Cookware essentials: what I found work best in my home kitchen
Cookware or more precisely pots and pans is always a difficult topic to treat and to know exactly what to buy for your kitchen can be even harder, especially when you are learning how to cook and want start to equip yourself with the best cookware. There are so many options out there that the process of choosing anything quickly become overwhelming.
for that reason and as part of my new French Cooking Basics video series. I have created a simple list based on my experience of teaching myself French cooking for the last 3 years. In a nutshell what I have learned is that less is more and also that keeping to the basics necessity for your kitchen works best.
Now, of course everyone is different and we all have our preferences on what should be present in our kitchens, but still, it is important not to overbuy things as it will ultimately just end up cluttering your kitchen rather be useful.
I personally recommended to use mostly stainless steel pots and pans when you learn cooking as they can be used on the stove, oven, or broiler they are good for searing, sautéing, braising, and making stock and sauces. on top of that cleaning stainless steel is easy and the pots and pans can go in the dishwasher too which is a bonus.
For more details and pros and cons for each type of pan watch the video below:
General rule regarding size pots and pans (skillet) sizes:
- The most popular sizes for frying and other pans tends to be 10- or 12-inch.
- For stock pots and dutch oven common sizes varies between 3 to 6 quarts (24 to 26 cm in diameters)
Some of the cookware you should consider having in your kitchen when you learn French cooking:
– 1 cast iron dutch oven with enamel finish ( when it comes to size it really depends on your personal situation and for how many people you usually cook) Le creuset is by far the best and most durable to get.
– 1 stainless steel straight sided saute pan (3 ply with copper core) size between 10 and 12 inch depending on your needs. (if you cannot find a saute pan like me, you can use a small stock pot instead)
– 1 stainless steel frying pan (skillet) , 3 ply with copper core 24 to 28 cm in diameter / 10 to 12 inches.
– 1 22 cm (3 quart) saucier pan in my view one of the best pan to have due to its versatility and usefulness.
– 1 24cm to 28 cm (10 to 12 inches) non-stick frying pan (skillet)
– 1 stainless steel stock pot ( medium to large size) great for large quantities making soups, broth stocks cook pasta and more
– 1 Set of three stainless steel saucepans 1 small, 1 medium and a one (large being 24 cm diameter /10 inches) you could even get away with just a small and a large one
Going further:
Another good option if you are on a budget is to get a good quality cookware set which should have most pots and pans you need ( at least for the beginning)
For the other things like utensils dishes, tray general cookware and bakeware, have a look at my selection online here ( affiliate links
Selection of pots, pans for you to consider when you begin
To see my entire store front cookware and bakeware selection
