About Pots and Pans
Pots and pans are essential for almost all cooking tasks, whether you're roasting a chicken, boiling pasta, or frying eggs. Several materials and methods of construction are used to make pots and pans, which can range in price from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types
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Pots and pans come in dozens of styles, most of which are named for the task they are intended to perform. Some of the most common styles include frying pans, roasting pans, baking pans, saute pans, sauce pans and stock pots. Frying and saute pans can generally be used interchangeably to shallow-fry, saute, stir-fry and sear. Roasting and baking pans are designed for oven use, but a few are safe to use on a cook top. Stock pots can be used to boil pasta, make soups and stews, and for steaming. Sauce pans are mainly used for making sauces, but are also useful when making rice and steaming or boiling small quantities of vegetables.
Materials
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Pots and pans are available in several different materials, each of which has different properties. Stainless steel is durable and resistant to staining, but food tends to stick easily to the surface. Anodized aluminum heats more evenly than most other materials, but stains easily and can be expensive. Non-stick coated pans reduce food sticking, but the material may release harmful fumes if heated to excessive temperatures. Cast iron is sturdy and heats evenly, but cannot be thoroughly washed and tends to flake.
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Construction
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Inexpensive pots and pans are usually made from thin aluminum or stainless steel, which can heat unevenly and create hot spots. Higher quality pots and pans are usually much heavier, and may be made from a single material or layers of different metals. Layered metal pans usually have copper or aluminum on the bottom and center layers, with a stainless steel cooking surface. This allows food to heat evenly while preventing staining.
Features
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Many pots and pans offer additional features that improve their usefulness or safety. Cool-touch handles can prevent accidental burns, but the handles are usually made from plastic and are easily damaged. Pots and pans that include lids are more useful, especially if the lids include adjustable steam vents. Lids with steam vents allow the cook more control over how much liquid evaporates from food that is cooking, and can speed up cooking by trapping steam inside. Oven-safe pots are particularly useful for roasting meats. The meat can be seared on the stove top, and then moved into the oven to finish cooking without transferring it to a roasting pan.
Maintenance
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Maintenance and cleaning methods for pots and pans depends mostly on material. Very few pots and pans are truly dishwasher safe; most must be hand-washed without excessive scrubbing. To prevent rust, cast iron should be wiped with a cloth rather than washed with soap and water. Check the care instructions included with your pots and pans to prevent damage from improper cleaning.
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