Basic Tools
For the true beginner!
It is time to set up your kitchen. Where do you start? The reality is that you only need a limited number of pans and pots. There is a broad range of materials and prices. In the most general of terms, buying a less expensive may mean you will need to replace it at some time in the future. Quality products rarely need to be replaced.
Frying pans are a good place to start.
Things to consider:
1. Size – You need to have them big enough to handle different amounts of ingredients. There are primarily three different sizes; 8″, 10″ and 12″. Eight inch has limitations to the quantities of ingredients you can use. Twelve inch is a big pan, and the only way I can get it into my dishwasher is to lay it on the top rack. Ten inches will work for the needs of one or two people.
2. Stick or Nonstick – While it may appear that nonstick is the winner, not so fast! I find nonstick to be useful in some instances, but they wear out every few years. I am fairly hard on pans, so I am resigned to purchasing new ones every few years. If properly cared for, a cast-iron pan may be safely used for generations.
3. Material – What they are made of makes a difference, to me. I wanted a pan that I could use to sear meat on the stove and then put it in the oven to finish. I have both stainless steel and cast iron. If you don’t mind the maintenance on cast iron, they are a great choice, inexpensive and they last a long time. I like stainless, it conducts heat well enough to sear meat, and if I burn something I can take a metal scraper to help get it off.
Summary
1. 10-inch frying pan of either cast iron or stainless steel
2. 10 nonstick frying pans do not use metal spatula or tools on nonstick cook wear.
Pots are similar.
When I was learning to cook, I may have burned a few meals. I learned if it was a sauce, I could gently scrape the bottom of the pot and if there was a layer of something stuck to the bottom, I could dump the sauce into another bowl or pot, clean the burnt residue from the pot and put the sauce back into the pot. If I disturbed the bottom layer too much, it ruined the whole pot.
My preference is stainless steel, they cost a little more up front, but you should never have to replace them.
Summary
1. Either a 1½ quart or a two-quart pot with lid. They are great for a can of soup or a can or two of vegetables.
2. A 7 or 8 quart with lid. This is good for pasta or making chicken stock.
3. A Dutch oven rounds out your needs. It gives you a second pot that can go on the stove or into the oven. My recommendation here is cast iron (La Crescent makes a coated cast iron that is easy to care for) or stainless steel.
Having put some thought into the value of stainless steel cookware I have decided, when my kids are ready, I will buy them a tri-ply set of cook wear. I have found prices for as little as $130 for a ten-piece set to $4,000 for a 30 piece set. The range is vast but if you buy the best you can and you will never have to replace it.
In the interest of full disclosure, I purchased a set of 18 stainless steel and added a couple of 8” and 10” nonstick pans. I also recently added a 12” nonstick which I was happy with until I tried to put it in the dishwasher. I also have a 12-quart pot I use to “cook large.” Plus some sundry pots that I picked up over the years. I don’t lack for tools.
© 2016 T.K.Frawley.