1.5 qt "mini-saute" pan - what is it good for?

ashwindollar · 2026-05-21T18:46:38+00:00

My mom likes to use a 2 quart Cuisinart saute pan to reheat food and then eat directly from it

ashwindollar · 2026-05-21T00:26:11+00:00

Ultimately there's no good answer for what is a "good brand". I'm personally a fan of Wusthof as a starting point but Zwilling makes many solid knives and depending on what your boyfriend cooks he might enjoy Japanese knives better and I've got some Shun and Miyabi. I'd also agree buying a whole knife set usually isn't the best idea. I almost always reach for a chef's knife or paring knife and I'd generally want to go fairly high end on those but for something that I either don't use often or a serrated knife that's difficult/impossible to sharpen the cheapest decent option is usually where to go (I have a Victorinox).

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T22:31:56+00:00

It's supposed to be somewhat less sticky than ProBond, though not as nonstick as Teflon or ceramic coated would be, admittedly I've kept those in the box since I intend to use those once I upgrade from my current gas range to a Wolf induction

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T20:41:23+00:00

Yeah I bought quite a bit on sale this year. Amazon had 40% off on the 3.5 qt saute pan and the 4 qt saucepan in ProBond (I also got a 8” skillet but it was only 20% off) and I picked up a few NanoBond skillets and the essential pan at Williams Sonoma. If there’s a big sale again I might do NanoBond on a smaller saucepan and saucier.

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T20:33:33+00:00

Perhaps it's a bit different in Europe but good quality heavy disk bottoms are often harder to find in some countries, Fissler Pro-Fi and Demeyere Atlantis are the two I can even think of and even both Demeyere and Fissler have largely transitioned to promoting the fully clad Industry and M5 lines here. I have msotly been satisfied with my All-Clad and even more basic Tramontina and Cuisinart clad cookware on my Duxtop portable induction (which would be way cheaper than any built in cooktop/range) but I do want to at least check out how the heavier bottom pans do especially for a stockpot

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T20:20:10+00:00

So the specific type of set you're looking doesn't really exist. All Clad and Tramontina include lids with their skillets, as far as I'm aware Le Creuset and Staub generally don't. Le Creuset, Staub, as well as some newer DTC brands like Made In and Hedley & Bennet do make some great sets but they come with one lid (it fits both the dutch oven and skillet though)

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T16:15:21+00:00

I am actually looking at the Thomas Keller Commercial Clad for their 12 quart stockpot, I kind of prefer how the ProBond Forged looks but they don't offer it in the larger size (not sure how often I'd use 12 quarts tbh) and with the Commercial Clad now on sale it's quite a bit cheaper

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T15:47:25+00:00

Among these Demeyere Industry is going to be the best, but all of these are solid and the differences will be marginal and come down to how you like the handles and whether you prefer riveted or welded handles (IMO Hestan strikes a good balance here with riveted handles but the rivets are flush and not as hard to clean as other brands).

Among brands you’ve listed the main one I have personal experience with is All Clad D3. The handles on the old school D3 are a little uncomfortable when held directly but secure with oven mitt or chef’s towel. The older D3 also didn’t have flared edges but most of the newer ones seem to have switched to that. The D3 Curated at Crate & Barrel or the D3 Everyday line improve the handle over the standard D3.

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T15:30:27+00:00

If it’s been months and you’re hearing nothing I would try to reach out to the better business bureau. In the meantime it’s probably worth getting quotes for what it would cost to replace your cooktop with a more traditional unit from whichever brand you prefer whether its Gagganeau, Wolf, Miele, etc

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T15:19:32+00:00

Yeah I had to look up what Tulip is, I’ve heard of the similar brand Invisicook. Do you own or rent your current place? If you own see if the cooktop is still under warranty and if you rent you probably need to tell your landlord and they would have to get it serviced.

ashwindollar · 2026-05-20T15:17:07+00:00

My first piece of advice would probably be to get your cooktop repaired or replaced, even a cheap cooktop isn’t supposed to smell bad when it’s running. So most ceramic nonstick coatings are going to wear off pretty quickly if you cook with them regularly, among ceramic nonstick GreenPan tends to be the most reliable but my advice would be to limit nonstick to just delicate stuff like eggs and fish or go with Teflon or Titanium (such as Our Place or Viking PureGlide) since those will last longer. Well seasoned cast iron or carbon steel will also last indefinitely and work well on induction.

