A Helpful Guide for Choosing a Quality Cooking Pan

Pans are probably the most important tools we use to cook our food, and yet most people know very little about pans before they go out and buy them. In addition to the price tag, you should also pay attention to things like pan safety and durability, how well they conduct heat and how easy they are to maintain. This article will review the pros and cons of using several different kinds of pans and will hopefully be a useful guide when the time comes to replace or acquire your own pans.

Non-stick pans have become extremely popular because they facilitate low-fat cooking and easy clean-ups. If you are sick of scraping half of your egg off the bottom of your frying pan, non-stick solutions in your kitchen are probably a welcome change. The more layers of non-stick coating on a pan, the more durable and expensive it will be. Low-end non-stick pans may cost as little as ten dollars while high-end pans can cost more than one hundred dollars. Consequently, a wide range of budgets can afford non-stick pans. There are some potential drawbacks to buying pans equipped with non-stick, man-made coatings though.

The first drawback is that they aren't very durable. Even though non-stick pans have made huge strides in this area -- lasting for several years now rather than several months -- it is very easy to damage the surface of non-stick pans. This is why manufactures recommend using soft utensils (made of wood, plastic or rubber) instead of metal tools when you cook in non-stick pans. Even cleaning must be done gently, which means you should avoid abrasive cleaners and sponges. And, when you store non-stick pans, try not to stack other pots inside of them. This can help prevent additional scratches.

The second drawback of using non-stick pans is that they pose a potential health risk every time you cook. Although Teflon assures consumers that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using any consumer or industrial related products" which are sold under the Teflon® brand, studies have shown that the pans can emit toxic fumes if heated above low or medium heat. In some homes, these fumes have caused flu-like symptoms in humans that last for several days. They have also killed several house-hold birds because they have ultra-sensitive respiratory systems.

There have been several articles written on the potential risks of using non-stick pans but, as of yet, none of the evidence has prompted safety officials to advise consumers to simply throw out their non-stick pans. There are some safety measures you can take though. Consequently, if you are attached to your non-stick pans, never leave them empty on a hot burner and try to keep the temperature low when you use them.

Even though cast iron may sound like a tool that your grandmother used, old fashioned doesn't equal out-of-date in the cooking world. In fact, Cast iron pans are some of the sturdiest and most versatile pans on the market.

Although it is a rather heavy material to cart around, cast iron can be used for almost any kind of cooking. Because of its ability to withstand and maintain very high temperatures, cooking tools made of cast iron are great for frying, searing, grilling, baking and even simmering food. This means you can use cast iron pans for cooking eggs, pancakes, roasts, soups, stews, breads and more.

Cast iron pans are also very affordable. Compared with other pans, like copper and high-end non-stick pans, they cost a fraction of the price. And they rarely need replacing because they last forever. In fact, if no one has thrown it away, you might even have your grandmother's cast iron pot still hanging around the house.

Another benefit of using cast iron cookware is that it can be as slick as any man-made non-stick surface without any of the negative chemical side effects. On the contrary, the only thing that seeps into your food from a cast iron pan is a beneficial nutrient. Namely: iron. The iron that leaches into your food is especially good for anemic individuals and helps promote the production of red blood cells.

The natural non-stick surface on cast iron pans is created as you "season" the pan. Seasoning is the process of creating a hard layer of petrified oil or grease on the cast iron surface. To season a pan, lightly coat it with oil or grease and heat till dry. Or, simply do a lot of cooking in the pan. The more layers of seasoning you create, the slicker and darker your surface will be.

Before you start, here's a helpful seasoning tip. Don't use too much oil when you season a pan. Thin layers are best because they tend to get hard and slick while thicker layers might just end up being sticky. If you buy a brand-new, slivery cast iron pan, seasoning it yourself doesn't take too much time or effort and the more you use it, the better it will be.

Caring for a cast iron pot is also easy. If food has gotten stuck on the surface, you can simply burn it off in the oven or the fire. The heat does all the hard work and you just wipe out the ash when the pot cools. Or, more often than not, you can use a little soap and water to gently wash the pan out. Just make sure you dry the pan thoroughly because wet cast iron will rust. One easy way to do this is to heat the pan on a burner for a few minutes after washing and drying. The heat should eliminate any excess water.

The following are a few additional tips for cooking with a cast iron pan:

• Use it frequently
• Season it properly
• Use at least a little oil or grease when cooking
• Preheat the pan
• Never let the oil or grease smoke

Copper pots are especially popular tools of the trade for professional chefs and are one of the most relied upon types of restaurant equipment.

Like cast iron, copper has a phenomenal ability to distribute heat well and it is a heavy material. This attribute makes it an especially good tool for heating sauces. The shiny, bright appearance is another appealing attribute. Unfortunately, copper is also very expensive and requires a lot of maintenance.

In addition to the regular cleaning associated with cooking, all copper surfaces should be polished regularly to maintain their gleam. You can buy copper polish to complete this task if you prefer, but the old fashioned method of using lemon juice, salt and vinegar will do just as well as any polish.

Most copper pans are also lined with tin or stainless steel to prevent the copper from producing toxic reactions with acid ingredients like wine and those linings will need to be replaced about every ten years or so of normal, household use. Even though the linings do need to be replaced, copper pots should last a long time (if cared for properly) which means you can pass them along to your children.

Stainless steel pans are not as beautiful as copper, but they are much more affordable and they are easier to clean. They are also very sturdy which makes them resist dents and scratches. Stainless steel won't rust either. Another favorable characteristic of stainless steel pans is that they usually fall into the low or moderate price-range. Since stainless steel also contains iron and chromium, cooking with stainless steel can be an easy way to get healthy trace minerals into your diet.

The biggest weakness of stainless steel pans is that they are not good heat diffusers. This defect is often remedied by placing additional metal, like copper or aluminum, in the base of stainless steel pans.

For awhile, researchers believed that using aluminum pans contributed to risk for Alzheimer's disease. Fortunately, studies didn't yield any evidence that this was true though. Consequently, aluminum continues to be a popular material in pot and pan production because it heats quickly and evenly.

Aluminum is a soft metal though, which means it is more prone to dents and scratches than other materials. To deal with this problem, some aluminum pans are lined with stronger metals like stainless steel or non-stick coatings. These lining also prevent the aluminum from reacting with acid foods.

Knowing the pros and cons of each material is a good place to start whenever you buy a new pan, but you should also pay attention to personal tastes when you shop for your own pans. If possible, your pans should feel comfortable in your hands and look attractive. For example, pan handles can come in many different shapes and sizes. Choose something that you can hold onto well.

The shape of the pans you choose will also be a matter a personal taste. Or the material used for the lids (metal or glass) may be the deciding factor. No matter which style or material you choose, remember to be mindful of pan size too. After all, a woman cooking for a family of seven will need much larger pans than a lone college student cooking for himself. With these guidelines in mind, you should be well-equipped to find the perfect pans for your home.