I am a pan snob but I have several types of cookware and use them all.

The regular cast iron was my grandmothers and is probably close to 100 years old now. My grandfather gave it to me for my very first apartment about 40 years ago and I still have it. This is the workhorse stuff, and since I added the stainless and Staub I use it less than before.

I have several sizes of roasting pans Al Clad and Calphalon and even a 1930's Majestic aluminum roaster that looks art deco. That was grandma's too and it still works fine - but I prefer stainless because of clean up. My 7 quart oval Dutch oven makes a great chicken roaster.

The stainless is Al Clad and Demeyere, theses are the stockpots and sauciers, and the daily pots and pans. My enamel cast iron is Staub and I have several different Dutch oven sizes, braisers and a fry pan.

The copper specialty pieces are from Dehillerin in Paris - think gratin pans, paella and bowls - so pretty and used once in a while, always a reminder of seeing Paris!

I also have pyrex and couldn't live without it, as well as the blue cornflower corningware that was also my grandmothers. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without corningware on the table.

I want cookware that can go from stovetop to oven without missing a beat. Quick pan fry in stainless and into the oven to finish - start on the stovetop and then braise all day in the Staub,

I also like some heft to my pans. A stockpot has to be able to simmer for hours and not scorch on the bottom. Lightweight just feels cheap to me.

I have had other pots and pans over the years and either threw them out or gave them off to kids.....they will get the good stuff eventually too.

Sometimes it pays to check places like HomeGoods. For example, I found these two 9-inch Le Creuset pie pans on their clearance aisle for $3 each. Have used them over and over. I also once found two 3.5 qt. LC Dutch ovens at TJ Maxx for $20 each. Bought both…one for me and one for our daughter.

The wedding gift set we received long ago included a lasagna pan and a gratin pan. I’ve used the gratin many times and love it. However, I gave the lasagna pan away years ago. It was really heavy, and I found the hinged metal handles somewhat awkward.

I love HomeGoods and TJ's. Never know what you're going to find, it's like a treasure hunt -- I never go with the the expectation that I'm going to find anything, so I don't end up disappointed :p. But have gotten lots of nice pieces over the years, cookware, serving pieces, bowls, tablecloths, all sorts of things.

“I never go with the the expectation that I'm going to find anything…”

Same with me…best way to do it! It can be very hit or miss. We have HG, TJM and Marshall’s about a mile from home so I check things over frequently. You never know!

Not a snob. I have Magnalite from the early 80s, a couple anodized Calphalon skillets, graniteware (only used at Thanksgiving for the turkey breast), a few Staub pieces that I love, cast iron skillets that I only use for gumbo, my mom's WearEver pans (circa early 1950s) that I use a lot, and a few grocery store skillets "bought" with saver stamps.

I have a couple of those Le Creuset stoneware pieces that I got at TJ Maxx.

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I have this 20" stainless steel fish poacher, which I bought several years ago when it cost twice as much, but I needed it to poach a whole salmon, which was quite large. Kevin brought the fish back from Seattle when he went there on business. I ended up with a huge amount of poached salmon (which I froze) and a huge amount of fish stock, which had more flavor than the fish. I froze the fish stock in quantities that I would want to use, and I used Julia Child's recipe, which I really like.

I have to store this pan in the garage because I seldom use it, but it was necessary for this one recipe.

I do not own a single piece of Le Creuset and would not use it if I did. I do have a stainless steel Dutch oven, but I pretty much use it only for deep frying, and not very often.

Pretty sure I'm a pan snob (why should pans be anyting different?) my favorite cookware is the Griswold cast iron pan my grandmother received as a wedding present in 1910 and the steel wok I bought in grad school for maybe $6 in 1974. I challenge anyone to find better pans! They are perfect at what they do. My no-name cast iron dutch oven picked up at a yard sale is right up there as well. I've got a bunch of all-clad etc pans that were vastly more expensive, but they don't work better.

sure. perhaps, better yet, a cast iron snob. Use the Staub for many things. Recently acquired a CI 10 inch of which I am becoming quite fond. I have a large calphalon, but have been through too many of those over the years; covering just doesn't hold up. Plus my old corningwares are workhorses

We have several types, but I've had troubles finding egg frying pans that last more than a year or so! Hubby has found a couple of Le Creuset on ebay that I love!

