Such as saucepans and frying pans, intended for use on a stove or range cooktop.
Cookware are food preparation containers, commonly found in a kitchen. Cookware comprises cooking vessels, such as saucepans and frying pans, intended for use on a stove or range cooktop.
Cookware is the range of pans and pots which are used in cooking. Pots generally refer to high, straight-sided cookware that will often contain larger quantities of items. Pans may refer to frying pans, cake pans or many other different types of kitchen cookware that have lower depth sides and a variety of shapes and sizes.
How to choose and buy cookware for your kitchen can be challenging. The number of cookware brands seems to be growing every day and the range of pots and pans is enormous with materials varying from stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium and copper. Confusing the issue even more is the clad style cookware range which is cookware made up of two or more different metals.
So with all this in mind how do you eventually decide on the right type of cookware whilst keeping within your budget? The answer is to know exactly what you want before you buy. In a nutshell this means that you need to know enough about cookware to enable you to make an informed decision.
Below is what you should consider when buying cookware:
- Heat conductivity - Some metals are better heat conductors than others. For instance, copper is a particularly good heat conductor whereas stainless steel is not. What this means in terms of cookware is that the better the heat conductivity the better and the more evenly your food will cook. It also means that when you turn the heat up or down the copper cookware will react a lot quicker to the temperature change than stainless steel cookware.
- Price - The amount you pay for your cookware will most likely be a determining factor in what you end up buying. The rule of thumb with cookware is to buy the best you can afford.
- Durability - Some types of cookware will maintain their good looks and last longer than others. Stainless steel is considered to be one of the best in this respect.
- Reactivity - Some metals react with certain foods. Aluminium for instance has a tendency to react with tomato and other acidic dishes. This means that your food can actually absorb some of the metal, so take care with your cookware choices and ensure that you are aware of the reactivity of each product.
- Maintenance - If you would prefer to not to have to shine your cookware every night just to keep it looking good then you will need to consider the amount of maintenance required to keep it in tip-top shape. Copper and cast iron cookware generally require quite a bit of work to keep it looking pristine.