Ceramic cookware?

[Rachel1815]

We are in the process of fixing up our first rental, and this forum has been super helpful!

In researching pots and pans, the consensus seems to be that whatever you get, be prepared to replace them regularly. Stainless steel and non-stick Teflon were mentioned, but what about ceramic? Does that have the same pros/cons as nonstick? I’m thinking of brands like GreenPan which are gorgeous, but how long would they last in a rental? 

[Sarah977]

@Rachel1815  IMO stainless is the best choice. Pretty hard to destroy. Teflon no, because guests will scratch it up, even if you provide non-scratch utensils and say to only use those.  

I've not used a lot of ceramic in my life, but it seems like something guests could wreck. 

[Nima93]

I have heavy enameled Lodge cast iron.  It is hard to destroy and heavy, so it is hard for them to take back with them on the plane. And Lodge is not super expensive like other enameled cast iron brands.

[Angelica-Y-Jorge0]

@Rachel1815 I have a Greenpan in my own home that I use often. Its nonstick fades fast.

I would stay away from anything that is not nonstick though. A lot of the time guests may not do the dishes and you do not want to be scrubbing burnt-on messes.

We bought some great T-FAL pots and pans with nonstick coating and we provide lots of plastic utensils so there is no reason to use metal forks or spoons. They have lasted over 2 years so far without damage. They were mid-priced so when we do have to replace them it will not be a great expense.

Hope this helps 🙂

[Rachel1815]

@Angelica-Y-Jorge0 good to know on the GreenPan. I’ll nix that idea!

[Dimitar27]

Most of the professional-grade cookware is stainless steel. Of course, you will find some kind of non-stick cookware...teflon, enamel or porcelain-coated pans in every professional kitchen, but they are not the primary cookware.

[Robin4]

@Rachel1815 

Rachel, I have found that one guest in five actually uses the frypan and saucepans, and out of that percentage one in ten will abuse the item and scratch it, which means they possibly get used twice a month and damaged once every 6 months.

The choice I have is, spend $170 on a top quality Master-chef stainless frypan or spend $10 on a supermarket teflon special which I replace every 6 months! You can replace an awful lot of cheap frypans for the cost of a top quality frypan......the guest is going to give you no credit for supplying an outstanding quality cooking item. They just want a frypan, they don't give a sh*t what it is!

I had a genuine Turkish triple knotted silk rug left to me which I put on the polished concrete floor of our listing cottage. One guest gave me a 3 star for cleanliness, her stated reason, 'the rug looked old and shabby'! Rachel that rug was worth more than the late model car they arrived in, so I solved that issue pronto. I hot-footed it down to Ikea and picked up a cheap rug for less than 100 bucks and I have never had a complaint since!

Cheap and cheerful is the way to go! Someone very wise said to me when I decided to short term rent. They said.......'Don't put anything out there you are not prepared to lose'!  And that just about sums it up, if you supply good ceramic cookware it will get broken or stolen before you have got your moneys worth out of it!

Be prepared to replace your cookware like you will have to with your crockery every now and then and keep the replacement cost to a minimum. I had a guest one morning come out with a broken plate in her hand and say to me...."It attacked me from the cupboard"!!

Keep the good stuff for yourself Rachel!

Cheers........Rob

[Rachel1815]

@Robin4 I am roaring over here!!! Awesome. Thanks for the advice!

[Mark116]

@Rachel1815  I'd go with stainless steel, it is hard to destroy and easier to clean than any other type of cookware.  My cleaning hacks:  use oven cleaner on tough stains, but that failed once, and I boiled a mix of vinegar and baking soda until it boiled down into a paste, left it over night and voila, stain was gone.  I'd go for something on the low end of the medium price range.  We first put in a very expensive set, and guests didn't take care of it, that set is now in my kitchen.  Then we put in the cheapest set of welded stainless we could find, and it does burn easily because the bottoms are thin, and I would never recommend it or buy it again.  However, it looks good and is clean-able and @Robin4 .is right that most guest won't use the stuff.

[Pawan32]

Most of the cookware made of teflon, aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic enamel, mixture of earthen materials and may be some others. To me, a stainless steel cookware is fine, it is good for light-duty work. Stainless steel is easy to clean, easy to work with and they are not too costly. You can find a wide verities of these fry pans on PansReviews.com website.

[Laura2592]

@Rachel1815 take it from me-- don't spend a lot of money and time on this question. 

Content yourself with a decent set from Amazon. We have non-stick and its just fine. 

You don't want to have anything too too nice in your space, especially when it comes to cooking. Guests are HARD on cookware, utensils and appliances. Sometimes they find new homes as well. Don't overthink it. Unless  you plan to advertise your space to gourmets with a restaurant quality kitchen, go cheap and durable. No one will comment on the quality of your pots and pans. The only thing guests tend to say something about is whether or not there is a sharp knife (and there aren't in most ABBs.)

We prefer our guests not cook as its less to clean. But cook they do. And many of them seemingly came from the school of le cuisine inferno based on the burnt stuff we have scrubbed off of pots and pans. 

[Elaine701]

It's pretty routine to replace the cookware at least every 6 months, no matter what it's made of. And the risk of guests taking offence to anything that doesn't appear "newish" is ever present. 

Guests will notice how "used" something appears long before they'll notice quality. You can pay up to 10x as much for quality cookware, and it will still look "used" after the first use. 

So, we buy the cheapest we can get at the best quality available in that price range, and replace it all every 3-4 months, or whenever it starts to look "tired".

Cost of doing business. Everybody happy 😊

[Lorna170]

@Rachel1815   Buy a decent set on Amazon or from a big box store and have a backup plan/set for when you find that a guest has destroyed the pans (and they will).  I have the same set of pots and pans that I received when I got married 45 years ago, and they are still in very good shape.  Purchasing a similar set for a rental property, that set lasted all of 18 months.  The same applies to appliances -- buy decent but not expensive.  In 15 years for one cabin property, we have had 3 refrigerators, 4 dishwashers, 2 ranges and 2 sets of washer/dryers as well as numerous coffee pots, blenders, toasters and cutlery.   I am in awe of the damages incurred with guests...and now have a very healthy replacement budget.

As to your question, I recommend stainless pots and inexpensive (grocery store) non-stick frying pans.  Ceramic looks pretty when new, but questionable when the bottoms and sides get that baked on grease thing going.