So I'm in the market for a decent cheapish pot type thing. I only want to buy 1 all-purpose item, so I'm thinking a stainless pasta set should be cool for pasta and soups. I braise a fair bit as well, and that's got me considering enameled Dutch ovens. However, I still need something for pasta, and intuition tells me Dutch ovens wouldn't be perfect for pasta. Sooo would I rather use a stainless stock pot to braise or a cast iron oven to boil pasta? No idea... Actually, I don't even know if enameled is considered better than bare cast iron; seasoning sounds like a pan in the bum, though. I'm a lazy cook for sure =D.

Any good cookware forums out there for me to peruse? I managed to find the Chowhound cookware section and eGullet, but I have no idea how knowledgeable those guys are.

I bought a set of mauviel professional copper cookware at marshalls a few years back. I recommend just watching marshalls, tj maxx, etc and pick up good heavy pieces one at a time as they show up.

Honestly, for most pasta, I'm not aware of a good reason not to own a $15 aluminum stock pot. The multiple cups of water in the pot pretty much distributes heat evenly, and It's useful to not have exclusively nice pots. I'll not dispute the utility of good cookware -- it's very, very good to have -- but some of the best pasta and soup of my life was cooked in vessels significantly cheaper than much of what I own.

What kind of a kitchen doesn't have at least a few pieces from a hardware store?

the best way to get cast iron is at yard sales and estate auctions

True on both counts, as per usual.

If you really insist on buying only one pot, you should still buy at least three.

Edited February 3, 201115 yr by Sherwood

or from camping stores in the late 1980s.

Fuck, where did I leave my delorean?

I'm gonna tell the loch ness monster where you live.

A double-digit-piece set is kinda out of the question, as I already own a few usable pieces, and I really don't have space for much more =(. The Le Creuset looks decent enough, but nothing on Amazon is really jumping out at me. All the "sale" items are on sale for the same price at several other online retailers. I think I'll check out a b&m or 2 before making a decision. Thanks!

cast iron and boiling go poorly together, unless you want to season your cast iron every time you use it.

This.