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To educate yourself and decide which brands are best for you, collect the maufacturers' brochures available in cookware departments. These will highlight special features and explain what the pans are made of, how they are made, how they perform and how to care for them. (Check that the manufacturers' care instructions suit your lifestyle and needs: For example, if you loathe polishing silver, you probably shouldn't get copper pans.) It is essential that the equipment you purchase be heavy enough to sit securely on a burner without tipping, yet not so heavy that it is a burden to lift. It's also helpful to select cookware with handles that stay cool when in use on the stove and that are ovenproof. The following are some of the materials you can choose from:
Copper, preferred by many professional chefs, is an excellent heat conductor. It should be lined with tin or stainless steel to keep it from reacting with the foods cooked in it. However, high-quality pieces are expensive and heavy. They also require frequent polishing and, eventually, retinning.
Aluminum, like copper, is valued for its ability to conduct heat efficiently. Because it may react with acidic food (i.e., tomatoes) and scratches easily, it is usually combined with other materials, such as stainless steel, or treated (in a process called hard anodization) to prevent it from reacting and to make it easier to maintain. (When aluminum is combined with other materials, it is either sandwiched between layers of the material or placed as a disk on the bottom of the pan.)
Stainless steel is lightweight and easy to care for but conducts heat poorly. Therefore, this metal is often combined with aluminum or copper as described above. Top-of-the-line stainless-steel pans will have heavy bottoms, yet the pans will remain light.
Cast iron has been used by cooks for hundreds of years. This tried-and-true cookware retains heat efficiently, making it suitable for dishes such as stews that need long, slow cooking or for chicken or bacon, which need to be browned well. Cast iron must be seasoned before it is used. (This procedure involves rubbing the pan lightly with shortening and "baking" it in a moderate oven for about 1 hour.) Once seasoned, the pan will have a natural non-stick finish. If the pan isn't seasoned or if the seasoning is removed, cast iron will react with foods such as dried beans, and it may absorb the flavors of the foods cooked in it. Enameled cast iron, available in a variety of colors and styles, does not need to be seasoned, as it has a porcelain enamel coating to keep it from reacting with foods. We find that enameled cast iron doesn't brown foods quite as will as regular cast iron.
Non-stick surfaces are applied to pots, pans and skillets. These wares are popular as they are easy to clean and require little fat when cooking. They vary greatly in quality, and all non-stick cookware needs to be replaced eventually. When choosing non-stick pieces, select high-quality ones with hard surfaces that will resist scratches and damage from high heat.
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10" - 12" Nonstick Skillets
This is my most used piece of cookware. It's perfect for meats, eggs, potatoes, onion and pepper – anything you sauté that sticks. You can quickly cook what you need to and it cleans up in a snap. The key is not to skimp on quality.
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12" Sauté Pan
Sauté pans have higher and more squared-off walls than skillets. They're great for pan-fried anything: chicken, steak, fish, you name it. With the cover, you can brown or braise meat, vegetables, even fruit with no fuss whatsoever. I swear by the All-Clad® 3 qt. (regular or nonstick).
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12" Skillet Grill
The perfect barbecue replacement for quick, low fat grilling on your stove top. It’s just like a skillet, but with heavy ribs crossing the bottom that lift meats, fish, or veggies out of the fat. If you like to marinate, the drippings burn slightly when they hit the pan and infuse your food with a barbecue-like aroma - plus you get those grill-like markings.
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2 qt. Saucepan
The most used saucepan in the home kitchen. Reheat soups, hard boil eggs, or make sauces in just the right amount of space. Big enough to heat up corn or beans, small enough to fit in the cupboard.
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8 qt. Stockpot
This is essential for cooking pasta, soups, stock, stews and big batches of tomato sauce, anything in quantity. Even if you only cook for two, keep this handy. Stainless precludes any tainting of flavor.
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Roasting Pan
This is essential for Roasts, Lasagna, and Casseroles. Optional Racks are available and make roasting meats less fatty.
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