Please talk to me about pans!

If you've been happy with the Judge ones, stick with them. My largest frying/sauteeing pan is a Judge, good thick bottom and well fitting lid, will last a good few more years yet.

I think they are a good mid-price range brand, and offer good value for money on the whole.

My present lot have got short handles and they do get hot very quickly so I would think twice about those. I have to make sure that I have a thick towel to hand. I agree that they are less likely to be knocked over in passing.

I love my new ceramic frying/saute pans. I think they are Ceracraft. I had some Le Creuset years ago but they are just too heavy for comfort. I'm thinking of replacing my bog standard saucepans with ceramic pans as the lids have metal handles and I'm always burning myself. It would be nice to have a matching set.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the ceramic one rock?

They are totally non stick. You can fry without oil - even eggs and pancakes. They clean very easily - you can't burn stuff onto them. It just wipes off. They are not a "chemical" non stick so they are not harmful. Some people say the non stick wears off but I haven't found that. I've just made a curry in my big pan (with lid) and it doesn't retain the smell. I got mine off the Ideal World channel but they are widely available I think.

That is interesting rockgran. I was looking at the huge selection of ceramic pans in TK Maxx the other day, and couldn't make up my mind. Also there wasn't a frying pan with a lid, which I like as an egg will cook a little on top if covered. I rarely fry food apart from the odd egg, using spray oil, so am wondering whether it is worth spending the money.

I agree with stick to what you know. Judge have always been a reliable brand. I had to replace all my pans recently as we put an induction hob in our new kitchen (big mistake!). I gave away a set of Stellar pans, plus extra ones, as they weren't compatible (charity shop bit my hand off!) and bought a new set of Stellar which were. If they last me as long as the others I'll be more than pleased (although I might be dead by then or at least too gaga to know one end of a saucepan from the other!). I added a lidded sauté pan from Sainsburys which is also very good. I actually got three free pans with the hob, two of which are ridiculously small with silly handles, and one so large you could boil a missionary in it!

Do you get a lot of missionary's round your way, Greyduster? (Wonders what sort of dark doings might be afoot in whatever part of the world it is! )

I could not manage heavy pans at all well. Older women's thumb joint problems.

All that hitchhiking in your youth, eh Nellie

I've done the same as you over the years, kitty. Now, I buy one pan at a time, according to what I want them for. I've got Le Creuset for soups and casseroles, Judge for boiling and steaming veg, bog standard but very sturdy stainless steel from Sainsbury's for sauces and gravies, boiling and scrambling eggs, and a Ceracraft omelette pan is great for rostis, pancakes and Spanish omelette (rubbish for sauces or scrambled eggs as whisking can damage the coating). There's a massive stockpot amongst the Sainsbury's pans, with little handles on each side - that's good for jam and Bonfire night chilli.

I wouldn't buy a set of pans for myself nowadays - as soon as I get them home I see something else I'd like

My set is a bog standard set from Asda, they`re about 6 years old now, and still going strong. But what I keep on about, and WILL get one of these days, is one of those saucepans with 3 or 4 sections, to save on gas and washing up, mainly the washing up!

Meyer Circulon pans are excellent.

The disadvantage of a ceramic frying pan is that it takes ages to heat up.

I hadn't noticed that, Jings.

Ceramic saucepans would be good though. Especially for making curry. If as Rockgran says, they don't retain the smell.

I am an impatient cook Rockgran.

Thank goodness I'm not the only one, number - mine are either from Asda or Tesco, can't remember which! I'm certainly not going to be paying £50 for one saucepan!

Nearly fifty years ago I bought a set of saucepans from AMC; you can see the same ones here. They cost a fortune and came with a lifetime guarantee. Over the subsequent years of daily use I have had handles and lids replaced regularly, but the pans themselves go on and on.

#obviouslynotinthesameleague

There are probably those who would say we would warrant a few missionaries 'up 'ere, but perhaps I could have chosen my analogy better!!!

Meyer Curculon, like Jingle. Mine are still going strong after 25 yrs. I sometimes add extras, like omelette pan, if they're on offer. X

We recently got a set of John Lewis tri-ply saucepans. They are quite expensive but they are very good. Le Creuset are good but they're very heavy.

I too have recently invested in some Meyer Circulon pans......there was a good offer on Amazon and so far so very good.

Le Creuset are now far too heavy for me. I use an ordinary John Lewis frying pan for everyday and buy a cheapish non-stick one every 5 or so years just for eggs and omelettes. I don't care what any body says but non-stick frying pans do not last that long so M&S or basic John Lewis are perfectly acceptable.