Archive for the ‘Pots And Pans’ Category
Tramontina Cookware and Kitchen Products
Tramontina is a 100 year old Brazilian company and they’ve been operating in the United States for over 25 years. Much of their cookware is made in Manitowoc, Wisconsinwhile other pieces are made in many factories around the world. They have a strong heritage of quality and affordable cookware. I’ve found quite a bit of value in their offerings and you will too. Honestly, some of their offerings do not meet some professional standards, but none of their products are poor. Have a look at their specifications for value that matches your needs. It pays to compare.
Tramontina knives are high carbon drop forged chrome molybdenum stainless steel that is ice hardened to produce a long lasting sharp edge. The resulting quality is an acceptable product and they price range on these knives are reasonable. The Tramontina professional series knives are their best line of cutlery. Compare the prices to other high quality chef’s knives and it’s easy to make a decision about what knives suit your needs. If an inexpensive knife is required due to new chef’s, budget constraints, or other reasons, Tramontina is a good choice. They’re tangs, blades, and handles are forged together, so they won’t fall apart and they are constructed well enough for safe handling. The Tramontina Porterhouse steak knives are excellent for table settings.
The Tramontina trash can is a great product. It’s stainless steel construction makes an eye catching piece for any kitchen. It is so much better than an ugly and stained plastic can in the work area. A quick occasional cleaning on the stainless steel gives off a great shine. When guests and health inspectors visit and see this type of attention to detail instead of a nasty old plastic can, it’s impressive. Tramontina excels with cookware of all types. Their dutch oven is a serious competitor in comparison with any other brand, but they offer different lines for many other types of cookware.
- Stockpots
- Steamers
- Cast Iron Cookware
- Fondue Set
- Stainless Cookware Set
- Saute Pans
- Nonstick
- Roasting Pan
- Pressure Cooker
- Frying Pans
- Enameled Cast Iron
- Pasta Pot
Tramontina cookware may not be the best in quality, but chef’s do not always require the highest price to meet their needs. When you buy Tramontina, it’s value and budget concerns that would make you want to choose their offerings.
Magnalite Roaster
Magnalite is a respected name in the cookware industry. It’s American designed and made cookware is legendary in the industry. They come with a 50 year warranty. The Magnalite roaster pan is one of their fine offerings. It’s made to last a lifetime.
These roaster pans are made of thick, hand-cast aluminum. The lids are vapor tight and they transfer heat from the sides of the pan to create an even heat from all around. They’re oven save to 350 degrees. Hand washing is recommended. The handles are a tough phenolic resin that make transporting to and from the oven save and easy.
15 Inch Magnalite Roaster
18 Inch Magnalite Roaster
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- Circulon Commercial Pans (commercialcookwares.com)
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Analon Saucepans
Analon saucepans are made by a relatively young company. Analon started making pots and pans with a hard anodized surface and coated with a non-stick surface in 1989. In 2003 they improved by adding ergonomic handles to their pans and their popularity took off. These reasonably priced high-quality anodized aluminum saucepans are by far the easiest and most comfortable available. These saucepans are made for pouring and easy straining. All of them have a handy pour spout and most come with a lid made for easy straining.
Analon does have a strong competitor with Stellar Saucepans though. I suggest comparing both before purchasing. Both are good quality with Analon winning out a bit with the ergonomic handles.
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- Circulon Commercial Pans (commercialcookwares.com)
- Circulon Pans (commercialcookwares.com)
Magnalite Cookware. High Quality Aluminum Cookware
Magnalite cookware is high quality aluminum cookware that’s been made in the USA in Sydney, Ohio for many years. WagnerWare makes the cookware using the same excellent design and excellent quality aluminum alloy that made Magnalite pans famous since 1934. John Gordon Rideout teamed up famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright to create the finest “form follows function” design that could be obtained with the manufacturing methods at the time. It is amazing that the cookware is still some of the best even to this day. The style has been copied many times, but the unique blend of alloys has never been duplicated.
There are different levels of Magnalite, Magpro professional cookware is for professional use and Magnalite for smaller operations and amateur chefs. Magpro is more durable, but Magnalite has the traditional design and appearance. It can be a tough choice for some operations because the Magnalite instantly reminds anyone, chefs or visitors, that the restaurant recognizes tradition and quality in their cooking style and equipment.
