Pan 4-5 liters is the chassis. This amount allows you to cook for a small family for at least a couple of days. Therefore, the choice of this dish should be approached wisely. Which pot is better: enameled, aluminum or stainless steel? In fact, each of these materials has its advantages and disadvantages that a good housewife simply needs to know in order to make the right choice when buying a new dish.
Enamelware
Enameled pans, above all, are distinguished by their beautiful appearance: they are multi-colored (which is convenient when choosing a suitable shade for the interior), various drawings are painted on them. But this is not their main advantage.
Enamel allows food not to have points of contact with bare metal. This is very important, since the oxidation processes and the corresponding release of harmful substances in cooked food does not occur. In an enamel saucepan, you can store food for a long time and not shift it into a separate container.
Enameled pot is very light. This is very convenient, as cooked food in the amount of 4-5 liters weighs a lot. In light dishes it is convenient to cook, the contents heat up faster and prepare.
In addition to the obvious advantages of such pans, there are a number of disadvantages. After blows and falls, the enamel is quickly damaged.. Rust is easily formed on the resulting spall, pathogens accumulate. Also in enamelware dairy products burn easily, even if they are constantly stirred.
Use coarse brushes or abrasives, as well as corrosive acids can not. Therefore, the process of cleaning the enameled pan is very difficult.
When choosing a five-or four-liter pan covered with enamel, you should focus on the thickness of the enamel. The thicker the coating, the longer the dishes will last.
Five Liter Aluminum Casserole
Aluminum pots can be found on the shelves of our mothers and grandmothers, since they were very popular in the Soviet Union. Their undoubted advantages are lightness and fast heating. That is why this metal is used in the manufacture of kitchen utensils.
But besides the obvious advantages, aluminum pans have a dangerous drawback. When oxidized, the metal emits toxic substances, which makes food cooked in such dishes, not so useful. And if you cook food in it is still possible, then storing food in an aluminum pan in the refrigerator is simply unacceptable. In addition to this clearly negative factor, there is another problem, but it is more of an aesthetic plan.
Aluminum dishes quickly lose their color, absorbing all the paint from cooked foods. Moreover, kitchenware made of soft aluminum is quickly deformed.
A pot of 4 or 5 liters of aluminum is likely to be used frequently. Therefore, it is not very convenient: it can turn black and bend during active use.
If you decide to purchase an aluminum pan, then pay attention to two nuances:
- the thickness of the metal must be at least 3 mm;
- handles should not be cast, but screwed to avoid deformation when lifting heated heavy container with food.
Steel version
A 4-5 liter stainless steel saucepan will be your favorite kitchenware, as it is easy to cook and easy to clean. It is possible to use such utensils for a very long time: wear resistance (compared to aluminum and enamel models) is at a height.
Steel pan can not be spoiled with iron beaters, forks and knives. So she is not afraid of scratches, so washing it is much easier - you can use an iron brush. In the professional kitchen most often use exactly this dish.
The obvious drawbacks of stainless steel pots are the following: high-quality cookware is very expensive, but over time and it will fade, and non-staining spots will appear. In addition, it heats up slowly enough.
Be smart about choosing a stainless steel pot:
- the larger the diameter of such dishes with a volume of 4-5 liters, the better, as it heats up slowly;
- its thickness should not be less than 3 mm at the bottom and 0.5 mm along the walls;
- Pay attention to the content of chromium and nickel in the alloy; the higher these two figures, the better (18/10 is the optimal ratio).
Universal recommendations for the selection of pans for 4-5 liters
Regardless of which material of the pot you prefer, you need to choose it taking into account certain subtleties.
- When cooking cereals, vegetables, meat, kitchenware with a thick bottom is necessary so that food does not burn and can languish for a long time under the lid. For cooking compotes, soups and eggs do not need a thick bottom. When you buy, focus primarily on what dishes you will cook in this dish.
- The handles at the pots are stronger if they are bolted and not welded. In this case, they can be replaced over time, and they are practically not subject to corrosion. The material of the handles should ideally not be heated, so the pan will be as convenient as possible to use. Anti-slip silicone pads are the perfect material.
- The lid of a small saucepan should sit as tight as possible and have a hole to allow steam to escape. With a slight tilt the lid should not immediately move out.
- A good pot can not be cheap. Choosing kitchen utensils, be guided by the brands, because such companies as Gipfel, Tefal, Nadoba, Vitesse, Gourmet and Kukmara have long established themselves in the market.
- Before buying, be sure to check any pots for defects. It should not have cracks and chips, the bottom is necessarily perfectly even.
- If you plan to store a five-liter pot in the fridge, pay attention to its height: will it fit on a shelf? It is optimal to choose this parameter within 30 cm, taking into account the height of the cover.
- For the lucky owners of the dishwasher: find out whether it will be possible to wash the pan in this wonderful technique. If there is such an opportunity, then in the future cooking in such a pan will free you from unnecessary trouble.
How to choose the right pot, see the next video.
