Things You'll Need:
- Money
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Step 1
Keep in mind that copper is a great heat conductor. It is usually fitted with nickel, aluminum or stainless steel. It is considered the best in cookware and preferred by most professional chefs. My personal preference is the steel fittings. The negative features are that they are expensive and heavy, and the copper will need to be polished. If you can only afford one copper pan make it a sauce pan. The evenness of the heat practically guarantees that you'll make professional and delectable sauces.
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Step 2
Know that aluminum is another efficient heat conductor. But it has disadvantages such as scratching and leaving a metallic taste in food. It's lightweight and can be easy on the pocket of someone just starting out. It will dent easily and the medical community has put aluminum cookware in the news. Recent research has questioned whether or not the aluminum contaminates our food. And ongoing studies have questioned the relationship between aluminum cookware and Alzheimers.
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Step 3
Understand that stainless steel is lightweight and durable but not a great heat conductor. To compensate the bottoms are usually reinforced with aluminum or copper. This makes a nice compromise on the high cost of copper or the health concerns of having an all aluminum pan. You'll find these to be reasonably priced and the even cooking steel can turn out a gourmet meal.
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Step 4
Keep in mind that cast iron is very durable and once it is properly seasoned it will perform better than any modern non-stick or Teflon pan. Cast iron will heat evenly and provide an excellent cooking surface. It's been around since the sixth century and many cast iron pans have been in families for generations. A good old cast skillet in well seasoned condition will be a shiny black color. It generally is not necessary to add butter or olive oil to an already seasoned pan. The best way to clean it is to let some hot water sit inside the pan and soak. Never use soap. Then rub the stuck food and if that does not work add a tbsp. or two of table salt to scrub the food particles off the pan. Then rinse and dry the pan immediately.
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Step 5
know that enamaled cookware has become very popular because of the variety of colors available to match your decor. There's a cast iron enamaled product on the market that does conduct heat well and evenly. The drawbacks are that they are very heavy, people think they clean up easier than cast iron (true) but they also chip. They are expensive and very heavy.
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Step 6
Be aware that non-stick pans are popular because they are easy to clean and can be used with little or no fat. But they scratch easily and there is question as to whether the Teflon coating contaminates our food. Because of this health concern, non-stick cookware is not recommended. Many couples will gravitate to non-stick because they think it is so much easier for clean up. This is not necessarily true.
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Step 7
Consider Titanium cookware. The base is cast aluminum, which conducts heat seven times faster than iron or steel. The titanium coating allows you to cook with little or no fat and is non-porous. The Titanium sauce pan cuts cooking time in half while evenly cooking the food. This is a great choice for those of you who don't want to add any additional fat to their meals.
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Step 8
Think about other factors before making your purchase. Make sure your handle is welded on to the pan rather than bolted on. Over time those bolts can loosen up and have the potential of causing a bad burn if it suddenly comes loose when you pick up the pan. Also know if you want to have handles that stay cool. Otherwise you need to realize that handles heat up and you need to use over mitts. And the last thing is to decide if you want to be able to take your pot from the top of the stove and be able to pop it right into the oven without the fear of damaging the material the pan is made of or in melting the handle.
