Farberware

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends Farberware

41 mentions from real owners

• #1Dec 30, 2025

  I never want to buy cookware again

  I have owned my Faberware Classic Stainless for 35 years. Used almost every day most of my pans look new, my large pan was dropped and sports a small dent. The pans work very well for me. Also gave my grandma's cast iron pan, which I use often. I tried an All-Clad sauté pan a few years back as I do not have that size in my Faberware set. It cooked nicely but was very difficult to clean where the handle connects to the pan, I gave it away. Have owned other pans but none that have stood out.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #2Dec 30, 2025

  I never want to buy cookware again

  Vintage Faberware is my favorite too. Stainless steel has always been my preferred cookware since forever, since that’s what my parents used in their kitchen. Stumbled upon a vintage Farberware 4qt pot and a small skillet at a thrift store and bought them without knowing anything about them, and they became the workhorse in my kitchen. Some years later, when I thought it was time to add a few more pieces of cookware for different capacity applications, I looked into the products from the brands that that are typically recommended around here, and there wasn’t anything I like as much as the ones from the thrift store I’ve been using. Ended up flipping them over to look up for clues of how I would be able to find more of them. That’s when I learned that they are vintage and had to hunt down the few pieces that I needed from eBay.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #3Dec 30, 2025

  I never want to buy cookware again

  Start hitting up thrift stores. Look for farberware made in the Bronx. It says it on the bottom I have had my set for over 35 years. I have added a few pieces purchasing this way.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #4Dec 30, 2025

  I never want to buy cookware again

  Plus one for vintage Farberware! It’s a beast and doesn’t need special treatment.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #5Dec 30, 2025

  I never want to buy cookware again

  You can score some pretty decent stainless steel thrifting my whole kitchen is full of old faberware and Revere stainless steel cookware

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #6Dec 27, 2025

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

  I have found really good things at times at consignment stores and also at stores with furniture and housewares that buy estates. I got several nice pots and pans that way that will probably last me forever (older Farberware) and it was affordable

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #7Dec 24, 2025

  Vintage Farberware Aluminum Bottom sauté pan rescued at Goodwill

  mom gave me some of her farberware pots when i moved into my own place, they are well over 20 years old at this point, still use em daily.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #8Dec 23, 2025

  Vintage Farberware Aluminum Bottom sauté pan rescued at Goodwill

  My mom is in her 70's and received an entire set of these when she was married, over 50 years ago. She still cooks with them every single day, and they're still in great condition.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #9Dec 23, 2025

  Vintage Farberware Aluminum Bottom sauté pan rescued at Goodwill

  The later years Farberware yes. The one made mid-century and through the early 90s are good BIFL candidates, but if you only experienced mid 90s and later Farberware no wonder you feel the way you do!

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #10Dec 23, 2025

  Vintage Farberware Aluminum Bottom sauté pan rescued at Goodwill

  My mom has an entire set of these pots and pans that she got for her graduation in 1959. I cooked Thanksgiving diner at her house this year and used them. Great pans and built like a tank.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #11Dec 5, 2025

  Is there anything you're convinced is "the cheaper the better"?

  So, I have one of those all metal ones, it won’t peel anything. I got a Faberware, which isn’t exactly expensive, and the thing cuts a peel so thin you can see through it. I think peelers are middle ground rather than low end.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #12Nov 3, 2025

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

  A set of stainless steel Farberware pots & pans. Bought it in 1977 & still going strong 48 years later.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #13Nov 2, 2025

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

  Farberware, circa 1995. My gram gifted a set to me for my first apartment. Still going strong.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #14Nov 2, 2025

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

  I’ve had basic Farberware stainless steel pots for almost 20 years. A Biltmore set of stainless steel pots for about 10 years. Cuisinart set of stainless steel pans from Costco for a little over a year, with no problems. I can easily cook eggs without a lot of fat and no sticking. All comes down to slow preheating. So my answer is get decent stainless steel pieces. Probably not the cheapest stuff from Walmart, but it doesn’t have to be top of the line either. Alternatively, get cast iron or carbon steel and learn how to take care of them.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #15Oct 8, 2025

  Feedback from someone who listened - thanks!

  If older Revereware is like older Farberware, it is fine for cooking. We have a 36 year old Farberware stainless set with aluminum clad bottoms we received as a wedding gift and it is fine. We use it daily. It cooks great and cleans up like new (with a little Barkeepers Friend once in a while).

