A Cookware Primer

Great pots and pans are worth the investment and will help

make your kitchen life easier and enjoyable.

Take care of your cookware and it will take care of you for a very long time. (Photo by David Shalleck)

Albergo del Sole is a wonderful country inn and restaurant about two hours outside of Milan, Italy. It’s been running continuously since 1464. I did an internship there when I lived in Italy and it was one of my favorites. The food was simple and deeply rooted in the rural cooking of the Po Valley.

In a corner of one of the dining rooms is an open kitchen that has a good-sized fireplace with a cast iron grill. It is surrounded with cut stone, hand-painted tiles adorned farming and hunting motifs, and antique kitchen gadgets mounted on the wall. When I worked there this was where entrées were brought from the main kitchen so they could be finished with a contorno—a side dish—before going to the tables.

I remember using a set of copper pots and pans in this kitchen that were hundreds of years old. They fit right into the feeling of warmth and tradition. Not quite as round as they probably were when new, their interiors were re-tinned every so often and they worked just fine. I bet they still use them today. Needless to say, a set of well-made cookware—when taken care of—will last a very long time.

I’m often asked what kind of cookware I recommend. There’s a quick answer but I prefer to give you the long version because there’s a lot to consider for what pots and pans will be right for you. Your budget, the kind of cooking you like, how many people you regularly cook for, your stove, the kind of heat source it has, the grates on your stove (if any), your oven, the size of your sink, and storage can all influence the choice.

LET’S TALK DOLLARS FIRST

Yes, high quality cookware comes with a price. The materials and manufacturing processes of the good stuff is costly to produce. Many of the better brands are imported from Europe. They’re durable and well made. As long as they’re treated properly they’ll last a long time. I have a few pots and pans that are over thirty years old. They look great and work as well as they did when they were new. Keep an eye out for sales, markdowns, do some comparison shopping, and offer subtle hints to family and friends that cookware makes for a great gift.

SPECIALTY PIECES

If you’re like me and cook Mediterranean-style food basic cookware of various types and sizes will work just fine. There will always be the pot for risotto or soup, or the pan for sautéing and searing. But you certainly don’t need every piece in the catalog. However, it’s a good idea to keep room in the cabinet for some specialty pieces. By specialty pieces I mean a tagine, a paella pan or two, an oval gratin, perhaps a cataplana, or a crepe pan. I know of a beautiful and very unique copper pot just for steaming potatoes! Start with a simple set to cover the day-to-day needs. You can always add pieces.

SIZE MATTERS

How many people you regularly cook for could mean a slant toward larger sizes. Another thing to consider is most recipes are written for four or six servings. Many times they will say to have a piece of cookware large enough to add an ingredient like chicken breasts or fish filets in a single layer. In lieu of cooking in batches, you’ll need the right size pan to do this. Conversely it is inefficient and energy wasteful to cook two chicken breasts in a pan that can hold four or more. Then there are the pieces of cookware that get used a few times a year: the roasting pan, a large stockpot, or a 14-inch fry pan.

HOME ON THE RANGE

It’s a good idea to know if your cooktop or range is large enough to have pans next to each other so they can sit directly on a burner and not lose heat. Another thing to consider is where the stove controls are. If they are on the side (like mine) pot and pan handles can obstruct their access. Oftentimes I have inadvertently moved a pan away from the burner while reaching for a control knob because the handle was in the way. For this reason, a rondeau type pan (usually with two short handles) may be better than a sauteuse (one long handle).

Gas, electric coil, electric ceramic, and induction are the four main heat sources for cooktops and ranges. There are many resources and much information online that offer testing, comparisons, and energy efficiency among them. As this relates to cookware, it’s the size of the burners, how much direct heat they can provide to the bottom of your cookware, the sizes of the pots and pans, and their material make-up that will affect performance.

One hard and fast rule: when getting new cookware make sure it works on induction. This way if you ever make a switch from another type of stove to induction, you will not have to replace your pots and pans.

I have a very basic gas cooktop that provides ample heat but not as much as a restaurant type range. However, because of the quality of my cookware, I do just fine especially since I don’t cook at home like I did when I worked sauté stations in restaurants. Because of their material make-up on the smallest burner at the lowest setting I’m amazed how well the pans perform. Sometimes I can’t get the heat low enough!

