Nordic Ware

Why r/BuyItForLife recommends Nordic Ware

39 mentions from real owners

• #1Dec 25, 2025

  40 Christmas’ worth of waffles through this iron

  Nordic Ware made in Minneapolis, MN

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #2Dec 4, 2025

  What’s the BIFL item that you love but everyone around you thinks is ridiculous?

  nordicware half sheet trays are $20. ive had mine for 10 years and theres some signs of love but they do their job great. i even got quarter and eighth size trays for smaller baking needs. the one slides perfectly into the groves of my air fryer/toaster oven and is exponentially more sturdy than the included sheet pan which i pretty much only use as a drip tray when using the rotisserie or the fry basket.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #3Nov 2, 2025

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

  Love mine. I have 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 sheets.  Love nordicware in general, they have the neatest bundt pans.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #4Nov 2, 2025

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

  My mom's big stainless pot with a heavy bottom for even heat distribution. It has two matching pans. The lid fits all three and they stack nicely. They will absolutely outlive me and the next person to get them. I have my grandma's aluminum baking pans (8x8 and 9x9) and I've used them for baking and roasting. They're heavily dented but they're great. My Nordic Ware baking sheet pans are great, too. I just hate nonstick. I don't really use cast iron because of the weight and upkeep so, it's not for me.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #5Nov 2, 2025

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

  Nordic Ware baking sheets (as someone long ago suggested in this very community)

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #6Oct 8, 2025

  Looking for a kitchen gadget that’s actually worth spending extra on

  Not a gadget per se but I’ve gone completely to solid aluminum (Nordic ware) baking pans, which I hand wash. I have 4 of the big sheet size and 4 of the medium size, which I keep in stacks on top of my refrigerator (they stack well). I’ve had all of them for about 10 years, each used probably every other day and they look brand new. If they get destroyed I can throw them in the recycling bin. Get rid of your nasty old sheet pans like I did.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #7Oct 6, 2025

  What are some actual BIFL kitchen items?

  Le Creuset, All Clad stainless measuring cups and spoons, Pyrex glass, Nordicware sheet pans in all sizes (although I would ultimately like to replace aluminum with stainless), Kitchenaid mixer, modern Fiestaware (have had for 16 years and no chips but it does get scratches from flatware that you can clean off)

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #8Oct 6, 2025

  What are some actual BIFL kitchen items?

  My Nordic Ware sheet pans are 8 years old & are in heavy rotation. They're still perfect (as are all of my Nordic Ware pans) In my experience, the only other pans that have performed as well as Nordic Ware are by Vollrath. Their WearEver pieces are outstandingly well made. I have some that are well over 20 years old

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #9Oct 6, 2025

  What are some actual BIFL kitchen items?

  Pyrex, Anchor Hocking and Fireking, for glass bakeware.  My Nordicware microwave popcorn popper probably is 20 years old. It's a square, conical shape interior.  Wooden prep and cooking spatulas and spoons from an import market. Nothing fancy, they're often 3-5 to a bundle. I've got some which are 45 years old. 

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #10Oct 5, 2025

  What are some actual BIFL kitchen items?

  Nordic Ware makes good sheet pans. Keep in mind that some of the best-performing sheet pans look like trash.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #11Oct 3, 2025

  What is the best kitchen gadget under $100 that you own?

  A set of nordic ware baking sheets 2 x 1/8 2 x 1/4 1x 1/2 I use these for EVERYTHING - also stainless steel roasting pan (lighter and a bit tougher than ceramic)

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #12Oct 1, 2025

  If you had $300 for your kitchen, what would you buy that lasts?

  Cheap victoriax knifes(chef, santoku, bread, boning, and paring) and decent pull through sharpener along with a winco 1” cutting board is all you need. Buy some Nordic sheet pans, cusinart stainless pans, and a lodge Dutch oven and that’s almost everything. Only thing that gets substantial better with price is a blender. Any $150-250 blender will have enough power to chop ice and seeds to create a good smoothy, have a big blender cup to create more than single servings, and will have a few attachments to double as a food processor for sauces. Don’t over complicate it.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #13Oct 1, 2025

  If you had $300 for your kitchen, what would you buy that lasts?

