Kitchen Essentials – Part II

This is part two of my Kitchen Essentials. Since I knew that it would be a lot to take all in at once, I divided the post into two parts. This post will be on Pots and Pans.

Anyway…

So, in every kitchen there should be good quality pots and pans. Invest in the good stuff. “What’s the good stuff?” you may be asking. Well, the good stuff is a heavy bottom pan that distributes heat evenly (on the bottom of the pan and onto the sides, as well). In this case brands kind of matter, but not really (keep in mind that I used the words “kind of”). I prefer using a couple of brands such as Calphalon, All- Clad, and Circulon, but I also hear that Viking has good pots and pans as well. I do however, have pots and pans that you can find in restaurant supply stores that work very well. Some of them are for half (or more) of the cost of a regular pan, so please consider trying to buy some of your pots and pans at restaurant supply stores. You’ll likely save a bit of money too.

Instead of owning tons of cheap pot and pans, go for the good stuff and for the essentials. Remember, you don’t need a set of 30 pots and pans… How likely are you to use each and every one of them. Not likely at all.

So, just take my word for it, if you are going to spend $300 on a cheap set of pots and pans, you might as well spend those $300 wisely.

Some important things to have are:

• Twelve inch cast iron skillet- these are amazing to have! They’re great for frying foods and I have to say that they are excellent for making scrambled eggs.

• Ten inch non-stick skillet (non-stick are coated with teflon)

• A stock pot- it doesn’t need to be huge and weigh as much as you. Just go for the cheaper one’s of these. Yes, I said cheaper one’s.

• Dutch oven- I am not going to say that these things are a must in every kitchen because they’re not! My family has made do without one. If we did get one it would be because it wasn’t a necessity, but because it was more of a luxury. So, don’t go out and spend $300 on one of these unless you really need to. But if you go shopping and see a $300 on sale for lets say… $50 or even $100. You better know better to put those expensive shoes back that in reality you can’t really afford because you have to pay your rent, but you think you’re willing to starve yourself for a week and live off of Nutella. Well, wrong! We all know that Nutella is great, but those shoes are way too expensive for your pocket and you’ll likely be late on your rent… So, please just listen to me and get that pot if it’s that cheap! Oh, and don’t forget to pick one up for me! Just kidding… Maybe.

-You’ll want a large saucepan which holds around 3 to 4 quarts. This is one of the most versatile pans in most kitchens because it can basically do everything. Do not get an Aluminum one unless it’s Aluminum Anodized because it will make whatever you’re making taste bad if it reacts with the spoon that you’re stirring with. So, if you’re planning on getting aluminum, don’t! Get anodized if you want something aluminum. Okay?

I guess those are the essential pots. Yes, there’s only 5 of them, but seriously, how many pots do you cook in on a day-to-day basis? Right…