Most people neglect the importance of using the right type of cookware when preparing meals. However, people who are serious about cooking know that the meal is only as perfect as how it is prepared and that boils down to the cook and the cookware. It is therefore important to stress that it takes effort and attention to find the best cookware for your cooking needs.
Here is a breakdown of what to should consider when buying cookware:
- Quality: One needs to consider the quality of cookware.
- Cooking Frequency: If you cook frequently, you should consider purchasing a set that comes with several pots and pans; as the repetitive cooking could easily wear your pan out faster if you multitask or overuse it.
- Ease of Maintenance: For the lazy cooks who prefer not to wash their pans and pots after every meal, the nonstick is a must have. Some pans are easy to clean with an ordinary scorch and soap while others require more specialized cleaning with scratchers etc
- Nature of the ware: Some pots or pans are better suited to prepare certain meals than others hence one should pick the best cookware for their intended use. For instance, grill pans might be great for steaks but would be a poor candidate for boiling eggs.
- Price: Consider buying the right cookware as a long term investment for your health. You may want to break your budget just a little, but it will be worth it.
- Material: You might find this hard to believe, but, some materials are known to be notorious for cookware; for instance Aluminium is known to react with some acidic dishes. It is therefore important to find out how healthy cooking with cookware of a specific material is when you are choosing your next set of cookware.
Now that you know what you need to look for there’s some sad news, it can get really tiring trying to scower the markets for something that fits all the criteria above, one that is aesthetically pleasing and fits within your budget. We know this is a hussle, so we have put together excellent reviews to help you find the best cookware for your intended use, great kitchen care advice including how to avoid common kitchen hazards and so much more.
That’s not all if you join our mailing list, we will send you the best discounts and offers right in your email to help you save on your cookware purchases.
To get you started, here is a compilation of some of the essential cookware you really need to consider for your kitchen to whip up those gourmet dishes.
Common types of Cookware to have in your Kitchen
Saucepan
The Sauce Pan is usually a rounded rounded bottom, tall pan with straight sides. This makes them very versatile and can be used when used for boiling, stewing and making sauces and soups. It is also ideal for warming food and preparing grains. Sauce pans can be used with or without a lid to control evaporation making them great for both open and closed cooking setting.
Saute Pan
A sauté pan, is from the French verb meaning “to jump” (sauter) i.e. meant for sautéing, which translates into being able to fry food while moving it around quickly in the pan, all while covered with a lid. Sauté pans are similar to fry pans when it comes to the design, they too have a wide flat bottom, and relatively tall, vertical sides. Sauté pans have straight sides as opposed to frying pans that instead of having rounded sides. Seeing as they are deeper than a fry pan, sauté pans can be used for multiple purposes including deep-frying, searing, and preparing certain sauces such as marinara in addition to sautéing.
Roasting Pan
A roasting pan is a piece of cookware used for roasting food in an oven, either with or without vegetables or other ingredients. It may be used with a rack within the pan to let the meat to sit above the fat and juice drippings. It’s best used for cooking in the dry heat of the oven at relatively high temperatures. This is an essential pan for roasting turkeys, chickens, and other roasts.
Dutch Oven
The Dutch Oven, also called casserole dish, is a large thick-walled cooking pot vessel designed for slow-cooking generous volumes of stews, braised meats or pot roast. Dutch Ovens are usually round in shape and are usually made of seasoned cast iron, however some Dutch ovens are instead made of cast aluminium, or are ceramic. Dutch ovens tend to be heavy in weight and can be used both on the stove and in the oven. Most Dutch Ovens have a pair of short handles, in order to make lifting safe and easy. Dutch Ovens come in a variety of colors which add a splash of color to any cookware set.
French Oven
The French Oven is very similar to a Dutch Oven; however the main differences are that they can be either round or oval, and are made from a range of different materials and are usually enameled. French ovens are perfect for cooking a variety of dishes, which include beef, pork, roasts, briskets, and poultry. French Ovens, like Dutch Ovens, also come in a variety of colors.
Electric Quesadilla Maker
Plate grill / Panini press
Plate grill / Panini press
A countertop grill that is used to make a small Italian sandwich, the panini. The Grill contains top and bottom ridged heat plates that press and grill the bread in one operation. This feature produces a golden, crispy crust on both sides of the sandwich without requiring the sandwich be flipped to grill the other side.
Stock Pot
Stock Pot
Steam Baskets
Steam Baskets
Instant Pot
Instant Pot is an intelligent multi-cooker, with multiple sensors and a micro-processor that monitor the unit’s temperature and amount of pressure. The Instant pot combines the cooking specialty of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker/porridge maker, sauté/browning pan, steamer, yogurt maker and stockpot warmer. This is achieved through its programmable interface where you can set the cooking conditions. Meals are also cooked faster with less energy while preserving more nutrients.
Wok
A Wok is a large, oriental, round-bottomed cooking pan, popular as an all-purpose Asian pan. Woks have high, sloping sides, and are traditionally 14 inches in diameter and made of carbon steel. These pans have a hot cooking surface on the bottom, while being cooler up the sides. They are largely used for deep frying and stir-frying.
Fry Pan / Skillet
Cast Iron Skillet
Cast Iron Griddle
A griddle is a cooking device consisting of a broad flat surface heated underneath by gas, electricity, wood, or coal, with both residential and commercial applications. Food is cooked directly on a griddle. A griddle is good for cooking many types of food, such as bacon and pancakes etc.
Cheese cake pan
A round pan used to bake cakes and other pastries and are usually made of Aluminium material. The dough is placed on the pan before it goes into the oven.
