The Product Recommendation Thread of Joy

[Blackhawk]

We live in the age of search engine seeding, affiliate links, and reviews-for-pay making online ratings and review sites mostly unreliable. I thought we could use a thread to discuss real recommendations based on actual experience.

My first request: A skillet.

Our most recent skillet is so warped that we could make 12" donuts with it. It hasn't stood the test of time. Yeah, I know what causes warping, and I don't do those things, but good luck trying to keep two teenagers from dousing it with cold water, or pouring in two cups of cold (whatever.)

I need to get something that's a little more durable and less prone to warping. I'm seeing that multi-ply pans are a good option, but I don't know if that's the only choice. Something big enough to fry four (eggs/patties, etc) in. Non-stick, but not cast iron (good luck getting my family to respect the seasoning.)

Something that doesn't cost three figures. Any suggestions?

[Max Peck]

Cast iron is all I got, sorry.

[McNutt]

You can't beat a cast iron skillet. A good Lodge skillet will cost ~ $30 and will be pretty much non stick forever with care. Some people don't want to bother with cast iron, but there's nothing better.

edit - sorry, I missed that last line about no cast iron.

[Carpet_pissr]

Look at the stone/ceramic based non-stick stuff. They typically last a few years, but they don't contain the super dangerous PTFE stuff or whatnot found in the traditional, usually cheaper non-stick pans.

Once I found those, I never went back.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, I'm with everyone else that loves my cast iron skillet but I'm also the only one that uses (and maintains) it.

As just mentioned, we did get a ceramic coated skillet (and now pots) to replace our old non-stick stuff and I'd definitely recommend them.

[malchior]

I'd second ceramic and say avoid copper/teflon. They don't wear well. The same reasons you don't want cast iron will apply to them as well. Ceramic is pretty indestructible and not every ceramic is Le Cruseut priced. Something more modest isn't going to be sacrificing enough quality to matter.

[DOS=HIGH]

Following. I'm also looking to replace a cheap 12" skillet my parents bought. I also prefer the non-stick for ease of clean-up and to avoid the use of butter/oil. I'd also like a lid with mine. Reading reviews hasn't helped, too many seem fake, have only had the product a limited time, or had problems. Years ago I bought a really nice Caphalon that I left with my parents, who apparently gave it to my sister. I will probably go back to that brand, watching this one on Amazon, but am going to see what shows up for Amazon Prime Day.

[LawBeefaroni]

My friend got me Mauivel copper pan like 17 years ago. It is still as good as ever and is a freaking piece of art. It's not "no stick" like some of the new Teflon/ceramics but honestly, they cook kind of weird for me anyway.

I get a smile every time I pull that pan out.

[gbasden]

My first request: A skillet.

Something that doesn't cost three figures. Any suggestions?

I understand this doesn't meet your cost threshold, but I'm so happy with it I need to give it props. I absolutely love my Hexclad skillet and wok. They stand up to abuse from a teenage boy and clean super easy. I want to pick up some more pieces now.

[Blackhawk]

Them's both purty! Way beyond my means, but nice to look at.

If both kids were moved out, or if we had space to store separate 'mine only' cooking supplies, I'd likely be looking at a different set of options. As it is, I'm forced to stick with the idea of skillets being temporary, disposable tools. I would just like to get more than a year out of them before they are so warped that they're hard to use.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Since you've ruled out cast iron, consider the next best alternative: reliable -- i.e. not manufactured in China -- five-ply stainless steel. For example, this CHEF TOPF 5-ply stainless steel 11-inch pan, manufactured in South Korea. Unlike cast iron, you can clean stainless steel with regular dish soap, and need not worry about 'seasoning' removal. Stainless steel tends to be remarkably durable but is not nonstick, so you do need to use sufficient oil/fat to prevent food from sticking. But the Leidenfrost effect or mercury ball trick makes stainless steel remarkably non-stick. And keep in mind, all nonstick pans tend to suffer in terms of durability, especially if/when incorrect utensils are used, and almost invariably require replacement within 2-3 years as they deteriorate, degrade, and chip. Nonstick coatings can also be rather toxic, particularly if/when overheated.

