I agree....if you are trying to sell me something it's not a party....and I don't go even if I like the people who invited me. I have gone to too many Longaberger basket parties and Lia Sophia, and....and. I don't consider it entertaining in any way to listen to a sales pitch....or to look at stuff I really don't want and try to be interested for the sake of being polite. And to get back to the original question....sort of...LOL! Two years ago last Spring I got talked into a Pampered Chef Party for the benefit of the church kitchen....so naturally I had to buy something....one of those hamburger mushers. The party was full of "sweet young things" who rarely really cooked for their family and about once a year helped with a meal in the church kitchen. They insisted we have a can opener which no one can work ( doesn't work on institutional cans at all) 3 knives in their little sheathe to keep them sharp....well one has rusted because it was put back wet and all are very dull because they are used to chop on a glass cutting board. There is also ANOTHER lettuce spinner because someone thought we needed 2, and that dumb hamburger smasher. Someone did buy us 10 of those small wooden tongs which are wonderful for sticky bars and such....but the rest was expensive junk that we didn't need. No, I don't like PC products. They are too expensive and kitchey, for what they cost. Go to a commercial kitchen supply store and have a party with your friends without any sales pitch and bad cooking demo. You'll save money and have more fun...AND get better products. Just my feelings. Linda C

Courcelles, I'm still loving the glass dishes... both kinds. I think on a day-to-day basis, I use the 3 cup glass top ones the most, and certainly the 12 cup the least (hardly ever that much leftovers!). The covers are a little loose, but that doesn't seem to affect the ability to contain odors; I don't know why, or maybe I haven't put too many "smelly" things in them. I have to say I get the feeling they are more "doomed to destruction" than the pyrex, as the shape is more awkward to hold/carry and I've got teenagers who aren't too careful. But so far, so good. I love the pyrex (size and shape and covers), and would love if they made more sizes in the rectangle. A smaller but higher would be great (4 cup?). Perhaps I should just write to them to give them some ideas! I really do love the rectangles for storage, and the glass cleans so easily (no stains, no odors) compared to plastic. I just went on the Ikea site to look for the containers you mention. Are they the Koloni jars with lids? They look interesting, but I can't find any info as to whether they are microwaveable? They do say dishwasher safe, so that's good. I just know I like to microwave in the containers, so I'd be curious as to whether that's okay. I know I'll eventually buy more containers; just waiting and hoping I find some other, useful sizes.

I used to buy it for about $2 apiece (pot and lid) at Goodwill. I bought everything but the skillets, since I used cast iron skillets. I just couldn't pass it up. I ended up with three sets. I gave one to my daughter when she moved into her first apartment. She later gave it back to me, when she and her boyfriend bought "something new and better". One day I was going to town and about three miles from here, I saw my neighbor on horseback and she frantically flagged me down. She said she thought she had forgotten and left some pots on the stove, so she tied up her horse and I drove her home. The stove was on low, but the pots she was cooking in were burned black, but at least she didn't catch her house on fire. I watched as she threw the ruined pots over the side of her deck....she lived in a beach house. I was thinking, "What crummy pots." They were those teflon lined things. That evening when my husband came home, I got him to take her a full set of the Revereware. It was several small to large pots, all with lids and a big pot (dutch oven??), anyway, she was so thrilled to have them and couldn't believe I was giving them away. I was happy to find a home for them....and I still had a set, plus another set of Farberware pots, which are good and have heavy bottoms, but not copper bottoms.

As you probably know, copper as a material has the best thermal conductance of any material used in cookware. It will heat up quickly but also cool down quickly when the heat is reduced. Aluminum is a little slower to release the heat, which may be why you are not seeking the same results. The thick aluminum, clad with the relatively poorly conductive stainless steel, is going to take a bit longer. A bunch of manufacturers make copper clad cookware now, but you really don't get all the properties of copper. Some have only a band, some just the bottom, some clad the entire outside. Most only have the thinnest layer of copper, mainly for cosmetic reasons. To really get the full benefits of copper, you actually need a thicker (2mm+) true copper pan. One alternative is to get a thick copper base (2mm) clad with stainless. I have a few pans with this combination and the heat response is superior, but not as good as the tin-lined pure copper. For stainless frying pans, though, I prefer my Demeyere Prolines. I do my tortilla grilling on a thick aluminum AC griddle accessory that spans two burners on my gas range. I can do two large quesadillas at once and the thick aluminum makes for a very even result (no hot spots but nice overall "brown spots").