There are some pots/pans designed specifically for gas burners. Turbo Pots I wouldn't want to have to clean them though. This design increases the efficiency of a gas burner. I have doufeu from the 40s that has ridges on the bottom for the same reason. It was also made with a flat bottom for electric stoves. If you have some pans you like keep them unless/until you find something better. skillets/frying pans- There are two considerations for me. If I need high heat, I use cast iron. It conducts heat poorly and is prone to hot spots but it also holds a lot of heat. Great for searing steaks and stir fries. Your choice is machined smooth surface vs sand cast surface of newer ones like Lodge. It will become nonstick with use but requires a little care. The smooth surface seasons a little quicker in my experience. I like the short handles and the ability to use it in the oven as well. Some of the vintage pieces seem a little lighter to me. My favorite is a Piqua "favorite" in 12 inch that I got at a roadside sale. I also fry chicken in it and cook bacon and eggs. Great for cornbread when preheated in the oven. When I need a very even heat, I like something in a heavy aluminum. I have a couple of commercial 14 inch non stick cast aluminum pans my son got somewhere but my favorite pan is Calphalon anodized aluminum pan with two loop handles. It is called a braiser and is 13 inches across I think. It pops in the oven too. It seasons to become nonstick as well although it requires a little more patience than cast iron.. My favorite saucepans I have a couple of wide 2 qt old Revere Ware pans that I use all the time. These have the full amount of copper on the bottoms. In the 60s the copper was cut in half and the new ones are just flashed with copper. I also have a 4 qt like this. The handles are comfortable and don't get hot. I have used these for candy making. which requires even heat. Last year I also bought some Baumalu copper from TJX stores for about 15 cents on the dollar. One of my best buys ever from those stores. They have cast iron handles that don't heat up as quickly and are 2mm which is the minimum thickness for cookware. A couple are the splayed sauce pans. 3mm would be better but also heavier. They are tin lined. dutch oven/soup pot - I have a 6 and 8 qt all clad that I have had for years and years. They have never warped and I could not be without them. I also have an 8qt Revere Ware pot with a bail handle and helper handle. One thing I don't use since I have my Wolf range is a double boiler. The burners go so low, you don't need it. Some other random cookware I like- AC 16 qt stockpot great big Le Creuset blue enamel pot, maybe 7 qts but a little wider than most a set of 3 light blue white speckled enameled cast iron skillets, mostly used for casseroles but you can start on the burner and move to the oven big cast aluminum roaster, like magnalite but made by "Forever" I am a cookware junky and have many other pieces that get used too. The only pans I have now that I am not enamored with are my Debuyer carbon steel skillets. They have seasoned nicely and cook ok but the handles are just too long. None of mine goes in the dishwasher. Even the AC is the LTD so a dishwasher will ruin the finish. My sister does put everything in the dishwasher but she doesn't care if finishes are ruined or oxidized. We are both happy so that is all that matters. I have had a couple of larger pans warp so they were rounded on the bottom. I wacked them with a rubber mallet a few times and they popped probably the other way but it isn't noticeable. They seem flat now from the cooking surface perspective. I had a pan one time that was higher in the middle and it was actually good for some things- fat cooked off and drained away. I'm not really looking for that anymore though!

Ann H., traditional Chanuka foods vary with the community. Jews of Eastern European descent eat latkes (but never agree on how to make them). Israelis eat fried filled doughnuts. As you see in the string, and can find on many web sites, everywhere in the world, Jews come up with something different for Chanuka. The one constant is that it should be something cooked in oil; that's the point. The idea is to commemorate the story about the oil for the menorah. lpinkmountain, if you use a mix for matzo balls, you will go to hell. JUST KIDDING! But really, I have never understood what the point is of that mix. I mean, matzo balls contain matzo meal, salt, egg, water or broth, and fat (chicken fat best if you are not a vegetarian and your cardiologist isn't looking). So what's in that mix? I think it's just matzo meal, salt, and some bouillon powder (which I don't like anyway); you still have to add the rest -- doesn't really save any time and just costs a lot more and uses more packaging. Lakeguy, here is how I (a genuine Jewish mother) make chicken soup and matzo balls. It's a very simple recipe, without even any dill or garlic, but it really doesn't need it, because the strongly developed chicken flavor holds its own, so try it this way first. Really, you can make any kind of chicken soup your family likes, but make sure to follow the two essentials about the type of chicken and the length of cooking. Try to find a kosher chicken -- the bigger, fatter, and older, the better. The taste is just much, much better. It's not that the kosher slaughtering makes a difference. But they grow them bigger, and they don't feed them chemicals (not for kosher purposes, just to broaden their market to foodies), and the soaking and salting of kashering is like brining it. If you can't find a kosher chicken in your town, then go for an organic one, I guess. Lindac taught me the money-saving tip of using a package of wings instead of a whole chicken (kosher chickens are not cheap). Gellchom's Jewish Chicken Soup (eat! eat!) 1 cut up kosher chicken, or a large package of wings, necks, etc. 2 stalks celery, NO LEAVES, scraped and cut into sticks 2 large carrots, scraped and cut into sticks one whole onion, peeled Salt and pepper Rinse the chicken and put it in your soup pot. Cover with water to about 3/4 inch from top. Bring to a good hard boil, reduce the heat, and skim. Then add the vegetables, 1-2 T salt, and some pepper. Cover and simmer a LONG time -- absolute minimum 1 1/2 hours, but I like to let it go to much longer, even to 6. If it cooks too far down, then just add some water; the taste will still be plenty rich, I promise. Remove chicken and use for something that can have seriously overcooked chicken! Discard onion (and celery, if you want, but I like it in the soup). Remove carrots and set aside. Strain soup and return carrots, celery, and maybe some of the chicken. Chill and remove some but not all of the fat before reheating. Serve with matzo balls, kreplach, noodles, or rice. Matzo balls (this is just the old recipe off the back of the Manischewitz matzo meal box, before they changed it from schmaltz to oil) 2 T schmaltz (rendered chicken fat; buy frozen in kosher market or make your own) or oil (if you must!) 2 lg eggs, slightly beaten ½ c matzo meal 1 t salt, optional 2 T water or broth (use broth if no schmaltz) Mix schmaltz and eggs. Mix matzo meal with salt and blend. Add water and mix. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes. Boil slightly salted water. Reduce heat to low, form balls (with wet hands, and note that they will enlarge as they cook), and add to soup. Cover and cook 30-40 minutes.

I posted my suggestion on the cooking forum thread. Brand does matter, as some I have had have lasted much longer than others. The Green Pan that I have has lasted a very long time with no damage, but older cheaper pans have worn out more quickly, including a non-stick sauce pan from Paula Deen (bought before her scandal), but this pan has gotten a lot of use. I only use wooden spoons or silicon spatulas in it, but still some of the non-stick coating on this sauce pan has worn off - particularly in the corner where the side meets the bottom.

I refuse to spend a lot for a non-stick skillet and bought a couple from Ikea. I look for a thick disk for even heating as clad tends to be more expensive. I don't have birds but never preheat it when empty, and only on low/med heat. That's the temp I preheat my SS pans, so it's automatic for me. Cast iron or carbon steel are my high heat pans. When they lose their non-stick ability, but aren't peeling, I give them a scrub with baking soda paste. Good as new. The Ikea pans have held up very well for a few years, now. They're used for eggs and reheating leftovers (best way to crisp up pizza crust and melt the cheese!)