Reddit reviews Cuisinart C77TR-3P Triple Rivet Collection 3-Piece Knife Set, 8-Inch Chef's, 5.5-Inch Utility and 3.5-Inch Paring
We found 2 Reddit comments about Cuisinart C77TR-3P Triple Rivet Collection 3-Piece Knife Set, 8-Inch Chef's, 5.5-Inch Utility and 3.5-Inch Paring. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Superior high-carbon stainless steel blades for precision and accuracyPrecision-tapered ground blades that narrow gradually to an extremely sharp, fine edgeForged durable extra-wide safety bolster for perfect stability and control.The knives are designed with an extra-wide forged safetybolster and stainless steel rivets securing the blade to the comfortable handleStainless steel rivets to secure the full-tang blade to the ergonomically designed handleLifetime Warranty
As far as knives go, get something forged, it will sharpen better, stay sharper, and have better ergonomics than a stamped product. This set is really inexpensive and will work just as well as knives costing several times more. I've seen them on sale at Fry's Electronics for $15.
As for non-stick pans, I recommend getting something enameled. It works about 90% as well as PTFE (e.g. Teflon) but it is a thousand times more durable. Cast-iron works too, because the non-stick surface is polymerized oil, so it uses the oil you are cooking with to repair itself. For some reason, I've seen these cheap at Fry's Electronics, too. I guess they decided that if they sell appliances, they might as well sell pots, pans, and knives.
You can watch for deals on dealnews.com, and from Fry's Electronics.
tl;dr Spend your money on a book or two and some basic tools first, and use good ingredients.
For a new cook, $200 would be better spent on some basic tools and maybe a couple of books. I think a subscription to Cook's Illustrated is one of the best things a new cook could be reading. I had one for years and I learned a ton. Don't get their recipe compilations. Those are good, but what you want is the articles that describe all the steps they went through to arrive at their "optimal" recipe. That stuff is just great. If you don't want to spring for the sub, just buy a couple issues off the rack.
As books go, my favorites are Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman ($11) and On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee ($30).
Get a decent knife. You don't need to spend a shit ton of money on one. I've owned a whole bunch of overpriced knives, and my favorite is a short Cuisinart chef's knife that probably cost $20. This 3 piece set is $28:
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-Classic-3-Piece-5-5-Inch-3-5-Inch/dp/B00GIBKCGC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464712284&sr=8-3&keywords=Cuisinart+Knives
You've spent ... $75 at this point. Pick up a cast iron pan. You don't need a bunch of them. I have a 10" that I use all the time. I have a smaller All Clad and a bigger All Clad. They are amazing but pricey. Start with cast iron. They can be a pain in the ass to take care of at first but as you use it more, it gets easier.
Get a non-stick pan that you buy on sale somewhere like Target. If you can get a thicker bottom for it, do that. These things are basically disposable and you'll be wanting to replace them every couple of years when they go to shit. Don't buy an expensive one.
Stay away from those kitchen specialty shops unless you are just browsing or are looking for weird, relatively cheap gadgets. Need a citrus reamer today, that's a good place to look.
As far as gadgets go, pay attention to the thing you start wishing you had on a regular basis. Don't go drop $80 on a China cap just because recipe says you need one.
All of this is my opinion. I'm a good home cook. I started cooking in college, and started taking it more seriously in my early 30s.