I want to buy my girlfriend some quality cookware for her bday... what should I be looking for?

Answer 1

Cookware is tools, so you buy the best you can afford, because it's an investment. What makes the difference is the construction. Quality construction can be had a variety of different prices because cookware marketing is a lot of hype.

What you want are pans that are made from a sandwich of aluminum in the middle and 18/10 stainless steel on the outside, called tri-ply, and you want this layering to go *up the sides of the pan*, not just be on the bottom. (Aluminum is one of the best heat conductors.) This construction makes it harder for food to burn on the bottom because the heat distributes evenly through the whole pan. Metal layered this way is called "clad" and it is what makes super-expensive All-Clad work so well. But you can get the same kind of pans from Le Gourmet Chef for a lot less money.

Not as good by a long shot is a pan with a thick bottom that, if you look, has been fused onto the bottom of a thin pan. A lot of celebrity name cookware is built this way. Food will burn right where the edges of the thick part end, because the heat cannot escape up the thin sides of the pan, which have no aluminum core.

Answer 2

Corningware is quite good, as is Cephalon. Be sure to give her a cast iron skillet and a cast iron Dutch oven as well as the rest - there are dishes for which cast iron is unequaled. Besides the first two, All Clad is an excellent choice. I wouldn't go with anything more expensive than the above, like Le Cruset. That's good stuff, but far too expensive. Nor would I go with ultra-lightweight cooking utensils meant for "backpacking". That's just plain lousy cookware, despite how cool it sounds to be able to backpack an entire set off cooking utensils.

Answer 3

Go to a good store - you can get some really good pans that can go on the hotplate, and in the oven - but they are EXPENSIVE for decent ones -
she obviously loves cooking? or does she love baking? If it is baking she loves - get her some of the new silicone muffin pans and cake pans - they are so brilliant - then also get her a gorgeous platter for serving her freshly made cupcakes or muffins on. Buy a really gorgeous book on "cup-cakes" or muffins.

Now, this is what you do - if she loves just cooking:

Buy a big basket - line the basket with 3 or 4 pretty checked teatowels in the same color - put in a really nice new cookbook (Jamie Oliver or something special), put the new shiny pan in the basket too, add a mortar and pestle (a stone one!!), add bunches of fresh herbs and garlic and ginger, tie the herbs with brown string and add little brown labels of the herbs. Wrap the whole thing in clear cello and bunch up at the top - tie on a big ribbon in the color of the tea-towels. GORGEOUS!!

If she loves baking, do the basket and tea-towels, add the baking book and silicone muffin/cup cake trays, add a bunch of cute wooden spoons, whisk, and some fresh eggs in their own little mini basket and perhaps a cute little measuring cup. Wrap with cello bunched at the top and a big bow of ribbon.

I promise, I love cooking and baking and would LOVE either of these. She will adore the time and effort you took to make it special for her.

Answer 4

some stainless steel cookware...the Calphalon Contemporary set is really nice...it runs about 399.00 for a 8 piece set. or if you want you can go with the all-clad which is great quality and pretty expensive.

Answer 5

Most young people such as yourself live a very busy life, especially single folks who have jobs. I highly recommend getting her a really good quality crock pot - also known as a slow cooker. You can put the crock pot meal in the slow cooker in the morning before going to work, set it on low and have the wonderful aroma of dinner when she walks in the door after a long, tiring day at work. Plus, a crock pot keeps the food at a safe temperature. The variety of foods she can cook in a crock pot are endless. Check out the web site: http://great-crock-pot-meals.weebly.com It will answer all your questions about what to look for in a new crock pot and has lots of wonderful time-saving recipes for crock pot meals. Believe me, she will love you for it.

Answer 6

T-fal.....I have a whole collection of that brand...and they have been the best brand ever. They will last for a long time, as long as they are properly cared for!! And its a French product where they have some of the best foods... ;)

Answer 7

Wolfgang puck. Only the best

Answer 8

T-Fal is good! Pyrex(bakeware)! cast iron and stainless steel are great attributes to look for.

Answer 9

make sure the bottoms of the pans or pots are thick and not the thin ones which burn easy.

Answer 10

a new girlfriend if you give her pans for her birhthday.