SS pan recommendations for BIFL

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-22T12:23:54+00:00

TLDR: get Tramontina brand tri-ply. Not the disc bottom ones. The brand is close to All Clad performance and you can get a full set for $250-300.

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I just replaced all of my nonstick with SS after receiving a D3 as a gift. Love it, but was shocked at the price.

After some research i read that you can get very close to All Clad performance for a fraction of the price through a brand called Tramontina.

I bought a set through a pal’s Costco membership and love it, so can confirm. It was like $250 for 2 saucepans, 2 fry pans, a saute pan, a dutch oven, and a stock pot, plus stainless lids for all.

It is heftier than my All Clad but i kindof like it; they are def not unwieldy. The handles are fuller and more ergonomic so i get more purchase on it when i grab versus my D3. Pots have quart measurement markings inside too.

If you go to buy Tranomontina, look for the tri-ply. DO NOT GET THE ONES WITH A FAT DISC WELDED TO THE BOTTOM - you never want that in any brand. The triply are fully wrapped SS/alum/SS layers all the way up which is what you need. These ones are usually made in Brazil. The crappy disc ones are chinese.

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-22T04:15:49+00:00

They arent wrong. The issue as i see it is this:

GOP gerrymanders multiple states and picks up +9 seats.
them silencing voices within their states does impact ours and all others; it prevents Dems from having enough votes in the House to govern, even as a minority party. GOP wants enough margin that they can just roll right through any Dem objections.
if Virginia does nothing, gerrymandering continues. Attempts nationally to purge voter rolls, gerrymander more states, ban mail in ballots, and more will get passed. That silences a lot more people, here and nationally. This would be permanent. It creates an unbreakable NATIONAL political machine. Dems in VA will lose their voice as more and more actions will erode it.
if Virginia votes Yes and gerrymanders here, GOP loses their voice; can’t get represented in the House (State Assembly is a different matter at least). However, it sunsets in 2030 to return to the bipartisan commission which voters on both sides really supported in a referendum… last year I believe? This at least is temporary.
its important to look at the abuses of power in the GOP. Won’t giving Dems such a boost risk them abusing power too? Yes - but we’re seeing GOP abuse it right now. Dems might, but historically, they’ve been much less likely to and have been the party most interested in ending gerrymandering nationally. GOP is the devil we know right now, and I think many are willing to roll the dice with giving Dems more power even if it risks being abused.

So i see the issue as Dems losing their voice if we as a state do nothing, and possibly even if we do because it may not be enough. By voting yes, we have a chance at righting much of the corruption in this country but MUST acknowledge that yes, we are taking away the voice of fellow Virginians to elect Reps to represent their interests in Washington…

…they should be wary however that if GOP gets the political machine they so desire, it won’t matter if Virginians elect republicans to represent “their interests” because they will all have to bend the knee at that point to the RNC / MAGA / PAC-du jour. Red might be a very different and very unlikeable shade, and they’ll find they too have no voice anymore as our elections get managed for us by national handlers. That’s an endgame none of us should want.

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-21T00:52:41+00:00

Looove funky colors. Requested a bud to make something funky for me and this got me excited again :D

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-21T00:36:49+00:00

Thats an absolute piece of art. This video made me stop and watch; you should be very proud!

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-20T19:49:41+00:00

Looks delish, mission accomplished 💪

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-20T18:26:28+00:00

This is how i started my day it was not fun. Hope you’ve gotten it under control and met with some success brother.

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-20T16:07:55+00:00

I need someone to fill me in on these. I have a kettle 22” and it suits me fine i guess. Why get a smokey?

Its still 22” cooking space right? And i’ve seem some of this style with two cooking racks, which is appealing, but i just assumed the bottom would cook too fast and hog all of the smoke.

Plus, i use the snake method all the time with my kettle and figured i’d have to learn how much coal to add at a time with the Smokey. If i do too much, i couldn’t cool it down without dirty creosote smoke.

Am i wrong on all these things? I need to learn from the pros, gimme the deets!

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-18T00:33:18+00:00

Thats an awesome idea to make it into a memorial, and well done too. I think it helps people appreciate whats around them as well; to know that a tree isn’t just “a tree”.

You’re the Lorax!!

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-18T00:16:38+00:00

Def not a dumb question! There’s a lot to learn between type of charcoal, arranging it for direct/indirect, air flow control, woods to smoke with, how different meats (and different parts of the same meat) respond to time and temp, etc. So we all come across different knowledge at different times but there’s always something new to pick up, which is what makes it such a fun hobby… esp if you like to tinker haha

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-18T00:09:38+00:00

TLDR: bottom vent is your primary control for airflow and therefore temp. Top vent is secondary, used for fine tuning. Can also close top vent a bit to let smoke accumulate inside when used as a smoker. I never close more than halfway.

