I love to cook, always have. Between mom and grandma, I grew up learning all the “tricks” of the trade. You are as likely to find me in the kitchen during the cold winter months baking up a holiday treat or working on a new recipe just as likely as you are to find me working on my cars during the warmer months. It’s a “hobby” that people seem to have forgotten about in our modern times — good, old fashioned home cooking!
Yet, despite my love for the kitchen there was a problem; my hate for the cookware! Oh I’ve tried it all over the years. Everything from the cheapest of the cheap to some of the more expensive pots and pans. Yet time and time again they let me down. They either didn’t hold up to repeated use; started to rust and/or tarnish; heated food unevenly; etc, etc. It was a nightmare. Having working in a restaurant in college I longed for the days when I had restaurant quality pots and pans to use — but, alas, my budget couldn’t afford that!
So when I got the chance to try out these Stainless Steel pots and pans from Rachael Ray I was cautious, but willing to give them a shot. To be honest I had used the teflon coated equivalent also offered under the Rachael Ray name and was less than pleased. However, I went into this experiment with an open mind — let the cooking begin!
First and foremost, I decided to whip up dishes that really tested the ability of this cookware. Everything from pasta to stir fry and everything in between. For those of you not used to cooking with stainless steel you must remember that you have to use oil to keep food from sticking and that stainless steel tends to conduct heat a little faster than other materials you may have used in the past.
I was impressed with how evenly this cookware distributed heat. No hot spots, no wild temperature swings. Everything heated up uniformly and a bit quicker than what I was used too. +1
Next, the weight of the pans was tested. There is nothing more aggrevating than having to chase pots and pans around the stove because their weight is not distributed evenly. I am pleased to say that even with the smallest pot I had no problem keeping it in place and able to stir the contents with chasing it around and around. +1
Cleanup was the next adventure — and some of you know that cleaning can be a real chore. Now I have to be fair here, a lot of the “effort” you will put into cleaning any pot or pan has a lot to do with how you use it. If you turn the temperature up to the maximum and let things burn or boil over — well, you have your own situation to deal with there. However, if you cook things properly and keep an eye on things as they cook you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy these guys are to clean. I use a no-scratch ScotchBrite pad and so far I’ve been happy with the ease at which they clean. Sure, you have to use a little elbow grease now and then but after multiple uses these guys still look as good as the day I took them out of the box. +1
For this car guy who also loves to fool around in the kitchen this cookware has been a blessing. I have no doubt that a year from now I’ll still be enjoying it and have high hopes that my search for the “perfect” pot and pan has finally ended — sure, you could get better with restaurant quality, but for the price point and features this set offers, why spend the extra money?
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