New Cookwear

[krozet]

Hello All;

After some searching and research I was all set to purchase a new set of cookware, something i could use at home for the next year and then transition to my boat... Well after all my research and my decision made I found today, quite by chance something that had not come across my radar. It's called EarthChef and it is basically aluminum cookware clad in a ceramic coating. It is suppose to be 6X stronger than traditional non-stick coatings but with no chemicals...

• So has anyone used new Ceramic Clad Cookware?
• With the issue of salt water wear and tear, how do you think Ceramic would hold up?

I came across some weird warnings about 'nano-technology' in my research this afternoon but it turns out that this cookware has nothing to do with nano-tech, just some over zealous marketing guy thought it sounded cool. Other than that I haven't really found any negatives. i know that ceramic is tough, durable and resists extreme heat after all the tiles on the space shuttle are made of ceramic...

If I am investing some cash in a new set of pans I might as well look to get something I can take on the boat.

Thanks for any feedback;

Robert

[badsanta]

I dont know, but please post what you decide and how you like it. Thanks Al

[sailingdog]

I personally like the stainless steel cookware rather than non-stick cookware. I use a Cuisinart nesting set that I got as a gift.

[JohnRPollard]

I tend to agree with Dog, and prefer straight stainless. We currently use a light-weight camp-kit, but we've had our eye on something like this for a while:

MAGMA NESTABLE 10 PIECE S.S. COOKWARE SET Shop.Sailnet.com - sailing resources, shopping, sail, blogs (there is a teflon-coated version available as well.

or

Gourmet SS Nesting Cookware

What I like is the way the handles remove and allow all the pieces to nest compactly.

[jjns]

We wanted something that didn't have long handles.
Found Paderno has some nice heavy bottomed pans with 2 loop-style side handles in the 6-8in range, while they don't nest, they do stack. Also got the steamer pot and fry pan.
As it is all open stock, you buy what you need.
They fit well on the stove and in the cupboard.
Having no long handles is a big bonus.
Easy to clean, nice even heat and no special coatings to fail.

If a ceramic pan gets dented, would the coating crack?

[JimMcGee]

I've been looking at new cookware too. Practical Sailor gave the Magma nesting cookware a top rating. They mentioned that the quality of the handle and how solidly it attaches is one of the biggest differences between brands.

Jim

[nereussailor]

I use all stainless steel pans with aluminum clad bottoms. They aren't nesting, but they stack so it helps on saving space. I've had them for almost ten years, on three different boats, and wouldn't have anything else. I bought them at TJ Max for about $8 apiece I have a set in my house that I've had for almost 20 years that are basically the same. No glass in the lids, all stainless. I do keep 1 non stick flat griddle on board for pancakes.

Dave

[poopdeckpappy]

We have Calphalon cookware, for some reason they seem to heat faster and more uniformly than anything else we tried

[tager]

I am not a big fan of nonstick cookware. My favorite is a cast iron skillet. Stainless pans are okay, but should have a bottom that distributes the heat evenly.

[ottos]

Originally Posted by poopdeckpappy

We have Calphalon cookware, for some reason they seem to heat faster and more uniformly than anything else we tried

Stainless steel is surprisingly a poor choice for cookware because it does not conduct heat well. Aluminum and copper are preferred for this reason. Steel is good because of it's toughness, however. This is why you see a lot of premium steel cookware that has a core of either copper of Al.

Maybe T37Chef will elaborate....