[bjackman]

If you are inexperienced enough with cooking that you don't already have your own preferences, this article is way overcomplicating things IMO. Buy a stainless steel frying pan, small pot, and a bigger pot. You might want a nonstick frying pan too, if you aren't sure then just wait a few weeks and see if the stainless steel one is annoying you. Then go from there. That's it.

Later you might want a steamer insert, but they are made so that they fit in any pot. You might also want a baking dish for roasting stuff. There is nothing to know about buying those, just get cheapest one in the size you want.

IKEA's stainless steel cookware is perfectly cromulent.

[amluto]

> You might also want a baking dish for roasting stuff. There is nothing to know about buying those, just get cheapest one in the size you want.

You just never have used the truly cheap stuff. Don’t get a coated baking sheet/pan unless the coating is something durable like enamel. But any respectable aluminum or steel-clad half sheet pan is just fine.

[yurishimo]

I think it's fairly safe to recommend a nonstick to beginner cooks, but with the caveat that you should only use it cook eggs and something like a grilled cheese sandwich (where any leaking cheese sticking would lead to further problems cooking). It should also only ever be used with a rubber spatula or plastic utensils.

For any other food, stainless steel is great for beginners. It's oven safe, easy to clean if/when you burn the crap out of something, and relatively cheap.

The other important recommendation I would make is cookware with tight fitting lids (or learn how to make one with foil). This excludes IKEA for the most part, whose pans I have in my apartment right now.

Once you decide that you want to "upgrade" something, I would recommend a nice Dutch oven with a heavy lid.

[bjackman]

I disagree with your caveat, it's a little wasteful (because it might only last a couple of years) but if you only have a nonstick frying pan you will be just fine. In fact it's better than overthinking it so much that you end up ordering another 20 takeaway meals instead of just cooking in what you have.

[yurishimo]

Sure, if you literally only have a metal utensil, it's fine for a couple of uses, but there are other side effects as well. When you use metal and the the nonstick coating begins to scrape off, that means it's going into your food and you're likely eating it! It's not good for your health or your wallet. I think every discount store I've ever been to has a set of plastic spoons/spatulas for 1 €/$/£ so there isn't really an excuse not to use them long term.

[amluto]

Having personally melted one of these spatulas into a pasta sauce, I would buy a nice one for maybe $5 :)

Or a wooden spoon. The ones without a surface coating are not always easy to find, but they’re very cheap, don’t melt, and last for years.

[crazygringo]

> cookware with tight fitting lids

Not sure what you mean? Lids should cover the top, but they need to rest loosely so that steam building up pressure can escape.

I don't even know what a "tight fitting lid" means (unless you're talking about a pressure cooker). Or why you would want one.

[yurishimo]

I mean a lid that fits snug in the pan it’s designed for. Unless you’re cooking at insane temperatures, most steam will hit the lid and then condense and fall back into the food. The tight lid is to help prevent liquid from being lost during braising or boiling. If you only want to use the lid to reduce splatter, then a snug fit is not important.

I apologize for my inaccuracy when describing the “tightness” of the lid. Sometimes I get caught up in jargon that is common amongst veteran cooks.

[tijtij]

>It should also only ever be used with a rubber spatula or plastic utensils.

Why not? Nonstick cookware scratches easily, aren't heat resistant silicone utensils a good way to avoid damaging them?

[yurishimo]

I thought “rubber” included silicon as well. Yea, silicon is great for nonstick, although it can absorb aromas and oils from food easier than plastic (even food grade silicon).

[politelemon]

Thanks, I've also just learned that a Dutch oven is not just a crude prank, but also an allusion to how the cookware might work.

[craftkiller]

Isn't that exactly the conclusion the article reaches?

> Given all of the above, stainless steel is the best material to use [...]

> The most critical cookware pieces are a skillet, a saucepan, and a stockpot.

[bjackman]

Yeah I'm not making a point about cookware, I'm making a point about the length and detail of the article! You could replace my comment with any number of other reasonable recommendations.

I guess I'm a bit frustrated by the internet-hobbyisation that I see of cooking. People are talking about "when it's time to upgrade" your cookware as if cooking is a sport that you need to excel at and where your score can be limited by your pots and pans.

I've been cooking enthusiastically my entire adult life and I've never "upgraded" my cookware, nor my knives for that matter (also "a set of knives" are not necessary, unless perhaps if you are butchering meat you only need one knife).

I'm not saying people shouldn't enjoy nerding out over kit if it makes them happy (I do have a very expensive coffee grinder after all) but I object to Experts providing Advice that it's necessary or that there are any important decisions to be made here.

I think it's also a bit of a reaction to British class signalling where some people of my parents generation will loudly proclaim that you Absolutely Must Have at least one good Le Creuset pot. At least to tide you over until you get married and you can have a full set.