My husband and I have had a cookware epiphany over the past couple of months. Tired of our "professional" quality hard anodized aluminum pots and pans with nonstick coatings, which inevitably peel and chip away even with the most careful attention to use of proper utensils and hand-washing, we opted to give enameled cast iron a try. In his extensive research, my husband declares this to be the best, most even-heating, durable, cleanable stovetop-to-oven cookware available. He is an expert at review-based product research and seldom steers us wrong with his results, so I trust him with this. I also consider myself flexible and somewhat easy to please, although I often lean toward liking more expensive products.
In a flourish of prompt response to our decision, my dear husband removed the whole set of cookware from the cupboards and return them to Costco, where we had purchased them several years ago. Good ole Costco took them back! In their place, he bought a Le Creuset 12-inch skillet and pulled from the recesses of our cupboards the stainless steel pots that we had bought from Costco in a previous anti-nonstick coating cookware revelation. In that case, he decided he didn't like how much everything stuck to the stainless set and reverted back to nonstick, but upgraded to the "professional" quality set previously mentioned.
We have been using the Le Creuset skillet for a month now and love it! Naturally, it is expensive. Needing a larger pot for stews and roasts, and desiring the Le Creuset dutch oven but knowing that Costco sold a similar, made-in-France one at a fraction of the cost ($80 compared to $385), we bought the one from Costco (knowing, of course, that we could return it if we ended up not liking it). If you are interested in this product, here is the link:
8-Quart Oval French-made Dutch Oven from Costco
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