Brand comparison is meh. Learn what makes a good pot and buy from there. Hopefully someone can chime in with a wiki that helps you out

I’m not familiar with those brands but I really like the German brand berndes. Anything nonstick is not buy it for life and they’re upfront about that but I had a nonstick frying pan go nine years before adding a newer one into the rotation. For true BIFL look to cast iron. berndes

Warranty over a pot? What do you expect should happen to a steel pot? If the steel doesn't suddenly rust in the first six months it won't afterwards.

I have IKEA pots which I bought when I first moved out on my own as a PhD students (10 years ago). Still going, no sign of slowing down.

I did have to throw away a couple of 6y/o, 30€ a pair, thin aluminium, non-stick, pans from Tefal. Because they were pure aluminium, warped from using very hard on a gas stove, and I switched to induction when moving places.

What you should be asking is rather "which pots are worth keeping around for a lifetime" and that's am entirely different discussion.

But I wouldn't worry too much about durability.

Edit: this also involves a big discussion about what you like to cook, and how.

I'm a fellow European, so if you really want brand recommendations I can give you as many as you want in any price range.

> berndes.

I choose those brands not because of waranty. Both of them are widely recommended, I cant just choose which one will be better.

Meh. Unfortunately I haven't really used any of those two, but Kuhn-Rikon is going to be much easier to find and maintain (e.g. spare parts for a pressure cooker) here in Europe since they're a Swiss company. That to me already decides between those two.

If you're open to other ideas, try and take a look at Paderno. They're a brand catering mainly to professional kitchens, so they can take a beating.

I have a couple of their pots, and they're really quite good. Including a little 3-ply saucier pot which I absolutely love because the steel is almost non-stick just by itself, perfect to make sauces and minimise the risk of burning.

You'll find their stuff around (e.g. Amazon) or on their web store, which ships within Europe for 5 to 15€, depending on countries. Not too bad for bulky and heavy pots.

Edit: I actually have a pair of Kuhn Rikon kitchen shears and it's really great, though it has molded plastic handles so likely not BIFL.

I’ve been in kitchens that use vollrath but these things are throw away pans. Look for heavy bottom pans by Viking and bernder if you’re in EU. I don’t understand why you can’t find all-clad. We use demeyere and all clad at work. There are occasional made in but they don’t seem to last in a commercial kitchen.

Stainless steel is just as BIFL as cast iron, and easier to maintain.

It's just a slightly different way of cooking, and many recipes need a slight adaptation going from one to the other.

Stainless steel is somehow traditionally more common and more used in Europe, cast iron in the USA, and carbon steel in many Asian cuisines.

If you avoid anything sold as "non-stick" it will probably last a loooong time. Next priority is to avoid plastic or rubber handles. For even more longevity, get ones with metal lids instead of glass.

Is Schulte-Ufer still a decent brand? I have a set of their stainless pots I bought and schlepped back to the US way back when Germany was still using DM, and with a little Barkeepers Friend they still look like new.

Aluminum is definitely not a BIFL product if you can afford better. Even if you cannot, you should try to never use it.

it might be worth considering availability as well.
if the pots are of similar quality, a more common brand will be easier to source replacement parts / added pieces later if needed.

When trying to BIFL there's always a risk to end circlejerky. What's the point of having non-stick pans built like tanks?

Those pans, cheap as they were, were put through constant use for a bit over 6 years. For a long time they were my only pans. During most of it, they even went in the dishwasher all the time. If I hadn't moved to a house with induction, they would have maybe lasted another year, I could start to see the first signs of wear on the Teflon.

Sure, they were thin aluminium. That simply meant they didn't cost as much work and energy as a steel pan. Seems like a good thing to me.

They were what I could afford when first moving out, and they really really delivered a lot. Definitely not BIFL, but I wouldn't call them disposable garbage by any measure.

9/10 would recommend to anyone on a budget.

Here in the US, I buy from a restaurant supply store. This gets pro quality at reasonable prices.

Surely there are restaurant supply stores in the EU? :)

Hey, do you guys not have All-Clad in Europe?

I have been finding that the layered stainless steel, copper core pans sort of give the the best all around performance between heat dispersion and thermal retention.

There are other brands that are cheaper that literally copy these pans.... but man are those All Clads nice. Worked in high end kitchens with beater pans that will take a hit but for quality All-Clad is the best I have used. That set, with a cast iron pan or two, and a nice dutch oven, and I can't see you needing anything else in the next 30 years.

They are pricey. I was picking them up one at a time when I found a deal at a local discount retailer. Which is not a bad way to go because you can figure out which ones you would use and not use. Also... they are a bit heavy, for heat retention, but if you small framed or older just something to keep in mind.

And a good SS pan with the right amount of oil shouldnt stick. (And sometimes you want stick so you can deglaze that pan!!!)

People do say that the burnt oil marks on the SS coating bothers them, but a brush, and a baking soda paste and that stuff comes right off. Call it maybe a 6 month clean if it really bothers you.

Look into recommendations for kitchen stuff by some industry people. Kenji Lopez has a really good book on explaining the why of cooking and challenges some storied techniques with new technology that is available.

That said, my pressure cooker is a classic Kuhn Rikon, actually based off a recommendation, and I love it.

>Aluminum is definitely not a BIFL product

IDK, A LOT of restaurants have aluminum pots that they use many times a day for decades. While you may not like aluminum for a number of reasons, but an aluminum pot that is not abused will probably outlast any of us.

Aluminum is a toxic metal to humans. If the cookware is uncoated, the aluminum can leach into your food.

Just because a restaurant has been using the same pot/pan for decades doesn't make it safe, it just means they have been using the same pot/pan for decades.

Millions of aluminum pots are used everyday.... A couple of micrograms of aluminum in your diet, everyday, is not going to hurt you. Your body can presses and expel many milligrams of aluminum a day, through sweat and urine. Your body can process much more aluminum than you are going to get from cooking in a pan.

Regardless, the pots should last your whole life. If they are overly toxic (which they are not), they will still last your, possibly shortened, life.

Vollrath is the one you want ..and definitely buy from a restaurant supply store