The piece of cookware that changed your life

For me, it was my de Buyer carbon steel roasting pan.

Previously, I just effin’ hated roasting in the oven. Food sticks to stainless steel pretty well in the first place – much less when you give a good couple hours to get baked on. So I loved roasted food, but hated roasting it.

I have lots of other cookware I love, but this was the piece that most changed how I cook.

How about you?

Generic $40 carbon steel chinese wok from Amazon.

Large hotel pan. I wouldn’t make corned beef (corning and cooking) without it. Use it to steam pastrami as well. Can use it as a warming tray. Can roast with it.

Weber Ranch Kettle

Interesting question. Not sure about changed my life, but a real game changer was our 1st large ceramic coated dutch oven (early '00s) opened up so many other food possibilities than before it has to be the winner in our kitchen.

My 1st good chef’s knife would be #2.
Our 1st long handled tongs #3.

I should add that a kitchen scale was a game changer for me. I’m actually upset that recipes don’t generally use weight measures. It’s so much easier to measure grams/ounces than cups and teaspoons.

Not so much the cookware, but getting a high output gas range changed how I could cook.

Probably the cast iron frying pan acquired from Goodwill back in college days. Stir frying was unknown where and when I grew up.
I’ve used a wok more than the cast iron for many years, but it was the skillet that changed the way I cooked and ate.

A convection oven also made a big difference.

Get a French pastry cookbook. All by weight.

Some good ones, here…

Of course, getting really good knives helped.

So did a couple of deBuyer saute pans of varying sizes…Changed how I cooked many proteins and otherwise.

But…I’d have to go with the high heat cooktop from Blue Star…creates enough BTU for almost everything I want to do (except in a wok, as it can’t be used directly on the fire and doesn’t get hot enough with the stand). The Blue Star burners made the deBuyers really shine.

Technically, this thing changed my parents’ life, but I have certainly reaped the benefits as well. Behold, the wok range:
wok n roll.jpg

Cast iron frying pan.

This is interesting, though not from a cooking standpoint.
Ever since I used the link to a certain knife sharpener posted on this forum, I’ve been fed a constant stream of ads for the same in my browser. I mentioned a wok today a few posts above, and the knife sharpener ad has been replaced by one for a wok.

If I could go back just a couple years this would be in my kitchen. Very cool!

Buy more Reynolds Wrap

I have so wanted one of these forever. A former girlfriend’s dad had one. Breathed fire.

is it hard to clean?

It’s never too late! It can also fit a massive stock pot so you can make soup for an army.

It’s surprisingly versatile. I don’t think you would regret it.

Not at all. A quick spray of rubbing alcohol and wipe of a cloth is all it takes to remove the grease splatter.

This probably has to be my answer too, if you adjust the date to be a decade later.

Not exactly cookware but this Takeda knife.

First knife I’ve had where it can actually cut things to thin. Just a beautiful tool to work with in the kitchen. Thinest knife I’ve ever seen.