CHOOSING THE BEST COOKWARE SETS

CHOOSING THE BEST COOKWARE SETS

, by Nathaniel Fraikue, 11 min reading time

Cookware can literally last you a lifetime if you choose it well. There is also a wide variety of cookware brands on the market, made of different materials including stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium and copper.

If you already own a lot of cookware sets, then you might not need another one. On the other hand, if you don’t have any cookware sets yet, then you will definitely need to invest in a good quality cookware set. It’s better to go for a high-quality cookware set than a cheap one because you won’t regret spending money on a good quality cookware.

Cookware can literally last you a lifetime if you choose it well. There is also a wide variety of cookware brands on the market, made of different materials including stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium and copper. So with all this in mind, how do you ultimately decide on the right type of cookware for you? The answer is to know exactly what you want before you buy – meaning that you need to know enough about cookware to enable you to make an informed decision from the onset.  

Cookware sets vary in size, material and diversity, so here are some things about cookware sets that any cook needs to know. There are certain things you need to consider when choosing cookware.  These include: Heat Conductivity, Price, Durability, Reactivity and Maintenance.

The Basics

A typical cookware set usually has between 10 and 18 pieces. If your cooking is not very diverse, or if you're on a budget, you only need a small set to get started. With just these utensils, you can cook just about anything.

 

So what can I find in my cookware set and its purpose?

Stockpot

This is a large, deep, straight-sided, and flat bottomed pot. Their tall sides make them ideal for making pasta and they're also great for cooking liquid foods that don't have to be particularly close to the source of heat. They usually come with a close-fitting lid, which is also helpful when making broth.

Anolon Stockpot 24cm/7.6L | napev

Analon Stockpot 7.6L

The Frying Pan

Also known as a skillet, a frying pan is shallower than a sauté pan. They're great for stir-frying over high heat, as you can get a spoon in easily to stir ingredients. They usually don't have a lid.

Reload to view SKK Series 9 Frying Pan

SKK Series 9 Frying Pan

The Sauté Pan

A sauté pan looks like a frying pan, except that while frying pans have rounded sides, sauté  pans have straight sides. They're also flat bottomed and shallow, but deeper than frying pans, and they come with a lid. They're mainly used to sauté food, but they can also be used for preparing some types of sauces and for deep frying as well.

Circular Style Sauteuse 24cm | Napev

Circulon Style Sauteuse

The Saucepan

Saucepans come in different sizes. They are round and deep - deeper than a sauté pan. They have straight sides and a handle and they come with a lid as well. Saucepans are a go-to utensil in the kitchen because they're very versatile as they can be used to reheat leftovers, make sauces and soups, prepare grains, and even boil eggs.

Reload to view SKK Series 7 Saucepot

SKK Series 7 Saucepot

A Wok

Hardly included with cooking sets but however as important in the kitchen. A wok is a deep, bowl-shaped pan, usually with two handles near the top. The shape of the wok allows you to heat a small area at the bottom, with the sides remaining relatively cool. That way, the food you've just fried can be removed from the oil but still remain warm on the sides. A wok basically gives you a lot of control over the temperature of the food you're frying and allows you to cook with relatively little fuel, as only a small area at the bottom of the pan is heated.
Woks can be used to deep fry, stir-fry, and steam food and usually don't come with a lid.

 Reload to view SKK Series 11 Wok 32cm

SKK Series 11 Wok 32cm

 

 

Cookware Set Materials

To make the best choice, it is essential to understand the advantages and disadvantages of all the various cookware materials. Here are some of the most common types of materials cookware sets are made of.

Stainless steel

This is one of the most common materials for cookware sets. It is popular because it is corrosion-resistant, even with regard to acidic foods. It is also lightweight and can withstand high heat, like the SKK Series 1 5pc Set, Prestige 5pc Stainless Steel Set and Meyer Select 6pc Set available. 

Reload to view Meyer Select 6Pcs Set

Meyer Select 6Pcs Cooking Set

Aluminum

Aluminum is the most common, affordable, and popular cookware material. It is light and conducts and distributes heat very well. However, plain aluminum can warp when subjected to extreme contrasting temperatures. It is also prone to sticking food and can get stained easily. Aluminum has also been known to leach into food, especially if the surface is scratched.

Hard Anodized Non-stick aluminum is one way out of some of these problems. It allows you to cook food without having to add oil to prevent sticking. Anodized aluminium is harder than plain aluminium and two times harder than stainless steel. This Kirkland Signature 12 Piece Cooking Set has an Eclipse™ HB (High-Build) triple layer PFOA free nonstick coating which provides excellent food release, enhanced durability and ease of cleaning.

 

Kirkland Signature 12 Piece Cooking Set | NAPEV

Kirkland Signature 12 Piece Cooking Set

Cast Iron or Hand Cast

Cast iron cookware are as durable as they get. Cast iron is almost indestructible. It can be used in the oven, on a stovetop, on a grill, and probably even on the campfire. Because it is thick and heavy, it takes slightly longer to heat up, but it retains and conducts heat evenly.

SKK products, Cast Iron or Hand Cast cookware can are coated using titanium material, like our range of SKK Series 7 and SKK Series 9 cookware made in Germany. The SKK Series 7 and 9 products join traditional, tried and tested, stress-free hand casting with advanced non-stick surface coating Titanium 2000 Plus Non-Stick. This combination guarantees you the perfect cooking results while offering the highest possible strength and durability. Characterised by quick and even heat distribution all the way to the edges of the cookware and exceptional thermal conductivity. This leads to perfect cooking results with optimum energy efficiency.
The outstanding non-stick effect allows you to prepare low fat, healthy dishes without them sticking to the cookware. SKK cookware meets all of the demands of modern cooking.

 

 

SKK Cast Iron Cookware

Having a diverse cookware range or set gives you a wider scope for cooking and allows you to play around with different recipes and cooking styles. 

 

We hope you found these tips helpful. Let us know in the comments if there’s anything else you’d like to know.

 

Source: (ThecookwareGeek, 2021)

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