College Dorm Skillet + Other Cookware

[mcFreid]

Hi There,

This coming fall semester I will be a sophmore and have decided to try out cooking instead of using my college's dining plan. I have access to a shared kitchen with a standard stovetop and oven.

I am looking for advice on the perfect everday skillet. I cook eggs in the morning, but also like to have some sauteed vegetables and chicken, fish, etc... I tend to eat very healthy. For these items I am in need of a skillet that can cook it all while being low maintenace. I have been leaning towards the new green pans since they can be used in the oven as well as the stove. Even better is that I don't have to worry about overheating the pan somehow and posing myself to the risks of teflon. Particularly the Cuisinart GreenGourmet Skillet is appealing to me, though I do question the depth of the slopping sides which makes the actual bottom surface relatively small. I also was looking into Scanpan and Swiss Diamond. Sometimes though I start to lean to just getting a cheap Teflon skillet. Basically I need your educated advice on what is best for me.

Also I am very welcome to generally advice for healthy college cooking. Just to help out here is a short list I have created of the cookware that I currently own and what I need/want. I also have included a list of what I will consider to be my staple items of cooking.

Own:
Cutting board
Sharpening Steel
Chef's Knife


Need:
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Salad Spinner
Everyday Skillet
Cast Iron Skillet
Enameled Dutch Oven


Want:
Pairing Knife
Electric Kitchen Scale


Staple Foods:
Lettuce, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Onions
Apples and Pears
Quinoa, Rice, Beans, Lentils
Chicken, Ground Turkey Breast, Fish, Lean Steak, Tunafish
Cottage Cheese, Goat Cheese, Feta Cheese
Eggs, Egg Beaters
Nuts
Olive Oil


Thanks Much,
Michael

[Kitchen Ninja]

What's your budget for the skillet?

[Big Daddy's House]

I like to cook things in the skillet(s).

I own two large ones and several small ones. The main three are a 12" cast iron skillet, a 12" restaurant-style aluminum skillet with a nonstick interior and the 5-qt Rachael Ray Hard Anodised Oval-Shaped Saute Pan.

[SRL]

The Cuisinart GreenGourmet Skillet is a shape that is commonly called a Chef's Pan. It's shape is optimized for the rapid reduction of sauces (evaporation to concentrate the flavor). IMHO, it wouldn't make the best all-purpose saute/fry pan.

I would look for a basic flat-bottomed anodized aluminum frying pan around 12" or so with low curved sides and a good lid. It will serve you well for just about anything but stove-top-to-oven or deep-frying, but a dutch oven like you mention will take care of that.

Honestly, if I could have only one pan. It would be a quality porcelain enameled cast-iron dutch oven. There's nothing you can't do in one except flip eggs. :p

[Zippy]

I have several frying pans (All Clad and Lodge cast iron) and the ones I find I use the most is really not a frying pan but a saute pan. With the flat bottom there is more room than in a reg. frying pan... it has a good fitting lid (while most frying pans don't come with lids) and being all stainless-steel it can go in the oven with no problem. My second most used is the Lodge cast iron skillet. My three reg. frying stay hanging on the pot rack most of the time just getting dusty.

[Whoopie Pie]

If you go non-stick, try not to spend a bunch of money on it. Even very high end non-stick pans are disposable as they have not found a way to keep the surface from scratching and being damaged. Go for one in the $20 range. A well seasoned, properly maintained cast iron skillet will be pretty much non-stick, cheap and virtually bullet proof. I bought the seasoned Lodge cast iron skillet and it is a great piece, I wash it out with hot water and a brush (NO SOAP!) and then give it a very light coat of veg oil and it is ready for the next cooking.

[Big Daddy's House]

Some of the nonstick cookware, especially the high-end stuff is supposed to be guarranteed against the coating peeling or coming loose.

I only have about 3 pans that are nonstick. But most electric skillets, griddles and cookers come nonstick as well.

[Zippy]

I bought the seasoned Lodge cast iron skillet and it is a great piece, I wash it out with hot water and a brush (NO SOAP!) and then give it a very light coat of veg oil and it is ready for the next cooking.

I've got three pieces of the Lodge Logic and just love it! A 9" and 12" skillet and the square grill. The grill is great for both the range top and the oven and... if you don't have a outdoor grill but want to do some steaks... well, this Lodge square grill is great for doing AB's ribeye steak recipe.

[Semigourmet]

It sounds like to me if you only cooking for yourself. You could use an Everyday pan. they have double handles not a long handle. about 10 inch skillet by calphalon and are only 40 dollars and come with a lid. they can be put in the oven and used on the stove top. here is a link to one at cooking.com. I have one of these and it is a Great skillet. http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=167677&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch%2Eyahoo%2Ecom%2Fsearch%3Fp %3Dcalphalon%2Beveryday%2Bpan%26ei%3Dutf%2D8%26fr% 3Dhp%2Dpvnb

As for your Salad Spinner: I have an OXO it is Great the small one is my favorite. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=12208570&RN=212&KSKU=111373

And for your enameled Dutch oven I would go with Lodge they are much less expensive than the others out there.

[Whoopie Pie]

Target carries a Tramontina enameled dutch oven for around $60 it recommended highly by cooks illustrated, I have one and it is an awesome piece.

[Big Daddy's House]

I got 4 Lodge preseasoned cast iron skillets - a 12", 8", 6" and a 4", plus a Lodge cast iron spoon rest.

One Lodge 5-qt preseasoned cast iron Dutch Oven, a Lodge preseasoned 3-qt chicken fryer and a Lodge preseasoned cast iron wok.