CHECK YOUR GRATES

The grates on a stove, especially gas, probably don’t get as much consideration as they should when choosing cookware. There’s a middle ground between lower end cooktops with grates that are too flimsy, move too easily on the stove top, or are not made of a material that transfers heat very well versus heavy duty grates that may reduce the amount of heat getting to a pan because of their thickness, the material they are made of, and the distance they create from the burner to the bottom of the pot.

Another thing to consider is the bottom of the pot or pan and how it will work on the grates. On some induction friendly cookware the bottom itself is almost like a separate plate attached to the underside. This creates a ridge that can catch the burner grates and abruptly block or stop the pot or pan as you move it around the stove.

One last item with stove grates is their pattern. Sometimes a small pot or pan can tip over because of too much space between the grates. If it does you’ll have to remember this and no doubt the occasion will come up when you accidently put the pot slightly off from where it should be and tip-over happens. It’s probably a good idea to choose the smallest pot or pan size that won’t do this. If you go to a major appliance showroom bring some pots and pans to see how they do on the grates.

STOVE TO OVEN

Oven-safe cookware is always a plus. You can sear, then roast or braise in the same pan. A pot or pan that can take minimum 500ºF (260ºC) is what to look for. Just make sure there’s ample space in your oven to take the pots and pans especially with long handles. Check how easy it is to move the cookware in the oven, for example, when there’s need to rotate during the cooking. And verify the oven racks can handle a heavy pan or pot, how well the rack can slide in and out of the oven, and how to arrange the racks so a good-sized Dutch oven with a lid can fit. Speaking of lids, make sure the handle or knob can withstand the high temperatures.

YES, THE KITCHEN SINK TOO

This is one of those things no one is going to mention in the store or on the website where you buy your cookware but is definitely worth considering when getting ready to make a purchase. Large pots or pans and a small sink make for cumbersome cleaning. No doubt water will get on the counter or on the floor. And a low faucet with a shallow sink makes high-sided pots like those for pasta a little challenging to clean. To make pot washing a little easier and less time consuming it might be necessary to change the faucet. One could always opt for putting pots and pans in the dishwasher—if they are made to go in the machine. But I find doing the pot washing by hand is much faster. Plus, pots and pans take a lot of space in the dishwasher.

A CLEAN POT IS A HAPPY POT

Here are the products I use regularly to keep all of my cookware nice and clean. I am not sponsored nor am I a brand influencer for any of these products but I am calling them out because after many years of using them I know they work: clear Dawn or Palmolive dish soap, powdered Bar Keeper’s Friend, palm brushes, and Scotch-Brite natural fiber sponges. Use the brush to make an a la minute paste with Bar Keeper’s Friend and a little warm water directly on copper cookware and you’ll see, by using the brush, how easy it is to remove spots, stains, and tarnish. After the pots and pans are clean and dry I use microfiber towels on the outside surface and the handles to get rid of water spots and bring back a nice shine.

STORAGE

Where and how you store your pots and pans isn’t usually considered until the first time putting them away. Round objects with handles going into rectangular spaces inherently leads to fitting and stacking challenges. Drawers may not be high enough, not wide enough, or not deep enough to hold many pieces. Having to reach down in a drawer to get to the pan at the bottom of a stack is unwieldy.

The path toward betterment starts with grouping. Fry pans in one drawer, saucepans in another, and pots in a cabinet. Also helpful is sticking to one brand of cookware so pots and pans can nest. For example, five different sized saucepans may be able to sit inside of each other taking up only the space of the largest. And I suggest keeping similar types of cookware together as they generally store better that way.

Pot racks and hooks are great for storage and easy access. When looking at cookware, check the loop at the end of the handles to make sure it is large enough for the hooks you have, especially for ease when reaching up to hang them. Also consider the weight of a collection of cookware on the rack or bars and how well the pot rack is anchored or mounted. Copper pots and pans with stainless steel interiors and cast iron handles are significantly heavier than stainless pots with stainless handles.

Lids are a challenge unto themselves. It’s not necessary to have a lid for every pot since one may fit on the same diameter saucepan, sauté pan, and stockpot. For storing them, if you can, having a separate drawer that’s tall and deep with dividers so the lids can be kept vertically is optimum. Lids can also be used for stacking. Oftentimes if you put them bottom side up in a pot, they will be sturdy enough to hold another pot or two on top.

