How to choose a pot?

Cooking is impossible without good products and knowledge of recipes - everyone knows that. But no less important than all these moments, still have a quality pot. Choosing it is much harder than it seems at first, and has many subtleties.

Having come to any store, even the most modest one, it is not difficult to find dozens of types of dishes. The sizes and color, thickness of walls and type of handles differ. You can remember about many other nuances. But the most important aspect, about which too few people think at all, - it is safe for health materials. To protect against the saturation of food with toxic substances often use enamel.

This problem solves only partially, because the enamel coating is very easily damaged. And through it toxic substances will get inside. Especially great is the threat when cooking sour dishes. Fouling them with heavy metals not only leads to acute poisoning (this situation, at least, is easily recognized). Often there are also chronic intoxication, leading to:

• the fall of immunity;
• frequent and persistent headaches;
• imbalance of substances in the body;
• unexplained weakness;
• chronic fatigue.

Moreover, even very small pieces of the enamel itself pose a serious threat. Therefore, products with enamel coating should be as rigorously assessed if it is decided to buy them.

If the enamel is of high quality, then the dishes cannot be easy by definition. Outside, the coating has any tone, but the bottom should be as dark as possible - this will speed up heating.

Danger represent enamel layers of yellow, red or brown color. Such tones indicate the presence of compounds of cadmium, copper and other hazardous substances. A serious risk is the use of aluminum tanks without special protection. Theoretically, a surface film of oxides should prevent the ingress of a toxic metal into food. However, too much hope should not be placed on it.

Due to their convenience and practicality, stainless steel pans have earned great popularity. But it also has a significant drawback - the selection when heated additional alloying elements. Even if they do not have a serious negative effect, however, the food will still get an unpleasant taste.

The sanitary and practical steel is ideal for a maximum of 10% nickel and 18% chromium. And the chemical composition is not all. A multilayer heat distributor is necessarily built into the bottom of a good product. This element is made of different metals, thereby accelerating the heating and cooking. Selected designs from leading companies look beautiful and completely safe. Difficulty only in very high prices for goods from large manufacturers.

The vast majority of experts believe that the best choice in the sum of the characteristics will be pans with a ceramic layer. It does not contain any hazardous components.Therefore, such dishes are suitable not only for cooking, but also for food storage.

Concerning fire resistant glass products, they are very inert chemically and allow you to visually control the cooking process. It is easy to wash glass surfaces, and the scale does not linger on them.

But there are several serious drawbacks:

• high cost;
• fragility;
• heaviness;
• low thermal conductivity (cooking will take longer);
• the inability to put the pan on a wet surface (because of this, it often breaks).

But to choose a pan for the kitchen only on the material would be rash. In this case, there is still too wide range of options, between which you have to choose additionally. Of great importance are the size of the dishes. It is the “size”, and not one “size”. This is about:

• bottom diameter;
• the diameter of the part on which the cap rests;
• height;
• volume.

Bottom pan should coincide with the hob on the stove. The maximum tolerance is 1 cm. It is believed that the wider the dishes, the more convenient it will be to stir the contents in it. But in household use, there must be a tall saucepan with a narrow neck. It is useful for cooking spaghetti and other dishes that require slow evaporation of the liquid.

Conventional pots will be useful for soup, porridge and other standard foods.

It is useful not only to think and talk about them, but even to paint on paper. It is on paper, not on a tablet or in a computer - so there are more chances to remember everything. Very small containers (1-3 liters) are needed for modest portions.

Such dishes are used for boiling milk, boiling cereals, soups and preparing mashed potatoes. You also need to choose pans for the oven: they can be relatively wide, but high altitude is unacceptable. Such a requirement will be especially strict when the oven is divided into tiers. Capacity 3-5 liters is enough for cooking soup for the whole family, for cooking meat and vegetables, a small amount of pasta, dumplings or dumplings.

Buy a pot of more than 5 liters is necessary for:

• cooking compote and jelly;
• pickles cabbage;
• cooking everyday meals for a large family;
• cooking jam.

But all these types relate only to the "mass" (let's call it that) segment. And there are still pots with a narrow specialization:

• buckets - can replace the kettle, suitable for boiling eggs and 1-2 servings of porridge;
• milkmen - look like a bucket, but slightly higher;
• stewpans - a transitional link between pots and tall pans, good for cooking stews and thick soup;
• pots and cauldrons - for lovers of oriental cuisine;
• with double bottom;
• steamers and their subspecies - mantovarki;
• pans for vegetables and pasta.

