Reddit reviews Tramontina 80101/021DS Gourmet Prima Stainless Steel, Induction-Ready, Impact Bonded, Tri-Ply Base Fry Pan, 12 inch, Made in Brazil

1. A good, sharp chef's knife. Nothing fancy, I use a Dexter that I got for like $20 and have it resharpened. You can get a lot nicer, but you don't have to. The first kitchen I ever worked at (20 years ago) used knives almost exactly like this.
   
   
2. A good meat thermometer. I use this one which works similarly to a ThermaPen but without the ridiculous ~$90 cost.
   
   
3. A good cast iron skillet can be pretty versatile. Cast iron holds heat very well, which means that it's great for stuff like searing steaks.
   
   
4. Some cheap, non-stick frying pans. I recommend getting cheap ones because once the coating starts coming off (and it always does at some point, it seems) you're going to throw them away and get new ones. You can spend $300+ like I did once and get high-end stuff like All-Clad or whatever, but even if you're super careful and use only wood and silicone utensils to cook on it, it'll still start peeling its coating, and then All-Clad will say you used metal silverware on it and your warranty is invalid, blah blah blah, and that's more hassle than you need. Just get cheap ones.
   
   
5. Now THIS is where you can spend some legit money. A tri-ply, high quality frying pan without a non-stick coating. These are great for making pan sauces while you cook, etc. I made a chicken, garlic, and olive oil with a red wine vinegar based pan sauce with this pan (well, and some baking dishes) that was incredible. All-Clad is the industry standard but the Tramontina stuff is 1/2 the price or less and built to near the same level of quality.
   
   
6. A nice, enameled Dutch Oven, whether it be from Le Creuset or Tramontina, these are the best for stews, soups, chili...etc. Hold heat forever, well built, and easy to clean.
   
   
7. A good fish spatula, which I almost never use to cook fish. It's actually just the best shape for omelets, eggs, whatever. Flipping anything in a pan with a utensil like this is awesome.
   
   
8. A thick ceramic baking dish for making things like lasagna or casseroles or even just roasting meats/veggies.
   
   
9. Believe it or not, cookie sheets covered with heavy duty aluminum foil are how I do a lot of my oven roasting of small things, like diced veggies or potatoes. They work perfectly and being so large they're able to be spread out so they get roasted on all edges for a little extra flavor. Brussel sprouts & diced bacon in a cast iron skillet to start and then dump them onto this and blast them in the oven at 425 for 15-20 minutes and you'll have a great side dish.
   
   
10. No matter how careful you are, you're going to get something caked on or get a dish so dirty you think it's uncleanable. For that, I recommend Barkeeper's Friend which is an awesome powdered cleaner. Add a little water, use a paper towel and this stuff to make a paste, leave it in the pan for a few minutes, then rinse. I have yet to see this fail. Awesome stuff. Saved some pans.
    
    
    There are lots of other things I use daily:
    
    

• Good kitchen towels
  
• Heavy Duty Aluminum foil
  
• A good dish scrubber for cleanup
  
  etc.
  
  But the point I guess I'm making is that you can get lots of good, cheap stuff to start with.
  

A 15" cast iron skillet on a normal size burner will have a hot spot in the middle and relatively cool sides. It just doesn't spread heat out fast enough.

This is $5 over but I really like it. Pretty close to my all clad.

http://www.amazon.com/Tramontina-Gourmet-Stainless-Tri-Ply-12-Inch/dp/B009HBKXPU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451418315&sr=8-1&keywords=tramontina+skillet

or this:

http://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Standard-NC-00239-12-Inch-Stainless/dp/B0055Q2CX2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1451418399&sr=8-4&keywords=cooks+standard+saute+pan

I have a 10" Calphalon Cast Iron skillet that I got for like $20 at Target. I have another cast iron skillet 12" that I got from World Market. It's enameled on the outside and bare on the inside and unless I'm cooking eggs just about anything skillet/pan related happens in one of those pans.

I have some calphalon non stick skillets that I use for eggs/fish/etc. But they might get used once for every 20 uses of the cast iron. Aside from that I have some le Crueset enameled cast iron stuff. I have their Wok, and a Dutch Oven, and a big cast iron fish pan like 14" oval shaped thing. It's great for whole fish, but I don't use it for much else.

But if I were starting from scratch it'd probably be something like the following:

Dutch Oven

Stainless 12"

Cast Iron 12"

Cast Iron 10"

Saucier

Multi Pot

Pot 2 qt


I'd possibly get two of the Multi Pots. I know the additional steamer/pasta baskets are redundant but it's nice to have another pot for things like chili or pasta sauce (Although you could use the dutch oven) But with two stainless pots like that you can do sauce in one and pasta in the other. Also looking up another 6-8 qt stock pot it looks like the same Calphalon pot is $75 while the multipot set is $80, and you could always use the additional baskets as colanders.

You'll probably want some decent glassware, casserole dishes, and a few cookie sheets, loaf, and/or lasagna pans to really round out the kitchen. But the pots/pans listed above would be a great place to start. I should get back to work. :)

Or something that's built like Allclad, but at more affordable price. Many people have been recommending the Tramontina 12" ply pan .


Another one in the same price range but with a glass lid is available from BJ's Club. I believe non members can shop their website just the same. Living Home Kitchen 12" Stainless Steel Frying Pan