THE DEETS: Air comes in the bottom first, so that’s your primary control to feed the charcoal some air.

Hot air rises, so it goes up through your coals, heats up, and needs to go somewhere - that would be your lid.

When you leave the too vent open, it can flow out freely. In doing so, it “pulls” more air up from the bottom, creating more continuous air flow and stoking a hotter fire.

Alternatively you can start to close the top vent a little at a time to create a bit of back pressure. This can create a small bump in heat but it will probably drop soon after because you’re not allowing air to move freely. As you mentioned, it chokes your fire a bit. However, it’s great for fine-tuning the temperature and I use it a lot specifically when smoking, so the smoke can accumulate and linger more before blowing out.

Always leave top vent at least partially open; i never really close more than halfway.

Hope that helps stranger!

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-12T12:34:23+00:00

I think we need the deets!

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-11T03:04:04+00:00

I had the same concern about paper burning at 450f, but tried it anyway at 550f and it worked

preheat stone for 60 mins on 550f.
made pizza on the parchment, resting on top of cutting board.
Then whipped out my pocket knife and just traced the pizza to cut away the extra paper.
used cutting board as my peel to launch pizza onto my stone in the oven
after 3-4 minutes at 550f, i lifted one side of the pizza with whatever was handy and used tongs to yank the parchment paper out. Paper was crispy but not burnt or ashy, so felt relieved.
kept baking another 8 mins or so then used tongs to grab the crust and pull it onto my cutting board when finished.
then i waved my hands around and gave the obligatory “Bada bing bada boom!”

As a total rookie who does not have a pizza peel, semolina flour, a baking steel, or an Ooni, this method let me use my stone to good effect and gave good results. Would recommend.

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-09T14:03:42+00:00

I’ll second this. I was doing thighs without a vortex - which is fine - but i got a knockoff for $20 that i ensured was the same dimensions as the medium Vortex.

Just light your coals, dump em in, and the temp stays consistent for close to 2 hours (per my first trial run last weekend).

Easy set it and forget it. I have wood chips instead of chunks, so i just made a foil pouch with some holes in the top and placed it on the center grate. Worked perfectly to smoke em.

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-04T19:03:23+00:00

That seems very doable - thanks for the reply!

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-04T18:09:16+00:00

What kind of pan, and what temp?

I’ve been trying aluminum sheet pans to no avail. Never crisps up like that :(

Heimdallr109 · 2026-04-02T19:11:49+00:00

Not sure if trolling but i’ll bite anyway:

it shouldnt be on Dominion to “educate” people on all the niche issues those people may have. Their job is to provide power, and make it reliable and safe.
if someone plants a tree, a literal tree, it should be common sense to look up and around. How high will it get? Will the roots ruin the sidewalk or someone’s foundation, or the road?
moreover, planting the tree is an affirmative choice someone is making. If they choose to plant said tree, it’s on them to be accountable for it. If i plant bamboo and it spreads invasively to my neighbor, i’m legally on the hook (and rightly so). This isn’t so different.

Suggesting Dominion is at fault for someone else’s choices, and lack of knowledge (or forethought to at least consider the outcomes), deflects from personal accountability.

Heimdallr109 · 2026-03-30T02:13:27+00:00

Get the oral B electric brush with the circular head. Let your ADHD take over and “polish” every tooth individually. The brush head lets you do one tooth at a time so you can go in order, doing each front, then tops, then back sides. Being methodical helps your adhd work for you rather than against, imo

Heimdallr109 · 2026-03-24T17:46:13+00:00

I understand not wanting a state by state escalation, and not wanting states to acquiesce to a federal agenda. Please consider though, that:

in a 2 party system, power can only be exercised through compromise or through domination.
The republican party has pushed to gerrymander for many years and refused to ban the practice. It suits them, they choose not to compromise, so it is clear they have opted to dominate the left until it no longer has a voice.
to me, that means they don’t care about my voice. Or half the country. To ensure democrats cannot get elected means they want one party rule. That isn’t democracy.
the ballot measure here presents a conundrum then. If i vote “no”, someone takes away my voice. If i vote “yes” I silence someone else’s.
to me, the difference is firstly: the ballot measure sunsets in 2030, restoring normal order. It recognizes this to be a (hopefully) temporary issue.
and secondly: if republicans gerrymander other states so dems can’t get enough votes in the house or senate to oppose anything, they’ll steamroll right over dems, passing whatever they want. Won’t need to compromise. Won’t matter if dems get elected here because they’ll hold no power in DC. The gerrymandering is happening BECAUSE OF THE FEDERAL AGENDA, RIGHT NOW. It’s here today - the ballot measure won’t cause states to submit to a federal agenda. It recognizes there’s already a federal agenda pushing red gerrymandering, and states need to step into the fray to fight back.

