Crepe pans, egg poachers, paella pans, tagines - while these
types of cookware allow you to cook specialised dishes, they are more suited to
those who know their way around the kitchen. Every budding chef should choose
to invest in a cookware set that includes the basics; at least one frying pan,
a stock pot, casserole dish and a number of different sized sauce pans.
Purchase these items and the possibilities in the kitchen are endless.
Need just one piece of cookware when taking a big hike to
meet your destiny or simply running away from home? Like the members of The
Fellowship of the Ring, you’d probably take a larger fry pan. If there had to
be a Big 3 of cookware, then they would be the frying pan, saucepan and stock
pot—good, old-fashioned pots and pans. All of this is just to create some sort
of hierarchy of utility when it comes to cookware.
A stock pot, or stew pot as they are also known, is really
just an oversize sauce pan. Stockpots are similar to saucepans in that they are
used to boil or heat recipes rich in sauce or liquid, however they are
generally over 6L and feature 2 handles for ease-of-use. Pasta pots are
essentially a slightly smaller version of a stock pot. They are perfect for
cooking large quantities of pasta due to their higher sides than a standard
sauce pan.
This is just a very broad overview of the most fundamental kitchen gear. As can be imagined, there are a variety of specialised pans out there: chef’s pans, crepe pans, egg poachers, grill pans and sauté pans, to name some of the more well-known ones. The same can be said for sauce pans. Among the special-duty pots are double boilers, mussel pots and woks—which occupy a space somewhere between pot and pan. Knowing the uses of these items will go a long way towards bringing out your inner chef.
