Jewel's free/cheap pots and pans

I wondered if anyone has used any of the pots/pans Jewel is promoting-(Buy for a penny with stickers). Small sautee pans for a penny and as the pans get bigger-grill pans, stock pots etc-more stickers and a few more bucks-still cheap if you can accumulate the stickers. I have saved a bunch of stickers and wondered if I should just get a cheap sautee pan for crepes or save a bit more and get the grill pan or stock pot. I do not have a fancy stove (gas) nor fancy pans so this would be to try out the annondized pots. Any pan will get good use. What is the better pan to get as these are essentially free?

We're holding off, hoping to get the wok-like pan &/or the griddle.
Given the weight of these things I really don't expect them to last too long.
Anybody who's been using one, yes, please chime in.

Actually, we got a multi-quart pot last time they did this promotion. It's extremely lightweight (something my very small wife is exceptionally fond of) and I feared that it would last a week or two. Lo and behold, it's become a staple in our kitchen. It's far tougher than I expected although, in truth, we don't put it through a lot of torture. In fact, it's primary use is heating soup up, boiling water (for pasta and such things), and lighter duty uses. I still am a bit careful with it because I am concerned about and confounded by its extreme thinness and lightweightness (?).

It is non-stick inside and, remarkably enough, it's kept that coating even when the coating in a Classic Cuisinart skillet (that I had previously bought for my wife for the same reason, weight), has not worn well. It doesn't seem to be a standard kind of non-stick, so I'm slightly chary of making that claim, but it's acted as a non-stick surface by and large. My compromise has been not to test it by making something that would absolutely require non-stick. So: go figure. I can't promise you the same luck, but I can tell you that our pot has seen a lot of use. Or as John Cameron Swayze used to say: "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"


P.S. Forgot to mention that the top that came with is actually very impressive: glass with a metal rim and handle, fits snug. I like it even more than the pot.

My mom got one for free and it seems like a nice enough pot. She shops Jewel alot so has amassed a lot of coupons. I'd say its worth it if it is free. You could pass it on to someone in the family who might need the pots. My son will probably end up getting them as we have all the pots we need. He does not cook much and has roommates but it does not pay to buy a lot of expensive pots for him.

I'm not collecting the stickers as I have what I need and no space for more, but I always take them and give them to someone else. As much as I try to avoid spending big $ at Jewel, for a variety of reasons I did a pretty large shopping last weekend. When I handed a sheet of stickers to a random lady on my way out and I swear she thought she'd won the lottery!

I need to replace my cheap nonstick frying pans anyway, so I figured I'd do this...I do so little shopping there that it's taking 4 ev ah. I do have enough to either get 1 pan for a penny, or the 2 that I want for the lower price, which is still cheaper than buying a 2-pan set at most stores.

Nice to hear some positive reviews. I'm saving the stickers, because they don't cost me anything, so why not. I do have an eye on that stir-fry pan -- but I, too, wondered, if it would be a short lived. Nice to think it might last me a couple of seasons.

I want to talk about the merits of Jewels cookware available for free after buying hundreds of dollars worth of groceries. Tonight I made wild murhroom risotto. I've made this recipe a million times but this was my first time in my new pan from the Jewel. After all the prep and all the cooking, the risotto killed as always. What's different is the way the saute bubbles run off to the side. Also, you need to get rubber or silicone spoons and whisks if you get the Jewel cookware.

We opted for the stir fry pan a few weeks ago (it became a Christmas 'present').
We liked the way it performed so much that I kicked myself today when I was relegated to the 10 in saute pan rather than the grill pan I could have gotten if I had splurged on crap filet before the holidays.

Mhays wrote:I need to replace my cheap nonstick frying pans anyway, so I figured I'd do this...I do so little shopping there that it's taking 4 ev ah. I do have enough to either get 1 pan for a penny, or the 2 that I want for the lower price, which is still cheaper than buying a 2-pan set at most stores.

I opted for two pans at the lower price -- the covered stir-fry pan and the 10-inch saute pan. What did you end up getting, Mhays?

I got some extra stickers suddenly, and got the two nonstick frying pans of varying sizes...I needed 10 more for the covered skillet (and messed this up as I was checking out, I deeply apologize if you were behind me, if you want to report me in the WCA thread, feel free.)

I am finding that although these pans have metal handles which would allow them to go in an oven, the handles aren't attached in a way to prevent them from heating up when the pan is on the stovetop. Otherwise, they're fine.

I just got the small fry pan-perfect for making crepes. The handle does get hot on the stove.