Better Homes and Gardens Stainless Steel Pots and Pans Review

I am so not a chef.

I mean, I want to be.  I wish I loved to cook.  I have these delusional visions of wonderful, warm, home-cooked smells wafting through the air as my family smiles and says how wonderful everything looks and smells, all while I beam back radiantly from the kitchen as if it comes second nature to me.

In reality I’m usually a hectic, crazy mess, who fails to clean up after herself as she goes and ends up being exhausted and frustrated because I inevitably burn OR under-cook something.

Don’t believe me?  Here’s what my countertops looked like the last time I made Quiche Lorraine.

So, when Walmart and Better Homes and Gardens offered me the opportunity to review a set of Stainless Steel pots and pans I thought, who better to review them than a chick who will REALLY put them to the test.  (That’d be me.)

When the box arrived I immediately dove in, unwrapping all of the pieces.  I loved the pretty stainless steel trim around the lids (since I’m no pro, I went based on aesthetics first!) and when I lifted the first pot out of the box I immediately noticed the weight of them.  Nice and heavy, with sturdy handles.  I’ve got to say, they were awfully shiny and pretty.

Considering that my knowledge of these babies seemed to end at “oooh, pretty” I called in reinforcements.  Audrey’s grandma, or “Gra” as she is affectionately known, is an amazing cook who used to own her own restaurant.  After coming to my senses and realizing that the extent of my cooking prowess was in, reality, macaroni and cheesy (as Audrey Grace calls it), we decided to give the pots to Gra as gift.

Let’s just say that Gra was overjoyed.  So overjoyed over her new stainless steel pots, in fact, that she promptly threw all of her old pots out.

According to Gra, these pots are AWESOME.  The weight that I previously mentioned?  Apparently that’s a really good thing.  The stainless steel heats quickly and evenly and cooks food quickly and using less heat – which is always a good thing!  She also raved over the handles, saying that her last set of stainless steel pots had a handle that would sort of bend once the pot had been heated, making it hard to handle and also hot to the touch.  These handles apparently stay nice and cool.

I’ve done my part of course – Gra and Nana live only a mile away from us, so we have eaten several meals cooked in these pots and pans, which leaves Gra raving every time.

What do you use to cook? Are you a world-class chef or a mac and cheese expert like yours truly?  Share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Walmart sponsored this post and provided me with a set of the pots and pans as well as compensation. However, all opinions are, and always will be, 100% mine.

Sur La Table

Looking for some fun ways to beat the heat indoors this summer?  Try some of these fun kitchen projects and tools from Sur La Table (french translation:  On The Table) that I stumbled across today.  I’m thinking this will make for great summer fun, and Little AG is so excited about helping mommy to “cook” that I’m pretty sure any of these things would cause that adorable little grin that I love to spread across her sweet face.

I love these fun cookie making kits – the wizard version and the princess version.  Both sell for $16.99.

How adorable are these fun kitchen utensils? They’re sure to make any kiddo giggle uncontrollably!  Called “Head Chef” – they retail for $10 each.

And how perfect is this Sous Chef Baking Kit – perfect for any of the budding culinary professionals in your life!  This 25 piece set retails for $30.