Choosing the right pot or pan comes down to matching it to how the dish cooks: long-simmered dishes call for a heavy-bottomed steel or cast-iron pot, while quick, high-heat cooking calls for a thin-based, wide non-stick pan. Getting this wrong can mean anything from food sticking to the bottom to a longer cooking time than expected.
Size matters as much as material; a sauté crowded into too small a pan ends up steaming in its own liquid instead of browning. As a rule, the pot or pan should be wide enough to hold the ingredients in a single layer — a rule that holds for almost every type of dish.
What pot suits soups and simmered dishes?
For soups and long-simmered dishes, a heavy-bottomed pot spreads heat evenly and keeps the bottom from scorching; thin-based pots can heat unevenly and cause sticking in this kind of cooking. A deep pot with a lid also slows evaporation, keeping the liquid from reducing too fast.
Stainless steel pots don't react with acidic ingredients like tomato or vinegar over long cooking times, which makes them a better choice than cast iron for these dishes; aluminium pots can leave a metallic taste with the same acidic ingredients.
What pan suits frying and sautéing?
For frying and sautéing, a wide, shallow pan lets ingredients brown instead of steaming; narrow, deep pans crowd the food and make it release liquid. Non-stick pans make cooking with little oil easier, while cast iron withstands higher heat and gives a deeper sear.
Preheating the pan for a few minutes before adding food also cuts down on sticking; meat or vegetables placed in a cold pan tend to stick in the first few seconds and never brown properly.
What dish is best for oven cooking?
For long-baked casseroles and tray dishes, ceramic or cast-iron dishes hold heat slowly and evenly; thin metal trays heat up faster and can dry out the edges too soon. For delicate bakes like cakes and cookies, light-coloured, thin metal tins give a more even bake.
Dark-coloured tins absorb more heat, so the oven temperature can be lowered by a few degrees for these recipes.
How do you work out the right pot or pan size?
Having the ingredients cover the base of the pot or pan in a single layer gives even cooking and proper evaporation; an overcrowded pan lets food cover itself and steam instead of brown. As a rule of thumb, the pan's surface area should be at least twice the volume of food going into it.
Matching the pot size to the size of the burner also makes better use of the heat; using a large pot on a small burner wastes energy.
How does looking after pots and pans affect the result?
A non-stick pan loses its performance quickly once it's scratched by a metal spoon, and starts sticking over time; using wooden or silicone utensils with this kind of pan extends its life. Cast-iron pots can rust if they aren't regularly given a thin coat of oil, which affects both flavour and durability.
Even with the right material, a pot or pan that isn't cared for can cause just as many problems as the wrong one chosen in the first place.