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #16Oct 5, 2025

  Vintage Farberware aluminum clad 16 qt stock

  I just bought this exact pot yesterday at a thrift store. Unfortunately there was no lid with it. The biggest stock pot i had was only eight quarts, so this is a nice upgrade and can't wait to use it. I grabbed it for $8.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #17Sep 6, 2025

  What frying pans are we buying? Tired of nonstick pans that only last 6 months.

  I use Faberware. The old versions take major skill but the newer ones are more forgiving but ones you get the hang of it, it’s a game changer. They’re so incredibly affordable and always in thrift stores in incredible condition. I suspect people use them for 25 years and “upgrade” then immediately regret or their kids donate them.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #18Aug 12, 2025

  I’m looking to buy a stainless steel pot set that’s going to last me for years to come

  Farberware.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #19Aug 8, 2025

  Looking to replace every single item we own

  I am so happy with my farberware pots if you can handle stainless steels. They also have a line of pans. They’re very affordable and only have gotten better over the years.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #20Jun 8, 2025

  What is your most unintentional BIFL item?

  A manual can opener from Farberware that is stamped Made in Italy that I've had for about 5 decades and still going strong.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #21Jun 3, 2025

  Looking for flatware brand/model

  Farberware bayport

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #22Jun 1, 2025

  Farberware Open Hearth- bought by my parents in 1976. They still regret giving it to me!

  I just found one of these in an old house. My old friend put it together for me. Needs cleaning but he swears by it and so does everyone here. Excited.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #23May 9, 2025

  Best device to make a pot of coffee?

  Percolator is my choice, set it up night before, plug in the morning- stays hot. Unplug when done drinking. I don’t ever taste any burn, does get stronger. I even plug it in later in the day for another cup, if there’s some left. In warmer weather, put leftover coffee in fridge for iced. I use Farberware. Take basket out and clean, use as electric kettle for water. I also use for hot cider.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #24May 8, 2025

  Best cookware? OK with spending more but I’m only if it’s worth it

  Check out Farberware! farberware.sjv.io/kOkgVx

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #25May 7, 2025

  What’s something you’ve had so long it feels like it’s legally part of your family

  my mom got an orange peeler forever, probably still has it from a Tupperware party once I think it was a door prize. I had the hardest time finding a similar one but I use it every day and I’ll have it forever. We also had the farberware popcorn pot with the perfectly made lid. But that’s about it. Other than two carved native rocks my son found under a huge tree in our yard, those things I can’t lose. I keep thinking I’ve lost them and they show up again lol two houses and 8 years so far. One is a little herb bowl and the other one is a bird.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #26May 2, 2025

  What’s a kitchen item you bought once and never had to replace?

  Farberware cookware, 1982, what is now called Farberware Classic. When my wife and I combined households we found she had bought the same set at around the same time. Henckels Pro S knives. I bought a set in 1982 which I supplemented in the '80s and '90s. I'd never buy a set again. We bought some for my wife in the '00s which have held up well. 1957 Rival Crock-Pot slow cooker was a wedding gift to my mother. She gave it to me and I have used it regularly for 45 years. Olive wood spatulas, three of them, bought--I think--in the '90s. Still in good shape. Swiss Diamond covered high saute pans bought in the late '90s. Holding up nicely and are daily drivers used once or twice a day. I don't buy gadgets. I buy tools. Not everything is BIFL. I sharpened a veg peeler once. Not going to do that again. Every four or five years I'll replace it. The most important element of BIFL is care. If you're putting cookware in the dishwasher it will never be BIFL. Stop doing that. The single worst thing you can do. Care is not "babying." If you abuse your belongings they won't last. If you don't care then get used to replacing things and stop whining about it.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #27May 2, 2025

  What’s a kitchen item you bought once and never had to replace?

  Farberware stainless steel pots and pans (oven safe to 350°) Kitchaid stand mixer Pyrex pie pan Cheap aluminum cookie sheets from Walmart Henkel Four Star knives Corningware casserole dishes No-name carbon steel wok Oneida 18/10 stainless steel flatware and serving pieces All bought in the early 1980’s, so 40+ years old. Everything goes in the dishwasher, except the wok. I’m careful that the knives don’t touch each other, but that’s it. I also have a well-seasoned cast iron pan, but I never use it because I don’t like the metallic taste.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #28May 1, 2025

  What’s a kitchen item you bought once and never had to replace?

