No matter what skills, tricks or gadgets a cook may have, it all comes back to the basics. From basic to bougie, you can spend almost any price for cookware, but does it actually matter what your pots and pans are made of? In short, YES.
The material of your cookware makes a great deal of difference and can even save you years of headaches. Here’s a short guide to help you choose which is right for you.
Stainless Steel (Basic)
This is a go-to for every cook. It’s durable, easy to use and affordable. Unfortunately, it can also be a pain to cook with at times. If you go too cheap on this purchase and it's too low quality, the pan may heat unevenly, making it difficult to cook with.
Also be careful while cooking. Food can burn fairly easily on this pan and require a great deal of effort to clean. As long as you scrape it off, though, just throw the pan in the dishwasher and it should be good to go!
Nonstick (Basic)
This is another go-to cooking tool, though it is mostly used by beginners. The low cost and nonstick are easy selling points, but that’s not all this material offers. Minimal amounts of oil are needed while cooking, making it a favorite among the health conscious.
The only downside is the lifespan. While they are often sold as dishwasher safe, you should make sure to hand wash if you’d like these pans to last. The high heat and detergent can quickly deteriorate the pan.
Also take care to avoid any scratching. That means no metal utensils and no stacking. While you don’t need to worry about carcinogens anymore, once the pan is scratched you can say bye-bye to it being nonstick.
Cast Iron (Intermediate)
This is the workhorse of the kitchen. It’s been used to cook for over 1,000 years which just shows you how reliable and durable it really is. Cast iron is an incredible material that is also naturally nonstick after seasoning.
The only downside is the cleaning, but that’s not even very difficult. The main thing to remember is to not use soap unless absolutely necessary. Once you have the cooking basics down, a good cast iron skillet is a must-have investment that will last you the rest of your life.
Copper (Advanced)
Copper is a tricky material to work with, but it has a high pay off. Unfortunately, it comes with a myriad of annoyances. Copper shouldn’t be used on induction cooktops, must be hand washed, can dent very easily and is rather expensive.
Make sure you purchase non-reactive copper cookware, too. Traditional copper can react with acidic foods like tomato, making it a much less useful tool.
However, if you’re a seasoned cook and have the gumption to dive into copper, you won’t be disappointed. Aside from the beautiful aesthetic, copper is a dream to cook with, heating very quickly and cooking evenly