You’ve watched all my knife sharpening videos and knife skills videos and you’ve got everything prepared for cooking, right? Now it’s all a matter of finding the best vessel to cook everything in. So what type of cookware should you use? Well, it’s not as simple as grabbing the first pan you find in the cabinet...unless of course you only have one pan in your cabinet. There are so many types available these days: stainless steel, aluminum, copper, cast iron, non-stick (which the surface is comprised of...the primary make-up is one of the other metals), and many more. All of this can be confusing to the uninitiated, so what’s the best way to choose what you should have on hand?
What you’ll need in the way of cookware depends largely on what you use your cookware for and what it is that you plan on cooking most often. Eggs and pancakes, meat and vegetables, stews and stocks? Also consider the cook top you’re using. Gas? Induction? Electric? It makes a difference. Flat-bottomed pans are necessary for a smooth top range, and if you have induction burners, it won’t work with all types of metal. Still a little confused? It’s hard to blame you, so let’s break it down a bit more.
What you’ll need in the way of cookware depends largely on what you use your cookware for and what it is that you plan on cooking most often. Eggs and pancakes, meat and vegetables, stews and stocks? Also consider the cook top you’re using. Gas? Induction? Electric? It makes a difference. Flat-bottomed pans are necessary for a smooth top range, and if you have induction burners, it won’t work with all types of metal. Still a little confused? It’s hard to blame you, so let’s break it down a bit more.
We want to be able to cook everything without too much hassle. Of course, we also don’t want to buy cookware we’ll never use. It takes up a considerable amount of your kitchen storage space and there’s no need to have a 13-piece set if you only cook eggs for every meal (please don’t do this). However, a regular home cook will most likely use that 13-piece set in its entirety. Also consider the weight – something like cast iron is a great conductor of heat and is virtually indestructible, but it also weighs quite a bit. If you’re camping and want to toss chili on to a fire (literally on to it), you can do that with a cast iron pot or Dutch oven (pot with a lid). Let’s narrow this down further with some pros/cons/conclusions for each of the major types of cookware.
Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel
Pros: It’s great because it’s nonreactive, is extremely durable (the set I use has a lifetime warranty), is fairly easy to clean, and is washing machine safe (most of the nicer stuff).
Cons: Really the only major drawback is the distribution of heat is questionable unless you’ve got a layer at the bottom of the pan which contains aluminum or copper. That might cost a little more, but is well worth it for a set of cookware that will quite literally last you a lifetime.
Conclusion: This is the best option for everyday cooking, durability (lifetime warranty), and at a reasonable cost. It can handle acidic foods and is easy to clean/maintain. Get the variety with aluminum or copper on the bottom.
Non-Stick
Cons: Really the only major drawback is the distribution of heat is questionable unless you’ve got a layer at the bottom of the pan which contains aluminum or copper. That might cost a little more, but is well worth it for a set of cookware that will quite literally last you a lifetime.
Conclusion: This is the best option for everyday cooking, durability (lifetime warranty), and at a reasonable cost. It can handle acidic foods and is easy to clean/maintain. Get the variety with aluminum or copper on the bottom.
Non-Stick
Pros: You can cook things with little or no oil/fat (think eggs, pancakes, crepes, etc). Non-reactive and non-porous. Delicate foods such as fish/eggs will not stick to the pan.
Cons: Yes, the coatings on non-stick are potentially carcinogenic, ESPECIALLY if you try to cook things at a higher temperature (than about 400 Fahrenheit). You cannot put these in the oven like you can with stainless steel, as things tend to melt and the non-stick surface will peel off (which it will do with extensive wear anyhow...notice my non-stick in the picture for an example). You’ll likely have to replace these every 5-10 years, and that’s if you buy the high quality varieties. You cannot use metal utensils,as that will scratch the non-stick surface.
Conclusion: These have their place, but only use it for certain things such as eggs, pancakes, or delicate items such as fish that you’re planning on cooking at medium or lower temperatures. It's recommended to get one of the aluminum versions with the more environmentally friendly (the Teflon ones can actually create fumes that can kill birds) non-stick surface coating.
Cast Iron
Cons: Yes, the coatings on non-stick are potentially carcinogenic, ESPECIALLY if you try to cook things at a higher temperature (than about 400 Fahrenheit). You cannot put these in the oven like you can with stainless steel, as things tend to melt and the non-stick surface will peel off (which it will do with extensive wear anyhow...notice my non-stick in the picture for an example). You’ll likely have to replace these every 5-10 years, and that’s if you buy the high quality varieties. You cannot use metal utensils,as that will scratch the non-stick surface.
Conclusion: These have their place, but only use it for certain things such as eggs, pancakes, or delicate items such as fish that you’re planning on cooking at medium or lower temperatures. It's recommended to get one of the aluminum versions with the more environmentally friendly (the Teflon ones can actually create fumes that can kill birds) non-stick surface coating.
