Do you cook often? If so, then you’re going to need cookware! This cookware guide will help with that. We’ll show the different types of cookware available and how they work best for different cooking methods. You’ll also find some tips on how to maintain and store your pots and pans for a long life of use! Let’s get started.
Why pans are important for chefs
In the kitchen, pots and pans are only behind kitchen knives in terms of importance. This is because pans are used for frying, cooking, boiling and stewing, and even roasting and grilling too. They come in all different shapes and sizes called ‘sizes’ or ‘types’. This means that unless you’re microwaving something or doing certain types of baking, there is a 99% chance you’re going to be using a pan when you’re in the kitchen.
Why do you need good quality pans
If you cook often, it’s important to have good quality cookware. Why?
Well firstly because cheaper cookware is not going to last as long or cook food properly. It can also be dangerous if the handles are flimsy and break off when you pick them up! We all know accidents happen in the kitchen – but this will take it up a notch.
Secondly, cookware affects the taste of your food! If you cook with cheap cookware or if your cookware is old and damaged then you’re going to end up with horrible tasting food that looks completely different from what was advertised on TV. It can even affect how nutritious it is too – think about all those vitamins and antioxidants that cookout of your meal because you used a cheap pot to cook it in! Quality pans can make all the difference.
Cleaning and maintaining your pots and pans
Now let’s talk about how you can take care of your cookware. How you maintain your pans depends on the materials they are made of. Let’s look at how to clean and maintain three of the most common materials used to make pots and pans.
Stainless steel pots and pans
For stainless steel cookware, this is actually one of the easiest cookware to maintain and store. Cleaning is simple – just use warm soapy water and a soft sponge. Be sure to dry it fully after washing, as this cookware can rust if left wet for too long.
Stainless steel cookware is very durable – the only downside of these types of pans is that they may not be suitable for cooking acidic foods like tomatoes or vinegar because over time it can start to eat away at the cookware.
Non-stick pots and pans
For non-stick pans , you need to be extra careful when cleaning these. Many of them are dishwasher safe, but if your cookware is not then only use a soft sponge or cloth and warm soapy water – no harsh scourers! If you do cook with oil or butter in your cookware, leave it to cool for a while before cleaning. If you have burnt on food then use an abrasive scourer or baking soda if needed – but avoid this as it’ll likely scrape the non-stick coating off too!
Cast iron pots and pans
For cast iron cookware, you need to be more careful. You have to season your cookware before using it. This just means coating the cookware in oil and baking it to seal the cookware – this ensures that food doesn’t stick to your cookware, which is good for both cleaning and taste! This means that you shouldn’t use any soap or detergent as it’ll strip off the cookware’s seasoning. It is important to dry your cookware properly after washing, as this cookware can rust if left wet for too long.
The different types of cookware
Now let’s go through some of the main pots and pans you’ll use in the kitchen.
Saucepan
A saucepan is a small but deep pan that has straight or slightly sloping sides. The depth of the pan helps to retain heat, but it also means you can cook smaller amounts too!
Stockpot
A stockpot is a large pan used for making stocks and soups. It is like a much larger version of the saucepan and is not something you’ll cook with on a daily basis, but good to have if needed!
Frying pan (skillet)
You might already own one of these – or more likely several different types of the frying pan! The main difference between them is the size and the material they are made of. Skillets are used for frying and searing meat, fish, or vegetables.
Sauté pan (sauté pan)
A sauté pan can be much like your skillet but it has slightly sloping sides too – making them great for sautéing mixed vegetables and meats. This is a great pan also for making fried rice dishes and for mixing pastas into your homemade sauces.
Wok
A wok is a round-bottomed pan that has high sloping sides. They are great for stir-frying meats and vegetables as they retain heat well, cook quickly, and can be used with pretty much any type of fuel too!
Roasting pan
A roasting pan is a large, deep tray that can handle high temperatures and cook larger amounts of food – perfect for cooking your Sunday roast dinner or baking chicken in the oven. You might not cook with them too regularly but they’re worth having if you cook larger portions of meat.
Griddle pan
A griddle pan is large, flat cookware that can be used to cook meat and vegetables. They can be flat but often come with raised parallel ridges for creating those perfect sear marks on your steaks and fillets.
Pressure cooker
A pressure cooker is a pan that has a lid and uses steam to cook food quickly. They are great if you want to cook meat or vegetables in less time, but they also cook your dishes more intensely too – so be careful when using them!
Conclusion
If you cook often, there are a lot of different types of cookware that can help make your life easier. The cookware guide we provided should be helpful in describing the various pans and pots available on the market today as well as some tips for how to care for them properly. We hope you’ve found this post helpful and look forward to helping you again in the future.
