The pots and pans conversation

Treasures

My grandmother had a sea of cookware bought from the steel smith shop in Penang. These shops sell everything from steel ladles to industrial size pots for commercialized kitchens. The trade is a dying breed. Nothing in her kitchen matches but the mish mash of items were of the highest quality. She had an old pot that stayed with her since post-WW2 era and it still helped her serve fantastic meals. Her kitchen was rustic, old and comfortably familiar. I wished I had taken a picture of it before it was torn down. The picture above is a collection of antiques from the pre-war era at my grandfather's sister's house. She is 88 this year, I think...or close t0 90.

So it is not a question of what brand but what type of pots and pans are best for your kitchen. Previously, I was using the cheap $39.99 per set cookware to help me with my cooking. They served me their purpose, as a vessel for cooking but they were not the best. I had problems controlling the heat on them and as a result, there are lots of burns and uneven cooking. EUGH.

What you need to look for is a pot or a pan with a heavy bottom, made from good quality stainless steel. You need the heavy bottom for heat to disperse evenly and that is important. It does not need to cost you a thousand bucks for good quality cookware set, just a few hundred will do and they last you a lifetime. Consider it an investment.

I recently bought a new set of cookware from the Gordon Ramsay line. I know, I know, I said brand does not matter and I didn't buy it because it was from Gordon Ramsay - I bought it because it has got some pretty raving reviews and having personally used it, I am jumping on the bandwagon as well. This cookware are some seriously heavy gears but good pots and pans are suppose to be heavy so heat is distributed evenly. The heavy aluminum base and the stainless steel covers makes for a very functional pot - with the same stainless steel handle and cover. I always prefer stainless steel handles and cover because then I can use it in the oven as well. That is killing two birds with one stone, imho :)

Always remember that heavy = good when you shop for a pot/pan. Why is having good cookware important? Like having a good pair of knife, it is helpful. A good pot takes less heat to cook your meals evenly and thoroughly and thus saves energy. Washing is easy too because there will not be any burnt bottoms for you to scrub.

And most importantly, it lasts for a lifetime.