Types of Cookware and Bakeware – The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
Have you ever gaped upon the height of scrutiny you pay to the grocery items, house interior, wall color, fabric type and the number of spices available in your kitchen closet?
Well, likewise, have you just tried, or even actually supposed, the exact mention or type of the cookware you meet your regular uses with.
On a ballpark figure, obviously, you never do.
I did neither for a long time too.
But as one says, ignorance leads you nowhere.
Let’s just assume the awareness hit me amidst and then I became conscious of what really my food is cooked in.
Now if you test me, I know about the whole family of the kitchenware.
With that being said, from the most used as daily used ones to the least used as the ones, you bring out once in six months only.
It may not communicate much to the majority but for the sake of equality, you should look after your kitchenware the same way you pamper your outfits and other essentials.
Why not? You know the food is directly proportional to the health and indirectly proportional to the manner of cooking.
Though life essentials and life, in general, will matter only if you are loyal to your health.
Ultimately, cookware comes first and to whom it may concern.
Moving forward, surmising the valid use of specific kitchenware is not like an abrupt afflatus coming upon your senses but it is learned and practiced with length.
As a matter of fact, it is not always about what recipe you are cooking tonight but the margin extends on the quantity of the food as well.
I have strived a magnitude to put up with all the basic knowledge one expects while mastering the kitchen and the cuisine. No matter if you are an expert or a beginner, there is always a little room for more information and understanding.
Keep scrolling down!
Table of Contents
Kitchen Essentials: Decide the Need of the Moment
An inborn chef dies to own somewhat all shapes, materials, and sizes of the kitchenware.
It is hard to figure out why but you will want to have all of them anyway.
There is no justification for the attraction, that’s fair and square.
As a whole on a different scale, if you step in the kitchen to cook for survival, your inner clumsy-being will be satisfied with cooking everything to nothing in a single pot. There is no in-between.
This thread will let you know the thrice of these factors, size, type, and material, one by one.
Cookware Types
A cookware range is the one that requires liquid heat to simmer, sauté, and braise the meals.
I believe having all the shapes and manners depicts your love for cooking and food in general.
1- Stockpot
A stockpot is usually large in size, both length and width.
Though you can have a medium size also but don’t expect the small size.
The sole purpose of the stockpot in the kitchen is to let the recipe be put on the back burner so that it cooks in the water or steam. Every time you have to cook soup, stew, vegetables in bulk, sauce for pasta or pasta itself, you should be picking up the stockpot.
Hence, this tool is for slow cooking and not to let the ingredients be at the sake of extreme heat.
2- Frypan
Fry pan, also called skillet or sauteuse, is what you will need the most in the kitchen, be it night or the day. It is a blessing if you have one or a curse if you don’t, mind it.
The frypan can be found in every size (S/ M/ L) and its flat surface and curved walls let the food be stirred, simmer or sauté to the fullest.
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It is usually employed for a quick-cooking to put water on the heat of your starve.
Be conscious of buying the frying pan with a lid so that you can provide the food with essential steam also.
3- Sauté pan
The looks of the sauté pan resemble the frying pan but it can majorly replace the stockpot if the quantity of the food to be cooked is intermediate.
Boasting the flat surface and straight sides, it comes with a top to collect the steam inside.
This cookware is also available in a number of sizes but the one handy for day to day use is just a little than large in size.
The food is simmered and sautéed quite well due to the straight sloppy sides and the wider space vulnerability.
Although it is also for quick cooking so let the heat flames be high and sit back.
4- Saucepan
The saucepan is a somewhat smaller version of the stockpot or from the same branch, dispensing a round shape.
The sides are tall enough that makes it deep cookware for the liquid food to boil and develop the best of the taste.
It arrives with a lid so you can put it up and do your other chores while it cooks on its own.
It also maintains the basic sizes, one can have all as you may need it daily or definitely once in two days.
It can actually replace any of the other cookware types easily and do its job in awe.
5- Braise pan
A braise pan is a unique kind of cookware due to its side handles that stimulate handling a complete breeze.
You don’t need to dish out the recipe cooked in it, bring it straight to the dining by holding through the grips.
It is usually large in size, having the braise pan in small size is of no use relatively while the medium size can still serve the purpose.
It comes with its built-in lid to save the steam for needed moisture in the name of color and flavor of the recipe.
The availability of braise pan in the kitchen always come forward for the reason in one way or the other.
6- Grill pan
Call it a grill pan or griddle, you can’t escape its versatility.
It sort of belongs to the same branch of a frying pan with a little variation in the looks.
The small handle, wide surface with not-so-prominent sidewalls makes up a useful grill pan.
Though the front side of the grill pan is altogether open, actually for toasting up and quick.
I also call it a breakfast tool as it is perfect for making a variety of eggs and pancakes.
If you go out for buying this, I advise you to bring one in medium size because the large size will be extra large and the small size will be too small, for the purpose.
you might like: Best Barbecue Grills in 2020
7- Wok
This is amazingly another all-purpose cookware type you ought to own in your cookware range for the foods that ask for high temperatures.
It further has it’s two types, small bottom with large sides and large bottom with small sides.
The dimensions of wok involve sloppy sidewalls and a varied bottom or surface, but the usage is versatile on both accounts.
It deep-fries the food efficiently and is also great in the making of regular stews.
Yes, it has a handle, one in usual and also two in many for the added comfort.
Every Asian household has one or two of these wok for sure, it’s their star cookware.
Read more: The 10 Best Woks to Buy
8- Pressure cooker
A pressure cooker is a this-generation innovation and invention that has made cooking thoroughly a quick play.
Why waste an hour on slow cooking when you can go for quick-release instead?
For this reason, the pressure cooker has a specially designed sealed top to not even spare a trace for the moisture to exit.