I will NOT pay the full prices for them, but am open to slowly find them as we see them.

My only thing is having a 8-10" pan for frying eggs! The LC is way too heavy to bring the pan to the plate!

Oh, yeah, and whoever said "real cooks choose...." Hmmmmm! There's a snob!

I’m with Roy Hobbs and M Miller on this one. What’s with the use of the term “pan snob?”

Lars -- I am curious why you wouldn't use Le Creuset if you owned it. Do you mean just the dutch ovens or any of it? My love affair with LC dutch ovens has definitely waned, but it's because of the weight. They do perform beautifully and can go from right from fridge to oven. I don't own any of the fry pans or any cast iron fry pans for the same reason.

I'd bet anyone that knows me would say I'm a pan snob. But that's just an assumption based on the fact that I like to cook. My sister and SIL asked my opinion on what pans they should buy and they were both very surprised when I seared them towards tri ply options of moderate prices. They both wanted sets (which I'm not a fan of but understand their reasons). My sister ended up with some fancy looking set she had her eye on from the beginning and didn't listen to me. My SIL found a 6 or so piece set that I was jealous of since it had a hammered look to it. My SIL was very hesitant about it but when I told her I have a tri ply emeril lagasse stock pot that is 15 years old and still usable even with bottom edge that is dented (I don't remember wacking it that hard!) she then bought it.

What I am a snob about when it comes to cookware is anyone that won't cook on SS and has to use non stick for everything. NS is for eggs and nothing else!! And if for the love of pete you do have to use NS then at least buy yourself some Bon Ami and scrub them out periodically instead of throwing them away and buying another since they "are no long non stick". But when it comes to talking to people about it I try to hide my snobbishness and just be helpful.

I can lift an empty Le Creuset but a full pot is getting harder and harder. I had an overuse injury a few years ago, haven't been the same since then, especially on the right. Getting older isn't helping any, either.

Sorry to go a little off topic, but Plllog's post about the cast iron workouts reminds me of the Housewife's Stretch, something I read in a Family Circle Magazine maybe in the 1970s. Grab the front of your kitchen sink, relax your knees, then just drop your hips into the stretch, holding onto the sink. Heavenly!

Just joining in late to say yes, I probably do qualify as a cookware snob. I just like the best pan for the job, and have "kissed many frogs" in an effort to decide what I like the most. You can cook on just about antthing, but having good tools just makes things easier and gives you more margin. Thus, I've ended up with a sea of thick copper (vintage and Falk/Mauviel), Demeyere, vintage cast iron, Le Creuset/Staub ECi, and Pillyvuyt/Emile Henry bakers.

I primarily use my Le Creuset/Staub as dutch ovens/braisers and gratins (I have copper versions as well, so it becomes dish dependant). The gratins excel in oven to table dishes like dauphinoise.

Mxk, so sorry about your injury! That's why I said "healthy". Some people just can't. But if it's getting harder and harder, it means you're losing some strength. Check with your doctor first, of course, but you can probably still do strengthening exercises. Perhaps physical therapy? Maybe just pushing your arms through bathwater?

I've haven't been getting enough of the right kind of rest and finding it harder to wash my bean pot (9qt Le Creuset) That's when I get more determined to do a good job and not leave it for the minions.

Fillmoe, is that grand pliés?

I agree that lifting weight is helpful for retaining strength.

I do pushups & planks and carry small dumbbells when I go walking, and I don't shy away from carrying heavy stuff.

Maneuvering a heavy pot or pan full of hot food, tho? I'd rather not.

I do not make anything that requires a Le Creuset, which is why I would not use it. As I said, I only use my Dutch oven for deep frying, and since it works well for that, there is no need for me to have a second Dutch oven. My Dutch oven has a glass lid, and I prefer that to opaque.

