Pots and pans are the most important part of your cookware. There are many different types available for each specific cooking method or several different methods.
A pan/frying pan has a flat bottom with short sides that are flared or tapered, making it easier to toss and turn food with a spatula. The pan is usually made of a heat-sensitive material such as copper with a liner, stainless steel with a copper or aluminum core, anodized aluminum, or cast iron. A non-stick surface is also popular with such pans. They come in a variety of sizes and usually come with a cover.
A roasting pan is usually rectangular with low sides that allow the heat from the oven to expose the entire surface of the meat. A roasting pan is generally used with a rack to prevent the meat from sitting in its juices and stewing instead of browning. Pans are available in a variety of materials including stainless steel, non-stick aluminum, clay, and granite.
A pot is a round pot with tall straight sides and a flat bottom, it can be used for several purposes such as cooking soup, stewing vegetables, and making sauces. There are several styles for special purposes. A pot known as a Windsor has sides that flare out, and the other known as a saucer has sides that are rounded. So there are also different sizes and materials of saucepans. Most of them have a well-fitting cover.
A frying pan is a round, deep pan that may have straight sides with a slightly rounded bottom or, more commonly, a round bottom that slopes outward and upward. Handle sizes and lengths may vary depending on the cooking process. The heat is evenly distributed over the base, while the slanted sides make it easy to mix and turn ingredients.
A wok is a bowl version of a frying pan, best for cooking food quickly at a high temperature. It is available with a rounded or flat bottom. Some types of work have one long handle, some have two short handles, and others have a long handle on one side and a short handle on the opposite side. The materials used are carbon steel, cast iron, and metals with a non-stick coating.
A stockpot is a deep, tall, straight-sided pot with two large looped handles. It is used for cooking large quantities of liquids such as stock, soup, and stews, but also works well in thick soups, chili, and for cooking pasta. It sometimes comes with a pasta insert – made from a stainless steel perforated insert that fits inside the pot and acts as a colander to drain the pasta.
The grill pan is a heavy metal pan that consists of ridges spaced evenly across the bottom to accurately simulate the grilling process of cooking different types of meat and food. It can be shallow-sided or with deeper sides like a pan. Many grill pans are made of cast iron and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
A double boiler consists of two pans – one inside the other. The lower container contains the hot water and the upper container contains the ingredients to be cooked. It is generally used to make delicate sauces that tend to separate if cooked over direct heat. Double boilers can be made of stainless steel, enameled steel, glass, and aluminum.
A fondue pot is a type of cookware that consists of a pot with a heat source, such as a portable cooking fuel, or an electric heating element placed directly below the pot, which is used for the food preparation process known as fondue ("fondue" is a French term meaning "meltdown"). The heat source melts or fully heats the contents (usually cheese, chocolate, wine, or other ingredients) so that the food can be dipped into the pot and either cooked or encased in its contents and consumed as an appetizer or part of a meal.
You must be logged in to post a comment.