Walk into the kitchen department of any department store and what do you get? Rows and rows of gleaming pots and pans in every conceivable color, size, weight and heat resistant material. No wonder people get confused.
Let's get rid of the confusion right away - in the main, use stainless steel.
No ifs, no buts, no 'but I read somewhere that......'
Use stainless steel and here's why:
* It cleans easily
* It will last forever, just about
* It's relatively inexpensive
* It's hygienic
* It cools down quickly. No, this is NOT a negative point. If you've ever burnt your hand on a copper or cast-iron pot ages after it came out of the oven you'll appreciate this feature
* It will stand up to any amount of rough handling
* It's virtually non-stick
In fact, despite what I've read by cooking 'experts', I've yet to find a single downside to using stainless steel for ALL my kitchen implements; toaster and deep fat fryer included.
There's just one proviso. With any items that are going to be placed directly on the heat, such as saucepans, make sure that these have a heavy metal base, which will usually be made of aluminium.
I do cheat a bit, by the way. I have two enameled cast-iron stockpots and a copper pan that I wouldn't be without for the world. You'll have your favorite pots too as time goes by. But as I said, if in doubt, buy stainless steel.
The chances are that you already have the basic equipment. You may even have a fully equipped kitchen. If you haven't, don't worry about it.
What Do You Need?
Here's my best advice on pots, pans and anything else for that matter. Buy it when you need it.
Apply the same rules to the equipment you use as you would to the food you intend to cook with it.
Go into any domestic kitchen and you'll find cupboards full of cookware that never gets used and never will get used. But it's cost a whole heap of money which has simply been a waste.
You don't need special items for every dish. Most of my cooking is done in the same four pans, which consist of a roasting tin and rack, a large pot for pasta, a smaller one for rice, potatoes etc, and an even smaller one for sauces.
Oh, yes - and a skillet, of course, which is for browning, cooking eggs and passing things through the oven.
Incidentally, it's a good idea to make sure that ALL your pots are oven-proof, even those you only intend to use on top of the stove.
The day will come when you need to improvise. Maybe your favorite saucepan is the only thing you have which is the right size for your goats cheese soufflé. On that day you'll be glad you took this advice :0)
Now, here's a straight-forward, shoot-from-the-hip piece advice:
Do not buy a cast-iron skillet!
Unless, that is, you want to end up with arms like Bluto and you really like spending heaps of dough on something that isn't all that good at what it does anyway.
You see, most skillets in most kitchens are far too small, regardless of what they are made from.
The result is that food cooked in them is far too close together allowing water to remain in the pan and poach, instead of fry, the ingredients.
Your skillet needs to be a large one so that water is driven off the surface area as swiftly as possible. It also allows you to cook more items at the same time, which saves heat and energy - your energy!
Large skillets made of cast-iron are not only extremely heavy, they cost a small fortune and are difficult and unwieldy to use.
They also tend to develop a hot spot, caused by an impurity in the casting process. This problem is not confined to less expensive models.
I have a well-known French brand that has just such a spot where food will stick and burn while remaining uncooked in other areas.
Save your money. Buy stainless or, if you prefer, non-stick.
Non-stick skillets do not need to be expensive, they are easy to use and they can be replaced cheaply if the Teflon wears off.
Non-stick is ideal for skillets because you don't need to use metal implements in them and you can easily agitate food to drive of the steam simply by shaking them. Because of this, they are perfect for pancakes, omelets and other egg-based mixtures.
I strongly suggest you avoid using non-stick for your other pans.
Why? Because when you're working quickly the last thing you want to worry about is whether or not you can use a metal whisk, fork or spoon in the pan you are using.
Little things like that can make a huge difference to your cooking enjoyment, as well as your bank balance!
One other point about using non-stick kitchenware; be very cautious using it at all if you have pet birds. For an explanation of this statement see my article on The Teflon Debate