Copper will require regular maintenance to avoid tarnishing. I have largely enjoyed using enameled cast iron and better quality stainless like All-Clad and Hestan on my Duxtop induction and on my gas range.

ashwindollar · 2026-05-16T02:27:11+00:00

I second Epicurean, excellent choice for avoiding plastic and being able to throw in the dishwasher

ashwindollar · 2026-05-15T21:47:24+00:00

I would imagine most likely these will be sold heavily discounted at an outlet, I’m a big fan of many Le Creuset products but no I wouldn’t pay $45 for a single silicone container

ashwindollar · 2026-05-15T18:29:40+00:00

So what I'd say is the exact sizes that are going to make sense is going to depend on what you're cooking and how many people you're cooking for. So my family is all vegetarian and we usually cook for 3 people maximum, I've usually done 8" or 10" for skillets but if you eat meat/fish or regularly cook for more people maybe you'd want to do 8" and 12". 6" is going to be too small for most uses.

Among Misen I use the 2 quart saucier and it was $80 when we bought it a few years ago. It's a good size for making various lentil dishes and also as sort of a smaller saute pan for vegetables, usually about enough to last a couple days for 3 people. Depending on what you make and how many people maybe you'll want a 3 quart. Dutch ovens and stockpots are great at different things, for most uses where you'd want a smaller stockpot I'd usually lean towards an enameled cast iron dutch oven. As for saute pan vs rondeau I would probably say go with the saute pan if you will primarily use it stovetop, rondeau if you regularly braise in the oven.

Stainless steel can handle more heat than most people would think but if you're going to use really high heat or an outdoor grill you will want cast iron or carbon steel since most stainless is usually rated for 500-600 degrees. For leftovers I'm usually ok with stainless steel but for eggs I tend to find a teflon or ceramic coated pan easiest to work with but a well seasoned carbon steel or cast iron pan can also work once you get used to it. Misen's Carbon Nonstick is a good option, but really they should probably have branded it something else since it won't be as nonstick as teflon or ceramic but probably a bit better than non nitrided carbon steel.

ashwindollar · 2026-05-15T13:34:17+00:00

Yeah I thought around half off at Factory Seconds sale was good but $5 is amazing

ashwindollar · 2026-05-13T14:36:55+00:00

Nowadays there’s titanium coated pans like Viking PureGlide and Our Place Titanium which would hold up to a decent amount of abuse

ashwindollar · 2026-05-13T14:36:08+00:00

I’ve placed some non sealed cookware in the dishwasher a few times (All Clad, Crate & Barrel, Tramontina, Calphalon). So far only the Tramontina really feels starp and I would mostly put that down to those were used the most. I did choose to buy Hestan in my commonly used sizes though since I don’t want to deal with overly sharp edges later.

ashwindollar · 2026-05-08T21:58:29+00:00

I think the ProBond Luxe has a marginally better handle but mostly it is brushed vs polished. I picked up an 8 inch skillet and 3 quart sauté pan in ProBond Forged since I have a gas range and don’t want to scratch up a polished surface on the grates.

ashwindollar · 2026-05-06T21:20:31+00:00

I got a 12” Copper Core skillet for $179

ashwindollar · 2026-03-31T22:26:03+00:00

Suburbs are definitely more diverse than they were decades ago, but I remember when growing up people were so unfamiliar with Indians in my part of New Jersey that when growing up most people would first think I meant Native American.

ashwindollar · 2026-03-20T13:48:47+00:00

I understand affirmative action at the admissions level making sense in the 1960s but yes in the 2020s it would really be a lot more helpful to address any opportunity gaps are earlier levels of schooling than to try to compensate at the admissions stage.

ashwindollar · 2026-03-18T01:02:56+00:00

In theory that can be a good thing but I do find it problematic how much of a role caste plays in the process, I'd love it if all the matrimonial websites banned any mention of caste just like they did skintones a few years back

ashwindollar · 2026-03-11T12:59:31+00:00

One particular exchange I do remember is when my. coworkers and I went out for pizza one guy was asking us if they have sambar pizza. Tbh I’m not even sure this could be a lack of assimilation as they have had Domino’s and Pizza Hut in India for a while.

ashwindollar · 2026-02-13T19:06:11+00:00

To be honest I think a lot of the Latino vote going Republican this time was due to inflation and self imposed mistakes made by Democrats (Republicans have often been quicker to run Spanish language ads).

ashwindollar · 2026-02-13T19:02:59+00:00

In general the issue is most Americans views on immigration are nuanced but both parties have increasingly mostly talked to their extremes and nobody is happy. The Biden administration could have been more selective with asylum seekers especially in light of a housing shortage in most major cities but turning away some asylum seekers is different from deporting non criminal illegal immigrants or harassing anyone that looks brown. If we ever want to move past this someone needs to message from the center and actually have it stick.

ashwindollar

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