If you are going to buy online, I recommend you get the professional chef quality cookware
this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2025
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Go to your local kitchen supply store. Even reasonably sized city will have one. Some stuff will be cheap in price and last forever in a house setting, some things will be expensive but will also last forever in a house setting.
They are built to be used heavily and harshly and last for years in a commercial kitchen so a home kitchen will not be a problem.
If you get stainless steel pans just know that you need to heat them up to the point where water splashed in rolls like tiny marbles around before you add oils to cook food to get a non stick surface.
I strongly agree with this. You aren't necessarily going to get fancy brand names, but you can get a stainless frying pan with a big billet of aluminum on the bottom for heat distribution for $20. Spending 5 times that amount basically just gets you a mirror finish, a brand name, and the ability to put it in a dishwasher (and who does that with pans?).
Carbon steel pans are another one. You shouldn't need to spend more than $10 on a carbon steel pan. The materials are cheap and they can be easily mass produced. There's nothing that should make it expensive.
I actually got some things at a kitchen supply auction site that had a local warehouse. I got a 2 pack of paring knives for a few bucks and there is no brand on it. I know that will last for a long time because I had the exact same ones like it back in the late 90s in my high school chef training class.
If anyone has bankruptcy auction warehouses in their city, look for things there because restaurants go out of business all the time and sell off everything to try to pay off their debts. I sometimes see things that were obviously bought from them then when that restaurant goes under the ovens and fryers end up back on auction before the restaurant even opens to the public.
You can sometimes find good quality used cookware from thrift stores (goodwill, habitat for humanity, etc).
For new, Costco has some pretty good deals on stainless steel pots and pan sets from I think Tramontina. They're pretty highly regarded, and should be a BIFL. I bought a small set of them, and can confirm they're pretty great.
America's Test Kitchen has a bunch of reviews
Edit: as others have said, look at restaurant supply stores in your area. Besides stainless, I'd also recommend carbon steel or cast iron since you're looking for durability and food safety.
All-Clad pans are some of the best, imo. Otherwise, look at the stuff that’s available for restaurant/commercial use. Often, they’re not the prettiest, but they’ll take a lifetime of use in a home kitchen.
Serious Eats does some great reviews of gear too, they may have something that works for you. They are U.S.-centric though, so if you’re in a civilized country, those options might not be available.
Lmao uncivilized US is where I'm at so that's one plus I suppose
I think all clad is severely overrated
They're fine pans, don't get me wrong, almost certainly better than your standard department store celebrity-chef branded pans by Cuisinart or whatever
But the handles are kind of uncomfortable, and I dislike the rivets through the pan.
I'm personally a fan of demeyere pans.
Yeah, as someone with some all-clad, it's really nothing special. I heard that the handles are geared towards maintaining the ability to prevent twisting of the pan in your hand while using pot holders/towels, and i think they work well for that.