Good pans last a long time. The stainless steel are almost thirty years old, and the Le Creuset, inherited from a grandmother twenty years ago, are older still.
Aside from a few larger Le Creuset pots, a coffee maker, measuring cups, knives, and a tea kettle, this is pretty much the totality of my kitchen tools.
It looks like you have a Dutch oven. Ours is also a Le Creuset Cousances, a wedding gift from 40 years ago. I also find that a large cast iron skillet and a griddle to be essential.
We have the same blue Le Creuset Dutch ovens and pots. Also stainless pans (Allclad). Amazing how long they last. Also amazing how little one actually needs in order to cook. A crock pot is another useful tool in our kitchen. That and the coffee maker. MaryAnne
I'd add Boos cutting boards, Wusthof knives, french wooden spoons, Mauviel copper, a mortar and pestle, Laguiole knives, and Staub (along with my Le Creuset) to the essentials list. I cook very extensively and these items do not fail.
We got rid of all of our Wusthof knives after a trip to a Kyoto based knife maker. I've never had such incredible knives. They hold their edge forever, and when we went in they actually "fitted" the knife to my hand the way you would get a custom pair of shoes made. That, coupled with some decent knife skills, have cut down my prep time considerably.
My old, green cast iron Griswold #8 outlived somebody, and it will outlive me.... For the perfect steak, no pan beats it... and it comes with a "Sef basting skillet cover"...
No offense, but I don't go for "names" on my cookware. I go for durability. Moved out on my own 31 +/- years or so ago and still using some of the same cookware. Brands don't make you a better cook. Practice. Practice. Practice. Cheers!
In cookware, many of the "names" are worth it to me, not only for quality and durability, but also because of where and how they are made - e.g. Emile Henry, Mauviel, and Le Crueset in France, and Vitamix and All-Clad in the USA.
Interesting. Visitors always ask me about my cookware that is at least 50 years old and most pieces are made by Dansk ( Kobenstyle). Every time I cook I am amazed at how well designed and functional each piece is. I don't use a crockpot - instead I use my large Dansk pot on a heat diffuser on my 1050's Hardwick electric stove or portable electric burner. My stove has never needed any repair ( knock on wood)and I refuse to replace it with anything more modern until I'm absolutely forced to. The only more modern pieces I own are made by Emile Henry but I would not recommend their current line of flameware that has the glossy finish. Look for vintage and matte finish flame pieces. I needed a large 'non-stick' skillet so I splurged on a Swiss Diamond that doesn't use teflon or other toxic coatings. Most of my bakeware is vintage Emile Henry with the exception of my grandmother's Corning ware.
We have a combination of tin-lined copper cookware (high maintenance but certainly the Cadillac of cookware - silver lined copper would be the Rolls Royce of cookware but I don't own a piece with that lining). My oldest copper saucepot is from the 1880's and is still in very good working order. We use the copper the most.
In addition to that, we have a lot of cast iron pans from my in-laws that came from grandparents on his side, rumor has it they are from the 1920's through the 1960's. These are what we use the second most.
We also have two LeCruset dutch ovens, we use them when it's appropriate (braising, stews, super acidic foods) but we don't use them as much as I imagined when I bought them.
And finally...we have two cheap stainless soup pots that we keep on hand when we cook for others who are in need. I feel comfortable lending them out and sending a pot of soup, some home made bread, and local butter over to a family who has a need for a meal and if I never get the pot back I'm not too worried about it.
In the workshop, my dad always said that we need the right tool for the job - the kitchen is no exception.
This isn't in the same league as everything mentioned above, but I really miss the old Pyrex casserole dishes. Best things in the world for "funeral food" and if one didn't get it back, it was easy to replace. Now the stuff is scary; can explode into (literally) a million slivers for a variety of reasons.
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It looks like you have a Dutch oven. Ours is also a Le Creuset Cousances, a wedding gift from 40 years ago. I also find that a large cast iron skillet and a griddle to be essential.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to include a stock pot, not too large, and I am embarrassed to say, a coated skillet.
