for us; it’s the perfect saucepan for many meals.
Pros:
Stainless steel, dishwasher safe, and affordable.
Cons:
None.
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 gallon milk
- 2 4.5- ounce jars dried beef
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
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Melt the butter in a large pan, add the flour and quickly use a whisk to make a roux. Continue whisking and add 1/2 gallon of milk. Keep stirring until the mixture is cooked and smooth. Rinse the beef, chop it into pieces and add to the white sauce above. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Serve hot over bread, biscuits, or toast. We like to add frozen peas (cooked) when ready to serve.
8-Quart Stainless Steel Soup/Spaghetti Pot
This 8-Quart Spaghetti Pot is meant for large families to boil spaghetti or make a large pot of soup. I’ve had this soup pot for years. I raised my kids with it and blanched fruits for canning. Every family needs a large pot for so many reasons. It’s perfect to use on a gas stove when the power goes out. This is the pan I use to boil spaghetti for the two of us!
You can make soup for your neighbors. Life is good with a warm bowl of soup. This pot is excellent when you have a large meal item to make.
Pros:
Stainless steel, dishwasher safe, and affordable.
Cons:
None.
Ebelskiver Pan
This is a fun pan for making Ebelskivers for friends and family. They are round pancakes that are super easy to make and kids love. My mother had a cast-iron one, but I’m not sure what happened to it after she died.
I will share my recipe after the picture. Ebelskiver Pan
Quick And Easy Way To Make Ebelskivers
Pros:
Nonstick and affordable.
Cons:
Handwash only and cannot use metal utensils.
- 1-1/2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (white bread flour works well too)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dough enhancer (optional)
- Dash of salt
- Freshly ground nutmeg using a Microplane or out of a jar to taste
- Whisk the following:
- 1 cup buttermilk (I used the dry food storage type and reconstituted with water as directed)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
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After whisking, add the dry ingredients.
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Heat the Ebelskiver Pan.
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I use vegetable spray instead of putting 1 teaspoon of oil in each Ebelskiver hole.
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Heat the pan until very hot. I use a toothpick to flip mine. I will cook both sides and then cook them on their side.
6-Quart Ceramic/Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Here’s the deal: I have several regular cast-iron Dutch Ovens with legs (to stack and cook outside) and a few different sizes without legs, but today, we’re talking about what I use in my kitchen.
For some reason, I saw this Red Lodge 6-Quart Dutch Oven and knew it would look perfect in my kitchen. Plus, it’s oven-safe.
We have made so many pots of soup or beans in this gem, and I smile every time I turn on the stove with it sitting there front and center. It’s cast-iron with a ceramic finish, so you can see the little “black dividers” holding the lid above the Dutch oven base.
This can’t be used on briquettes; it’s not designed to be used outside.
Pros:
Easy to clean, it makes the best soup and chili tastes even better, and it’s affordable.
Cons:
Heavy, handwash only.
10-Inch Swiss Diamond Skillet
I learned about Swiss Diamond pans when I taught classes at a fancy kitchen store in Southern Utah. When my family and grandkids come to visit and use these pans, they see how wonderful they are and really want them for their own kitchens.
They have never cooked with anything like them. Nothing sticks; they are different from the old non-stick coated pans from the 1970s!
My oldest grandson even bought one for his girlfriend for Christmas. You must hand wash them like any good cookware and use non-metal kitchen tools. Swiss Diamond 10-Inch Skillet. Update: The instructions say they are dishwasher safe. Awesome!
Pros:
Food never sticks, and no vegetable spray is ever needed.
Cons:
It’s pricey, handwash only, and you cannot use metal utensils. Update: The instructions say they are dishwasher safe.
12-Inch Swiss Diamond Skillet
This 12-inch Swiss Diamond Skillet is perfect for omelets or fajitas. I mainly use it when the family comes to visit. Nothing sticks, and it’s easy to clean up after use.
Pros:
Food never sticks, and no vegetable spray is needed.
Cons:
Pricey and handwash only, cannot use metal utensils. Update: The instructions say they are dishwasher safe.
Lodge Cast Iron Griddle
Every family needs a good griddle for pancakes, grilled cheese, and quesadillas! This Lodge Cast Iron Griddle is perfect for every family!
Pros:
Non-stick makes food taste better, lasts a lifetime if cared for properly, is kept seasoned, and is affordable.
Cons:
Heavy and handwash only.
Braiser
My braiser is packed away for the holidays. These work great for braising meat, ribs, and even steaming your favorite vegetables. Braiser
Final Word
I hope you enjoyed visiting my kitchen on the internet today. Mark and I live a simple life and enjoy cooking together in the kitchen. He always cleans up the prep work, which is a blessing to me. We love eating at home, where we know the ingredients in our food. Please let me know the best cookware you love using in your home.
So many of us are cooking for fewer people in some cases, and others have growing families, but we all appreciate quality cookware based on how much time we spend on meal preparation. Please keep prepping. I believe hard times are coming, and we will survive, my friends. May God bless this world, Linda
Thanks Linda for another great post! I also have a small saucepan for heating those small items. Costco is now carrying a set of 3 Graniteware frying pans and I am loving them! They are a high quality nonstick frying pan that are not Teflon.
Hi Kay, oh that’s awesome to hear about the pans at Costco!!! Not Teflon, LOL! It’s all about cooking with some good pans!! Linda
Love this post! I have several pans I use that are Calphalon brand. The husband gave me a set for Christmas almost 20 years ago and they are still as good as new. My only complaint about them is that I can’t use metal utensils on them or they will scratch, but otherwise they are perfect. My very favorite though is my great-grandmother’s cast iron Wagner skillet. It is as smooth as glass and better than any non-stick pan you can buy. I use it every day also!
