In today's technology-driven society with huge marketing budgets, buying cookware is no easy task. With dozens of dictionaries of materials, brands, sizes, and buzzwords, walking into a kitchen store can be a dizzying experience. Instead of cramming the sides of your cupboards with pots and pans of all shapes and sizes, have a few carefully selected pieces that give you the flexibility to cook whatever you want and get what you need to cook better. performance.
How much you spend on pots and pans is a personal choice, based on your budget, how often you cook, which dishes you make most often, and how hard you work on taking care of them. Buying better cookware will benefit you for life, not 2-5 years like lower-end cookware, as they start to warp, scratch, break handles, etc. With better tools, your day-to-day meals will be better and there will be less swearing in the kitchen.
It's also important to pay attention to the handles and lids. The two most important qualities we look for in our handles are the ability to stay cool on the stovetop and toss them in the oven without worrying about them melting. The handles are connected by welding, riveting, or screwing. Welded handles are permanent and durable, but unattractive, so they are more commonly found on commercial cookware. The screw-in handle loosens over time.
Riveted handles are standard on high-end stainless steel pots and pans because they are so durable, but one downside to rivets is that they are difficult to stir properly and allow food to build up around them. As for the lid, the tighter the fit, the better it will work at trapping heat. Tempered glass covers have become popular because you don't have to lift them to see what's going on underneath, but a good stainless steel cover is nearly indestructible. As with the pot handles, make sure your lids are oven-proof.