The most basic cooking utensil is a cooking pot. Having the right cooking pots can contribute to the ease of your cooking process. It also ensures you get the desired result of the food. Having a variety of cookware ensures that you do not need to use one pot type to the point of overuse. Worn-out pots may have hot spots that burn food more easily. More importantly, it can be detrimental to your health. Essentially, maintaining a variety of pots helps enhance the durability of your cookware.
The shape, size, and design of a pot have a role in its usage. For a better tasting food, these are seven cooking pots that are must-haves.
The Wok Pan
A wok is an Asian-style cooking pan. It looks like a deep and steep bowl with a single long handle. This cookware is ideal for cooking stir-fry meals. Its design allows food to be cooked throughout the pan, including the sides. Therefore, there is an even heat distribution throughout the food. If you’re the type of person who likes to perform tricks while cooking, the wok pan also makes it very easy to toss food because of its deep curved inner walls.
Amazon shoppers love the YOSUKATA Carbon steel wok pan with over eight thousand purchases in the past month. It is durable and its wooden handle makes it easier to hold when in use.
The SaucePan
There is a lot of splattering, splashing, and bubbling involved in cooking foods with a fluid-like consistency, like stew. Using shallow pots can turn the cooking process into a potentially dangerous one. A saucepan is the best choice for cooking such foods.
A saucepan is a deep, metal cooking pot with a long handle. It comes in various sizes. But what makes it unique is that this cookware has tall sides. It is useful for volume reduction (that is, it simmers away the excess water in the liquid). Moreover, it is ideal for cooking at low temperatures for a long time. Lifting it off the cooker is also easy because of its relatively long handle.
Cuisinart’s 1.5 Quart Sauce Pan is one of the best Amazon-rated saucepans you can get on a budget.
The Stock Pot
This is the big boss of the kitchen. The stock pot is an extremely tall, straight-sided cooking pot that is useful for cooking foods with a large amount of liquid. It is the biggest cookware in the domestic kitchen.
This pot is useful for cooking foods that require a long cooking time. Because of its thickened base, it allows for a slow simmering, ensuring a longer cooking time and volume reduction.
The stock pot is ideal for soups, bulk vegetables, and well…stock. This is not just because of its capacity to handle liquids but because as the liquids bubble up, it causes uniform distribution of the ingredients, which leads to even distribution of the flavor in the food.
Because of its size, this pot can also be used to cook foods that require steaming. It allows for the attachment of a steam basket.
When asked to review Amazon’s Cook N Home 8 Quart Stainless steel Stock Pot, shoppers have a consensus that they are really good pots that are so easy to clean, and they cook food evenly.
The Dutch Oven
Popularly called a casserole dish, this pot, as the name suggests, is safe for oven use. This is probably the most versatile pot there is. Although it is more costly than its counterparts, it is one of the best additions you can make to your kitchen. It is an investment that is worth every penny.
The Dutch oven is good for sauteing, cooking stews, braising meat and even baking. The pot is built in such a way that enables even cooking. This feature is because of its ability to maintain a constant temperature for a long time while keeping moisture locked in.
Amazon’s number one best-selling Dutch oven is the Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast-Iron Dutch Oven. This particular one is easy on the pocket, costing less than a hundred dollars.
The Saute pan
Saute pans are sturdy, thick, and one of the best cookware out there. Although it is slightly deeper than a traditional frying pan, the saute pan is versatile enough for frying, braising, steaming, poaching, and even deep frying. Talk about versatility!
A saute pan is different from a skillet. It is heavier than a skillet, so it usually comes with an extra handle called the “helper handle”. It also has a heat-retaining base, which makes the sauteing process easier.
Trying out tricks with this cookware may not be as easy as it is with the Wok pan. Because of its sturdiness, the saute pan can be quite heavy, even when empty.
Make a game-changing addition to your pot collection by getting the Blue Diamond Cookware Saute Pan. It is non-stick and non-toxic. Word on Amazon is that this pan rocks!
The Skillet
Many people think the skillet is different from a frying pan, but in reality, it is not. It is actually a type of frying pan. However, cooking professionals prefer to use this word to refer to cast iron frying pans. If the Dutch oven had a cousin, it would be the cast iron skillet.
This cookware is highly resistant to heat and can be used in the oven. It also prevents your food from scorching or getting burnt. You can use it to saute, fry, or sear your food. The skillet is also ideal for browning foods like chicken.
The best part about using the skillet is that you do not need to use large amounts of cooking oil for food. A thin coating of oil on the skillet works just fine.
The SENSARTE Non-stick Frying Pan Skillet is one cookware that Amazon shoppers just can’t have enough of. With over thirty thousand buys in the past month, this amazing pan is a great addition to your kitchen.
The Grill pan
From the name, you can tell that this cookware is used for grilling. No other cookware perfectly replaces the need for a grill pan.
It is a frying pan with grill lines. For making aesthetically pleasing food, using a grill pan is the best option. Making use of a grill pan adds color and texture to your food. The grill lines create crust marks on the food that make your food look appealing. Because of how it browns the ingredients, it is believed that the grill pan can enhance the overall flavor of your food.
This cookware can easily replace your sandwich maker. Using a grill pan for your homemade shawarma also gives it a better texture, adding a crunchiness that your oven may not be able to achieve.
If you are confused about what grill pan to get, try Amazon’s Lodge L8SGP3 Cast Iron Square Grill Pan. It is perfect for cooking steak and grilling hamburgers.
When you use the right pot for the right meal, you are almost always assured of the right result. Plus, adding these cookwares to your collection makes cooking more fun.
