If you have "liked" this page you are probably a fan of either food or cooking and probably both. That being said this article is about pots and pans and which are the best for your cooking style and needs.
First things first. I am not a huge fan of non-stick pans. That is not to say that I don't own some, nor is that to say that I don't find value in them. However, I do believe that they have some hidden toxic dangers that we are not all fully aware of. So instead of me revealing my inner conspiracy theologist I'll let it rest at that.
So, pots and pans - Where shall we begin? Let's start at budget since that is the biggest bottleneck for filling our kitchen with the finest in groovy gourmet gadgets. To be direct, stay away from the Emeril's, Wolfgang Puck and Rachel Ray 14 piece sets (or how many ever pieces that can fit into those boxes).
It is better to determine what you will need instead of ending up with 3 pans that you will use and 6 that you won't. Sure, they look nice and shiny and filling your cabinets with a matching set is cool but they are taking up valuable space that could better be used by more functional hardware.
Instead take a moment to think about WHAT you cook before thinking about what to buy to cook it with. Do you like to make soups? What about making an egg in the morning or pancakes or fried chicken, or blackened grouper. The point is, that most of these can be prepared in a 10 or 13 inch skillet. The soups can be made in a 2 1/2qt stock pot, unless you are cooking for a crowd and then a 8 qt pot will do nicely.
What I'm getting at is that most kitchens will do quite well with the following pieces of cookware.
2 - 10in Sautee Pans
1 - 13in Sautee Pan
2 - 2 1/2qt Stock Pots w/ Lids
1 - 8qt Stock Pot w/ Lid
1 - 8 inch Iron Skillet
1 - Dutch Oven
2 - 1/2 Sheet Pan Cookie Sheets
A good iron skillet can be found at a decent yard sale for just a few bucks and chances are that it's already seasoned for you. They are best for fried foods like chicken, fish and pork chops. It's also great to "blacken" any nice cut of fish. However, if you do a lot of blacked fish, you may want to dedicate a pan just for that purpose.
A Dutch Oven is a must have and can be found at any of the "big box" stores for anywhere from $20 - $90. While not all Dutch Ovens are created equally they will all, more or less, get the job done. Use your Dutch Oven for things like Roasted Chicken and Vegetables, or a Pot Roast (They were cooked in Dutch Ovens long before the advent of crock pots).
That brings us back to pots and pans. Now, you can go Hollywood on us and get the All-Clad: Copper Core line and spend thousands on these few pans. Understanding that your kids will be fighting over them if you have not named a beneficiary for them in your will. Or you can go a little more reasonable and leave something other than cook ware for their inheritance. Calphalon's Try -Ply line is a great option. It's a mix of stainless steel and aluminum, it holds up very well to all sorts of cooking and cooking styles. These pans distribute heat nice and evenly and have the same thickness throughout the entire pan. That means that you will not get that burnt edge around the walls of your pan when you are trying to get it nice and hot for braising. If you watch your local department store flyers you catch these on sale for some remarkable savings.
For example, I had been eyeballing the 2 1/2qt stock pots for some time. A local dpt. Store put them on sale. Originally each pan was $108.00 I got them for $36.30 each. I purchased 2 of them as well as 2 10 inch fry pans. I spent about $145.00 on 4 pans and two lids or I could have spent $400.00 ($800 regular price) on a set of 12 pieces (including lids), half of which would never get used.
As it stands, these will last me for years to come and they can cook anything that I will ever make in my home kitchen.
I am still waiting on the 8qt stock pot and the 13in skillet to go on sale and when they do I'll get them too. I've already got a Dutch Oven and an Iron Skillet. So even if I spend $150.00 on these two pans I'm still looking at less than $300.00 for an outstanding set that will last for 10 or 15 years. So, if I were to have gotten the Emeril's 14 piece package deal I'd be paying about $159.00 for far less quality and more pans that will do nothing more than take up space and need replacing in two years.
So, at the end of the day, keep it simple and remember, buy smarter not harder...
Chef Pat @ CFL
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