smack

Henckle's and Wustof both make amazing cutlery. I have a henckles 10 piece block and set, and i am very happy with it.

my only complaint is the profile of the 10" chef's knife that i have. it's a bit too thin. i prefer ones with a thicker profile, almost similar to a santoku shape. i seem more apt to bringing the knife up just a hair to high when cutting and knicking my finger.

that's just a personal pet peeve though. the actual quality of those two brands is superb. if you're not going to buy henckles or wustof, make sure you look for good forged knives with a high carbon steel, full tang handle, and 3 rivets in the handle.

oh, and of course if you get good knives, don't put them in the dishwasher. it is hard on the handles and the blades. hand wash only.

as far as pots and pans, i don't generally stick to a single brand. although, as much as i hate to admit it (because i HATE him) emeril actually makes some decent cookware. usually what i do is just head out to a good kitchen or restaraunt supply store and bang on pots and pans for a few mins until i find the one i want. good rules to abide by, like forest said, are heavy 18/10 stainless steel construction, and an aluminum core can be a plus. you want something thick and durable, it will heat a bit slower, but it will hold and disperse that heat much better.

i don't use non stick, and i don't use aluminum. reason being is that if non stick coatings are heated too much, the can produce toxic gases and eventually over time the coatings tend to break down and sometimes flake off into food. the only exception to that rule is pans for eggs. with eggs the heat is usually low enough to avoid those kinds of things. i usually stay away from all aluminium cookware because it is reactive, and if used with foods higher in acid can produce some nasty flavors, and doesn't hold onto or dish out heat as well as heavy 18/10 stainless. anodized aluminium is ok, but i will take steel over it anyday.

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