Grownup Pot

It's been nearly 30 years since we redid our kitchen and we still enjoy it. We turned walls into windows, added an island around which we could gather, and put in solid appliances that have stood the test of time, save for the usual odd maintenance issue. Yes, we did have to replace the oven when the glass door cracked, but considering the number of cakes, casseroles, loaves of bread and sheet pan dinners we made, it's not like we didn't take it for a very good spin before it called it quits.

We did it because we enjoy cooking and entertaining, and since the locus of all that is the kitchen, we wanted a base that would make it all easier and more inviting. In general we opted for high quality materials and brand name devices that we thought would offer both long life and ease of use and cleanup.  In fact, when I suggested one option that would have saved us a few bucks, the designer we were working with all but threw me out of his office in indignation. I backed down, and indeed time has proven that he was correct.

None of this came cheap. Kitchens are notoriously expensive rooms to redo, what with all the cabinetry, specialized appliances, upgraded power and the rest. As with any project, there are ways to control costs without sacrificing usability and functionality. At the same time, some upgrades are more cosmetic than additive, but you're willing to spring for it because you simply prefer it. Only you and your wallet can steer the course that balances what's right for you.

But while we generally opted for the best we could afford in the infrastructure, not so for the tools we use in it. Even at that point, some dozen years into our marriage, we were still mixing and mingling pots and pans from our former lives. Indeed, in the intervening quarter century since, while we have added a new Dutch oven here, a new knife there, our collection is just that: an amalgamation of this and that. All are functional, more or less, but hardly top drawer even if that's where they are kept.

So when our workhorse large skillet was showing its age we resolved to replace it with something better. Of course, there's better and then there's better. In high-end cookware there's no shortage of options, not to mention claims of superiority. You can get copper or cast iron, stainless steel or enameled; each has its disciples. The unifying factor for all? They cost more than an arm and a leg of lamb. Way more.

And that in spite of that fact that they are supremely analog. Good pots have no batteries, digital circuits or Wi-Fi receivers.  Rather than light and airy, they are solid and heavy. No space age plastics or carbon composites here, they are made of old-fashioned metal, the more solid the better. Their sole concession to the modern world is that some are available in colors; a basil green Staub Round Cocotte is roughly equivalent to an iPhone 17 in rose gold.

We poked around, overwhelmed by the choices. Some seemed too big and deep, others too small and shallow. Then, like Little Red Riding Hood, our son suggested an enameled cast iron Le Creuset braiser that he said was just right. Solid as a tank with a spiffy finish, the classic gray was even on sale. Still, even with that concession, I had to get over paying more for a single pot than the cost of my entire set of Revere Ware and my wife's entire set of Farberware. Combined. 

But he did not steer us wrong. After over 40 years of having our own grownup kitchen, I guess you could say we have our first truly grownup pot. We still use our old soup pots for soup and our sauce pans for sauce, but for just about anything else I haul out the braiser. It weighs a ton, but that's manageable as long as you're not trying to use it to flip pancakes. It's big, it heats evenly, it sears, it stir fries, it's OK to go into the oven, it does it all. Even when I was a little overaggressive in searing some meat it cleaned up good as new (Confession: my wife took control on that cleaning task, and made it good as new. Thank you, honey). 

Now, if only I could grow up in other areas. It's a long list.

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Marc Wollin of Bedford has been cooking since he took "Man In The Kitchen" class in Middle School. His column appears weekly via email and online on Substack and Blogspot as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and X.