How can you imagine a kitchen without a frying pan? It’s impossible. But choosing the right pan is difficult. It is worth taking into account the different types of pans, materials and their purpose – you can buy a different model for deep frying, while a different model, for example, for grilling. How to choose?
The first division to consider is the purpose of the pan. Although there is a tendency to use all-purpose cookware, over time it is also worth buying more specialized models.
Also called classic. The basic equipment for frying, which you need to buy as one of the first for any new kitchen. Its characteristics are a flat bottom and fairly low edges. We will pay the least for this type, while preparing a relatively large number of different dishes on it.
It is used for frying without fat. The dishes are quite tasty and liked by most people – so despite the fact that it is not a basic type, it is worth having such a pan in your house. Its characteristic feature is a corrugated bottom with grooves that collect excess fat so that it does not soak into the meat
Used for steaming , stewing and frying with low fat content. This is made possible by its specific construction, where the bottom has a small diameter and the walls are sloping and high. It is useful not only when preparing Chinese dishes
It is useful for roasting, stewing and baking, among other things. Sometimes it can even be used instead of a pot, e.g. to prepare bigos or stews in it
Specialization in the kitchen is not necessary, but for people who like cooking, it will definitely be useful. For this reason, you can purchase pans designed for the preparation of specific types of food. So you can have instruments for preparing:
In addition to the intended use, the material or type of coating and how the pan is made are very important. They determine the convenience of its use and how long it will be able to serve in the kitchen
There are pans made of aluminum, steel, but also cast iron, copper, titanium or stone. They differ in many factors. Those made of aluminum heat up well and evenly, have low weight, but their disadvantage is low durability. At very high temperatures, they can produce harmful compounds. A steel pan fares better in terms of durability, but it is slow to heat up. Heavy and solid cast iron pans are very versatile, but more difficult to clean. The answer to their weaker points is the modern and expensive but very useful titanium pans
Many types of pans, especially cheaper ones, are additionally covered with a coating that improves the quality of use. Unfortunately, most of them have limitations that you need to be aware of. A Teflon pan allows you to fry without fat, food will not stick to it, but you have to be very careful, because it is easy to scratch such a surface. It is best to use wooden spatulas and cutlery. We recommend triple Teflon coatings with a thickness of 40 microns. Smooth ceramic surface performs better, on which you can also fry with a small amount of fat. The same applies to titanium and marble coatings.
The thickness of the bottom and the finish of its surface are also very important. We recommend pieces with a bottom thickness of at least 4 mm and a slightly concave shape. The right pan, regardless of its type, must have a lid that matches its size. Heat-resistant and comfortable handles are another element to consider when buying a pan for our kitchen. It is best to have at least three pieces in it with sizes: 20 cm, 24 cm and 26 cm.
