bedlamsbard: natasha romanoff from the black widow prelude comic (check the stove (hermit_icons))
bedlamsbard ([personal profile] bedlamsbard) wrote2011-02-12 04:49 pm

a (kitchen) question

Y'all, I have an important question. Due to varying issues of paranoia (including, but not limited to, I think the non-stick coating on my roommate's pots is flaking off, one of the pots is rusting where the non-stick coating has scraped off, and I can't figure out if she moved the pot I usually use because she no longer wants me to use it or if she just moved it to move it), I am looking at getting pots. The one I specifically need is a saucepan with a lid that is large enough to make soup in. (I tend to make a week's worth of soup at a time, but I don't eat much. Er, clearly I'm not being the most specific person in the world here. I also make rice and risotto in the same pot.) The slight problem here is that I'm not sure how large that is. Would a 2-quart be large enough?

Since I have to pay for it, I don't want to shell out for anything outrageous, but does anybody have any recommendations for decent brands of stainless steel cookware? Right now I'm looking at this pot and this one (though that one's more expensive than I'd like). Also this one from Farberware. (Which I think is one of the (many) pans my mother has.)
snacky: (Default)

[personal profile] snacky 2011-02-13 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
I have Farberware and I use the 2 qt one to make a small amount of soup, rice pilaf, pasta, that kind of thing. I usually can make about 1/3 to one half a box of pasta with it, and when making rice, I use 1 cup of rice to three cups of water - if that helps giving you an idea of the size and amount of food. Oh! If I am making box macaroni and cheese, it's my go-to pot.

Honestly, it's my go-to pot for most things - when I am making custard for ice cream, or pudding, or peanut brittle I use that pot.

I also have this size which I use for making a bigger batch of soup, or for spaghetti sauce. The one quart size is good for a can of something like soup.

I hope that helped!

snacky: (Default)

[personal profile] snacky 2011-02-13 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, if you had 8 cups plus in it, it's probably a 3 quart. When I make rice pilaf (one cup rice, three cups water, 1/3 cup orzo) it fills half of the 2 quart.

I recommend Farberware, since it's not so expensive, and mine has lasted me over 20 years, but maybe it's not as well made any more, since I see someone below saying it was no good for them.
snacky: (Default)

[personal profile] snacky 2011-02-13 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, so I actually was just washing my pot, and I looked at the bottom and it's 2 1/2 quarts! All these years, I though I was using a 2 quart pot, lol!

So you are right! You need a 2 1/2 quart pot!
snacky: (Default)

[personal profile] snacky 2011-02-13 07:00 pm (UTC)(link)
I saw a used Farberware one on esty (I am on my phone, so can't link)! It was pretty cheap. Maybe check eBay too!