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Message |
i
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Pots & Pans Item
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Dec 4 12:20 UTC 2002 |
This is the pots & pans items! Talk here about copper vs. stainless vs.
aluminum, hollow vs. wood vs. plastic handles, metal vs. clear lids, &
more!
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| 59 responses total. |
i
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response 1 of 59:
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Dec 4 12:25 UTC 2002 |
I don't have any saucier-type pans (wide top, smaller-diameter bottom)
or any modern non-stick (vs. cast iron) pans. A cookbook i recently
got and (mostly) like the advice in suggests having one saucier pan (for
sauces & such) and one non-stick pan (for eggs).
A local store has a dropping-the-line sale on a 2 Qt. non-stick saucier.
Should i be looking to buy, or dismissing it as yet-another-piece-of-
clutter-to-waste-money-on?
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scott
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response 2 of 59:
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Dec 4 13:57 UTC 2002 |
I really like having a non-stick skillet for eggs and pancakes - even the
cheapo I bought years ago gets more use than my cast-iron skillet.
I don't see much point to saucier pans, with a small bottom. More surface
area means better coupling to stove burner, and therefore greater efficiency.
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cmcgee
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response 3 of 59:
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Dec 4 13:58 UTC 2002 |
I have a heavy stainless steel pan with a 4 in bottom diameter, 2 in deep,
1 pint capacity. Revereware,with extra-thick disk on bottom.
I use it all the time for small amounts of sauces, cocoa, etc because it keeps
the volume of liquid deep enough that it can cook without evaporating too
fast.
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orinoco
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response 4 of 59:
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Dec 4 19:07 UTC 2002 |
A saucier pan would be good for that too, I guess. But other than that, they
strike me as pretty useless to have at home. How often do you really make
restaurant-style sauces? Spaghetti sauce and such work just as well in a
normal pot.
I like non-stick pans better than cast-iron ones, but I think that's just
because they're what I'm used to.
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slynne
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response 5 of 59:
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Dec 4 19:23 UTC 2002 |
I have never even heard of a saucier pan before.
I have one really good sauce pan that I just bought recently. It is
made by a company called All Clad and I really like it. It has a firm
metal handle (that always stays cool). I think I might have finally
bought a pot where the handle wont fall off. The pan has a stainless
steel inside which I like because it is easy to clean.
I dont like non-stick pans because I have heard that if you ever burn
anything in them, they release a gas that can kill birds that live in
the house. Since I have a bird but also because that doesnt sound very
nice and because I tend to burn things, I have decided just to go with
cast iron. It works for me!
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slynne
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response 6 of 59:
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Dec 4 19:30 UTC 2002 |
Do you make a lot of sauces, i? I guess if you do, it might be worth it
to you to invest in such a pan especially if you arent prone to burning
things. From what I understand, non stick pans are really easy to
clean.
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keesan
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response 7 of 59:
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Dec 4 20:59 UTC 2002 |
Teflon only releases toxic gases at high temperatures, but burning oil also
releases toxic gases. I don't use nonstick frying pans (cast iron works
perfectly though a bit slowly) but I have a nonstick bread machine pan and
a nonstick pressure cooker. These don't have much chance to overheat.
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mary
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response 8 of 59:
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Dec 5 03:33 UTC 2002 |
A saucier is especially nice for cooking any liquid with
the potential to burn as you don't have any bottom-meets-
the-side-and-the-whisk-won't-reach-there issues. The bottom
of my three quart exactly matches my burner size and the
aluminium core goes up some for nice even heating. But
All-Clad is a bit pricey. For this piece I like the
stainless, inside and out, again, to take whisking.
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keesan
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response 9 of 59:
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Dec 5 15:51 UTC 2002 |
Would a round-bottomed wok work for this? Or a microwave oven on low?
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orinoco
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response 10 of 59:
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Dec 5 16:08 UTC 2002 |
Food doesn't brown in a microwave the same way it does on the stove. For some
recipes, that makes a difference.
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keesan
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response 11 of 59:
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Dec 5 23:31 UTC 2002 |
For sauces?
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cmcgee
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response 12 of 59:
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Dec 6 20:41 UTC 2002 |
yes, some basic sauces require you to brown the flour and fat before you add
the liquid. It's called a roux.
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keesan
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response 13 of 59:
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Dec 6 21:49 UTC 2002 |
Can't you brown flour and fat in a microwave oven? We can burn our peanuts
in it.
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jmsaul
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response 14 of 59:
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Dec 6 23:15 UTC 2002 |
That's one of your rare, deadpan jokes, right? I figured I'd better point
that out before people take it seriously.
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