While many would consider cooking as a science because of all the measuring and timing, a lot of it is actually closer to art. Just like painters and sculptors, the best chefs know that you need good tools to bring out the best in you. And in the kitchen, the predominant tool that needs the utmost attention is quality cookware.

Given that getting to expert levels as far as cooking goes requires a lot of trial and error, but investing on the right cookware early on will at least minimize the error part.

The best sauces are almost always made on cooper cookware. The metal has a unique property that allows it to react quickly to changes in temperature. So if you turn down the heat, the pan will not stay hot and burn delicate sauces like bechamel. Copper also distributes heat more evenly than other materials. The downside to copper is that it will react with acidic foods so the best copper cookware are actually lined with stainless steel to counteract this. The only downside is that they tend to be on the pricey side.

Copper is also good for sauteing. Another candidate for this is anodized aluminum. Both distribute heat well and respond quickly to changes in temperature. As sauteing requires intense heat, both will do quite well. Another good type of cookware for sauteing is stainless steel with an aluminum or copper core. You will get toughness along with heat conductivity. Avoid non-stick cookware because the non-stick surface is a bad heat conductor and will produce inconsistent results.

The traditional Chinese wok is still the best cookware for stir frying. Coming as two types: the flat bottomed one, and the more popular round-bottomed one. Flat bottoms are more suited for electric ranges while the round bottoms are designed for gas stoves. Woks need to conduct heat well because stir-frying is done on the highest stove setting. Carbon steel, cast iron, and now aluminum are the most popular choices for woks.

Roasting pans are indispensable oven companions. The requirement here is even dispersal of heat, so the best candidates again are copper and aluminum. Pure copper roasting pans are the most popular, followed closely by anodized aluminum, and stainless steel lined with copper or aluminum. In addition to this, you can opt to use a roasting rack. Many prefer to leave the roast inside the pan so that the fat will give it intense flavor. Also, they want to keep the dripping for making gravy later. Others prefer to raise it up in a rack so that the fat drips away and makes the dish a little healthier.

Whether you want to concentrate on one or all cooking techniques, it would be wise to just get the best cookware you can afford instead of trying out cheap pots and pans then upgrading if you can’t get the desired results.
This way, you only pay once. After all, quality cookware will last you years and years, so it will come out cheaper in the long run.

Author Bio: Janette has made do using a tiny kitchen area ever since she became married eighteen months ago. However the small kitchen remodeling project that she has just done turned out great. And now she has tons of kitchen storage solutions.

Category: Cooking
Keywords: cookware,kitchen utensils,kitchen ware,kitchen cooking,cooking