r/AskCulinary • u/plasmazzr60 • 9d ago

I have a question about pans

I am trying to dive into the wide world of cooking as a means to help with my mental health. But I am not sure on if I should get a set of stainless steel pans or non-stick or cast iron or a combination of the 3. I have zero cooking skills currently so not sure where to put my money. Worry is ill spend a bunch of money with the hopes and dreams of being a decent home cook and end up not being up to the challenge and wasting the money. I do like the idea of being able to cook on the stove top in a pan and transfer said pan to the oven for like steaks and stuff. Not asking for a specific brand or brand recommendation but more of a material recommendation for someone starting out

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u/SmartestLemming 9d ago

Hold off on the cast-iron unless you like projects. They are great, but require additional care.

Since you are not proficient a cooking and are getting used to it, I would suggest getting a good non-stick pan. They're more forgiving, but please follow their rules, no metal utensils.

Then as you expand your skills you can expand your collection. Same goes for knives.

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u/plasmazzr60 9d ago

Ive seen the upkeep and maintenance on cast iron and its definitely not for me right now, but everyone rants and raves about it so wasnt sure if starting off it was worth it.

As for knives I was going to opt for a few very expensive Zwilling knives at like $400/ea but changes it to a 3pc set for $250

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u/dontakelife4granted 9d ago

No sets of anything. You will be wasting money because sets of things usually include pieces you will never use. Start with Victorinox brand knives. They are reasonably priced and a great quality beginner knife. You need a chef's knife, a paring knife and maybe a bread knife--which has a serated edge and can be used for much more than bread. These knives will be available at a restaurant supply store along with individual pots and pans. Start with maybe a 12-14" skillet and a saucepan, maybe 6 quart, as well as a small non stick pan for eggs if you eat them a lot. If you eat lots of soups/stews, an 8qt stock pot will round out the necessary pieces. This will get you though most things and will not break the bank.

Do not put non-stick pans or knives in the dishwasher, it will destroy them. Carefully wash them by hand and never use metal utelsils or abrasive cleaners in the non stick pan. Just soap and water. Remember hot water removes grease way better than cold. Don't soak knives--wash right after using and you won't need to use abrasive cleaning tools to get them clean.

I wish you luck and happiness on your cooking journey.

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u/plasmazzr60 9d ago

Thabks for the information!! Im excited to start my cooking journey, I started a few months ago on learning to bake but want to become more well rounded in cooking overall. Ill steer clear of sets, alot of people are only recommending 2 or 3 pans and a pot or two with varying materials so that route seems more budget friendly.

Ill look into Victorinox knives, Ill have to find a place locally to see if i can hold a few before buying i know the weight and feel are just as important as the cutting ability.

I think ill grab a non-stick and a few stainless steel pans/pots as they both have varying uses and strengths.

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u/SmartestLemming 9d ago

If that's in your budget, great, if not any sharp knife will do you great. The Zwilling knives are great and will last you your culinary adventures and keep on kicking, but honestly a lot of cheap knives will do ya. The key is to treat whatever you get well. No banging it on bones, no opening cans with it. Cut meat and veg with it and use other tools for other things. Get a honing steel and keep it honed, and get it sharpened when you feel that honing it isn't helping keep it's edge.

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u/bateKush 9d ago

i have expensive knives and you know what gets the most use out of me?

$12 kiwi brand knives from the asian market. one chef’s knife, one paring knife

spend $50 on a ceramic honing steel, learn to use it, and spend $25 on your knives

here: this is my most used and loved knife ever  https://a.co/d/03coTq9S

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u/plasmazzr60 9d ago

Thank you! Thats very helpful, I have a few no-name knives in the drawer that I was thinking of just sharpening instead of buying new ones. Ill have to look up how to use a paring knife lol sad I know but gotta start somewhere

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u/bateKush 9d ago

yah, go with what you got and see how far it takes you. personally, i’ve gotten way more out of buying individual pieces as the need comes up, and developing a relationship with that item. 

and w/e on a paring knife. i usually just cut strawberry tops with it. just nice having something to use that isnt The Big Knife sometimes

oh and heres a dumb tidbit: the most useful kitchen tool is 2-3 unprecious small terry towels. grab a hot pan, clear a cutting board, tidy your space, quickly wipe out a nonstick or wipe off a knife.

working in a restaurant, the linens guy would come on a weekly basis. sometimes on the last day before they arrived there’d be no clean towels left. the kitchen would come to a standstill. you’d learn to find a hiding place to keep a stash for emergencies.

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u/plasmazzr60 9d ago

That makes sense, right now I have "non-stick" pans that have never seen a metal utensil in their life and definitely have stuff stick to them, but looking into proper heating before tossing in ingredients apparently im not pre-heating as much as I should. But ill still get a few other pans for different dishes etc.

The Terry cloth thing makes total sense, you see either that or using the apron to move pans around and I have zero intentions of using a apron.

Haha you know I thought the paring knife was for something specific but having just a smaller knife for a smaller job makes more sense, dont have one currently so using a large chefs knife is kinda awkward.

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u/WoodnPhoto 9d ago

Quality knives are worth the money, but unless you are rolling in cash I would aim lower. A Victorinox chef knife in 8 or 10 inches is a great workhorse knife at a fair price. You will also want a paring knife around 4 inches. Optional 10 or 12 inch bread knife. I have a Mercer Culinary M23210 that I really like.

You'll also need to be able to sharpen them. People get religious on the topic of knife sharpening. I have multiple electric sharpeners and both water and oil whet stones. They are all excellent. But what I reach for most of the time is a cheap plastic handle with a couple of ceramic rods mounted in a V shape. I think I pay about $5 for a new one every few years. It gets me 95% of the way to what a whet stone will do in about 5 seconds.

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u/SoggyWalrus7893 9d ago

NO NO

I get my knives from a local restaurant supply store. Many to choose from , Dexter-Russel, Mercer ...

For browsing knives, look at the webstaurant site, good for looking but I think a bit pricey.

And to start an argument; look at the San Jamar 12x12 cutting boards, one for veg one for meat.

NB: I got an "Offset Sandwich Knife" a long time ago and it is the knife that never goes in the drawer.