All American

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends All American

11 mentions from real owners

• #1Dec 27, 2025

  Unpopular opinion: The 'BIFL' mindset is becoming a luxury most people can't afford, and that's by design.

  My grandmother saved for over a year for hwr first refrigerator. It is dang near 100 years old, still works perfectly. Last i heard my cousin had it in his vacation cabin... she got it during the great depression, when she was broke and raising 6 kids with gramps. When i wanted a second all american 921 canner, i stsrted saving. It took dang near 10 months, but i got it. My other 921 is around 50 years old, just like new. Hubby and i were trying to keep our business alive through lockdown madness though it was more a burden than anything else. I think part of the problem is folks want instant gratification. Another part is folks without big money don't generally live on a cash economy anymore like we do. And people don't take care of things nearly as well. Use it up. Wear it out. Make do. Do without. If we get back to that standard markets will respond, at least the quality companies will. They have no reason to respond now because people like us represent a small market share.

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• #2Nov 3, 2025

  What’s a purchase that’s not fun, not flashy but now you swear by it?

  My All American pressure canner. I’m able to buy meat and vegetables on sale or in bulk, or grow in my garden then make shelf stable food that could last years. I have saved sooooo much money this way. The all American is a tank with no gaskets to wear out and need replacements. While people are gripping about inflated food prices today, I’m pulling out chicken breast that I bought at 79¢ a pound years ago. I’m riding out this economic crisis in style! Can’t say enough wonderful things about my canner. Totally worth the price.

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• #3Nov 2, 2025

  What's the best cookware you've ever had?

  My all American pressure canner, my grandmother brought it back in 1976, runs like new today

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• #4Oct 5, 2025

  What are some actual BIFL kitchen items?

  This combined 2 of my lists so there might be duplicates. I teach old fashioned skills so my stuff has to be able to take damage. Cast iron Dutch oven. For baking alone it is worth it. Cast aluminum/enamel is a second buy. Not as useful as the cast iron but good for heavy soups and stews. Also much lighter if you have a disability. Cast iron skillet set. Mine are mostly over 50 years old. 9 inch and a 7 inch are great. Larger ones for a larger family. I bought mine so used. Stainless steel skillet. Larger with a heavy bottom. Being stainless it can go into the oven just fine. I got mine used and it is great for stir frying and making sauces. Double sided cast iron griddle. Great to go over multiple burners on the stove and it can also go over a BBQ grill. Kitchen Aid mixer. I bought mine used and it is a late 1960s model. They are easy to repair. Stainless steel mixing bowl set with lids. Melamine would also work, just be careful of them around heat, they can crack. This is just me -- a dual burner propane camp stove. Because they fold and come inside, they last for decades. Cheaper than a BBQ grill, it will allow you to cook outside at any time. It will allow you to cook in a power outage also. Just remember if you use it inside, make sure you have a window cracked open an inch. They are also great for tailgating, picnics and traveling. If you actually cook, bake and use your kitchen, get a stainless steel pot set. If they nest -even better. The larger (deeper) ones can even be used for high acid canning like jams and jellies. Also get stainless baking pans. Glass storage set with lids so you aren't buying plastic over and over just to be able to stick leftovers in your fridge. A good set of kitchen towels to use instead of paper towels. If you wipe up water, just hang them to dry, not throwing them awake like paper. Stainless steel *nesting* mixing bowls with tight fitting lids. At least a set of 5 bowls. Preferably a set of 7 bowls with lids. They can be used for refrigerator storage as well as mixing. Cast iron Dutch oven with lid - 6 quart Cast iron skillet, size 8 or size 10. Too much larger and they are too heavy to lift when full. Cast iron bread/loaf pan. For everything from meatloaf, quick breads to bread. Heavy aluminum baking sheet set- the insulated kind. Not non-stick. (Use silpats and cupcake liners and parchment paper instead of non-stick garbage) Heavy aluminum rectangle/square cake/brownie pan set with slide on lids. 6"/8"/10" round pie pan set or just start with size 9. The 10" should ideally be a deep dish with a lid. Great for shepherds pie and chicken pot pie. Aldi's bread boule baking set. So much less expensive than everything else. It is worth the wait until it comes back on sale. Universal lid set, because you will never find the right one when you need it. Silicone ones last a long time unless you put it on/in a too hot stove. They are a lot easier to store than the steel sets. But get the set that fits you. Stainless steel, heavy bottomed 10 inch skillet with tall sides (taller than the cast iron at least). With steamer insert if possible. This is mainly for tomato based soups and pasta and things that would be too heavy for the cast iron 6-8 quart heavy bottomed stock pot with lid. Doubles as a stainless steel Dutch oven. If you can't get heavy bottom pans, get a heat diffuser to use under your pans. Stainless steel strainer/colander Sieve - set of 3 Collapsible stainless steel shredder/slicer/chopper. OXO brand is the best but it doesn't collapse. Stainless steel, restaurant quality utensil set with long handles Wooden spoon set with the proper instructions on how they need to be oiled and waxed. Because no one ever does and it shows. They can last a lifetime if properly cared for. Wooden rolling pins. One small one, 12 inches wide, one wider one, 20-25 inches wide with pastry rollers for the ends. Don't bother with fancy handles that get loose, just get the straight ones without handles. Just watch *pasta grannies* on YouTube. Manual stainless steel pasta machine/roller. Stainless steel 12-36 hole ravioli cutter. Stainless steel ring cookie/biscuit cutter. The kind with concentric rings from 5 inches down to 1 inch. Kitchen-aid mixer. Many of the attachments like the meat grinder are... lower quality than stand-alone tools. They just aren't built for heavy duty use. And they can overheat easily. All American pressure canner. It can also be used for water bath canning. Mine is from 1939. Food processor/blender. Don't know what one is BIFL these days. Mom's Cuisinart lasted 35 years. Carbon steel knife set with sharpener and hone (paring knife, chef knife, bread knife, carving knife, that's all you need) Stainless steel peeler/julienne