Here's a useful video that illustrates proper care and use of stainless steel skillets and cookware:



And here's a video that helpfully demonstrates the Leidenfrost effect in action:

[LawBeefaroni]

Them's both purty! Way beyond my means, but nice to look at.

If both kids were moved out, or if we had space to store separate 'mine only' cooking supplies, I'd likely be looking at a different set of options. As it is, I'm forced to stick with the idea of skillets being temporary, disposable tools. I would just like to get more than a year out of them before they are so warped that they're hard to use.

Analon makes some good stuff. Not exactly JOY! but solid and we use them regularly. I their crepe pan all the time.

[Daehawk]

Im like some others....cast iron. I grew up with my granny using them. Now I still use my father in law's cast iron skillets that he got from his grandmother. They are old and I keep them seasoned.

[Kraken]

I'm on my second 12" Caphalon nonstick skillet. It's my daily workhorse and will last a few years before the coating inevitably gets too scratched up. In fact I also have a 10" Caphalon. I use cast iron occasionally for specific things but I don't like the hassle of cleaning it for everyday use.

[Hrothgar]

I also don't know about joy, but we got a set of Gotham Steel ceramic pans off Woot! pretty cheap a couple of years ago. They feel like they're right in the middle between the cheap stuff and higher end pans. They've held up well and are still easy to clean. Obviously you can't put them in the dishwasher. So far it looks like they'll last until kids are out of the house.

[hitbyambulance]

i switched to cast iron pans a couple years ago and yeah, don't need anything else now.

still have to get rid of my old second/third-hand Teflon-coated pans, as i don't think any of them are safe to use anymore

[Carpet_pissr]

I should add that I also have a cast iron skillet, but due to the pain of cleaning, I use it only for very specific things (mostly cornbread, and a skillet apple pie I make pretty regularly).

I use non-stick almost exclusively for eggs, and some heavy duty stainless steel for everything else. I much prefer using the SS pans because I know I can burn stuff in them, cook sloppily, leave stuff in them to dry, etc. and just never have a problem cleaning them due to the fact that you can clean the shit out of them with whatever violent method you choose, chemical, or physical (or both!). Also if they are small I enough, I can (and do) throw them in the dishwasher.

[Blackhawk]

Im like some others....cast iron. I grew up with my granny using them. Now I still use my father in law's cast iron skillets that he got from his grandmother. They are old and I keep them seasoned.

So did I. My grandmother had almost nothing but. But now I live in a world where I can't even get people to flush the toilet reliably. I can guarantee that a cast iron skillet will be soap-scrubbed or put away wet every week or two.

[Max Peck]

A professional cook told me a while back that modern dish soap won't actually ruin the seasoning on a cast iron pan. While I generally trust him as a source of information, I haven't seen a reason to test it out on my own well-seasoned frying pan. Keeping it clean has been pretty simple: I rinse it with hot water, scrub it with a nylon scouring pad, then rince and repeat until it's clean and I can wipe it dry with a paper towel without picking up any grunge on the towel. Then I put it back on a hot burner to cook off any moisture, rub in a drop of avocado oil while the pan is hot and set it aside to cool off.

[Carpet_pissr]

Im like some others....cast iron. I grew up with my granny using them. Now I still use my father in law's cast iron skillets that he got from his grandmother. They are old and I keep them seasoned.

So did I. My grandmother had almost nothing but. But now I live in a world where I can't even get people to flush the toilet reliably. I can guarantee that a cast iron skillet will be soap-scrubbed or put away wet every week or two.

I feel ya. When my 17 YO starts cooking stuff in the kitchen, I physically grimace because there's a high chance with each event that something I love in the kitchen will die, or be ruined (in my view).