  Cheap victoriax knifes and decent pull through sharpener along with a winco 1” cutting board is all you need. Buy some Nordic sheet pans, cusinart stainless pans, and a lodge Dutch oven and that’s almost everything. Only thing that gets substantial better with price is a blender.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #14Sep 4, 2025

  360 Cookware or Hestan baking sheets, which are more BIFL?

  my nordics had the residue for a little bit, washed twice after getting them. I use the hell out of them and they work great, heat great. I use the blue sponges on them or my ghetto off brand scrub daddies shaped like a frog with the clear dawn soap, not the blue

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #15Sep 2, 2025

  Recommendations for a bakeware set

  Seconding Nordic Ware. I've got a bunch of quarter sheets that I use almost daily I have a few baking dishes from Staub as well. Great for all sorts of things

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #16Sep 2, 2025

  Recommendations for a bakeware set

  Get Nordic Ware sheet pans. They are truly BIFL. Maybe you want to get the rest in a set, maybe not, but Nordic Ware is what you want for the sheet pans.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #17Sep 2, 2025

  Recommendations for a bakeware set

  Nordic Ware naturals hold up extremely well; I've got a stack of 1/4 sheets and a half sheet that I use daily, as well as some muffin tins (plus Nordic Ware Bundt pans.) I wish I'd bought them from the get-go rather than my first post-college set of things that warped immediately

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #18Aug 3, 2025

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

  Moleskine/Leichtturm1917 notebooks. Le Creuset products. Nordicware sheetpans. Fjållraven Kånken backpacks. Kitchenaid appliances. Good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Nielsen Massey Vanilla Extract.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #19Jul 9, 2025

  Important Kitchen Essentials?

  Second vote for Nordic Wear baking sheets. I have put mine through hell and they are great after years of almost daily use.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #20Jul 9, 2025

  Important Kitchen Essentials?

  You should get a set of Nordic Ware baking sheets, they're inexpensive and don't warp. Cast iron or carbon steel pan for high heat cooking, also inexpensive. Toaster oven with powerful convection (to avoid having to get a dedicated air fryer) like a Ninja Foodie XL. Pressure cooker for quick soups and broths, helps cut down on food waste by keeping your bones and vegetable scraps. Chest freezer (if you have space) for said bones and scraps. Kiwi Brand knives, I get mine for 5$-10$ from my local asian grocery store. I just moved into a 2nd appartement and got doubles of all of these things for under 1000$. I kept the newer gear at the house and took all the used ones to the apt.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #21May 10, 2025

  Brands you swear by that have Buy It For Life quality products

  For the kitchen- kitchenaid and cuisinart. Also Nordic Ware baking pans. And Bagallini purses. Even though I have a few so they get rotated, I have a couple of favorites that get a lot use. And, when they get dirty, I just put them in a mesh bag and throw them in the washer. Hang it outside in the sun to dry and it’s ready to use again in a few hours.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #22May 8, 2025

  Baking sheets that don’t end up like this?

  You just need thicker, higher quality pans. ATK recommends Nordic Ware Naturals.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #23May 8, 2025

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

  Kinda depends on what you cook, we're a mixed west/east cooking house so the list reflects that. And these have been collected across a 35 year span and frequent trips to both western and eastern restaurant supply shops, not all at once: Tatung steamer/rice cookers, Ohaus valor 3000 xtreme scale, vintage high carbon knives (mostly French), good Chinese cleaver (Master Wu Artillery Steel), Benriner mandoline slicer (blades are replaceable), carbon steel woks in two sizes, EZ Wok outdoor wok burner cart, cast iron and carbon steel pans, Vigor induction ready sauce pans in a variety of sizes, Russell Hobbs kettle and toaster when they were made in the UK, solid wood (olive, beech & bamboo) utensils (spoons, spatulas), Nordic Naturals muffin and cake tins, Vollrath half and quarter sheet pans, Vollrath heavy duty stainless bowels in a variety of sizes, heavy duty stainless steel measure cups and spoons, PYREX volumetric measuring cuts, Waring all metal commercial grade immersion blender (2 speeds, replaceable blades), Braun Universal Mixer, Vitamix blender (I honestly wouldn't buy this if I had it to do over, it's our most rarely used gadget). The food processor has been replaced (killed beyond repair a Cuisinart, bought a used Magimix, had just for year) and the KitchenAid Professional (HA) had to be repaired twice so we gave up and switched to the Braun for bread doughs and barely use it now. #

