HI! I'm Jane's Brother And I'm Here To Help: When It Comes To Cookware, The Older The Better

How to buy, use, and care for pre-used and vintage kitchen stuff. (Aka my hatred of Teflon and non-stick cookware knows no limit.)

Thinking about my favorite cookware on the beach near Puerto Vallarta, MX last week.

Understandably, a home chef or regular meal prepper is always looking for that new gadget that can make kitchen work just a little easier. However, I have found, after many years spent cooking, that the older kitchen gear is not only better for the environment but these items are almost always higher quality and result in better food.

Say Goodbye To Teflon

Bad for you or not, I hate non-stick cookware. You have to treat it so gingerly, or you damage it–and it is really hard to clean. The Calphalon stuff I have is the worst. The Teflon builds up crud, and you can’t scrub it off with anything aggressive, so it stays there and attracts more crud. It also has these aluminum rivets on the inside that are impossible to clean. The exterior is anodized aluminum, which you can scrub with something abrasive, but it takes a lot of work.

I also have a stainless steel pan, which I gave up on. It is supposed to be shiny, but I have better things to do with my time than polish it for hours, so I stopped trying.

My cast iron, however, requires very little cleaning and maintenance. These pans will never wear out, get better with age, increase in value, and will be passed down to my kids.

My stainless steel Calaphon pan. Yuck. I haven’t used it in a long time. I should just donate it.

This is why I wanted to bring you the ultimate solution to this cookware dilemma. Through much trial and error, I’ve uncovered the cookware that’s not only the most affordable and the healthiest, but it’s the best stuff to cook with and will last you forever.