Cast Iron
Pros: Great for all kinds of cooking tasks and not too difficult to maintain. You can toss this in the fire, on a grill, or just about anywhere and it’s almost impossible for you to hurt/damage it. A well-seasoned cast iron creates an almost completely non-stick surface that is easy to clean and mostly non-reactive (unless you’re cooking something acidic for hours on end). Enameled Cast Iron is non-reactive and easier to clean, but expensive. Maintenance is pretty easy as you oil/season occasionally and the surface is porous, so avoid using soap. Water is fine as long as you wipe it out with a paper towel while the surface is still warm (water left on here will rust).
Cons: Slightly reactive, heavy, leaches iron (good for most people, but can be bad for people who are trying to avoid more iron in their diet).
Conclusion: Versatile (can use this for cooking anywhere), durable, and once it’s hot it produces an awesome sear. It's nice to have a Dutch oven (like the one in the picture above) around for multiple uses.
Anodized Aluminum
Pros: Great conductivity, lightweight, and very hard.
Cons: Usually has a non-stick coating. Most won’t work on an induction burner and are not dishwasher safe, although they clean up very easily so dishwasher isn’t typically necessary.
Conclusion: It’s basically impossible to find this without non-stick coating these days. Ease of cleaning apparently means more to people than the danger that non-stick fumes can present. But as far as non-sticks go, this is the best.
Copper
Pros: Great conductivity and even cooking.
Cons: It’s expensive, requires regular maintenance and polishing, it can cause grey streaks to form on eggs or other light-colored foods (copper is effectively leaching into your food), and it’s reactive...so acidic foods are likely to take on a metallic taste.
Conclusion: Don’t bother with this unless your sole purpose for it is to make candy. If you own a piece of cookware specifically for that purpose, we’ve probably got other issues we should discuss.
SUMMARY
Cons: Slightly reactive, heavy, leaches iron (good for most people, but can be bad for people who are trying to avoid more iron in their diet).
Conclusion: Versatile (can use this for cooking anywhere), durable, and once it’s hot it produces an awesome sear. It's nice to have a Dutch oven (like the one in the picture above) around for multiple uses.
Anodized Aluminum
Pros: Great conductivity, lightweight, and very hard.
Cons: Usually has a non-stick coating. Most won’t work on an induction burner and are not dishwasher safe, although they clean up very easily so dishwasher isn’t typically necessary.
Conclusion: It’s basically impossible to find this without non-stick coating these days. Ease of cleaning apparently means more to people than the danger that non-stick fumes can present. But as far as non-sticks go, this is the best.
Copper
Pros: Great conductivity and even cooking.
Cons: It’s expensive, requires regular maintenance and polishing, it can cause grey streaks to form on eggs or other light-colored foods (copper is effectively leaching into your food), and it’s reactive...so acidic foods are likely to take on a metallic taste.
Conclusion: Don’t bother with this unless your sole purpose for it is to make candy. If you own a piece of cookware specifically for that purpose, we’ve probably got other issues we should discuss.
SUMMARY
That’s a lot of explanation, but hopefully it helps you to better understand what each variety of cookware offers. So what do I recommend having in your cabinet if you’re a normal home cook? Exactly what I’ve got in my cabinets, which should allow you to cook just about anything your heart desires ( Please note that the following links in this post are to Amazon and anything (including non-cookware) that you purchase through these affiliate links will result in me being compensated with a small percentage):
1. MAIN SET -- Stainless Steel with Aluminum bottom for conductivity – I own this exact set and it’s got a lifetime warranty, is dishwasher safe, has great heat distribution, tempered lids, and it’s easy to clean (I’ll show you a video in a follow-up blog post about maintaining your cookware). The aluminum bottom will run you a few dollars more, but it’ll be worth it.
2. EGGS/PANCAKES/DELICATE FISH – A non-stick pan is what I use for these things, for the most part.
3. ADDITION – I highly recommend having a 5-6 quart Dutch oven for searing meat or for whatever requires some high heat searing action...and because you can transfer it from the grill to the fire to the oven to the stove top and it won’t do a thing to it.
Next time we'll talk about how to care for your cookware. Stainless steel, non-stick, and cast iron will be the focal points of that post.
1. MAIN SET -- Stainless Steel with Aluminum bottom for conductivity – I own this exact set and it’s got a lifetime warranty, is dishwasher safe, has great heat distribution, tempered lids, and it’s easy to clean (I’ll show you a video in a follow-up blog post about maintaining your cookware). The aluminum bottom will run you a few dollars more, but it’ll be worth it.
2. EGGS/PANCAKES/DELICATE FISH – A non-stick pan is what I use for these things, for the most part.
3. ADDITION – I highly recommend having a 5-6 quart Dutch oven for searing meat or for whatever requires some high heat searing action...and because you can transfer it from the grill to the fire to the oven to the stove top and it won’t do a thing to it.
Next time we'll talk about how to care for your cookware. Stainless steel, non-stick, and cast iron will be the focal points of that post.
RSS Feed