Additionally, the sizes are available but it is deep and heavy.
It works with adding all the ingredients all at once and then the pressure plus steam work on it.
You may decide how many minutes steam pressure are enough for whatever ingredients to boil.
If you don’t own one already, you must be a cooking noob but it is not too late yet. Hurry up and save your future minutes in the kitchen.
9- Egg poacher
This is just a rondo pot with a number of small cups evenly placed inside it.
A home with children may understand the significance of egg poacher better than all.
It’s hard to form the right shaped poached egg for a number of people in the breakfast with the sense of hustle.
With this egg poacher cups and pan, you can simply crack the egg and insert it in the cup.
The appealing and juicy poached egg is in wait for you.
Bakeware Types
Bakeware is different from cookware in a case, it requires less shaking and moving with the skimmer as you just have to spread the recipe and let it rest in the dry heat.
It takes a hold of as many shapes and sizes as the number of baking recipes you know. Well, I can be right or wrong.
Though the exposure to heat is partially equal.
1- Roaster
This is a baker’s tool and guess who does not have a soft corner for baking in this age? No one
Its use is simple and dimensions too, extra flat rectangular surface with small-medium walls and duo handles available in a variety of sizes.
However, the size may also depend upon the type of dish to be baked and hence your oven size also matters here.
The small and medium-sized oven cannot entertain the large-sized roaster pan.
Following the fact, it is great to have all of the basic sizes (S/ M/ L) so you can pick one according to the recipe also.
Once the baked-to-be dish is spread in here, the next step is to put it inside the oven and settle the timer. Wait until you enjoy eating.
2- Bread loaf pan
This bakeware encompasses no holds so you need an oven mitt for carrying it out afterward.
The bread loaf pan is used for the making of pudding and sweet bread and as the sides are high, the spreading is also simple and sufficient.
The oven heat cooks it really slowly for the development of optimal taste and texture.
3- Sheet pan
A sheet pan is also one of the baking tools with slight to no sidewalls and flat surface.
Hence it can also be bought in any of the desired sizes.
The sheet pan is not a great pick for liquid or thin spreading.
Although if you have to bake the meat slices and garlic bread, this is exceptionally perfect.
4- Round pan
The round pan comes forward with the motive of baking either a pizza or cake.
That is why it is round in shape and broad at the bottom.
Place a sheet mask, oil it with a brush, spread the material, done with the toppings and put in the oven. That’s it.
Cookware Material:
1- Aluminum
This material is used and abused across the world on an incredible scale and is admired due to worthwhile heat conductivity.
Hence the heat is attracted to it pretty fast and you save a lot of your time in the kitchen.
Even if you are not so fond of aluminum cookware, you should have at least one pot or pan of it for sure.
It’s easy to clean and lasts years. The stockpot is usually made of aluminum.
2- Cast Iron
Most of the skillets we use are made of cast iron. It has a thick build-up but requests extra attention towards maintenance. It is a little expensive. you can see the 10 best Cast Iron Skillets of 2019
Read more :Cast Iron skillets Beginner’s Guide
3- Ceramic
Ceramic is not just ceramic but it is diluted with other materials to make suitable for kitchen use and it includes porcelain, stoneware, and earth-ware.
Porcelain dominates the other two due to the sturdiness to face the heat and lasts longer. The sauce pans, sauté pans and fry pans are made of ceramic.
you might like: 10 Best Ceramic Frying Pans
4- Stainless steel
The cleaning of stainless steel cookware is super easy and its durability is unmatched.
Unlike aluminum, it takes time in heat distribution and hence also cooks slow.
But it has its own benefits that compel people to use it more than any other material and it is justified.
Read more: 10 Best Stainless Steel Frying Pans
5- Non-stick
The non-stick cookware is a coated cookware with the vital benefit of the food not sticking to it which further helps in quick cleaning. It is great for daily use.
6- Copper
You are not introduced with the direct copper but it is layered with a nontoxic material to enhance its performance.
This type of cookware lasts of you put an effort in regular look after.
Top 5 Cookware brands:
Let us help you a little more.
1- All-Clad
All-Clad Metalcrafters company have been establishing the quality plus longevity in their kitchen tools since almost 1960. They retain an extended range of all types and sizes of cookware with the appealing looks and colors at relatively moderate prices.
Check All-Clad Cookware on Amazon2- Calphalon
Ronald Kasperzak, the founder of Calphalon company, has lead the cookware game to the heights of efficiency. Straight from the United States, they are providing the people with the best kitchen tools and now it has become their first choice to replace or renew the cookware.
Check Calphalon Cookware on Amazonyou might like: 10 Best Calphalon Cookware sets
3- Cuisinart
Again an American brand, Cuisinart, has been running successfully since 1971. From smaller size to larger and from copper to stainless steel, you will find everything with strong built-in properties at suitable rates.
Check Cuisinart Cookware on AmazonRead more: 7 Best Cuisinart Stainless Steel Cookwares
4- Farberware
Just two decades since they began with this business and they have already taken the market with a storm.
The stores are almost flooded with the farberware cookware range and the credit goes to their hard work and loyalty with the customers.
Check Farberware Cookware on Amazon5- WearEver
It is probably the most ancient cookware business that dates back to 1888, as per records.
Since then, they are devising the innovation wrapped up in quality and durability.
Check WearEver Cookware on AmazonConclusion
Imagine a sudden visit of friends or in-laws at your home and they find out your great collection of kitchenware.
They can’t help but be impressed by your ingenious qualities and you are allowed to boast off a little bit.
Plus, when you explain to them the right cooking or baking technique as well as the replacement pot or pan, the returned appreciation will compel you to float on the seventh sky.
Therefore, my sincere advice is to invest in the right products that you can make use of today or tomorrow with no expiry date.
