What is the reason behind any disaster of food due to your cookware?
Two essential characteristics of cookware are its high thermal conductivity and its non-chemical reaction with the ingredients to be cooked. Metal cookware has these essential properties and is known to be the most common form of cookware in the world. They are generally made from a narrow selection of metals. Most metals with good thermal conductivity are too reactive to be used in cooking food.
Therefore, it is important to choose the right type of metal for your cookware. The most common metals used in cookware are: Aluminum; Aluminum is a light metal with very good thermal conductivity. The main property of aluminum is that it does not rust and is resistant to various forms of corrosion. Being a soft metal, it is usually alloyed with magnesium, copper, or bronze to increase its strength. It is generally available in sheet metal, cast or anodized form. Rotated or embossed aluminum sheets are commonly used to make baking sheets, pie stands, pie pans, steamers, pasta pots, frying pans, etc. Cast aluminum is a thicker product than aluminum sheets and is suitable for saucepans, casseroles, heavy baking pans, etc. However, due to the fine pores created by the casting process, cast aluminum has a lower thermal conductivity than aluminum sheets. With anodized aluminum, on the other hand, the naturally occurring layer of aluminum oxide is thickened by the electrolytic process, creating a hard, non-reactive surface.
Copper; Copper is a metal with the unique property of not only heating uniformly, but also providing excellent thermal conductivity. Because of these advantages, copper cookware has found a prominent place in Western cuisine.
The best copper cookware is made of a thick layer of copper to ensure good thermal conductivity and a thin layer of tin to prevent the metal from reacting with acidic foods. However, they tend to be heavy and expensive and require occasional retaining. Copper cookware is now available in stainless steel instead of pewter coating. This will last much longer. They are best suited for high heat rapid cooking techniques.
Cast iron; Cast iron cookware is slow to heat, but once heated, it provides uniform heat. It is inexpensive and can withstand extremely high temperatures. As a reactive material, cast iron is known to react with strongly acidic foods. Cast iron is a porous material and must be seasoned before use. Cast iron cookware can be washed with soap, but do not soak it in water or leave it wet for extended periods of time.
Stainless Steel; Stainless Steel is an iron alloy containing at least 11.5% chromium. It is corrosion resistant and does not react with alkaline or acidic foods. However, stainless steel cookware is lightweight and less prone to scratches and dents. Stainless steel is generally accepted in the cookware industry, but its main drawback is its relatively low thermal conductivity. To overcome this, stainless steel cookware is generally made of copper or aluminum metal inserts on the base.
The most important characteristic that must be noted before you purchase any metallic cookware is its Thermal conductivity, that property made or even destroy the food you cook in it.
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