Looking to buy new cookware for your favorite cook this Christmas? Nothing is more frustrating than trying to make great meals in substandard cookware, so your thoughtfulness in purchasing this gift will be so appreciated!
What should you look for in great cookware? It is easy to become overwhelmed when trying to find the best cookware for the best price. Here are a few options to consider:
Anodized aluminum cookware: Although aluminum has received a bad rap in cookware because of a scare that its use is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, there is no conclusive proof that this is the case.The amount of aluminum that enters food during cooking is less than that contained in an antacid tablet.
Aluminum has some excellent features for cookware use, such as its excellent heat conductivity and being lightweight. It is a common cookware material found in commercial kitchens, as well. It does, however have the drawback of being reactive with acid and alkaline foods. This can produce off-flavors and colors in foods.
Anodized aluminum cookware combats these drawbacks by implementing a process that provides a protective coating to the outer surface of aluminum cookware. This makes anodized aluminum cookware far less reactive to acid and alkaline foods, and a good choice for the budget conscious cook. Popular brands include: Kitchen Aid, Rachel Ray.
Stainless Steel Cookware: A popular choice for its durability, lack of reactivity and ease of cleaning, stainless steel cookware does have several important drawbacks. It is a poor conductor of heat, and is also prone to hot spots that make food stick. Cusinart and Kitchen Aid are brands with stainless steel cookware lines, among others.
Clad/Tri Ply Cookware: When you are looking for the very best cookware that money can buy, seek out clad, or tri ply cookware. Cladded cookware combines the excellent heat conductivity of materials such as copper and aluminum with the easy-clean features of stainless steel by sandwiching the stainless steel to the interior of the conductive base.
Fully clad cookware refers to cookware where the cladding extends up the full sides of the pan. It is desirable when pin point control over heat in a dish is necessary, such as in making sauces.
Tri Ply cookware is created by a process in which a conductive base material such as copper or aluminum is sandwiched on both sides by stainless steel, giving the user the ultimate in ease of cleaning, durability and quick response to changes in the heat source.
Clad and Tri Ply cookware types are very expensive to purchase, but the price is offset by the years of use you can expect from investing in these types of cookware. It is not unusual to hear of twenty-five year-old sets of these types of cookware still in use. Brands to look for include All-Clad (which is American made) and Caphalon.
Always purchase the best cookware that you can afford. Investing in a better set of cookware means that you will enjoy using it for years to come. Cheap brands wear out, creating hot spots where food sticks and burns as well as can create dangerous situations where handles of hot pots break off in the user’s hands.
To learn more about great cookware, please visit Great Cooks Need Great Cookware.
