I often hear, “You should never cheap out on a good office chair, shoes, underpants, backpack etc…” but what are some items that you would feel OK to cheap out on?

This can by anything from items such as: expensive clothing brands to general groceries.

  • aeharding@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Nonstick pan for eggs. Get the cheapest. Only use for eggs. Replace if coating damaged.

    Does not apply to any other cooking ware tho

    • danafest@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      I’m gonna disagree. Cheap nonstick pans are horrible and just contribute to unnecessary waste plus you have no idea what’s in that coating. Carbon steel or cast iron, when properly seasoned, are just as non stick as a “non stick” coated pan and will literally last forever. They’re also WAY more useful than a nonstick since you can use them with almost any heat source and any temperature.

      • fidodo@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I’ve never had a nonstick pan I’ve personally owned go bad, because I use it for the right things. Low heat only, hands wash, and only use silicone utensils. Whenever I see other people with shitty non sticks it’s because they abuse them horribly. Searing things and using metal utensils and throwing them in the dishwasher or scrubbing the hell out of them. I love cast iron too, but I can never get them to not stick with low heat.

      • aeharding@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I have cast iron, I use it often, but I don’t like using it for eggs in the morning.

        • EnderMB@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          No idea why you’re downvoted. Seasoning a cast iron pan sufficiently enough to fry an egg is challenging, whereas most chefs will use a non-stick pan solely for this purpose. It’s basically the one thing that non-stick is good at.

        • Gerbils@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          I’m with you. Started working to eliminate Teflon from the kitchen and went full cast iron, but eggs were still a challenge… Until someone turned me on to carbon steel.

          It’s lighter (not as light as an aluminum pan with Teflon, but significantly lighter than cast iron) and takes the same abuse and seasoning as cast iron.

    • anothermember@lemmy.zip
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      9 months ago

      Do people really buy pans for just eggs though? I’ve always used my regular pans for cooking eggs and if I’m storing them in my home I’d want them to cook more than just eggs.

      • marron12@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Some people do, yeah. I’ve always used stainless steel cause it’s what I had. Takes a little practice to get it to not stick, but after that it’s fine. I heat the empty pan on medium, medium high until it’s pretty hot. If you add a drop of water, it should bead up and roll. Then add the oil, wait until it shimmers, and add the eggs.

        Enameled cast iron is nice too. It’s non-stick and not as heavy as a regular cast iron.

    • thorbot@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      This is horrible advice. Cheap nonstick flakes nasty teflon chemicals into your food. Shitty advice

      • aeharding@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Cheap nonstick flakes nasty teflon chemicals into your food.

        All Teflon coatings will degrade if abused. Getting expensive nonstick just makes you want to use it longer than you should (sunk cost), and abuse it because it’s “more durable”.

        So get a cheap T-fal, be very careful with it, always handwash, never use metal utensils, dispose if damaged at all, and only use for eggs.

        Lastly, If you can’t use a nonstick pan carefully every time, just don’t use nonstick at all.