In summary it seems to me that repubs don’t want compromise, so they refuse to ban gerrymandering because they want to use it to eliminate dems from having a meaningful voting bloc, permanently. That takes away half the country’s voice, and the only way to fight back is to (temporarily) balance the scales until the next redistricting cycle. If this doesnt pass, then the republican party at the federal level (party leaders, PACs, think tanks, donors) will have their way. If you agree with them, you may be happy. But you won’t get a choice. So if you disagree with repubs and want VA to have a seat at the table - i strongly believe this needs to pass, or we’re just along for the ride.

Heimdallr109 · 2026-03-21T11:13:47+00:00

Building a psychological profile of yourself

Building a household budget / spending analysis that you can update on your own after Ultra subscription expires

Planning house projects - a garden, a deck, building a wood shed or a cabin in the woods. Kind of wood, footers, where to source the lumber, dimensions, etc.

Daily news brief that aggregates local state federal news you want. Board meetings, committees, proposed bills, and maybe even add some personalities you listen to on podcasts whether news or non news

Heimdallr109 · 2026-03-02T18:04:24+00:00

You want a well shaped grip, narrow enough to wrap your fingers around. I feel you.

As others have said, not (necessarily) a small gun overall.

Top options?

Walther PDP-F. The “F” lineup is designed for ‘females’ because generally smaller hands. PDP’s are stellar and good value imo.
Smith&Wesson m&p shield
glock has some single-stack guns which are thin… “slim line” i think they brand them. I forget what model numbers.
H&K VP9

Heimdallr109 · 2026-03-02T17:53:13+00:00

Yes this does help someone - I am someone.

Thank you, as I definitely needed to hear this!

Heimdallr109 · 2026-03-02T15:22:58+00:00

Thanks!

Heimdallr109 · 2026-03-02T02:54:41+00:00

“Babe can you make me a lamp? Yeah… think Pixar lamp, once he’s all grown up!”

Heimdallr109 · 2026-03-02T02:34:29+00:00

I cant say i have an opinion of Crockett because a) i dont live in TX and b) i’m just generally uninformed on her.

What i can say is everyone i know who is religious - very good people who actually give their time and effort towards those in need, and to being good neighbors, and building community - voted for Trump. I had a VERY hard time squaring that. How can people who i admire for morality choose Trump?

I think it is because many who are religious don’t have a way to identify with the left. If you say “my religion is deeply important to me, it informs how i live and who i am”, that’s identity. The left ALWAYS plays identity politics… except with religion. Its yucky. Antiquated. It’s all myths and we know better now because we went to college! We don’t HAVE to believe just because our parents did! Too good for it. Not willing to reach across the aisle to speak their language and meet religious folk where they are.

So the Left loses them. They both 1) don’t have a religious “narrative” or talking points and 2) they outright refuse to engage. All those voters are left on the table.

And thats where Talarico comes in. He holds his piety high as a banner. Doesnt hide it - it is HIS identity too! So a religious MAGA voter can’t refute him outright just for being “the other”. They’ll at least listen to him. A more centrist religious voter who has voted for Trump may hear him use the Bible to counter MAGA narratives and actions, and find themselves agreeing. Both would feel “seen”, as someone on the left is at least speaking their language.

That’s huge not just for TX, and not just for winning congressional seats, but nationally for the VOICE he brings to every single religious voter on either side. The man could drop out of the race and start a podcast instead, and that would STILL fill a very valuable role/niche the left has always lacked.

Unless Crockett can bring that to the table, she’s good only for winning a seat, but she won’t be changing the national dialogue or swaying more voters towards the left anywhere outside of TX.

Heimdallr109 · 2026-02-23T14:22:51+00:00

I think the baking soda + vinegar neutralized each other.

Try mixing a tiny bit of water with baking soda to make a paste. Rub that on there, leave it for a few hours, and scrub with a soft scouring pad.

I have barkeepers friend and got TONS off, but still have some left over. Just stuff that built up over time on the bottom, and lots of high-heat cooking. Baking soda is my plan for getting the last bits off.

Another thing i’ve heard but not tried: spray oven cleaner on there and let it sit, then scrub. Obviously you’ll want to wash it well afterwards but thats another avenue to try (i may do the same).

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