People insist on carmelizing meats for stews in the stew pot itself. This is what causes most staining. Sear in a pan (they're made for the job), cook aromatics, deglaze, and then transfer the whole kit-n-caboodle to your faitout for braising.

The dark interior of the Staub is not a disadvantage. You don't need to look at the bottom to see if the fond is burned since the vessel should never be used for this task in the first place. Otherwise, a dark pan bottom is a distinct advantage when searing or browning since you can't see if you've burned the fond. One runs the obvious risk of deglazing and eating burned and bitter material if it is difficult to see it against a dark pan's background.

In short, don't use your faitout in lieu of a sautoir/sauteuse. Sear meat, cook aromatics, deglaze, then xfer it all to a faitout to finish the braise.

As you use any cast iron product you'll find that the list of foods that you can't cook on it or in it, or cooking processes that you can't do on it or in it are much longer than the things it can actually be used for.

There are many more vegetable and fruits other than tomatoes that will strip the seasoning from one of these pans. They make everything taste like liquid Geritol, iron-ie as hell. The seasoning situation is always an accident waiting to happen. Well, other than for cornbread. Cast iron is good for cornbread.

Get an 8" or 10" chef's knife that costs no more than $40, a ten or fifteen buck paring knife, and a butcher knife. You won't cook very well without learning how to fabricate meat.

Here's what you need right here:

http://stores.butchersupplycompany.co...

The Fibrox handles on the Victorinox knives don't get nearly as slippery as a lot of knives. They're a good value.

When you get into fabricating meat you'll appreciate the range of different types of boning knives, and even a skinning knife, offered in the Victorinox line.

Please consider shopping for gear from restaurant and butcher supply houses.

Thanks Duffy. People would be smart to consider at least some of the restaurant supply lines. If you like tri-ply, nothing beats the Vollrath pan I linked to. These guys know that restaurants are not going to pay the prices amateurs are willing to pay for the same pan (probably a lesser pan if the truth were known). I've worked in several restaurants, a couple with stars, and I have literally never seen one, single article of All-Clad in any one of them, while Vollrath was virtually ubiquitous. Take it for what it's worth, maybe not much.

Most of what you're buying with All-Clad is their huge marketing and advertising campaigns, store displays, etc.

8" chef's knife. I've taken to using a $15 supermarket-grade el Cheap that my wife bought at Schnuck's. It has a rubber handle inset into a full metal bolster/handle. It has decent feel in the hand. It's stainless steel and I've been able to get a decent edge on it. All stainless steel is a compromise in a knife. It just does not get as sharp as high-carbon steel.

I have a drawer full of Wusthoff knives but let me tell you that if your hands are a little wet or oily the handles are really, really slick. I think the stainless is better on the Wusthoffs. They'll hold an edge a little longer but I'm constantly refreshing edges anyway. Moral of the story-- find something COMFORTABLE and that DOES NOT GET SLICK when your hands are wet and or a little oily. You should be touching up frequently so edge longevity is a little bit oversold IMO.

Well, it's a shame that you take flak since I think you're exactly right.

I have an All-Clade sauté pan that has worse hot spots than Revere Ware. If there's is any separation at all, even almost unnoticeable , I believe the space gets superheated and causes the problem. I may be wrong on the physics but I've had two chicken breasts in a properly heated pan (slowly and evenly) and had one produce perfect fond and one burn underneath. Both hit the pan at the same time and I was cooking on a very high-quality HOB at the time. And, I think I know how to cook. Same dish on tinned copper -- perfect fond anywhere the product is placed in the pan.

It made a believer out of me....

I have pretty severe arthritis in my hands and I do use lighter pans from time to time. You can mallet the bow out of these pans by putting a kitchen towel on the bump and malleting with a rubber mallet. Go slowly. If you go too far, just do the same thing from the other side. Lay a kitchen towel down on your workbench (or chopping block) first. So, you'll need two kitchen towels for this.

The key to keeping thin, stainless steel pans flat (think Revere Ware) is to heat them slowly and let them cool down before washing them.

You can cook with thin pans - complicated sauces, the works. Get a cast iron flame tamer and the most delicate sauces are do-able. You get most of the benefits of a heavy saucepan without the weight.

Cast iron is not particularly supple with regard to heat exchange. Once you've got food cooking in the pan, frankly a thinner pan can sometimes save a dish - maybe you overcrowded things a bit and the food starts steaming, that sort of thing. With food in the pan, you can crank the heat on a thin pan with no worries.