News
and Views
Chef
Dave would like to tell you a few things he thinks are
important to him. Here's what's on Dave's mind.
June 24
Pots and Pans Don't Make the Man
There sure are a lot of expensive
pots and pans being sold these days. Are they worth the money?
That depends. I
think that a good cook can adapt to working with any type of cookware.
Sure Calphalon
is great, however
they won't make me or anyone else a better cook.
There are 7 cookware categories; Aluminum, Stainless
Steel, Hard Anodized, Copper, Glass, Cast Iron and Enamel on
Steel. The
biggest sellers are Stainless, Aluminum, and Hard Anodized and
that's what I will discuss here. Several of these are
either nonstick coated or not.
These coatings will last longer by avoiding utensil
abrasion and overheating.
Nonstick
coated cookware uses a plastic material called "PTFE".
It is the most slippery substance in the world which is what keeps
food from sticking to the cookware's surface.
If
you are interested in coated cookware, you
will do well going for top of the line, triple coated pans such
as Dupont's Autograph or Whitford's Excalibur. Silverstone's Select
and Xtra are triple
coated, but they are a lesser quality cookware. DuPont invented and named their coating Teflon. They produce the
best known brands of nonstick cookware in several grades, or qualities,
ranging from Teflon 2
to the top of the line Autograph.
Generally,
I prefer the thicker, nonstick cookware. My experience is the thinner
the cookware the higher the chance of food sticking and burning.
I'm not too impressed with stainless steel cookware.
I've had a chance to work with some All-clad,
and although I don't
like how they cook, they do look nice.
It seems that many cookware brands want to rise to the supreme
level of their Calphalon competitors. Calphalon
(produced by Calphalon), Circulon (produced by the
Meyer Corporation) and Analon (produced by Dupont), all
use the same process to make their cookware nonstick.
This process, called Hard Anodized, allows the nonstick
coating to permeate the surface and be locked in
permanently. This
process give the pans long term food release ability and are
100% more durable than aluminum pans.
Farberware, T-Fal, Wearever and Revere have been making
cookware for years, but my exposure to them has been limited or
nonexistent, which may say something right there. More recently
I see that others have jumped into the cookware market such
as KitchenAid, Cuisinart,
and if you can believe it, Emerilware.
I had a set of Revere copper bottom
pans years ago and what I remember most is trying to keep them
looking good. For me
they were too thin. Recently I saw a great
looking set at a Sam's Club that is being
manufactured for them. They
look like Calphalon clones, and are only $99.95. They
look like a good deal.
Wearever
makes what I feel is the restaurant industry's standard sauté
pans. They come coated
or not. They also
make many other pots and pans. You can buy them and much more
at any of the 3 locations of Ace Mart. Ace Mart is a cash and
carry store full of everything a restaurant uses. It is open to the public
and is like a candy store for the home cook. You can visit them at
www.acemart.com
I believe that temperature control
is the key to working with any type of cookware. Rule of thumb, the thinner
the pot or pan the lower the temperature should be. Obviously a thicker pot or pan can absorb the heat without
warping or producing hot spots.
The thicker pans are able to distribute the heat better
for more even cooking. Generally,
you would want to be able to preheat a pan until quite hot to
do most cooking, especially sautéing. This is hard to do in
thin pans as once you start adding ingredients they will tend
to darken and burn before they cook. The word sauté means "to jump", in French, and you must have
a hot pan to accomplish that.
With so many choices available
these days I recommend that you go with what fits your needs
and budget the most. I'm
sure with proper use and care any of the above mentioned sets
will last for years.
Chef
Dave
|
