I am a total foodie and love watching UKTV Food - but all the chefs seem to use fab pots and pans - is it worth paying the money for them?

my husband brought me some le creuset pots for christmas
i love using them well worth the money

Go for the best you can afford.

I own a Woll deep frying pan with oven proof lid. The handle can be removed for placing in the oven. It is very versatile and can be used for all sorts of cooking, not just frying. I paid c.£75 for the one pan, but worth every penny - a fantastic investment.

What about Circulon pots?

I can't comment on Circulon but have a set of Analon pots. They are good but the handles and lids get rather hot if used for any length of time. I've had them for a couple of years so maybe they now have an 'Analon 2' that eliminates these problems. Good pans overall though, and not too expensive.

If you want a non-stick pan try SKK (German)), bit expensive but absolutely fab, Analon v good (neither of these like the dishwasher), stainless steel small company called HAHN v good (& not expensive), regards

When buying go for 18/10 stainless steel and a good wieght.Just remember ,go for quality.It's best to have 3 good pans than half a dozen cheap ones.

Circulon for me every time.

I am sure a lot of the pots they use are made by Stellar.
Some of the department stores stock them and if you are lucky at sale time a £70 pot can be purchased for £30 ish.

circulon have to seen and used to to see that they jusify the price sorry about the spelling

I have been using my le creuset saucepans for over 12 years and over that time have bought many others of the same type but different makes, usally whatever is on special offer in the supermarkets in France. I can thouroughly rec. mine all I need is the aga to go under them

Mine is a very boring answer ..... Prestige.

My basic set of pans is a set of stainless steel Prestige pans including a steamer and saute pan. I have added to this set over the years with extra frying, pancake, omellette and double boiler pans. All of different makes and varieties.

The reason I went with Prestige was because of the lifetime guarantee, I don't think you can beat it. I wanted stainless steel and managed to get them in the sale so they were much cheaper than they should have been. I now have the peace of mind that if a handle breaks or anything they are guarantted for life.

I would also love a set of Le Creuset pans as like other people have said, robust and trustworthy. Unfortunately I am too much of a weekling and wouldn't be strong enough to lift the big one full of potatoes and water.