maaan, I lust over the le Creuset line, but yeah—sooo expensive.  And, I’m a tightwad when it comes to cookware, because I am…a tightwad?  Also, mostly broke.  Yes.  Yes, I am.  I know Tuesday Morning carries their stuff occasionally, and it is considerably cheaper, if you’re not bothered about being matchy-matchy with your pots and pans.  ooo…or ebay?  I’ve never tried ebay for cookware, but they sell everything else over there—I’d be shocked if you couldn’t find it.

My mom has the whole set of Le Creuset… they are wonderful pots but mainly for baking but for every-single-day use is a pain in the ass.  Because, hello… those fuckers are HEAVY.  Plus, you always have to use the right spoons or you scrap the crap out of them.  That causes the biggest fights in the parents kitchen. Lol.

But you can find them all the time at TJ Max, Marshall’s, and Home Goods for a pretty decent price but still kinda expensive.  They make a damn good roast though. :)

As for me, I bought my whole set of Cuisinart pots from TJ Max and Home goods.  My favorite!  They wash up so nicely and easy to handle.  I normally use olive oil for cooking or cooking spray…. works just fine.

But sadly, I’ve gotten into the habit of just baking a piece of chicken every night. Easy and healthy with some veggies or salad.  Perfect for WW.

I wanted to get a Le Creuset dutch oven, too, but I just couldn’t spend that much on a pot, so I got one from Lodge instead.  It’s just as pretty as the Le Creuset (mine is red) and it has great reviews, but it only costs about $50.  I’ve used it multiple times a week since I got it last year and it still looks brand new, I love it!  You do have to hand wash it and clean up can be a pain if stuff gets stuck in there (I just let it soak overnight), but it would be the same for a Le Creuset.

A cast iron skillet is next on my list and I’m definitely getting it from Lodge again.  At some point I want to replace my set of non-stick pans, but they’re still fairly new so I’ll have to wait a year or two. I’ll probably go with stainless steel at that point, but keep one good size non-stick pan around and just try not to use it too often.

I am the child of a chef, an avid cook who likes to prepare healthy meals for my family and I worked at Williams Sonoma for 5 years because I love cookware.  I don’t still work there and I don’t rep any company.  I want to say that up front since my preferences will be obvious.  I loathe non-stick cookware.  If you use stainless steel cookware the right way, you can do many of the same things.  So first, non-stick cookware cannot go in the oven or the dishwasher (the pans are made of aluminum so they can’t go in the dishwasher and since they can’t be heated above a certain temp without releasing fumes or having the coating flake off, they can’t go in the oven).  You cannot braise in non-stick or de-glaze a non-stick pan.  You have to use special cooking utensils (usually plastic) when cooking with non-stick cookware so as not to scratch the surface.  Calphalon One (called Unison now I think) was supposed to be the answer to this-an infused non-stick that I believe means the non-stick chemical is cooked right into the metal instead of coating the metal.  I own one of these pans, a gift from Calphalon when they first came out and I do like it better then any other non-stick I used.  However, I don’t think it performs any better then my All-Clad with a little oil from my Misto.  One more note on non-stick.  The coating on non-stick bakeware affects the appearance of the final product.  You get a darker finish, that, often looks overcooked (I have not tried the newer gold finish non-stick pans at WIlliams-Sonoma so I can’t speak for those).  Since most baked goods have enough fat in them to slip easily out of the pan, non-stick is not necessary.  If you are trying to cook lower fat muffins with apple sauce, use cupcake liners in the pan instead.  I have yet to try the new silicone bakeware but my sister-in-law, who went to Culinary School in San Francisco to study baking, swears by it.  So they may be a good healthy option for baking. 

All-Clad is an aluminum core (second best heat conductor after copper) wrapped in stainless steel so it is very durable and cooks beautifully. This design allows it to respond quickly to heat so you don’t need to crank the heat.  If food is sticking, try turning the heat down some.  If a recipe says to cook on high, try cooking on medium high instead.  You can put it in the oven, you can sear, you can de-glaze.  Julia Child hated stainless and liked to cook with copper cookware and enamel coated cast iron.  But she didn’t have kids so she didn’t need to consider ease of cleaning.  All-Clad can be scrubbed and it can go in the dishwasher.  If you think it is hard to clean, you aren’t cleaning it right.  Put some water in and let is soak a bit while you do the other dishes.  Any stuck on bits should come right out but if they don’t, the company recommends Bar Keepers Friend which is only $2.00 a can and also safe for fine china.  Or you can use Bon Ami which is environmentally safe and also inexpensive.  Certainly, there are other stainless cookware brands that are also good but look them over carefully.  All-Clad is American made and comes with a lifetime warranty.  The handles are designed so they don’t get hot.  Occasionally, if I have had a pan on the heat for a while (like a pasta pot), I need to grab potholders, but most of the time, the handles will not get so hot that you can’t touch them.  My Mom bought a reputable brand of stainless steel that was less expensive.  The handles get very hot and the rivets have all loosened.  A well-made pan with a life time warranty is worth the investment.  Most stores regularly offer specials on All-Clad, especially around the holidays and Mother’s Day so look for a deal and try one to see how you like it.  Bed bath and Beyond always runs coupons too so that helps with the price.

I also love Le Crueset and have several pieces but it is less practical for every day use because of it’s weight.  Yes, it is pricey but worth it.  It will become a family heirloom that you can pass along to your kids.  And it truly cooks and cleans beautifully.  There are also many less expensive options out there now.  Mario Batalli sells a line that is less expensive and Wold Market has a very affordable line.  Don’t overlook Lodge cast iron cookware either.  It is extremely inexpensive, available everywhere from Williams-Sonoma to Wal-mart and comes pre-seasoned now.  It won’t be completely non-stick-you’ll have to spray it with that Misto (I usually pour a small amount of oil onto a paper towel and wipe the inside of the pan with it-food slips right out) but certain dishes just cook so much nicer in a cast iron pan and the more you cook with it, the more seasoned it becomes and eventually will be better then any non-stick pan.  Just be sure to follow the cleaning directions properly.  Also remember that cast iron takes a bit longer to heat up but then it retains the heat for a long time so again, you won’t need as high a heat and you won’t be able to adjust heat quickly.  Most of the new green cookware uses an enamel coating.  I am sure there is or will soon be one that offers the convenience of a lighter weight in combination with a easy clean enamel coating.  Thus far, I have not seen one that offers a pan construction that will respond to heat as well as cast iron does.

One other option I want to mention is Emile Henry cookware.  This won’t help you with eggs but it will with many other dishes.  They make ceramic cookware that is safe for the oven and stove top.  It is much lighter then cast iron, cooks beautifully because the heat penetrates the pourous ceramic evenly, cleans easily and looks so beautiful so you can prepare a dish and take it right to the table in the same dish creating less cean-up.  Who doesn’t love that?  I often see discounted Emile Henry at discount stores like Marshalls and Williams-Sonoma has sales on it several times a year (they update colors seasonally) so you can definitely score some good deals on this great cookware.  They used to make a roasting pan that had the ridges built right into the pan.  If you ever come across one of these, grab it.  I was devastated when I broke mine as I regularly made one pot dinners with chicken and vegies in it. 

So after all of that, all I am really trying to say is that the shortcuts of unsafe, non-stick cookware are really not necessary.  Good quality, traditional cookware, will yield equally healthy results with less fuss.  While set prices are always the best deal, consider investing in one good multi-use pan across the classics and experiment to see what you like to cook in the most.  Good luck finding what makes your life easier.