new pots & pans

I admit it: this picture is more of my new saucepan than it is of the soup.

The nonstick coating on almost all my pots and pans has worn off. I've had them for about 4 years, so it hasn't been a bad run for them. I'm only keeping one piece (dutch oven) of the 6 piece (stock pot with lid, dutch oven with lid, 2 fry pans, a saucepan and a saucier) set.

When I first bought that set, I didn't know what I *really* needed to cook with, so I figured going with a set was a safe bet. Now that I've been cooking on my own for 4 years, I know that I only really need 3 stovetop pieces: a stockpot, a saucepan, and a fry pan. Technically the stockpot I bought is more like a soup pot, which kind of annoys me, but it's fine since that's what I use it for anyway.

While I was originally planning to go for high-end stainless steel to upgrade (All-Clad or Viking), I just couldn't bring myself to click that checkout button on a $200+ stockpot alone. Instead, I went with three highly rated Cuisinart pieces that, when combined, cost less than the one stockpot I was going to buy initially.

My original set was hard-anondized aluminum with a non-stick coating. Their handles were nice and solid, so they were fairly heavy pieces. My new set is really light so that unfortunately makes me feel like they are cheap. But I know that being lighter is a great advantage, especially with my weak wrists.

As for the food, I added hominy to my recipe at the suggestion of a friend. When I added kidney beans last time, they got a bit mushy, so I didn't want to do that again. The hominy turned out to be a good addition. The purpose was to add more substance to the soup, and it did, without adding any strange texture or taste. I'll be adding it again for sure.