I do use my pressure cooker a lot, and it came with two bottoms and a steamer basket. I use the smaller bottom most of the time, but I will use the large one to make stock.

I also prefer not to maneuver a heavy pot or pan full of hot food - it can be dangerous, as I seem to be accident prone. It is much easier to maneuver my pressure cooker, and it has two handles that do not get hot - plus the lid locks in place, and so it cannot fall off.

Three years ago, I put on a fireworks show at a lakefront rental and blew a hole in the plastic dock. This summer, determined not to make the same mistake, I put a cookie sheet between the explosive and the deck and blew an even larger hole in the dock in addition to bowing the cookie sheet:

I pounded out the dent, but my girlfriend insisted we send for a replacement cookie sheet.

LOL, Joseph, I now know to add ”explosive proof” to my list of requirements for cookie sheets! 👍🏻

I have a small Le Creuset pumpkin and apple and I used both of them tonight for soup. They're a joy to look at. Along with the big Staub pumpkin and Lodge apple. And those are just the fruits and vegetables! I have lots more cast iron and think they're worth it and good stainless pots and pans, roasters... To me, it's as much about the enjoyment of using a variety of interesting, attractive pots and pans as it is the functionality.

The editing here has gone rogue.

Snob? No, but over the last twenty years I’ve carefully selected individual pans with my cooking in mind. Excellent quality makes cooking and cleanup easier and more fun.

No but my mom was. I have a really nice Viking set that we got for our wedding 18 years ago. 3 pots and 3 pans with lids. I could probably use a small soup pot. I have been thinking about a LC dutch oven for years.

Definitly a pan snob...I own 4 Lecruset enamel Dutch ovens, 3 the same 5 qu size but one much the worse for 40 years of use...plus a 2 qt covered sauce, oval baker, and several fry pans.

I love my antique Savory enamel roaster and have 2 sizes.....and cringe and bite my lip and look away when i see anyone preparing anything in one of those disposable aluminum pans! EWWW!

Yes I am no spring chicken and the huge le cruset full of soup is too heavy to lift from the oven, but I can bail until it's half empty, and if it's not hot hug it o my chest and get it from stove to sink.

Also love vintage like 60 years old, revere, and brand new non stick 8 inch skillets!

Several years ago I received this white Le Creuset enameled steel stock pot from Fine Cooking. They used to send something if they printed a cooking tip/suggestion readers sent in. Not really something I needed or would have purchased, but it was kind of a nice surprise.

Thinking on it following the debunking thread, I think I'm more of a bakeware snob than a cookware snob, really. My ”fancy” cookware pleases me with function and looks, but I cooked just fine with dirt cheap stamped aluminum.

Bakeware is different. I want plain, thin steel. No coatings, certainly no non-stick, no ridges or bumps, no colors, no double walls, extra insulation or other trickery, strong enough to hold its shape, not super thin, but especially not super thick. Also, I don't like baking with parchment. The white is less bad than the brown for baking (I use the brown for roasting and other cooking and it's great), but my bakery comes out so much nicer if I just prepare the pans the old fashioned way. Like, for a cake layer or cookies, parchment keeps in the steam and makes the bottom soggy, and it peels away crumbs. Ugh. I love my old dime store pans, but can't really find the same, though maybe a bakery supply. Fat Daddio are a little thicker than I like, but they're good and I have quite a few. I also like the few Norpro Naturals I've seen, but I bought a horrid springform with Norpro's name, from a different line, which was cheap junk from China and didn't hold its shape after one use. I don't object to quality Chinese goods, but I resent cheap junk. Fat Daddio's springforms are over-engineered, but I got one to replace the Norpro. I haven't used it yet, but for sure this isn't going to lose its shape, and I'm thinking it's going to wear well. I do have a couple of glass bundt pans in odd sizes, and other than being hard to prepare (though they're also naturally pretty non-stick) they bake very well.