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #24May 7, 2025

  Top BIFL Household Items for Starting Over

  I’d suggest cast iron pans and a couple good cookie sheets like Nordic ware. A few good kitchen knives. Then stainless steel pots and pans for the things you don’t want to do in cast iron. We’ve had a good experience with our all clad. A good can opener like the one by Oxo is not too expensive but will last for decades and does make life easier. A good pair of scissors. After that, personally, I’d want comfortable bedding. Sheets aren’t “buy it for life,” but high-quality sheets are definitely “buy-it-for-longer.” I like the organic cotton percale at Pottery Barn, but others on this sub like even more expensive options. Then a high quality, washable warm layer of some sort. I sleep hot and like a cotton-linen blanket because it breathes. But if you want something warmer, a quality down duvet with an allergy cover and a duvet cover over top can be kept in excellent condition for decades. And many people on this sub would suggest wool or wool blends. Since you’ll be starting fresh with bedding I’d invest in quality allergy covers for your pillows and mattress. I use two layers of covers - a waterproof one as a base layer and then a tightly woven one over that. Then mattress pad and then sheet. Mattresses aren’t ever BIFL, but that way you’ll be able to maximize its life span and minimize any allergens. As for appliances, I’m one of those people who loves my top-loading Speed Queens. They’re highly repairable tanks. I am really sorry this has happened to you, and I hope that you are able to make a new home for yourselves soon that will be comfortable and a place for you to recover from all this loss and upheaval. To me, kitchen

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #25May 3, 2025

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

  I've had Nordic ware baking sheets for over a decade!

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #26May 1, 2025

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

  1. Stainless steel cookware; carbon steel cookware, cast iron cookware \[any non-stick alumin(i)um crap is a no-go\]; 2. full-tang quality kitchen knifes (I like Wüsthof) \[I personally like a small chef's and a Japanese style\]; 3. steel kitchen tweezers; 4. Microplane FINE graters (I doubt these will be BIFL, but mine have been going for years.); 5. Nordic Ware oven trays in various sizes.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #27Apr 13, 2025

  Europeans, what cookware brands do you use?

  Good news, cookware in Europe is fantastic! De Buyer for carbon steel Staub for enameled cast iron Falk Culinair for copper core stainless steel Demeyere Atlantis for layered stainless steel Le Creuset for baking ceramics Nordic ware for aluminium sheet pans European Pyrex for borosilicate glass

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #28Apr 9, 2025

  What is your current BIFL item you recommend to everyone?

  Didn't know Lodge made CI cooking sheets... but I love my Nordic Ware aluminum sheets which are also BIFL and don't have any sticking issues. Also made in USA.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #29Apr 5, 2025

  What is a BIFL item/product you recommend?

  You can buy the NordicWare half sheet pans at costco too.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #30Apr 5, 2025

  What is a BIFL item/product you recommend?

  In the kitchen: Lodge cast iron skillet & dutch oven Le Creuset braiser (bought at a big discount) NordicWare half-sheet & quarter-sheet pans Victorinox knives 40-year-old set of RevereWare pots & pans

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #31Mar 2, 2025

  BIFL Request: Bakeware that will last

  Love Nordic ware

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #32Feb 4, 2025

  Oven trays that food won't stick to?

  I got a Nordic Ware pan and so far I’m really happy with it. I do lube it up well before I use it. But I haven’t had any problem getting food off.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #33Feb 4, 2025

  Oven trays that food won't stick to?

