I actually have separate passover dishes, utensils, bakeware and cookware for meat and for dairy already as well as separate everyday dishes, utensils and bakeware. The only thing I haven't done is get separate meat and dairy pots and pans and I am trying to figure out how to organize and choose those items. I would like to get quality cookware but consider what specific items/type are really useful. Thanks for your input.

I am not Jewish, but it seems to me a fairly simple thing. I rarely make a huge pot of soup with only dairy...so a large stock pot would work for chicken soup or beef or pasta, provided youw eren't going to put a cheese sauce on it. I would think you would need a frypan,both small and large for meat and the same for dairy...scrambled eggs and matzo brie, fried fish etc.
Wouldn't a 4 qu sauce pan do for veggies and potatoes?
Frankly it all depends on what dishes you make.
Linda C

Lindac, it's a little more complicated than that. Although you may not make a soup with dairy, if you make it in a meat pot, it becomes "meat" and you can't serve it at a meal where there is dairy, same for pasta.

I sympathise. I fell in love with induction and have since been replacing my cookware with induction-capable stuff. It's been quite a challenge to find three different looks that meet my other needs. But when they don't have to attract magnets, there are plenty of choices with different appearances. Some even come in several colors (but unless the lids are color coded to match the pots it's safer to stick with lines that use different size lids).

I don't see how anyone else can tell you what you need, because we each cook differently. Start with identifying what you need for your favorite recipes. If you've got the room for more, you may be able to try other sizes inexpensively by buying cookware sets -- but only if they include the sizes your really need.

On the subject of whether nonstick, I consider it a necessity for dairy frying pans, useful for pareve, but if I had to choose only one, I'd go with uncoated for meat. Similar preferences for pots, but not as strong, but no doubt others have different preferences.

You used the term "quality cookware." What exactly do you mean? Expensive? Consumer Reports tested many brands of cookware and they found that all the lines fell between mid-way in the "good" range through the top of the "very good" range. And even though the sets varied widely in price, price did not predict performance even in this fairly narrow range of quality. However, many cooks have strong preferences, most likely because some lines work better for certain cooking styles. So decide just what features say "quality" to you and look for them. In consideration for the personal part of that equation, it's safer to stick to lines you can examine up close and personal.

You might be able to buy yourself more time to make your bigger decisions if you kosher your current cookware. Uncoated all-metal pots can easily be koshered (but you may wish to consult your rabbi if they have non-metal handles). If you can come up with a way to distinguish them them, you can even use some pieces for meat and some for dairy, and switch them (with rekoshering) until you are sure which pieces you need to buy. You may even be able to use some of your Passover cookware and rekosher it before the holiday (I did that with some of my favorite pots for years -- it also saves on storage space).

I just finished a kitchen remodel and replaced all of our cook ware - I ended up replacing both our meat and milk sets of pots and pans - I followed consumer reports recommendations and went with the sets offered at Costco and Sam's Club - very reasonably priced and seem to be of excellent quality - I know most people suggest by pots individualy but the sets had everything I need -

In terms of a stock pot and I have 2 - a 12 qt and I use it for pareve - and an 8 qt I use for mear - and they suit me well -

The only other recommendation is make the pots/pans different enough so that you know whether it is for meat or dairy -

And as a follow-up to Weinstein.........
Make sure you put a sticker or piece of blue, green or red tape on handles or other places so you (and kinderlach) don't get mixed up! It helps to color code and you could buy pots and pans with handles or enamel of the appropriate color.
I hope you are consulting a Rabbi as you do this. You may learn things along the way that will make you wish you had done the research and asked the questions BEFORE you spent the money.
You can't kasher enamel (le creuset, etc.) or glass or pyrex, or teflon. But you can kasher stainless steel or cast iron skillets (which are really the best for most sauteeing, and frying purposes). So while you are getting organized don't spend alot of money on the former.
I think its great that you are doing it!
Dina Bear

I am preparing to kasher my kitchen for the first time in combination with kashering for Pesach, and in studying lots of sources on cookware materials, I have never seen cast iron skillets specifically mentioned. I have 4 of them and they are definitely my favorites, so I was glad to see Dina Bear's message. Although I plan to ask my rabbi to make sure, it seems to me that kashering cast iron skillets in the oven (of a gas stove) by libun gamur, after first kashering the oven itself, would do it. But since kashering the oven includes cleaning (twice) with Easy-Off, this makes me wonder about the seasoned surface of the cast iron. Should I use steel wool to remove the seasoning (oy vey) --and how much? -- before libun gamur? Very interested to hear what Dina Bear and others have to say. Thank you! (p.s. I'm a vegetarian, but I have cooked kosher hot dogs in my non-kosher cast iron skillets in the past) Shiralune aka Sonia

I know very little about kosher, but I love LOVE my cast iron skillets. There's quite the discussion about it over in the next "room"... See the link below for everything you ever wanted to know about seasoning and caring for it, and maybe that can answer the question?

If koshering is something you have to do regularly, and it would require getting the seasoning off every time, it's not going to work. If it's something you only do once, it's easy to buy non-seasoned pieces new.

Hope that's helpful!

Here is a link that might be useful: cast iron discussion

"You can't kasher enamel (le creuset, etc.) or glass or pyrex, or teflon. But you can kasher stainless steel or cast iron skillets (which are really the best for most sauteeing, and frying purposes). So while you are getting organized don't spend alot of money on the former.
I think its great that you are doing it! "

I am wondering specifically why you can not kasher le creuset. I have a huge stockpot (40-50 qt or more), big enough to fit anything else in without touching the side, and am under the impression I could Kasher any of the other stuff in that, assuming I could get it up to boiling when filled.
We have given some thought to going kosher, but not made the plunge yet. My wife wants to do it and our Rabbi is more than happy to offer guidance if we wish.

jand_d - you only need to kasher a utensil once assuming you keep it kosher after that. So if it is kasher for dairy, as long as it is only used for dairy then you are done. I theory one could cheat and continuously reassign use by going through the kasher process again, but that would break the spirit of the law, and since the entire process is only spiritual anyway it makes no sense to take such a shortcut.

A few thoughts from someone who grew up in a Kosher home...
My mother used enameled pots for meat, but not for dairy. As for all the stainless steel pots, we kept them in separate cabinets of course, and used separate dish drainers (but not separate dishwashers, just ran them thru separately). The pots that could've been confusing were marked with a D or M in permanment marker or colored nail polish, often on the lid--since that was the most confusing. Don't know if that helps...

I don't know how this disc would affect the kosher status of cookware, but it does allow non-induction cookware to be used on an induction stove.

Here is a link that might be useful: GW link