  My Staub and Le Creuset, Staub is superior but both last. Also my Zwilling Pro chefs knives and santoku. My decades old Italian made Farberware manual can opener.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #29Apr 4, 2025

  Vintage Swing-A-Way Can Openers

  I have a many decades-old Farberware one like that stamped made in Italy. I care for it and baby it because nothing else is as comfortably easy to turn and I don't want an appliance just for opening cans since I rarely buy stuff in them anymore.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #30Feb 7, 2025

  Best Air Fryers to Buy?

  My $35 Farberware air fryer has not slowed down one bit through 4 years of college with 4/5 roommates using it daily

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #31Feb 4, 2025

  What brand / type of pots & pans are worth investing in as a young adult?

  Hi! I’m a chef and culinary school grad. I have unique insight on this because I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum of cookware, esp in my time private cheffing using fancier lines of cookware that my clients had in their kitchens. Short-ish version: things labeled “restaurant quality” are both a gimmick and a misnomer. It’s a gimmick bc it doesn’t mean it’s higher quality and is a reason they can get away with charging more for it. It’s a misnomer bc “restaurant quality,” if the term is actually used correctly, would mean it can be beat to hell (bent, washed incorrectly, etc.) and not need to be replaced before a year is up. We replaced pots and pans in kitchens because they were cheap and made of a softer metal that bent easily. My suggestion is this: 1- Hexclad, All Clad, Made In, etc. are all FINE. They’re pretty and do the job. They are not whatsoever worth the price to me. Not even close. If you want to pass them down to children/grandchildren, then go that route. 2- go to your local restaurant supply store & by their Farberware (yes, Farberware- the shit brand we find at Walmart is actually great bc these supply stores by the stronger versions). It’s basically the industry standard, at least around my area. They’re heavy bottomed and stainless steel. That’s what you want and, if taken care of and you can suffer through the learning curve, will actually last a few decades. Plus, it’s way cheaper for the same quality and performance to the average person. 3- avoid nonstick, teflon, hard-anodized, etc. Literally only stainless steel is worth anyone’s money, regardless of brand. I’ll die on this hill! Hope this helps.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #32Feb 3, 2025

  What brand / type of pots & pans are worth investing in as a young adult?

  I'm 42. I used my old revereware copper bottom set for a long time. They are shitty pots. They work fine. I like the old Farberware Alumaclad a lot better. Whenever I'm at a thrift store and they have the old Farberware Alumaclad with bakelite handes in a size I like, I buy it for $3.99. My enamelware roaster pan was $3.99 at goodwill. I've used it 15 years, it works fine. Cooked 20 lbs of pork butt in it last night to beautiful fall apart amazingness. My daily cooking pan is a cast iron pan my grandmother cooked in for 70 years. There's nothing I can't cook in my cheap used pans. The only thing I don't have is a pot that can go from stovetop to oven. But, I do that so rarely that I usually get away with a deep chicken fryer style cast iron anyways. All that to say, everyone will say you need something special, but there's a ton of good old pots out there you can buy for next to nothing that will cook just about as well as something you pay hundreds for. The difference simply isn't worth it. Most difference can be mitigated by simply using the right temperature on your stove.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #33Feb 3, 2025

  What’s one product you bought that has lasted forever and was totally worth it?

  Bought three pink tinted but see through Corningware glass bowls, they are the perfect size for family salads. There was a Corning clearance center at a neighboring town on Long Island and were only two dollars apiece back in the 1970s. I use at least one of them every single day. They look like I bought them yesterday. We also bought some Farberware knives from there for 50 cents each. I wish we had bought more because they were great.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #34Feb 3, 2025

  What brand / type of pots & pans are worth investing in as a young adult?

  They aren’t sexy but my whole family is in this Faberware (classic series) shit for life. My parents’ pans from the seventies still look awesome.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #35Feb 3, 2025

  What brand / type of pots & pans are worth investing in as a young adult?

  Buy all of them from the thrift store! Look for Farberware made in the USA. They’re easily found in all shapes and sizes. Frying pans, stock pots, sauce pots. Best pots for your money.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #36Feb 3, 2025

  What brand / type of pots & pans are worth investing in as a young adult?

  I inherited vintage aluminum-clad stainless steel Farberware Classic pots & pans. Must be at least 50 years old. I use them every day, run them through the dishwasher, take zero precautions with them. I fully expect to pass them along to my own kids. I’ve tried lots of other pans along the way (Berndes is my 2nd fav), but none of them beat the Farberware. Including the fancy Chantal set we got as a wedding gift, lol. OP - you can find these inexpensively at thrift stores, EBay, yard sales, etc. Just make sure the bottoms say “made in Bronx, NY USA” because after 1996, they shipped production overseas & imo the quality declined.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #37Feb 3, 2025

  What brand / type of pots & pans are worth investing in as a young adult?