I'm also snobby with baking dishes and pie plates. Pies with crusts must be in glass. I tend to prefer Pyrex, but for the shape with the rim, really, not bake function, I have an Anchor for it's particular size and the pie bakes equally well. I also got a big Simax borosilicate (same maker (Czech) as the bundts) and it's very thin, like they are. I haven't used it yet, but I assume it'll be fine. I've been given ceramic pie and tart dishes and did not care for how they baked at all. Luckily, the nearby restaurant supply had proper tart tins. The actual ”tinned” type with the sharp edges. Dangerous while washing or moving, but perfect tarts. I use Pyrex/Corning white pyroceram pie plates for general kitchen work, like reserving something from a pan, stacking hotcakes, lined with paper for setting fried foods on, etc, but I also bake crustless pie kinds of things in them. But that's because I have them. Clear glass would be fine... I also use clear Pyrex baking dishes for things like brownies and casseroles. It's perfect,

I have a few Bunzlauer high fire stoneware baking dishes which have higher sides than Pyrex and are perfect for lasagna, as well as anything else I've made in them. I also have a couple of giant store brand, I think, for serving the masses, which are either stoneware or earthenware. They make lasagna, pot pie, chicken & dumplings, etc., just fine, at least for the size. So, cheap, middling and fancy are all the same, right? Not so! I was given a no-name covered glass casserole in an odd, useful size which makes casseroles just like Pyrex, but feels a bit...flimsy? Can glass be flimsy? I feel like it will break someday.. The kicker, however, is the two Emile Henry, fancy French ceramic ones I've been given. I've tried to like them. I don't think they bake nicely at all. I mean, they get the job done, but the Pyrex and Bunzlauer are so much better!

I am not a "dock snob" but ours is a steel roll out and holds up well to explosives.😉

As far as cookware goes, I guess you would say I am particular. I have some old SS sauce pans that are very heavy and will probably out live me. I like Cuisinart French Chef skillets and small saucepans. I have a Le Creuset Dutch oven and a few cast iron pans. My favorite egg pan is a T-Fal. I have had it for a few years and it looks and performs like new.

LOL! Until today, I had no idea that outside of wat people required explosion proof cookie sheets and docks!

I should mention, re bakeware, that I was given a Vena (also Polish) stoneware 6 muffin pan which makes very good muffins and is dead easy to clean up. With a little spray of oil, the muffins don't even leave crumbs like they do in bare metal or papers, and they bake very evenly. That's normal muffins. I haven't tried with big overflowing tops.

I was never a pan snob until we purchased our GE Cafe induction range. I researched and decided on Demeyer pans. I love them and everything else feels flimsy. Fortunately there's an outlet close by where I get them at over 50% off. I also have a few Le Creuset pieces, again, outlet :)

When my mom got old I would look around her kitchen and see her motley crew of cobbled together cookware and wonder why did she just not buy herself some new cookware. She raised a big garden, canned lots of jars of everything and her and dad ate every meal at home. So, she did cook.

Now that I am, myself, at that time of life I find that I have done much the same as she did.

LIke her, I gravitate towards my four or more cast iron pieces, with a few saucepans of one type or another, all old. She used her stove top pressure cooker a lot. I dont have one, but, if I did, it would be an old fashioned stove top one and not some darned fancy thing to plug in and be able to control with my smart phone. I strive for simplicity.

I am happy and proficient with the small amount that I have.

I have pared my kitchen down to what I really use and I love it.

I understand now why she chose to use what she did. It did what she needed to do and she was so comfortable with it.

She could have afforded to get anything that she wanted, so money was not an issue.

Once in a while I will find myself thinking that I could use another saucepan or some such. But, it passes and I just get on with it. It is just the two of us and, like my mother, I cook almost every meal at home in my comfortable old cookware. Now I understand why.

Wise thinking, Claudia! ☺️

@Joseph Corlett, LLC I have never needed an explosives proof cookie sheet, but I can vouch for them being woodpecker-proof. They were living in our walls and our landlord wouldn't come out to fix because of lockdown, so we nailed a cookie sheet over the hole in our living room wall :)

@spagano what line did you buy? I have the 9" Atlantis Proline which I bought a few years ago for $99. I love cooking in it but haven't splurged on any other pieces yet.

