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Cooking Pans Buying Guide
Cooking is dear to everyone’s heart. Make sure that you buy the right pots and pans for you and your family. Selecting the right pieces can save money in the long run and help make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable.
There are many well-known manufacturers of cookware such as All Clad, Calphalon, and LeCreuset. There are also many unknown brands in the marketplace that are still quality cookware. You should think about how you do your cooking and your personal style and then decide on the type of cookware.
There are many different ways in which to purchase your cookware. Pots and pans can be purchased as a set, which may be ideal for a newly married couple or for someone moving out on their own. Typically this is cheaper than buying the pieces one at a time. Individual pieces can be bought separately which could be great to subsidize your set. This approach might be the best way to round out your cookware needs such as purchasing a Dutch Oven, a larger stockpot, or a heavy gauge sauté pan.
You may need to purchase additional pots and pan for cooking your specialties such as a special omelet pan, or a non-stick frying pan with a lid for cooking potstickers, a heavy stock pot for large batches of chili or soups, or a cast iron skillet for those dishes that move from the burner directly to the oven or broiler.
Before purchasing a pot or pan make sure that you know how you are going to use it. For instance, if you will need to transfer the pan from the burner to the oven, the handles and lid must be able to stand the heat of the oven. Some glass lids are made to handle 350 degree but not higher. Some handles are made out of materials that will melt in high heat.
When purchasing new cookware make sure you look at the materials that the pans are made out of. There are many different materials and almost all will be able to boil water but when cooking other things may cause a problem. For instance, when cooking things with tomatoes, wine or certain fruits, the acid can react with the interior of the pan. This can cause the food to taste “funny”. You should look for the interior of the pan to be non-reactive with the foods you plan to cook.
Many pans are made out of stainless steel, enamel and anodized aluminum. These kinds of materials will not react with foods. Plain aluminum can react with foods with a lot of acidity and can discolor and cause the food to taste differently.
There are many different sizes and shapes of pans available today. There are grill pans with ridges that cook foods as if they are grilled, allowing the fat to remain away from the food. There are small 2 and 3-cup saucepans allowing you to quickly melt butter or make a quick sauce. There are also special pans for egg poaching, double boilers, pasta pans, and even pans that allow you to cook asparagus standing upright.
Look for pans that are responsive. That is, a pan reacts quickly to changes such as lowering or raising the heat of a burner. A good pan will react to the reduction in heat in order to allow you to have better control of your cooking. This can be a real key when making complex sauces or cooking with spices.
For basic cooking like boiling or steaming, a responsive pan is not a necessity. To boil and steam you just need a basic pan. However, you may need to look at the size of the pan and whether or not you require a lid.
If you are trying to cook with less fat, then the non-stick pans may be right for you. Many of the non-stick pans today are made with materials that will not flake, but you must still be careful when cleaning non-stick pans as you could scratch the surface off of the pan. Make sure that you buy some plastic utensil to use with the non-stick surfaces.
Non-stick pans may not be the best choice if you need to deglaze and scrape up those tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Also, when cooking some sauces you need to be able to see the color change and a dark interior can make that difficult, so a shiny stainless steel pan may be the best choice for making sauces.
Cast iron skillets can be a great purchase. These pans have stood the test of time and although they are heavy, they are very functional and offer the possibility of moving from the stove directly into the over. Cast iron skillets also maintain their heat longer after removed from the oven. You just have to make sure that it is seasoned well, but most come with instructions for seasoning the pan.
Some essentials would be a quality stockpot and a heavy-duty sauté pan. These two are essential to almost any kitchen. Various sizes of saucepans and frying pans are needed for a well-stocked kitchen along with a double boiler, and a good solid roasting pan with a rack.
So, go on and start cooking your favorites. Consider the weight, the materials it is made of, and the size and shape of the pan you need, make your purchase and start cooking. Bon appetite!
Article By Karla Soule, June 2004.
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