  Someone else said this as well but don’t buy a big set of one brand. I did that and I got rid of it all of it within a few years and I now have mish mash of different pots / pans and I’m obsessed with each and everyone of them. Here’s what I have: 3 cast iron: 1 square 8”x8”, 1 circle 8”, 1 single burner flat top with griddle on the other side. 1 le cruset mussel pot (it’s two pots in one) 2 le cruset Dutch ovens we got as gifts but they’re stored away and only come out when I’m making really big portions or vege/chicken stock 2 farberware sauce pot (high walled) both have lids 1 has a steamer that I also use as a strainer 2 hexclad frying pans 1- 8”, 1-10” 1 hexclad 10” wok - 10” lid fits both frying pan and wok. It took me years to get to this exact set, trial and error for each type. We’ve used this exact set for a few years.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #38Feb 2, 2025

  What brand / type of pots & pans are worth investing in as a young adult?

  Everyone is gonna have a different opinion. Buy in pieces, not sets. Buy what makes you happy to cook the things you like to cook. Also keep in your head that it should work on induction if at all possible. For me I have 2 LC 5.5's and an oval LC I think he's 7qt but don't hold me to that. And a 10" lodge cast iron and USE it it will look just as good as those vintage pans if you just use the thing and not listen to people whining about how they aren't polished anymore - it works the same. I have been rocking a basic set of Farberware that I got for my wedding 20+ years ago and a couple older pieces of it from bronx-made that I got at thrift shops. I did recently buy a bunch of basic calphalon because I needed to cook on an induction burner (LC and CI will work on induction... farberware apparently doesn't) Is the tri-ply nice? Sure. If I was younger I'd probably spend the money but now that I have the money I don't really think it would make a difference. I have a single Cuisinart saucepan I do enjoy a lot. Most of the use of my 1-3 qt potst is by my kids making ramen or mac and cheese so I really don't care. I'll use the cuisinart to make a quick gravy but the regular pots are fine for a bechamel or something. I have also had revere ware from a college roommate that I thrifted because it was too hodgepodge but that stuff was nice. I kind of want one of those hexclad frying pans, but there's litereally no need. Gotta separate needs/wants and weigh against how much space you actually have to store this stuff. I have a bunch of different sized lodge dutch ovens that while I don't regret them I really don't use them and they are a bear to store. I do have a tiny little non-enameled dutch oven that I literally only use to cook beans when I'm grilling. I could just as easily microwave the beans or bake them in a pyrex dish lol but the little bean pot makes me happy. You don't heed expensive pots to cook good food, you need to know how to use whatever material/type you've got (within reason obviously. I don't think anything I have or have had was "crappy" with the exception of the flecked black stock pot I used to have that I literally melted to an electric coil burner because I forgot about it, but that thing was fine for making pasta... lol)

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #39Jan 6, 2025

  Stainless pots and pans

  If you want lightweight everyday pans to try out, consider picking up some vintage Farberware from thrift shops. I'm in the US and find it all the time for $5-10 a piece. The pre-2000s pans are best. Look for a small centered mark on the bottom of the pan that says made in New York, Bronx or Yonkers. I grew up on Farberware, and I know my mom's set from the '70s is still going strong in daily use. I have small hands and also find the handles especially ergonomic.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #40Jan 3, 2025

  Are countertop dishwashers any good?

  I love my Farberware. It has an internal tank so you don't have to futz with connecting it to the faucet. And we just leave the exit hose tied to a bucket for the runoff. With two people in my household, we usually run it once or twice a day. Cookware is either too large or not appropriate for a dishwasher so only tableware and cutlery go inside. Some cooking utensils, if they are ss or silicone. Despite not being able to clean everything, the dishwasher has dramatically cut back on the amount of dishes we wash manually. The main issue is going to be the distance between your countertop and upper cabinets. If you go the route of filling up the tank, the fill area is on top of the dishwasher by the back. The upper cabinets might block your access. A standalone cart could solve that problem, and is another solution if counter space is tight.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #41Jan 3, 2025

  Stainless steel cookware recommendations?

  I love my farberware. They have a stainless steel line and clean up like a dream. They cook beautiful too. You see farberware and revereware at thrift stores all of the time; usually in great condition. Pick up one of those to try it out!

  View on Redditopen_in_new