u/shy-ty

Hi all, I hope this post is allowed! I searched the sub for something like it, but I couldn't find anything.

I'm a home cook who lives in a city apartment with a tiny kitchen, with several great thrift stores nearby. Because of the small kitchen, I've been strict about keeping my cookware to a handful of pieces (mostly cast iron and cheap nonstick), but lately I've been wanting to add another few pans and pots to the mix, to better handle different kinds of cooking.

What I want to know is, how do you evaluate cookware you find at the thrift store? What *physical* characteristics- not brands!- do you look for in a really good steel frying pan, or a stock pot? What red flags should I avoid? I see tons of nice looking cookware, often vintage or unbranded, but beyond the really obvious (avoid scratched nonstick etc) I don't know what to look for. Like for the steel frying pan example- I sometimes see ones that seem to have a heavy bottom, with a second layer of steel welded on. Is that a sign of quality, or a neutral depending on how it was manufactured? Better or worse than a thin copper bottom (and for what tasks)?

Just an example though. I wanted to hear people's general thoughts!