Why is my stockpot burning everything? Help!

[jenniferlynne]

Help! I just had a customer email me and tell me that everything she cooks in the big 12-quart stock pot burns. She has had it for over a year. She briefly mentioned it once before but didn't make a big deal of it. Now she is wanting some answers and I have none. She has all the Executive Cookware, and is a good cook, so I know it is not her.

Anyone heard of this happening?

 

[Kathy's_Kitchen]

I have not heard of this happening and I use the Executive Cookware all the time...You say she's a good cook, but I don't see how this could be the fault of the pot.... I'm not trying to say she isn't a good cook, but maybe she has problems with cooking the larger quantities of food for which she would be using that size of pot....

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Seriously - I think it's her. Tell her she should never cook with the setting higher than medium. Using too high of a temp is how things burn.

 

[AnnieBee]

I'm also wondering if she turns the burner way high to heat it quickly, but then after it gets hot (which can take a while if it is a full pot) leaves it too high. Like when you cook grillled cheese and keep turning it higher and higher for the first one to get it nicely browned, and then all of a sudden the pan gets really hot and they burn. That's what my DH often does .

I think with a bigger pot like that it is easy to just put the burner on REALLY high to try and speed things up, but then once it is hot enough, it just keeps getting hotter if you're not careful to turn it down quickly to the right temperature. And if you're not stirring, then the bottom could get scorched easily while you wait for the whole pot to get heated through.

OK, I think I'm starting to ramble...

 

[jenniferlynne]

Yes, she just cooks and cooks. She is a single mom and she is not only always cooking for her kids, but her co-workers and the other people that live in her small apartment complex. She owns almost everything in the catalog and I have tried many, many times to recruit her. She's had the rest of the Executive cookware for at least two years.

I haven't been on here much lately and didn't know if I had missed anything about there possibly being a flaw in some of the cookware. Maybe some bad ones were produced or something like the cheese boards that one time. But, I guess that is not the case. I will have to email HO and see what they say.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[myinnerchef]

I echo what kathy's kitchen said. I don't think she knows how to cook in that size pot. For everything to heat evenly, it needs to be stirred frequently or be kept at low heat. What is she trying to cook in the pot?

 

[merego]

I use mine all the time and have never had this problem either.

 

[DebbieJ]

I agree with the others--it's her. She needs to turn the heat down. I have never burned anything in any Exec Cookware. Well, except when I did what Annie described to make a grilled cheese. tee hee

 

[AnnieBee]

I agree with the others--it's her. She needs to turn the heat down.

I have never burned anything in any Exec Cookware. Well, except when I did what Annie described to make a grilled cheese. tee hee

So it's not just me... er, I mean my DH! LOL!

 

[jenniferlynne]

Thanks for all the replies. I emailed her and asked her what temp she cooks on and I haven't heard back from her. Hopefully I didn't offend her

If no one else is having problems with their cookware it's got to be something she is doing.

 

[letscook04]

If she is unhappy with it have her call HO and return it for another one.

 

[crystalscookingnow]

My first thought - um, the pot's not the one controlling the temp - the cook is! lol

i agree - I have this pot & hardly ever have anything even stick. If she's certain it's the pot, have her return it for another one & see that it's not the pot

 

[ChefNic]

If she is unhappy with it have her call HO and return it for another one.

that's exactly what I was going to say.
If she insists that she is doing nothing wrong, and she tries to turn the temp down a bit...AND she is willing to pay the return shipping on that monster...she has every right!

I have that pot too...LOVE IT!

 

[pcchefjane]

We have the 5-piece and 7-piece sets of the Exec! We have never burned anything in any of them except for the first time my DD used the 10" skillet to make pancakes. I share the story at my Shows how when she burned the pancake, she took it to the sink to "scrap out" and when she turned the skillet sideways, the pancake fell out...didn't stick...and was black on one side... She then took a paper towel, wiped out the skillet, reduced the heat, and put it back on the stove to cook the rest of the pancakes!

 

[jenniferlynne]

Well, here is the problem. I actually bought the pot myself when we could purchase it for half price when it was new. She was wanting it really badly, so I sold it to her for my cost since she was such a good customer and I really didn't think I would use it much. She would sometimes just out of the blue order $200 worth of stuff from me a couple of times a year. A very good customer. Well, lately she had become more annoying than anything. I hate to say that, but I will give her new books when they come out and a month later she tells me she needs more because she wants to take up orders and she lost her other ones. I will drive to her house and drop off more. Then she will call me and want me to come over so she can give me her order. Again I will drive to her house for orders and a check. She will tell me she is still waiting on one person to order so I will wait. Then I can never get her to place the order!! I will call her and call her and she won't answer or call me back. She has done this more than once. After a month or so, I just tear up the check. Then a few months later, it happens again. She calls me and tells me she needs books.

She asked me for more books about two weeks ago(even though I had already given her one), and I didn't make it a priority to take them to her because I have a million things going on right now. She emailed me yesterday asking if she could just stop by and get them on her way home (a great idea). Well, she never showed. She really used to not be that way. I don't know why she is now, but I am almost to the point that I don't even want her as a customer. She knows she is supposed to keep receipts and she never does and then wants me to send her stuff back for her.

So, now she is having problems with this pot that she got dirt cheap and she wants me to solve the problem. Problem is, the pot was ordered under my name and not her's, so I feel like I need to. We pretty much live paycheck to paycheck, and I just don't have the money to mail that gigantic thing back.

Sorry for venting.

 

[pcchefjane]

They may not have you send it back. I had two large bar pans break in the last 2 weeks and the "no" was under the "return block". It was the same way with the cookbook that was cut by the box cutter... Also on the 2 Small Batter Bowls I submitted last night. Still sounds more like a "operator problem" than a PC quality problem!

 

[janetupnorth]

Well, tell her since you gave it to her at cost, if she wants it replaced, she will have to ship it back just like a normal customer.Also, you need to set some firm guidelines. Tell her you have been advised (you can count us all) to run your business like a business. You have office hours, you have policies. I'd set one that only mini-catalogs will be handed out unless she is doing a catalog show. Then she gets "X" amount of catalogs. If the show isn't submitted by "X" date, she owes you the catalogs back or Y amount to pay for them....and NO MORE FAVORS!!!! ...just say you cannot do it. You can no longer afford to give your commission away and do this for free.You'll find other better customers if she does leave.