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• #5Sep 3, 2025

  Looking for wedding registry ideas.

  like these [https://duxtop.org/](https://duxtop.org/) they work not by directly heating the pan like an electric resistance "burner" but they induce eddy currents in the cookware. They're way more efficient than electric resistance and given the push to get rid of gas stoves and also to become more energy efficient, I have a feeling they're going to be the wave of the future. Unfortunately, they'll only work with cookware that's magnetic - if the cookware isn't attracted to a magnet, the induction "burner" won't be able to induce those currents that produce the heating effect in it either. So while my old cast iron and carbon steel stuff will work fine, some other traditional cookware won't - solid aluminum (e.g. Magnalite, Club), non-magnetic stainless (Revere Ware) or even the fancy solid copper pots and pans won't work on induction. Some manufacturers are taking steps to future proof their products however, I believe that some All-Clad is advertised as induction capable, and I'm pretty sure you can buy Presto and All American pressure canners (which are traditionally cast aluminum) that have magnetic stainless plates in the bottom. That's why I made the comment that I did. The workaround that I alluded to is a plate that goes between the cooktop and your skillet or pot that is ferromagnetic, like this [https://www.nordicware.com/products/heat-tamer-and-stove-adapter-plate/](https://www.nordicware.com/products/heat-tamer-and-stove-adapter-plate/) basically, the cooktop heats the plate, and the plate transfers the heat to your cookware.

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• #6Aug 3, 2025

  What are some of the best products/brands you love splurging on?

  Some things, it isn't the name brand that matters. Just check reviews. If the brand matters I tell the brand I recommend. If you want serious kitchen recommendations, check out *America's Test Kitchen* on YouTube. *"Lodge cast iron Dutch oven**. These are workhorses. You can use them on top of a stove, in an oven, on an outdoor grill or even in a campfire. You can cook a roast, make soups, bake bread and even bake cakes. **Lodge cast iron reversible griddle**. This can be used for pancakes, roasting vegetables, baking pizza, baking bread, cooking steaks. Like all cast iron, it can go from stovetop to oven to grill to campfire. **"Made-In*** **stainless steel 12 inch skillet** **Lodge cast iron skillet**, 9 or 10 inch *Kitchen-Aid mixer**. Especially if you cook from scratch. **Stainless steel nesting mixing bowl set with lids**. Ideally a set of 7 bowls. They work for storage as well as mixing. Stainless steel is easy to clean and can survive being dropped or even a hand mixer. **Lodge cast iron bread/loaf pan**. Good for meatloaf, quick breads and regular bread. Can be used on top of the stove, in the oven, in a grill, wherever. **Pullman bread loaf pan**. **Crofton (Aldi) bread boule baking set**. The lid can be used over other pans on the stove or oven and the base can be used to cook non bread items. **Speed Queen washer** **All-American pressure canner**. This can be used as a general stock pot and used for high-acid canning. They are heavy enough to be used on the stove and on a grill.

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• #7Jul 7, 2025

  Crock Pot, Instant Pot, Pressure cooker

  Most pressure cookers have a rubber seal that needs to be replaced periodically. There is one brand, the All American which has no rubber seal but it’s very expensive.

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• #8Jul 7, 2025

  Crock Pot, Instant Pot, Pressure cooker

  All-American brand pressure cooker. There's nothing which can break. It's a metal-on-metal seal. Basically foolproof. I own two. A normal-sized pressure canner for standard jobs. And one that's almost the size of a hot tub -- for really big jobs. These things weren't cheap when I bought them decades ago. And they are eye-wateringly expensive now. That being said, it's one of my "I don't have to think about it, it just works and it's always going to work" kitchen solutions. A pressure cooker is one of those things that when you need one, there is no substitute. I find a way to use mine at least weekly. There are very few kitchen gadgets which do a better job than just cooking the traditional way. Rice cookers, for instance. They make much better rice than humans can. (Mine yells at me in Korean.) That's a unitasker I can get behind. It does a better job than I can, and I don't have to mind the rice while I'm making the spicy ahi for temaki rolls. Immersion circulators are another gadget that make loads of sense -- they will elevate anyone's cooking game. Anything that sous-vide does well, is usually the best way to cook that dish. (And some dishes are only possible thanks to sous-vide. Best culinary invention in my lifetime.) But I've never eaten anything that came out of an Instapot or Air Fryer and said, "That's as good as this dish gets." I'd rather deal with the extra calories and put a dutch oven full of oil on an induction cooker. In for a penny, in for a pound. The fries are so much better when blanched and then fried.

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• #9Jul 6, 2025

  What BIFL items would you add to your wedding registry?

  Robot Coupe food processor, BlendTec blender (NOT Vitamix), All-American pressure cooker Field Company, Finex, Smithey, or Lancaster cast iron -- and no other brands. The brand doesn't matter. The fact it's machined glass-smooth matters. Matfer Bourgeat carbon steel pans. (Inexpensive, good, and for-life.)

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• #10Jun 3, 2025

  What are your favorite niche BIFL items that are currently available?

  All American pressure canner. Keep an eye out for used ones to save a little cash. No gasket needing replaced.

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• #11May 9, 2025

  In Florida from Scotland right now, is there anything practical that I can pick up whilst here?

  Do you can? Many come over and buy an All American Canner.

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