Choosing Pots And Pans

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Introduction

So your housemate has moved out and taken the pans that you used to use with him, or you're fed up of your cheap budget pots and pans that never seem to cook properly. You're in the market for new pots and pans, but you don't have a clue which is which, what is better than what, which brands to go for, where to get them. Well, first of all, we have to know what types of pans are avaliable for us.

Types of Pots & Pans

Okay, with pans, you generally tend to have metallic pans and metallic composite pans. The metallic ones, are ones which are purely made out of metal (usually the handles can be made out of plastic), whereas the others are composite or coated.

The ones you'll most likely come across will be:

• Aluminium
• Cast Iron
• Stainless Steel
• Copper
• Carbon Steel
• All Clad
• Non-stick

So, without further ado, lets get going~

Aluminium

These usually tend to be the cheapest. They have good heat conductivity, and don't rust, nor corrode easily.

Usually with Aluminium pans, you're looking for Anodized Aluminium. This is because Aluminium can react with acidic or alkaline foods and tarnish the taste. With Anodized Aluminium pans, there is a coating which stops this happening. The only bad thing is that this coating is pretty sensitive, so be careful when washing it. You should gently handwash it as opposed to throwing it in the dishwasher.

Cast Iron

These are those heavy pans you've most likely seen and picked up and swung about and then knocked everything over and got sent out of the shop. Due to their heavy weight, they take a while to warm up, once they're warm, they hold the heat very well. They tend to be around the cheap level of Aluminium pans, but a bit more expensive. They're useful for slow cooking and frying.

However, they tend to rust, corrode, tarnish, become damaged etc. quite easily. Don't wash it with soap and water, just run a damp paper towel over it to get off any bits of food, and then season it. Eventually you'll build up that wonderful layer of burnt oil and carbon that is better than any artificial non-stick surface.

Stainless Steel

These tend to be my favourite. These pans are, as the name implies, made out of Stainless Steel. Stianless Steel doesn't rust, and you can go at it with the scouring pad all you like. They tend to