Pans

If you want to be a good cook or even be able to fix the occasional meal, you will definitely need an assortment of pans (unless you plan on doing all your cooking via the microwave).

Why do you need an assortment of pans? One reason is that not all pans are actually made of the same thing. Each pan may be made out of a different metal. Some metals are stronger than others, some heats up quicker, can withstand heat longer, can withstand more powerful heat. These all are some reasons why you need an assortment of pans made of different metals.

When choosing a pan, you should take in account of its metal. Here is a brief listing of the common metals that used to make pans and the benefits of each.

ALUMINUM

Aluminum is the most popular metal for pans. It is also generally inexpensive. It is known to evenly spread heat, which makes cooking easier. Plus, it is dishwasher safe. It is however easy to stained. Therefore, many people choose to buy aluminum pans that also have a nonstick interior to help keep the staining at bay.

CARBON STEEL

Pans made of carbon steel can be quite pricey. Mostly, this type of metal is made to make Woks or stir frying types pans. They do maintain temperatures well.

CAST IRON

cast Iron pans and pots are the heaviest and the best heavy duty pans you can buy. They heat up slowly which makes them great for browning, drying, slow cooking and even baking.

CERAMIC

ceramic pans are also great for cooking foods slowly and at constant temperatures. They are lighter in weight than cast iron pans. Yet, they are fragile and can break fairly easily. Ceramic pans comes in three different varieties: Porcelain, earthenware and serve ware. Porcelain are the strongest type of ceramic pans. They can be used in microwaves, in the oven and on the stove. Earthenware has to be used with care because it is known to chip easily. Finally, there is the serve ware which is used for decorative purposes.

You should take in consideration the advantages and disadvantages of each metal when shopping for any type of pan.

As for the types of pans, a normal household may need here are the most common:

BRAISER/CASSEROLE PAN

This pan is perfect for everyday use and oven use. It has small handles for easy handling.

FRYING PAN/SKILLET

This type of pan is perfect for frying eggs, meats or even potatoes. Sometimes it will also come with a lid.

SAUCEPAN

A saucepan is perfect for preparing pastas, sauces, reheating leftovers, etc. These come in different sizes. Most households will want at least two of these in different sizes.

SOUP/STOCKPOTS

A soup pan is used to create chili, soups, stews or even to cook lobster. These pans are usually quite large in size and will make servings for several people.

Now if you wish to do more than common cooking or if you want to try your hand on difficult recipes or learn to become a more sophisticated chef, you may also want these pans on hand:

CHEF PAN

This pan is perfect for those dishes that needs a lot of whisking or stirring. They generally also come with a lid.

PASTA PAN

The pasta pan looks just like a sauce pan, except it has an added insert inside of it. This insert allows you to easily remove any noodles, etc from the water without using a colander. The pasta pan can also be used to blanched vegetables more easily.

DOUBLE BROILER

The double broiler is actually two pans in one, one pan smaller than the other pan. It is used for making sauces or even chocolate. The smaller pan sits in the larger pan (which is filled with water).

The double broiler is used to help keep foods from scorching.

EGG POACHER

The egg poacher is great for egg lovers. It looks like an ordinary pan, except it has removable cups where the eggs sit. These cups helps keep the eggs from loosing their shape.

GRIDDLE

Griddles come in many different shapes: square, round and rectangular. They are primariarly used for cooking toast, eggs, pancakes, bacon, etc.

PRESSURE COOKERS

Pressure cookers allows a cook to cook foods at higher temperature at a shorter length of time. It is also a more healthy way to cook because the pressure inside of the pan keeps many nutritonal values from being cooked away as they are in normal pans.

As you can see there are a number of different pans you can buy. How do you decide what are the best for you? Start with what you need. Then look at what you can spend. Sort your choices out and then you should slowly begin building the perfect pan collection for your home.