Pans buying guide. Some ranting on Le Creuset.

The things I look for in pans:

• A pan should be heavy. I don't mean cast iron heavy, I mean made from aluminium or steel and heavy because of think bottom. This gives you some assurance that the heat will be conducted evenly and that the bottom won't warp and will be in direct contact with the stove when in use for the years to come.
• Protection from burning and sticking: it better be anodized aluminium / forged steel / cast iron rather than some toxic "non-stick surface coating" (Teflon or like) which you'll eventually consume with your food. New coatings come to the market: tried ceramic coating but was not not happy overall; probably the fact that it was a light pan with thin bottom was to blame. 
• Some cast iron and steel pans require seasoning which you apply yourself. Such pans become better with use or you stop using them very soon. Depending on the quality of the pan, maintaining it's non-sticking properties by seasoning could be easy (aforementioned Blue Steel Pan from Sur La Table) or restricting (in which case you revert to tactics 2a) or 2b)).  
• Look for right sizes and shapes. I use 3 basic sizes: 12'', 10'' and 8'' for everyday cookiong. Shapes: I prefer round. The stove burner is round, so why use square pan? Sides: shallow are good for crepes and omelets, higher sides are good for sauteing and cooking moderate size stew.
• Cool handle is a nice bonus.    
• A pan should not be too heavy. I bet Le Creuset cast iron pans are as good as they are expensive but I can't imagine using a regular and large size Le Creuset cookware item for everyday cooking and not injuring your back, shoulder and/or wrist. 

In my opinion, ads for acupuncture, muscle relaxant /  hot patch / ice hot roll, massage therapy, chiropractic and physical therapy, yoga and Pilates as well as personal trainer services should be placed right next to  Le Creuset 13 1/2 qt French oven ($410).Or to 11 3/4 cast iron skillet ($155), cookware.lecreuset.com, ships for free. Of course, you have better chances of staying injury-free with a skillet, but imagine the weight of French oven with Portuguese Fish stew inside!


Not to be completely unfair to the Le Creuset I must admit that I like them and want them so much that ordered ceramic soup bowls from Sur La Table. Do no chip, microwave, oven and dishwasher safe. And Sur La Table is doing an exceptional job in packaging/wrapping mail orders.
Got a set of Le Creuset soup bowls as a gift for myself. Very aesthetically pleasing and high quality. Won't chip.  Use them for soup and pasta. They are pretty shallow and I like using them for pasta dishes more than for soups.