Magnalite pans are available in full cookware sets or individually. These include -
- Dutch Oven
- Roasting Pan
- Skillets
- Pots
The Magnalite roaster is one of the more popular pieces and the full cookware sets are great wedding gifts or Christmas presents for cooks that appreciate the old style and design.
If you wondering how to clean magnalite cookware, it’s just like any other aluminum cookware. One preferred method is to add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water and bring the mixture to a simmer. After that, clean with a steel wool pad. Standard dishwashing with dish soap and hot water works well too, but leaving soak for long periods or using a dishwasher is not recommended.
Magnalite replacement parts are available through the WagnerWare company website. Use the contact information to find out more.
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Stellar Saucepans
I really like Stellar saucepans, but they previously were not available in the U.S. They are made in the U.K. and very difficult to find available anywhere else. I noticed them for sale to those in the U.S. now!
Stellar cookware is anodized aluminum and a bit higher quality than Circulon in some ways. The most noticeable difference is in the quality of the handles. The handle designs make them very easy to control compared to many other brands. The bottoms of the pans are made in a shape that allows heat to more easily travel up the sides for more even cooking.
It was a good sign to see Stellar starting to enter the U.S. market. There are many other pieces of Stellar cookware available too, so I’ll be writing more about these products soon. Analon saucepans are another option to consider if you’d like more ergonomic handles.
Circulon Commercial Pans
Click To See The Low Price For Circulon Cookware
Circulon makes a wide variety of non-stick cookware to meet the demands of it’s customers. The commercial grade cookware is a good choice for restaurants that need a lower investment or that can limit the abuse that their cookware receives. Circulon is made of anodized aluminum which is great for lower energy use, but less durable than clad stainless steel cookware. There is also a a time savings because the non-stick surface is much easier to clean.
This set includes:
- 2-1/2-quart covered shallow saucepan
- 8-, 10-, and 12-inch open skillets
- 3- and 7-quart covered chef’s casseroles
With the price being so reasonable, I suggest trying a set of their commercial cookware. A full set is a good test because just 1 pan, like the Circulon suacepan, really isn’t a good test for durability for the larger pans. When compared to the price of other sets of commercial cookware, it’s easy to see why they are so popular. The commercial cookware does have a heavy guage of aluminum used to make it more durable in a restaurant or institutional cooking setup. This makes it much more ergonomically efficient as well.
When making the decision the consideration is simply: Does lower cost, lighter, more energy efficient, induction capable, easier cleaning cookware outweigh the durability of other materials like stainless steel? Is your operation right to allow for these savings over the chance of the cookware being beat to a point that it can’t be used? As with all non-stick cookware, the coating will wear off at some point in time. Circulon has a very good reputation for long life of the non-stick coating, but it will never outlast non-coated pots and pans.
Stonedine Cookware Could Be a Scam
If you’re heard about Stonedine cookware, it looks compelling. The slick advertisment is makes the cookware look like quality cookware that cooks like a miracle. I cannot attest to whether it is or isn’t a good deal. I did quickly find a complaint filed against the Stonedine for falsely advertising their prices.
When looking for high quality cookware, it’s far better to ask a professional chef what they use. There are so many scams that are out there that new names in the industry are quite often less than what you would expect. The older brand names even throw a few curves every once in a while when they try to break into areas of cooking technology that they’re not experts at. However, they do have a name to uphold and they are much better at providing customer satisfaction.
When looking at Stonedine or any other new manufacturer of cookware, always ask around. Great cooks know their cookware and it doesn’t take long for the rumor to spread about any new invention that works as advertised in the cooking world. A shopper can find live demonstrations and even test cookware at trade shows and this is where the best new products are found. Innovation is out there, but don’t look for it on slick late night commercials or YouTube channels.
Stonedine could be good cookware. I have not tried it yet. They could just have problems with their advertising technique. If that’s the case, let me know if you find their claims to be true.
Circulon Pans
Non-stick has changed in the recent years. New technology and improved products have changed the way we think about non-stick surface pans. Circulon pan sets are among the best available and they have consistently proved their worth in the commercial cookware industry. The new innovations have some professional chefs straying from the traditional choices like stainless steel and copper cookware, but the choice of non-stick should be made with some research and considerations about the type of operation they are being used in.
