Stainless Steel Cookware (health Craft)

Q: Hello everyone, this is the first time I've visited this newsgroup. I hope someone can give me advise on quality cookware. My wife and I have not been happy with our Le Creuset cast iron cookware on our surface burner stove. The enamel covered pots have chipped and the teflon coated pans do not heat evenly throughout the bottom and up the sides. Yesterday afternoon we watched a demonstration of Health Craft cookware at a home and garden show. The salesman showed how this company's "5 ply nicromium surgical steel" cookware can be used for waterless / oil-free cooking. While this guy was both entertaining and persuasive, I'm not comfortable making a major purchase like this without first checking out that it makes sense. Is stainless steel considered to be the best material for cookware? If not, what material is better? What are recommended brands of high quality cookware? I have not yet comparison shopped for stainless steel cookware. Health Craft's basic starter set consists of a covered saute skillet ($195), a 1 1/4 quart covered saucepan ($195), a 2 quart covered saucepan ($210), and a double boiler ($59). Do these prices seem reasonable for this product? What else should I be asking about but don't know enough to ask the right question?

A: My jaw dropped. Those prices are astronomical, and I like expensive cookware. First of all, do you actually use a double boiler? I'd just set a bowl over a pot of boiling water. My double boiler has probably only been used as a hat to make people laugh. $59???? I don't think so. A 2 quart saucepan for $210????? Go to www.outletsonline.com and buy All Clad for less. That's saying a WHOLE LOT! Over $600 for the starter set???? Run away Bob. Run fast. Why do you say that? The concept (keep all the nutrients in the food itself) seems reasonable to me. My wife is especially excited about being able to put the veggies in the pot, attend to something else for 10 or 15 minutes, and come back to find them perfectly done and with all the vitamins, minerals, and flavor still in them. Sounds great; what are we missing? I don't know what kind of cooking you do. I get by with a 3 and 4 quart saucepan, sometimes a smaller saucepan, a 7 quart dutch oven (I love my Le Crueset) ... a roasting pan and some Pyrex dishes. A frying pan and a couple of non-stick pans from Costco for maybe 10 bucks. That pretty much covers it. That beginner set doesn't even cover a basic menu. A skillet and two saucepans that are barely big enough to heat up a can of soup, oh, don't forget the double boiler. It's a ripoff. $650. Really, it's a huge ripoff. Do yourself a favor ... Get one pot, get even the simplest supermarket pot, and think about whether you want a whole set for $3500 after you compare. Take my advice ... and go to Hawaii with the money you'll save.

Discuss It!

Match said:

I had a set of health Craft. I was NOT impressed. Try the All Clad Copper Core or D5. You won't be sorry. You also do not need to turn your burners up as high with GOOD 5-7 ply stainless cookware (about 1/3 less flame height). Good luck!

Nancy G said:

I just picked up the 7 pc Health Craft nicromium starter set at an estate sale for $35.00! In great shape!

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