Best Cooking Pans - How Do I Choose?

Choosing the right material when buying kitchen pans can be confusing because some materials conduct heat better than others. When choosing kitchen pans, there are five basic kinds to select from. They are:

• Copper pans
• Aluminum pans
• Stainless Steel pans
• Cast Iron pans
• Nonstick pans

We must consider several factors when deciding which are the best cooking pans to buy, including price, heat conductivity, gauge, quality and food reactions. Each type of pan has advantages and disadvantages; copper pans, for example, are excellent conductors of heat, but they can be expensive and they require periodic re-coating. Aluminum pans are relatively inexpensive, but may warp if you don't get a heavy enough gauge.

But no question, the type of material the pan is made from will definitely play a role in how well your entree will turn out.

So, when purchasing kitchen pans, we not only need to concern ourselves with selecting a good, quality brand, we also need to consider the type of cooking we do in each type of pan--then we can choose our pans so that they are made of a material that best suits the task.

Copper pans are known for their ability to conduct heat. When selecting copper pans, make sure to purchase the heaviest gauge you can afford. The heavier the gauge, the more evenly the pan will distribute heat--this is very important in preventing scalding of sauces. That is why your kitchen should be equipped with at least one copper-bottomed saucepan. The rest of the saucepan should be made of stainless steel.

Aluminum pans make great stock pots because they are relatively inexpensive and they conduct heat reasonably well. Make sure you purchase the heaviest possible gauge to avoid warping and encourage even heat distribution. Do not purchase aluminum sauce pans as they can discolor white sauces.

Cast Iron pans are good performers because of their even heating properties and excellent heat retention. For these reasons, cast iron fry pans are an excellent choice for braising meats. Cast iron pans are also durable and reasonably priced.  A great thing about cooking in cast iron pots is that it boosts the iron content of food.  Soup simmered in cast iron cookware for a few hours has approximately 30 times more iron than soup cooked in another type of cookware.

Stainless steel pans are poor conductors of heat unless they are made with a copper disk in the bottom of the pan, they also tend to be expensive. On the good side, they are very low maintenance because they don't rust or tarnish. They also don't react with foods.

Nonstick pans are great for making foods that tend to stick to the pan when cooking---like crepes or pancakes. Nonstick pans are also great if you are concerned with fat or cholesterol in your diet because you don't have to grease the pan to keep things from sticking. Do not use a nonstick pan when making something that requires pan drippings because they have trouble forming in nonstick pans.

No matter what type of material you choose, or which brand you buy, get the thickest, heaviest bottom you can. This will help in heat distribution and your pans will be less likely to warp.

Choose pans with metal handles so they can go straight from the range-top to the oven.

Whenever possible, choose pans with glass lids so you can look in without lifting!