Cookware arguably carries equal weight as the food ingredients to whip up delicious meals for the dining table.
Most experienced cooks acknowledge that quality is more important than quantity of pots and pans you accumulate. Do you aspire to have a model well-stocked kitchen that you see on brochures or TV complete with a pot rack full of gleaming cookware in every shape and size? It is possible if money is no issue but the question you need to ask is whether all these are necessary. A smart home cook only needs to invest in a few essential high quality cookware. You don't need to buy a whole set unless it is a starter set for a new home or that the discount offered is too tempting to reject. The prices of superior range of branded cookware are usually not slashed by much compared to the normal series. So you need to scrutinise and ensure that you're getting your money's worth.
Skillets are low sided long handled pan for frying while a Saute pan has a higher rim. Choose two sizes (24 cm, 26 cm, 28 cm) of each if your budget permits or one smaller skillet and a larger saute pan would be sufficient for most cooking. Some recipes may require a skillet to be put in the oven, so you may want to purchase at least one pan with handles that can withstand the heat of baking or those with removable handles.
Saucepans usually come in three sizes (1-, 2-, and 3-quart). It would be handy to have a small for warming small quantities of soup and a medium one for family cooking. You won't need to many of them as the handles take up a lot of space.
Dutch oven or Kettle: This is a large heavy stock pot with a tight fitting lid. Dutch ovens are perfect for soups, stews, and braising meats. You could even store surplus in the freezer for subsequent meals.
Skillets are low sided long handled pan for frying while a Saute pan has a higher rim. Choose two sizes (24 cm, 26 cm, 28 cm) of each if your budget permits or one smaller skillet and a larger saute pan would be sufficient for most cooking. Some recipes may require a skillet to be put in the oven, so you may want to purchase at least one pan with handles that can withstand the heat of baking or those with removable handles.
Saucepans usually come in three sizes (1-, 2-, and 3-quart). It would be handy to have a small for warming small quantities of soup and a medium one for family cooking. You won't need to many of them as the handles take up a lot of space.
Dutch oven or Kettle: This is a large heavy stock pot with a tight fitting lid. Dutch ovens are perfect for soups, stews, and braising meats. You could even store surplus in the freezer for subsequent meals.
Stock pot is useful for boiling chicken, beef, fish and vegetable stock for soups, sauces, noodle and rice dishes. It is also useful to get one with a matching strainer for boiling large quantities of pasta, for entertaining, or brewing Asian herbal tea.
A steamer is a perforated basket that holds food over boiling water in a pan in order to steam it rather than boil it. They are available as collapsible units or solid baskets. Great for steaming vegetables for Japanese and Korean cold dishes and Chinese dim sum.
Double boiler comprises two pans stacked up for cooking. Water in the bottom pan simmers gently to cook or melt the contents in the top pan. This is a great piece of cookware for preparing delicate sauces or melting candy to make chocolate ganache. They could serve as substitutes for steamer if you're hard pressed to choose to purchase only one item.