  I did a bit of research before buying my last oven tray and everything I found pointed me to Nordic Ware. IIRC it's aluminum and has held up wayyy better than anything I've used previously, highly recommend

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #34Feb 3, 2025

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

  Cookware — I got my wife and I a nice set of stainless steel, 5 ply and they perform the exact same 7 years later. Same with high quality aluminum (nordic ware) baking sheets. Tools - I have a 99 piece Craftsman mechanics set I got 23 years ago. Still works perfectly. I did break one ratchet about 10 years ago, but it was replaced instantly. I also have been given tools my dad and grandfather owned. Buy them right, buy them once. There is some limitation on power tools because lithium has a lifespan, but I have had the same Dewalt cordless power tools for about 7 years now. I am finally seeing some battery degradation, but the tools themselves are still perfectly functioning. Bicycle - lots of cheep stuff exists, but if you buy a bike with an aluminum or “chromolly” frame they will last and last. I still have my BMX bike from when I was 15 (Powerlite p19) and it’s 25 years old. My kids will ride it one day. I bought my wife a high quality aluminum beach cruiser because we live (you guessed it) by the beach. Only the chain is susceptible to the elements.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #35Feb 2, 2025

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

  I’ve found that I use a sauté pan, saucier, wok, enameled cast iron braiser, and enameled cast iron Dutch oven the most for cookware. I use All Clad/Staub/LC, but I’ve heard good things about Viking and Tramontina’s stainless triply. I love to cook and entertain so the top end brands makes sense for me but as a young adult, there’s no way I could’ve afforded them and they probably would’ve been wasted due to various moves and what not. Bakeware: Love USA Pans - but for cheaper alternative that I think is still good is Nordicware naturals

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #36Jan 8, 2025

  What are some BIFL Wedding Gifts?

  Boos Cutting Board All-Clad Pots & Pans Nordic Ware Aluminum Sheet Pans Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender KitchenAid 7 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer Victorinox Fibrox Knives Corelle Vitrelle Plates I can go on and on

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #37Jan 5, 2025

  WAFFLEMAKER PLEASE MINE DIED

  I use a non-electric Nordic Ware model that I bought at a yard sale deceased l decades ago. Perfectly nonstick. Thermometer integrated on both sides of it to tell you when it's ready to go. Has turned out hundreds, maybe thousands of perfect waffles.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #38Jan 4, 2025

  Looking for a BIFL espresso machine + other kitchen gadgets

  I am offering a lot of budget advice since you are starting out. Of course there are brands like allclad which make excellent stainless steel. I recently bought a viking 3qt-ish sautee pan and I'm really liking that for larger meals. I also recommend getting glass lids so you can monitor your cooking. There's also le creuset once you have a good budget, staub is great too. A Great Dutch oven is a must in the long run if you want to cook really great food and they're excellent for making things like bread. You can even find le creuset at tjmaxx as well, their little baking dishes fit in my toaster oven which is great for avoiding the the teflon coated trays that come with toaster ovens. As for more expensive brands for cast iron, I bought a smithey which is a polished cast iron. Its incredible, and less upkeep than pitted cast iron but comes with a hefty price tag. But I watched many comparison videos between different cast iron pans and it really is the best. But someone who's starting out would probably not really be able to tell a difference. But also regular Lodge cast iron will still cook perfectly fine. I also have a enameled cast iron pan from Le creuset which I used over my little Lodge. I enjoyed how little upkeep I needed to do with that one. I highly recommend getting wooden utensils to not scratch the surfaces of anything enameled. I also really love my Nordic Ware baking trays, especially the ones that come with the baking rack. They really come in clutch for a good roast since the air is able to circulate under the food. I can also use the tray without the rack to bake cookies or big pans of food.

  View on Redditopen_in_new
• #39Jan 3, 2025

  Looking to buy primarily a waffle maker

  For anyone wondering, I'm commenting on this thread because I'm in the middle of a quest to find a NordicWare waffle maker as good as my dad's old one. I inherited his and it makes perfect waffles every time - BUT - I ordered a newer model, like the one linked above - and the coating flaked off after only a couple uses and the batter started sticking. SO. I recommend not getting a new one. Find a vintage one.

  View on Redditopen_in_new