Beginners Guide to Pots and Pans
For the true beginner
It is time to set up your kitchen, where do you start? Please understand that the point here is that you only need a limited number of pans and pots. There is a broad range of material and prices. The less expensive may mean you will need to replace them more often. The lighter weight may not do all the jobs that you are about to learn, for example searing meat.
Summary, Frying Pans
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.
Summary, Pots
1. Either a 1 ½ quart or a two-quart pot with lid. 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.
How I got there:
Frying Pans
1. Size, you need to have them big enough to handle the ingredients, there are primarily three different sizes 8″, 10″ and 12″. Eight inch has limitations to the quantity of ingredients you can use. Twelve inches 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 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 nonstick pans every few years.
3. The material they are made of makes a difference, to me. I wanted a pan that I could sear meat on the stove then put it in the oven to finish it. I have both stainless steel and cast iron. Cast iron they are a great choice, inexpensive and they last a long time. You do have to take some time initially to understand how to take care of cast iron that said it is not difficult and if you are on a budget this is a good choice. 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.
or two people.
Pots
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 it 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. However, cast iron is another good choice here.
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. I do like the cool handle of some brands of cookware. Basically, that means when you use them the pan or pot gets hot, but not the handle.
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.