Cooking: Bialetti Ceramic Cookware

[sf]

On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:24:10 -0700 (PDT), phaeton
<blahbleh666@...........m> wrote:

> I have an anodized Calphalon which is great and works great, but it is
> going on six years old now. I know it won't last forever.

I have anodized Calpholon that's 30+ years old, so I'd say you can
count on a good 25.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

[Brooklyn1]

On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:48:04 -0700, sf <sf@geemail.com> wrote:

>On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:24:10 -0700 (PDT), phaeton
><blahbleh666@...........m> wrote:
>
>> I have an anodized Calphalon which is great and works great, but it is
>> going on six years old now. I know it won't last forever.
>
>I have anodized Calpholon that's 30+ years old, so I'd say you can
>count on a good 25.

Now that is just stupid... obviously you don't cook... if you never
take it out of the box you could count on it for 125 years. sf's
widdle anodized brain should last forever.

[pltrgyst]

On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:24:10 -0700 (PDT), phaeton <blahbleh666@...........m>
wrote:

>....I also have cast iron skillets which WILL last forever....

Not if you drop them and they land wrong. I've had two heavy and one light cast
iron pieces broken in shipping -- other here have, too.

-- Larry

[sf]

On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:10:23 -0400, pltrgyst@xhost.org wrote:

> On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:24:10 -0700 (PDT), phaeton <blahbleh666@...........m>
> wrote:
>
> >....I also have cast iron skillets which WILL last forever....
>
> Not if you drop them and they land wrong.
>

What numbnut drops their pots and pans? You'd have to be really
clumsy to do that.

> I've had two heavy and one light cast
> iron pieces broken in shipping -- other here have, too.

Lesson learned: Don't buy through mail order.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

[Mark Thorson]

phaeton wrote:
>
> Anyways, does anyone here have any experience with these Bialetti or
> any other ceramic coated pans?

In college, I did most of my cooking in a ceramic coated
pot. Not good for frying because everything sticks.
I don't miss it at all.

[sf]

On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:10:25 -0700 (PDT), phaeton
<blahbleh666@...........m> wrote:

> So the gist I'm getting is that ceramic coated cookware is great if
> you want to simmer an acidic tomato sauce, but as a skillet where you
> will fry or brown meats and vegetables, everything will stick to it?
>
That's my experience. Know your cookware and use it accordingly.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:10:25 -0700 (PDT), phaeton
<blahbleh666@...........m> wrote:

>So the gist I'm getting is that ceramic coated cookware is great if
>you want to simmer an acidic tomato sauce, but as a skillet where you
>will fry or brown meats and vegetables, everything will stick to it?
>

Pretty much my experience. We have a ceramic coated Dutch oven and use
it for browning, but after, liquids are added that will loosed the
stuck stuff. I'd never use one for frying. That is best done in a
plain metal pan or a thick non-stick pan. Just avoid the cheap stuff.

[bolivar]

"phaeton" <blahbleh666@...........m> wrote in message
news:c1796a28-86a2-47f4-964d-3df86c0e1be1@c1g2000vbw..............com...

<big snip>

I also
> have cast iron skillets which WILL last forever, but sometimes they're
> just too effin' heavy to pick up in one hand and drain.
>
> Thanks and bacon planks.
>
> -J

phaeton, try this one from Lodge. I have had one for maaany years and love
it. It is much lighter than the other skillets, and the sloped sides (rather
than the sharp angled sides) are much more conducive to sauteeing, flipping,
etc. I have even bought ones for some of my sons who are cooks.

Boli

[bolivar]

"bolivar" <bolivart..........m> wrote in message
news:4ea3a9cf$0$11266$882e7ee2@usenet-news.net...
>
> "phaeton" <blahbleh666@...........m> wrote in message
> news:c1796a28-86a2-47f4-964d-3df86c0e1be1@c1g2000vbw..............com...
>
> <big snip>
>
> I also
>> have cast iron skillets which WILL last forever, but sometimes they're
>> just too effin' heavy to pick up in one hand and drain.
>>
>> Thanks and bacon planks.
>>
>> -J
>
> phaeton, try this one from Lodge. I have had one for maaany years and love
> it. It is much lighter than the other skillets, and the sloped sides
> (rather than the sharp angled sides) are much more conducive to sauteeing,
> flipping, etc. I have even bought ones for some of my sons who are cooks.
>
> Boli
>

LOL! Forgot the link!

https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefro...idProduct=3936

Boli

[notbob]

On 2011-10-22, phaeton <blahbleh666@...........m> wrote:
> I'm seeing Bialetti ceramic coated skillets all over the place lately,
> even on grocery store endcaps. I always associated Bialetti as 'name
> brand', but these pans are cheap ($20) and pretty thin. At first I
> figured they were cheap and thin and in 'blowout sale mode' because
> they were garbage, but I'm a doctor, not a metallurgist.
>
> Anyways, does anyone here have any experience with these Bialetti or
> any other ceramic coated pans?

Yes.

More often than not, these supermkt promo ceramic covered steel pans
are a great deal. Before I splurged for my last set of good quality
cookware, I used to buy those ceramic pans all the time. So cheap you
can give 'em to local thrift store or toss 'em when you move, yet
really quite practical. The good ones have ceramic exterior and
non-stick interior and are made in Spain or Portugal. The ceramic is
jes thick enough to prevent hotspots and I always found they held up
very well, considering the price. I never had to toss one due to poor
quality or the non-stick wearing out.

If I needed a pan and was on a budget, I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

nb