Are your cupboards overflowing with pots and pans? Cut the clutter and keep it simple. You only need a few pieces to prepare an endless amount of recipes. Last week we talked about the different kinds of kitchen knives, what to use them for and how to keep them sharp!  Pots and pans are similar in that you only need a few quality pieces to make all kinds of delicious meals. Here is a list of pots and pans that every kitchen should be equipped with.

Kitchen Essentials: Pots & Pans

Non-Stick Skillet: A frying pan is a fairly common tool that many of you probably have already! Use it for eggs, fish, and other dishes that you don’t want to stick! … like these delicious Black Bean Quesadillas.

Metal Pan: Earlier in this month we wrote about using a metal skillet to bring out delicious flavours when cooking various proteins through browning the meat and deglazing the pan. Click here to refresh your memory on this technique!

Small Pot: This can be used for cooking rice, pasta, other grains and lentils or to create a sauce.

Stock Pot: A large pot is handy if you enjoy making homemade soups like this Harvest Vegetable Soup or risotto, my fav!

Large Baking Dish: These are deeper than baking sheets, making them more versatile. Use it to roast chicken or vegetables, or to make a baked dish like lasagna or eggplant parmesan.

How to Buy Quality Pots and Pans: The Best Materials for Cookware

If you are thinking about investing in some new pots or pans here are some important things to consider! Use these guidelines to help you pick a product that is right for your kitchen.

Heat Conductivity

Pans can be made from different types of metals; each of these different types has different heat conductivity. A metal that is a good heat conductor will cook food more evenly and heat up faster.

Durability

I for one know that I use my pots and pans every day to prepare food. That’s why its important to buy a product that can withstand the day to day wear and tear

Reactivity

Certain types of metal can react with food during cooking. Keep this in mind when shopping for pots/ pans and when preparing food.

Maintenance

I don’t think many of us have time these days to polish silver wear, let alone our pots and pans. Picking a product that is easy to clean makes every day cooking easy!

Here is a list of the different types of metals that pots and pans can be made from and the advantages and disadvantages to each so you can make an informed decision about which fits best with your cooking style.

	Stainless Steel	Cast Iron	Aluminum	Copper
Heat Conductivity	Don’t hold your breath because stainless steel will take a bit longer to heat up and doesn’t cook food as evenly.	These pans take longer to heat up as they are dense and heavy. However, once heated they can get very hot!	Aluminum is an excellent heat conductor.	Copper can handle the heat! This metal is a very good heat conductor.
Durability	These pans are tough- they can take a real beating.	This product is extremely durable, but also very heavy!	Be gentle with these pots and pans as they are easy to scratch and dent.	Hold up well to regular use.
Reactivity	Will not react with foods.	Can react with foods unless properly seasoned	Reacts with acidic foods such as tomato and lemon.	Reacts with acidic foods.
Maintenance	Clean up is fast and easy.	Needs to be seasoned with oil after use to prevent rusting	Clean up is fast and easy.	May take a bit of elbow grease to get these pans looking shinny new again

Notes:

• Stainless steel is often the metal of choice for home kitchens. If you are buying stainless steel products look for ones with an aluminum or copper core or coating on the bottom, this helps to improve their heat conductivity.
• Many top chefs use copper pots & pans because they are such a good heat conductor! However, these pans will cost a pretty penny and may not be needed for everyday home cooking.
• A great place to find inexpensive, but quality kitchen equipment is at restaurant supply stores. These stores sell kitchen supplies to high-end restaurants so you can be sure they will stand up to your home kitchen use!

 

Much love & good eating,

Stephanie