Buying Guide

When it comes to buying a cooking pan, there are lots of different options. Perhaps a matched set of cookware, or maybe a set of different styles that can lead to exactly the right one being available on every occasion..

Possible materials include:

Aluminium cooking pans: Aluminum makes for a a versatile pan that can be used for many things. It will require steel wool applied with elbow grease to ensure it keeps shining, but it looks great when clean. A good one will also allow the heat to be distributed evenly, making aluminium a great choice for sautéing or frying.

A Stainless Steel cooking pan: Stainless steel pans are very simple to keep looking good with stainless steel cleaner. It is always best to get stainless steel pans with aluminium, copper, or laminated steel bottoms. You will also find pans that have aluminium on the bottom and sides, that give an even heat distribution. Stainless steel is the material for multi purpose pans.

Teflon cooking pans: Teflon is a non stick material that is applied to many different pans. They have the advantage that less oil is used in frying because of the coating. And cleaning them is also very easy because foods don’t stick to them. Cooking eggs in a Teflon pan is a particularly easy job as they slide off of the pan and onto your plate without spoiling the egg. However if you use a metal utensil to stir your food you are in danger of scraping off the surface causing the it to lose its non stick properties. Plastic or wooden utensils should be used. If they do get damaged, its not the end of the world as they are relatively inexpensive.

Cast Iron cooking pans: The traditional choice thats regained its popularity over the last few tears. Cast iron must be seasoned before its first use by spreading melted fat all over its inside and keeping it in a warm oven for several hours. It is imprtant not to use detergent when washing a cast iron pan, only a mild soap. They then neede to be dried thoroughly to avoid any rust.

Copper cooking pans: A Copper cooking pan looks great. However they are not easy to keep clean and distribute heat poorly. Beating egg whites does work well in a copper pan - they tend to retain more air and be lighter.