The Circulon company has been in business over 25 years. They were the first to produce cookware that is both dishwasher safe and induction cooking safe. Of course, dishwasher safe makes them so much easier to clean than traditional cookware. This saves time and money as no preperation is needed to remove tough food and stains before being washed. Over a course of time, this alone can add up to a considerable savings. Being induction cooking safe provides a safety benefit and a huge savings in power use. Even if they are not being used for induction cooking, the anodized aluminum is a very good conductor of heat which reduces energy costs and provides even cooking over the entire surface.
One of the unique features of Circulon pans is the grooved pattern in all of their cookware. This pattern is added feature to improve the heat dissipation and allow the grease and juices to rest below the food. As the juices from the food go into these grooves and heat up, the flavor is released back into the food through the steam. Normally a pattern like this would be difficult to clean, but thanks to the non-stick surface, cleaning is no problem. This pattern also makes it very easy for utensils to slide under the food for easy cooking of eggs, pancakes, or any other dish that needs to be turned over while cooking.
As an added detail, the tops of Circulon Pans are self-clearing glass. This allows for easy viewing of the food while cooking to see the progress without removing the lid. This keeps flavor sealed in and reduces the energy needed for cooking. The steam and heat stays in the pan while the cook can monitor progress with interrupting the cooking process.
Circulon pans are versatile too. They can be used on any cook top: gas, electric, or induction. The pans are also oven safe to 400 degrees which covers the extreme of most oven cooking.
There is a lifetime warranty on Circulon products. Considering this, it changes my view when comparing them to the traditional types of cookware. The only difference to me is that cast iron, stainless steel, and copper of any quality kind of have a built in lifetime guarantee just by the nature of what they are made of. With Circulon’s quality being so high, I think they may have arrived at that same level of trustworthy quality as the traditional cookware. Factor in the cost savings of induction cooking, the lower initial cost compared to high quality traditional pans, and non-stick surfaces and Circulon may be the smarter choice.
Saucepan Sets
Saucepan sets are a major component, yet sometimes overlooked. How they’re used and the material they’re made from are important when making dishes. The cooking done in a saucepan carries over to the entire meal. If you cook food that can gather a taste from the saucepan’s material, that taste will carry into the entire meal. Saucepans are so universally used in cooking that you want quality, the right materials, and the right sizes available.
Saucepan Set
Saucepans are available in -
- Stainless Steel
- Copper
- Glass
- Ceramic
- Cast Iron
- Aluminum
- Non-stick – newer “green” non-stick surfaces are healthier, but costly.
Stainless steel is the most versatile and easy to clean. You clean stainless steel saucepans the same way you would clean a stainless steel skillet. Here is a link about how to choose stainless steel cookware, but you must consider the number and size of saucepans that are required. A good basic stainless steel saucepan set is a good place to start.
You may want a custom set that does not match. Consider the foods that will be cooked. For example, tomato based foods pick up a metallic taste when cooked in aluminum or copper. Sticky foods can be a little difficult to clean from a cast iron saucepan and cast iron may be a bit to heavy to frequently handle in the kitchen. If you have a base set of versatile stainless steel saucepans, you can add a few special materials that you prefer later.
The sizes vary, but here is a rough estimate of the large, medium, and small sizes.
- Large – about an 8 quart stockpot
- Medium – about 3 quarts
- Small – 1.5 quarts
The average chef only has 1 or a few large saucepans, a few more medium, and many smalls. If you specialize in one type of cooking, that could change. Italian cooking may require larger pots while French cooking could require many smaller ones. This is why I suggest one standard set, then customize to your preferences with individual choices.
The quality is VERY important. Cheap handles could cause an injury. Cheap materials, especially with glass saucepans, could ruin an appliance or cause burns and cuts. If you even suspect that the quality could cause damage return your purchase. Even some higher priced saucepans could have quality that you question.
Every different material used has different pros and cons.
- Cast iron is unique in that it actually adds iron to the food.
- Hi-tech glass adds absolutely no flavor at all to the food.
- Stainless steel is the most durable.
- Aluminum is the least expensive.
- Copper has the best heat dispersion.
Choose a basic, high quality stainless steel saucepan set and build a custom set later. Don’t agonize over the exact materials required when you have such a versatile choice. There is no saucepan set made that will be the exact set required by a chef, so add those special pans later. I’ve included some standard sets that are great additions for any commercial kitchen’s cookware needs.
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