DeleteWe have other things but mostly they are for convenience and only sometimes used.
We have the same blue Le Creuset Dutch ovens and pots. Also stainless pans (Allclad). Amazing how long they last. Also amazing how little one actually needs in order to cook. A crock pot is another useful tool in our kitchen. That and the coffee maker.
ReplyDeleteMaryAnne
I'd add Boos cutting boards, Wusthof knives, french wooden spoons, Mauviel copper, a mortar and pestle, Laguiole knives, and Staub (along with my Le Creuset) to the essentials list. I cook very extensively and these items do not fail.
ReplyDeleteWe got rid of all of our Wusthof knives after a trip to a Kyoto based knife maker. I've never had such incredible knives. They hold their edge forever, and when we went in they actually "fitted" the knife to my hand the way you would get a custom pair of shoes made. That, coupled with some decent knife skills, have cut down my prep time considerably.
DeleteWhat! No cast iron skillet? Preferably an old Griswold. Kitchen is not complete without at least one.
ReplyDeleteMy old, green cast iron Griswold #8 outlived somebody, and it will outlive me.... For the perfect steak, no pan beats it... and it comes with a "Sef basting skillet cover"...
ReplyDeleteQuality will out! Thanks for the photos.
ReplyDeleteNo offense, but I don't go for "names" on my cookware. I go for durability. Moved out on my own 31 +/- years or so ago and still using some of the same cookware. Brands don't make you a better cook. Practice. Practice. Practice. Cheers!
ReplyDelete...sometimes you get what you pay for....
DeleteIn cookware, many of the "names" are worth it to me, not only for quality and durability, but also because of where and how they are made - e.g. Emile Henry, Mauviel, and Le Crueset in France, and Vitamix and All-Clad in the USA.
DeleteWe're still using the LeCreuset pots we received as wedding presents 42 years ago!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Visitors always ask me about my cookware that is at least 50 years old and most pieces are made by Dansk ( Kobenstyle). Every time I cook I am amazed at how well designed and functional each piece is. I don't use a crockpot - instead I use my large Dansk pot on a heat diffuser on my 1050's Hardwick electric stove or portable electric burner. My stove has never needed any repair ( knock on wood)and I refuse to replace it with anything more modern until I'm absolutely forced to. The only more modern pieces I own are made by Emile Henry but I would not recommend their current line of flameware that has the glossy finish. Look for vintage and matte finish flame pieces.
ReplyDeleteI needed a large 'non-stick' skillet so I splurged on a Swiss Diamond that doesn't use teflon or other toxic coatings.
Most of my bakeware is vintage Emile Henry with the exception of my grandmother's Corning ware.
We have a combination of tin-lined copper cookware (high maintenance but certainly the Cadillac of cookware - silver lined copper would be the Rolls Royce of cookware but I don't own a piece with that lining). My oldest copper saucepot is from the 1880's and is still in very good working order. We use the copper the most.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to that, we have a lot of cast iron pans from my in-laws that came from grandparents on his side, rumor has it they are from the 1920's through the 1960's. These are what we use the second most.
We also have two LeCruset dutch ovens, we use them when it's appropriate (braising, stews, super acidic foods) but we don't use them as much as I imagined when I bought them.
And finally...we have two cheap stainless soup pots that we keep on hand when we cook for others who are in need. I feel comfortable lending them out and sending a pot of soup, some home made bread, and local butter over to a family who has a need for a meal and if I never get the pot back I'm not too worried about it.
In the workshop, my dad always said that we need the right tool for the job - the kitchen is no exception.
- ER
This isn't in the same league as everything mentioned above, but I really miss the old Pyrex casserole dishes. Best things in the world for "funeral food" and if one didn't get it back, it was easy to replace. Now the stuff is scary; can explode into (literally) a million slivers for a variety of reasons.
ReplyDeleteHere is a place where you can buy the old Pyrex dishes: https://icedteapitcher.myshopify.com/
ReplyDelete