Hi Paula, oh my gosh, I love the Calphalon brand! 20 years old and going strong! Yay! Oh my gosh, having your great grand mother’s Wagner cast iron skillet is a treasure!! I’m not sure who got my mother’s cast iron skillets after she died. I need to add that to my post, some of those you cannot use metal utensils either, thanks for the reminder. Life is good in the kitchen with awesome pans! Linda
I have most of these. I do have a stainless steel smallish pressure Dutch oven. I’ve used it as a regular pot, but haven’t pressure cooked in it yet. I do have a whole set of cast iron cookware. I also have a complete set of stainless steel cookware. I do have several Teflon skillets. Love them all.
Nothing tastes as good as anything cooked in cast iron. Yum
Hi Deborah, thanks for the 5 stars, my friend! You have the best pans too!! It’s so fun to cook when we love our pans, what can we say, right?? Cast iron does make food taste better!! Linda
I would add a braiser to the list of essential cookware. Braisers are used for
braising and slow cooking meats, such as ribs, in the oven. A 5 quart braiser can hold one rack of ribs. Make sure to get one with a lid. Cast iron braisers of that size are quite heavy when loaded with meat- consider getting a cast aluminum one instead. Braisers can also be used on the stovetop.
Hi Kate, oh yeah, we need a braiser, great reminder. I will add that, thank you! Linda
Linda,
We have the exact same stainless steel pots and pans. We also have most of the cast iron. I have a 12″ cast iron frying pan with a clear glass lid that I use for all kinds of dishes. Jane can’t use the cast iron due to lack of strength in her wrists and hands.
I love the Creamed Chip Beef recipe, though I had to seriously downsize it for just Jane and myself.
Hi Ray, thank you for the 5 stars, my friend! Yeah, I would need to cut the recipe down as well for just Mark and me. Life is good when we have the cookware we love using! Linda
I have a whole set of the Faberware stainless pots and pans, all the way down to the fry skillets. My parents bought the set in 1970 and they are still going strong 50 years later!!! I also have their cast iron stuff. And yes everything taste better cooked in cast iron pans. Love reading all your stuff, thanks.
Renee
Hi Renee, thank you for your kind words!! oh my gosh, I love the Farberware stainless steel pans! I remember having some Farberware with the handles but then “upgraded” to the ones without the handles. LOL! I never had the fry skillets! Those pans just keep going strong. Cast iron pans are the best! Linda
A great post, Linda! So many memories!
I grew up with RevereWare which looks very similar to the FaberWare. I passed a lot of my mom’s RevereWare to my son & daughter in law when I downsized the collection in my cabinets.
I watched my Grandma T. cook fried chicken in a huge cast iron skillet, but never had cast iron myself until I married. My favorite cast iron is a square fry pan (cornbread pan?) a dear friend gave me many years ago. It’s just the right size for grilled ham & cheese sammies, eggs or sausage or pork chops for the two of us.
I recently helped friends put together an estate sale. Their relative had lots of RevereWare. I was able to purchase 2 RevereWare covered skillets to send to my granddaughter who is setting up her first apartment. I also snagged a very nice enameled wok/braiser. The lid on the larger frypan fits the enameled pan like it was made for it.
Hi BDN, oh my gosh, I forgot about RevereWare!!! I had some of that too!! Oh my gosh, that square pan sounds awesome! It’s so fun to help set up our grandkids with items for their first apartment!! They always appreciate it!! Oh, I feel like making some fried chicken!! Yum! Linda
Great post! I had bought All-Clad to re-build my kitchen following a divorce (the ex got custody of the previous Calphalon set). Then I met my present and forever husband and married into his set of Saladmaster stainless. My-oh-my! It is pricey, but amazing; Truly made to be passed on to another generation when the time comes. Just a cautionary, when it comes to cast iron. While it’s great used on a gas range or electric range with coils, I don’t recommend that it be used on a glass cooktop range.
Hi Mary, oh my gosh, I love All-Clad, I have so many baking dishes by them. Thanks for the reminder of cast iron on the glass top stove, I just added that to the post. NOW, I need to scope out Saladmaster Stainless, I LOVE good quality cookware! I’m on it. Thank you, Linda
For those who find cast iron too heavy, an alternative is carbon steel. Much lighter and is seasoned like cast iron. It takes a little longer to achieve a good seasoning layer but then cooks very much like cast iron.
Hi Harry, oh my gosh, I remember you telling me about these “10″ CRUXGG seasoned blue carbon steel wok by Williams-Sonoma”. I’m going to invest in one, thank you for the reminder. Linda
I think Lodge makes seasoned carbon steel cookware as well. Their products are usually high quality.
Hi Harry, I will check that out, great tip! Thanks, Linda
Hello Linda,
Thank you for this post. I do use cast iron for just about everything I cook. We had a glass top stove, and they worked great on that. Now I have the induction stovetop and these work great on this as well. I also bake with them in my oven. I use the ones with the long handles, because that is what I have always had. You never need to replace these. I have the Lodge brand, but I love to purchase the old Griswold or Wagner. They are well seasoned.
Hi Suzy, oh I love hearing that cast iron works on your induction stovetop. i have only used one induction stove and that was at a kitchen store I taught classes. Good to know! I know a lot of people who love their Griswold and Wagner cast iron pans! Great reminder! Linda
I now have a granite skillet and it is awesome! I got mine from Amazon! It’s the best ever! For a non stick pan
Hi Deborah, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend. Oh my gosh, I need to look up granite skillets on Amazon! I love it! Linda