@aziline, you'd never know how much I loved the pans by my spelling the name incorrectly! Oops. I also have the Atlantis line. We started with 2 pots and added as we decided we needed them. Currently have 1.1 qt., 1.6 qt, 2.25 qt., 3.2qt, and 5.5 qt. That and a LeCreuset dutch oven, cast iron skillet, and non-stick skillet cover all of our needs. We're not huge cooks and really just do basic foods. My husband makes bread and often uses the LeCreuset dutch oven. I'm not sure where you are but if you can find a Zwillings outlet their prices are fantastic.

Oh, the LeCreuset dutch oven bread! DH loves this rustic bread with a dipping oil. I should make it more often.

Also an oven stew cooked all afternoon at a low temp is so rich and hearty.

I don't need anything, but I've been intrigued by Caraway.

@Bumblebeez SC Zone 7, I’ve seen Caraway mentioned by various people. I also don’t need a single thing, but it did peak my interest.

I was looking for other things for someone else and landed on the Caraway website. I too thought they looked intriguing, until I researched them.

@chloebud My son bought me Caraway cookie sheets for Christmas last year and they are amazing. I always cook/bake with parchment but they are easy to clean and don't warp at high heat - and they cook evenly. @plllog What didn't you like about the company?

It's not the company, other than their annoyingly aggressive marketing, but the reviews of the pans. OTOH, I'm very happy to hear that the cookie sheets work so well for you. Cookware/bakeware snob that I am, it's function first, and I'm certainly willing to revise my impression given new data. :)

I have 25 year-old AllClad, mixed in with a few 46 year-old Farberware, and I am very happy with all of them. I remember my grandma and my mom making their chicken soups in banged-up pots that looked SO big to me. When they passed, I realized the pots weren't big at all. Perspective! My soup should only taste so good!

I ended up looking at Viking pots and pans while reading all this but I will have to say I have a Viking cookie sheet and it's the best ever.

Oh sorry, it's a vollrathvollrathvollrath

Just to stick up a bit for the wording of the post ... I think for some of us, there can be an is-the-grass-greener? issue. For those of us with a smaller budget, it seems natural to wonder if the expensive pans are really better. As in, what am I missing?

For example, I'd never used much stainless at all - other than a beat-up old stockpot for pasta - until I started wanting a new egg pan, and then in doing some reading, I got confused by all the PF__'s that there are. (Like, how do I make sure I am avoiding allllll the chemicals that start with PF--? They seem to keep adding new ones ... ) (For now I am sticking with my CI for eggs, but, I admit it would be awesome to have a non-stick. I have to baby my CI every time I use it, and it takes some time. Meanwhile, I am trying to wrap my head around ECI.)

In doing that reading, I kept finding recommendations for stainless steel, and that got me thinking. So I bought a vintage Revere pan online, and I felt kind of sheepish about it, because I really didn't know what I was doing. But it is so easy to cook with, and it has a layer of copper in there (which is totally caked over on the edge but oh well - the black stuff wouldn't budge so I gave up) that seems to help it heat up evenly and quickly. And it's not hard to clean, which I was afraid of.

So even more now, I wonder, what other awesome pans am I missing out on? If it weren't for pan aficionados, I wouldn't have anywhere to get advice. ; ) So, thank you, pan "snobs" one and all.

yup! I learned long ago to buy the best you can afford and you'll pass it on to your grandkids.

I have a couple of non-stick pans, but replace them the minute they get a scratched.

I had a small Revere pan in the previous century, and it was very nice. Congrats, N2SG!

About half a year ago, I jumped on the carbon steel bandwagon and purchased a smaller Made-in skillet. I use this for eggs only. I don't like non-stick because I scratch them quickly and feel I need to throw them away. It has taken me some time to get used to the seasoning aspect of carbon steel, but I really enjoy using it for my eggs. My main cookware is AC stainless.

Only to the point of, I won't use any non-stick stuff. I like fond too much. And it's a cheap set I bought for $150. An entire set.