Kinda the same feeling when we had a SUPER responsible and mature maybe 21 YO babysitting our kids years ago. VERY smart kid, amazing with our kids, the whole package. We had just put down new wall to wall berber carpet in the playroom upstairs, and somehow our aged dog made it up there and either puked or worse, not sure (we were away). Unfortunately the sitter grabbed a bleach based cleaner to use on the carpet, and...well, let's just say the carpet WAS not white.

[Daehawk]

Smart is smart but with age comes experience and info.

[Kraken]

Smart is smart but with age comes experience and info.

Smart is knowing tomatoes are a fruit.
Wise is knowing not to put them in fruit salad.

[Blackhawk]

Smart is for wizards.
Wise is for clerics.

Duh.

(Also, 'wizard' literally means 'wise', which makes D&D confusing.)

[Carpet_pissr]

Smart is smart but with age comes experience and info.

Smart is knowing tomatoes are a fruit.
Wise is knowing not to put them in fruit salad.

Stolen.

[Unagi]

Smart is smart but with age comes experience and info.

Smart is knowing tomatoes are a fruit.
Wise is knowing not to put them in fruit salad.

Yeah, that's a classic. This is what I taught my kids.

[Max Peck]

Smart is knowing that Frankenstein was not the monster.
Wise is knowing that Frankenstein was the real monster.

[Isgrimnur]

[Daehawk]

lol

So is kingdom such as Disney wanting to be dominated by a mouse?

[Blackhawk]

lol

So is kingdom such as Disney wanting to be dominated by a mouse?

By a king.

[Unagi]

Yeah, that was justdumb.

[Blackhawk]

[Hrothgar]

Woot currently has a sale on Breville kitchen some stainless some anodized. Ok, well the skillets are all stainless. They might bring some joy.

[Blackhawk]

Next up: Floor fan! I use one in the living room, both to circulate air (the living room is L-shaped, with the window AC at the top pointing down, and we need to push air into the base of the L) and for VR (to blow on me to keep me cool and oriented.)

I need a full sized floor fan with variable speeds, the ability to tilt vertically, and that runs quietly enough not to interfere with other activities. Oscillation is not needed, and a fan on a post wouldn't work (I need to be able to have it blowing at a steep angle from below when using VR.) Most of the stuff I'm seeing online looks cheap, and, as always, online reviews have become seriously unreliable.

Does anyone have a favorite brand that isn't a high-priced boutique model?

[Isgrimnur]

Box fans

[gbasden]

I have a Patton floor fan that I have been using for nearly 20 years and it seems bulletproof. It's pretty similar to this:

https://www.dontwasteyourmoney.com/prod ... ity-fan-2/

It's a pretty common design. It's not super noisy on low but gets loud on high. I recommend it because it's stood up to a lot of use and abuse, but there may well be better out there.

[Jeff V]

Smart is smart but with age comes experience and info.

Smart is knowing tomatoes are a fruit.
Wise is knowing not to put them in fruit salad.

Stolen.

He left out the third line: Philosophy is pondering whether a bloody mary counts as a smoothie.

[em2nought]

Never had satisfactory tweezers for splinters until I found these or some made the same way. The point is sort of beveled which is what makes all the difference. Tweezers like these https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Point-Sp ... 97&sr=8-12

[Blackhawk]

Box fans

Yes, box fans.

[Blackhawk]

I have a Patton floor fan that I have been using for nearly 20 years and it seems bulletproof. It's pretty similar to this:

https://www.dontwasteyourmoney.com/prod ... ity-fan-2/

It's a pretty common design. It's not super noisy on low but gets loud on high. I recommend it because it's stood up to a lot of use and abuse, but there may well be better out there.

Thanks. Unfortunately, Patton itself seems to have disappeared from the universe (at least as far as their fans go, unless you want to pay two or three times the normal price), but the design would work. The problem is finding a brand that isn't just cheap knockoff junk.

[Zarathud]

I used to buy Vornado, and they had a heavy duty circle fan that sat on a mount that was awesome at the bottom of our basement stairs. It circulated air up/down the stairwell for 3 stories.