All types of kitchenware should be designed to interact with the hearth. It can not be reduced only to match the size of the burner. Almost all types of saucepans are used for the gas stove. But the best choice are products made of cast iron, enameled steel, tempered glass. If there is an induction cooker at home, then it is best to choose stainless steel or cast iron.

Pure aluminum cookware cannot be used on an induction cooker. This applies to both glass and ceramics. Partially output can be ferromagnetic stands. However, they increase the cost of the entire product, and there is no need to speak about compactness. Therefore, for most people, it is best to limit yourself to the pans to which the magnet sticks.

Some other requirements apply to dishes used on a simple electric stove. Pointed or protruding edges and other such elements can severely damage the delicate surface. Best fit here cast pan. Stamped products create much more problems.

The approach that was used in the past - “to buy the same that was” today is no longer working. At least because of the constant updating of the range of manufacturers. You can confidently say that KitchenAid KC2T60LCST is one of the best saucepans at the end of the 2010s. Its attractive feature is an atypical design. Stainless steel covers the base of aluminum, located in the whole body.

This solution allowed to radically increase the thermal conductivity. Capacity of the product reaches about 5.6 liters. Provides instant heating from the bottom and around the edges, which significantly speeds up the cooking. In the comments on the quality note that this version is equipped with large welded handles. The outer shell is reliable even at high temperatures.

Speaking about premium quality brands of saucepans, one cannot ignore and Tefal Inspiration. Its volume is 5.1 liters. Because the product is useful and families with several children, and fans to invite guests. The main structural material is selected medical stainless steel with a total thickness of 3 mm. The pot is also equipped with an encapsulated bottom, not prone to deformation and excluding the burning of food.

Tefal Inspiration in the production of equip handles that do not heat up. You can use the product in the oven at temperatures up to 175 degrees. The pan is compatible with all types of cooking surfaces. Officially, the guarantee for 10 years is given, which is not so often even in the practice of expensive brands. Important: users note that the pens are not very comfortable. Another partial disadvantage is a rather large mass (about 2.3 kg).

The next position in our ranking is Tescoma Ultima. Despite the small capacity (about 4 liters), it deservedly falls into the top optimal designs. The product is designed with adjustable steam discharge.

This function is implemented using a special glass cover. You can choose:

• close the holes to 100% (accelerating boiling);
• leave a small release for slowly boiling and preparing food;
• open release to maximum.

This pan is better than many of the standard sets by the fact that they used excellent 18/10 stainless steel for its production. The handle on the lid is made of nylon, and therefore it is rather weakly heated. The capsule bottom device eliminates the burning of thick foods. After washing, stains will not appear on the inner matte surface. But, on the polished surface all scratches are clearly visible.

Riess Streublumen 0532 049 - the high quality enameled pan. It is done in an advanced Austrian enterprise. Outside the product is covered with an attractive medium-sized pattern. Capacity is 3.5 liters. A very resistant coating is used, which is much less destroyed than the enamel in budget products.

Among the ceramic pans models stand out favorably. South Korean firm Frybest. She actively uses non-standard forms and rich colors. No wonder that this product is loved by interior designers all over the planet. Beautiful pots allow you to not just cook, but also gracefully serve dishes on the table. The only problem is the high fragility of the ceramics.

If we talk about aluminum pans, then it is quite a good choice to consider products of the Russian brand. Kukmara. The company uses only proven and safe raw materials. Applied technologies are fully consistent with international standards. Special coating imported from Germany, to the limit reduces the risk of scratches.

All of the above, including the features of individual brands, does not exhaust the nuances that make it possible to choose the right pans for the house. People who are trying to bring their kitchen closer to the professional model often choose copper products. The heat inside them spreads as evenly as possible. Also note a very pleasant taste, while maintaining healthy qualities.

For many centuries, it became clear that the best option for most home cooks would be round and cylindrical pans. They are easier to mix preparing dishes, and washing is easier. But there are other solutions. The square configuration is ideal for storage in the refrigerator, in the drawers of the table, in the kitchen cupboard or on the shelf. Oval products are a very good help in cooking bird carcasses entirely.

How to choose a pot, see the next video.