skarn86 t1_irdyuzc wrote on October 7, 2022 at 9:57 AM

Warranty over a pot? What do you expect should happen to a steel pot? If the steel doesn't suddenly rust in the first six months it won't afterwards.

I have IKEA pots which I bought when I first moved out on my own as a PhD students (10 years ago). Still going, no sign of slowing down.

I did have to throw away a couple of 6y/o, 30€ a pair, thin aluminium, non-stick, pans from Tefal. Because they were pure aluminium, warped from using very hard on a gas stove, and I switched to induction when moving places.

What you should be asking is rather "which pots are worth keeping around for a lifetime" and that's am entirely different discussion.

But I wouldn't worry too much about durability.

Edit: this also involves a big discussion about what you like to cook, and how.

iamjackslackofmemes t1_irfe10d wrote on October 7, 2022 at 5:36 PM

Aluminum is definitely not a BIFL product if you can afford better. Even if you cannot, you should try to never use it.

skarn86 t1_irfmerc wrote on October 7, 2022 at 6:39 PM

When trying to BIFL there's always a risk to end circlejerky. What's the point of having non-stick pans built like tanks?

Those pans, cheap as they were, were put through constant use for a bit over 6 years. For a long time they were my only pans. During most of it, they even went in the dishwasher all the time. If I hadn't moved to a house with induction, they would have maybe lasted another year, I could start to see the first signs of wear on the Teflon.

Sure, they were thin aluminium. That simply meant they didn't cost as much work and energy as a steel pan. Seems like a good thing to me.

They were what I could afford when first moving out, and they really really delivered a lot. Definitely not BIFL, but I wouldn't call them disposable garbage by any measure.

9/10 would recommend to anyone on a budget.

Im_100percent_human t1_irwkquq wrote on October 11, 2022 at 4:07 PM

>Aluminum is definitely not a BIFL product

IDK, A LOT of restaurants have aluminum pots that they use many times a day for decades. While you may not like aluminum for a number of reasons, but an aluminum pot that is not abused will probably outlast any of us.

iamjackslackofmemes t1_irxebro wrote on October 11, 2022 at 7:18 PM

Aluminum is a toxic metal to humans. If the cookware is uncoated, the aluminum can leach into your food.

Just because a restaurant has been using the same pot/pan for decades doesn't make it safe, it just means they have been using the same pot/pan for decades.

Im_100percent_human t1_irxgu4p wrote on October 11, 2022 at 7:33 PM

Millions of aluminum pots are used everyday.... A couple of micrograms of aluminum in your diet, everyday, is not going to hurt you. Your body can presses and expel many milligrams of aluminum a day, through sweat and urine. Your body can process much more aluminum than you are going to get from cooking in a pan.

Regardless, the pots should last your whole life. If they are overly toxic (which they are not), they will still last your, possibly shortened, life.

skarn86 t1_ire00rd wrote on October 7, 2022 at 10:14 AM

I'm a fellow European, so if you really want brand recommendations I can give you as many as you want in any price range.

imlayingonthetable OP t1_ire01fx wrote on October 7, 2022 at 10:15 AM

> berndes.

I choose those brands not because of waranty. Both of them are widely recommended, I cant just choose which one will be better.

skarn86 t1_ire2c6l wrote on October 7, 2022 at 10:47 AM

Meh. Unfortunately I haven't really used any of those two, but Kuhn-Rikon is going to be much easier to find and maintain (e.g. spare parts for a pressure cooker) here in Europe since they're a Swiss company. That to me already decides between those two.

If you're open to other ideas, try and take a look at Paderno. They're a brand catering mainly to professional kitchens, so they can take a beating.

I have a couple of their pots, and they're really quite good. Including a little 3-ply saucier pot which I absolutely love because the steel is almost non-stick just by itself, perfect to make sauces and minimise the risk of burning.

You'll find their stuff around (e.g. Amazon) or on their web store, which ships within Europe for 5 to 15€, depending on countries. Not too bad for bulky and heavy pots.

Edit: I actually have a pair of Kuhn Rikon kitchen shears and it's really great, though it has molded plastic handles so likely not BIFL.