Posted by Daniel on 1/13/2010 to
Residential
Dorothy,
From one of our loyal readers:
Phil,
I look forward to reading all the blogs, and in turn that will advance my love of cooking. I feel very fortunate to know you personally. Saying that, help I need new pots and frying pans. What should I buy?
Best of luck,
Dorothy
To answer your question as to which pots and pans you need, you first have to look at what you will be preparing in them. Much like sets of knives, there is no need to buy a "set" of 6 or 8 knives when in actuality you will probably only use 2 or 3 out of the set on a regular basis.
First, you will need a good soup or stock pot as mentioned in the "stock pot" blog, Unless you make large amounts of soup or stock I would suggest a 6 to 8 quart, as this should be big enough for most situations. Next, lets look at sauce pans... 2 sizes come to mind here, 1 quart for small batches of soup or sauces, and the 2 1/2 quart as a secondary pan for larger servings. Keep in mind sauce pots aren't only for soups and sauces, they are used for most stove top food prep from boiling water to steaming broccoli. Of course it never hurts to have 2 pans the same size, based on what and how you cook.
Frying pans or saute pans are usually measured in inch dimensions rather than quarts. I would suggest a 6 to 8 inch for eggs, omelets etc. 10 inch is probably the one to use for frying chops, and such & a 12 inch is good to have just in case. One pan that is gaining in popularity is the square saute pan, you think "why?" until you use one to do grilled cheese or burgers and when you see how they fit it becomes obvious.
What ever you decide upon the guidelines are the same as for the stock pot mentioned in the earlier blog, namely (1) thick, flat bottom (2) good conductivity and (3) what they are made of, I use Stainless steel (18/8) gauge with a 3 ply bottom. You can spend a good deal of money on these items if you go to department stores as Calaphon, Cuisinart and such only sell in sets. I would look towards a wholesale kitchen supply as there you can buy matching pots, pans and lids by the piece rather than by the set, they all match but you only buy the sizes you need.... and if you realize there is a piece you don't have that you need its easy to acquire that additional piece. My friends at J.E.S. Restaurant Equipment have a great selection of high quality cookware at very reasonable prices, they have a beautiful showroom in Greenwood, SC as well as a easy to use website which can be found by clicking any of the links above.... their customer service is wonderful so if you have trouble finding what you're looking for give them a call and they will be more than happy to assist you.
Happy cookin'
"Chef Phil"