BUT TELL ME HOW IT REALLY FEELS

It’s really important to feel a piece of cookware in your hands before purchasing. The shape of the handle, its pitch from the pot, and its length will vary from brand to brand. Some will feel more comfortable than others. Also, put a pound or two of something in the pan then pick it up as you would when cooking. This is when you’ll really know what the pan or pot will feel like when you use it at home.

Buying by size when ordering through a catalog or online can get confusing. The size of a pot or pan is usually given by dimension and by volume. Sometimes there’s variation of this information from store to store, or brand to brand. Which is more important, the width or the volume? And what parts of the pot or pan are used to make these measurements? If you pull out a tape measure while looking at a size in a catalog or online, just remember, ten inches in a line is much different than when that line is a diameter. For this reason, it’s better to see cookware live but generally for pans use dimension, and pots use volume—until lid choices need to be made then it’s back to dimension. Confusing, right?

THE MAKE-UP

You may be thinking, “This is all great information but Chef David, what kind of pots do you like?” My top three types of cookware are: 5-ply stainless steel, enameled cast iron, and copper with stainless steel interior and stainless steel handles. All of these are durable, provide great heat distribution, and with their smooth surfaces are easy to clean. In addition, for occasional use, I like earthenware and clay pieces like gratin dishes and casuelas. And everyone needs a large well-seasoned cast iron skillet.

5-ply stainless steel refers to five layers of different metals bound together. Stainless steel will usually be on the outside and inside. In between will be alternating layers of aluminum, steel, and sometimes copper. These layers should also run up the sides of the pots and pans. Together they retard hot spots. Baked enamel over cast iron works perfectly from the stove or the oven to the table and has very good heat retention. Copper, especially with a stainless interior, will have the best heat distribution that in turn uses less energy.

Some features to look for are stainless steel handles as they generally remain cooler than the rest of the pot, handles attached by rivets, large holes at the end of the handles for ease of hanging, flanged rims around the entire top edge of the pot or pan to make pouring from any direction easier, and those that can be used on all types of stoves as well as in the oven.

WONDERFUL SOUVENIRS

I always recommend visiting cookware or housewares shops during travels. They can clue you in to the authentic cooking of where you are. You’ll see paella pans in southeastern Spain, tagines and couscoussier pots in Morocco, terra cotta bean pots in Italy, and small grills for kabobs in Turkey. These stores are usually close to market areas, for example, the Mercado Central in Valencia, Spain; along Via Calderai close to the Mercato di Ballarò in Palermo, Sicily; the Agora market in Athens, Greece; just west of the Misir Çarsisi spice market in Istanbul. And a visit to the great stores Dehilleran in Paris or Maison Empereur in Marseille is de rigueur, as is Casa Gay in Barcelona and even the housewares area at Italian COIN department stores. If you are so inclined, bring home a pot, pan, or a unique piece of earthenware that can fit your checked luggage. You will always remember the day you purchased it when you use it at home.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Now that you know more about how you jive with your cookware you can see how a nice collection can be much more than perfunctory must-haves. Great pots and pans are worth the investment and will help make your kitchen life easier and enjoyable. The weight of a shiny, clean, well-made pan in your hands and the first noise it makes when it touches the burner of your stove will have you cooking with pride.

ROUTINE Care and MAINTENANCE

Here are some hard and fast rules that will keep your cookware in great shape for optimum performance. Please say, “yes, chef” after each one and promise to make them routine:

* Do not heat your pots and pans without anything in them.

* At any time do not crank up the heat so that it runs up the outer side of a pot or pan.

* Do not put a hot pot or pan directly on any counter surface or cutting board.

* During heating or simmering do not leave a spoon, spatula, or whisk inside the pot with the food you are cooking.

* When bringing water to a boil add salt when the water it is hot enough to quickly dissolve the salt crystals then add the salt gradually.

* Only cook high acid foods like tomato sauce in pots lined with a non-reactive metal like stainless steel.

* Be very gentle with metal utensils in non-stick pans.

* Do not EVER put a hot pan in cold water after use. Let the pot or pan cool down first.

* If your pots and pans have rivets please make sure to regularly use a soft bristle brush and a grease cutting dish soap to clean around them.

* Make sure after washing all cookware is completely dry before storing.