Cooking is impossible without good products and knowledge of recipes - everyone knows. But no less important than all these moments, still have a high-quality saucepan. Its choice is much harder than it seems at first, and has many subtleties.
What pots are considered the most harmless?
Having come to any store, even the most modest, it is easy to detect dozens of types of dishes. Dimensions and color, wall thickness and type of handles differ. You can remember about many other nuances. But the most important aspect, about which too few people thinks at all, - These are safe materials for health. To protect against saturation, enamel is often used toxic substances.
This problem solves only partially, because the enamel coating is very easily damaging. And through it, toxic substances will fall inside. Especially great threat when cooking acidic dishes. The clogging by their heavy metals leads not only to sharp poisoning (this situation is at least recognized easily). Often there are also chronic intoxication leading to:
- Falling immunity;
- frequent and stubborn headaches;
- disorders of balance of substances in the body;
- inexplicable weakness;
- chronic fatigue.
Moreover, even very small pieces of enamel itself are a serious threat. Therefore, products with enameled coating should be assessed as strict as possible, if it is decided to buy them.
It is strictly unacceptable the presence of even individual spots, because they talk about mistakes in the firing.
If high quality enamel, then the dishes can not be easy to determine. Outside, the coating has any tone, but the bottom should be as darker as possible - this will speed up the heating.
Danger represent enamel layers of yellow, red or brown color. Such tones indicate the presence of cadmium compounds, copper and other hazardous substances. Serious risk represents the use of aluminum containers without special protection. Theoretically, to prevent the ingress of toxic metal in food should surface film from oxides. However, too much hope should not be imposed on it.
Much popularity due to the convenience and practicality they deserve the pans in which stainless steel was used. But it also has a significant disadvantage - allocating additional alloying elements when heated. Let even they will not have a serious negative effect, however, the food will still get an unpleasant taste.
Important: If you buy dishes from steel stainless steel brands, then only from proven manufacturers, and at a solid price. Many cheap products manufactured in Asian countries contain too much harmful impurities.
The ideal in sanitary and practical terms, steel includes a maximum of 10% nickel and 18% chromium. And the chemical composition is not all. In the bottom of the good quality, a multilayer heat distributor is definitely embedded. This element is made from different metals, thereby speeding up the heating and cooking. Selective structures from leading firms look beautiful and completely safe. Difficulty only in very high prices for goods from large manufacturers.
The vast majority of specialists believe that The best choice for the amount of characteristics will be a pan with a ceramic layer. It does not contain any dangerous components. Therefore, such a tableware is suitable not only for cooking, but also for storage.
Concerning Fireproof products , they are very inert in chemical terms and allow you to visually control the cooking process. Wash the glass surfaces are easy, and no longer delayed on them.
But there are several serious minuses:
- high cost;
- fragility;
- severity;
- Small thermal conductivity (cook food will have longer);
- The inability to put a saucepan on a wet surface (because of this, it often bursts).
Definition for use
But choose a saucepan for the kitchen only on the material would be rampant. In this case, there is still an even wide set of options, between which you will have to choose additionally. The size of the dishes are of great importance. It is "dimensions", and not one "size." This is about:
- DNA diameter;
- the diameter of the part to which the lid is based on;
- altitude;
- volume.
From the bottom of the pan must completely coincide with the burners on the stove. The maximum allowable deviation is 1 cm. It is believed that the wider dishes, the more convenient the contents in it will stir. But in the home source must be a high pan with a narrow neck. It will come in handy for cooking spaghetti and other dishes that require slow evaporation of fluid.
Conventional pans will be useful for soup, cereal and other standard eats.
Selecting the dishes in both the set and separately, it is necessary to navigate, first of all, the composition of the consumers and their culinary preferences.
It is useful not just to think and talk about them, but even paint on paper. It is on paper, and not on a tablet or in a computer - so more chances to remember everything. Very small containers (1-3 liters) are needed for modest portions.
Such dishes are used in order to boil milk, cooking porridge, soups and making mashed potatoes. You still need to pick up the stalls for the oven: they can be relatively wide, but the high height is unacceptable. Especially strict such a requirement will be when breaking the brass cabinet on tiers. The capacity of 3-5 liters is enough to prepare a soup for the whole family, for cooking meat and vegetables, a small number of pasta, dumplings or dumplings.
Buy a saucepan volume over 5 liters is necessary for:
- cooking compote and jelly;
- Solutions cabbage;
- cooking everyday food for a large large family;
- cooking jam.
But all these species refer only to "mass" (let's call it) segment. And there are still pans with a narrow specialization:
- bucket - can replace the kettle, suitable for cooking eggs and 1-2 portions of porridge;
- milkmen - Looks like a bucket, but just above;
- Silksome - Transitional link between saucepans and high frying pan, good for cooking stewed dishes and thick soup;
- Butchets and Casans - for fans of oriental cuisine;
- with Double bottom;
- steamers and their subspecies - Mantovarka;
- Pans. For vegetables and macaroni.
Consider the type of cooking panel
All kinds of kitchenware must be designed for interaction with the hearth. It can not be reduced only to the correspondence of the burners in size. For gas stove, almost all types of saucepan are used. But the best choice is the products from cast iron, enamelled steel, tempered glass. If at home is the induction stove, it is best to choose from stainless steel or cast iron options.
Aluminum dishes in pure form on the induction plate can not be used. It also applies to glass and ceramics. Farmagnetic stands can be partially output. However, they increase the price of all the product, and there is no need to talk about compactness. Therefore, for most people, it is best to limitate the saucepans to which the magnet sticks.
Some other requirements are presented to the dishes used on a simple electric stove. Pointed or protruding edges and other similar elements can highly damage the delicate surface. Best here is suitable Casting cast . Stamped products create much more problems.
The walls should be a thickness of at least 5-6 mm, otherwise the solid food will constantly burn, and the liquid - foaming violently.
Overview of popular firms
The approach that was used in the past - "To buy the same thing that was", today does not work. At least due to the permanent updating of the product manufacturers. You can confidently say that Kitchenaid KC2T60LCST. It is one of the best saucepans at the end of 2010. Its attractive property is an atypical design. Stainless steel covers the base of aluminum located in the entire case.
Such a solution made it possible to radically increase the thermal conductivity. The product capacity reaches about 5.6 liters. It provides instantaneous warm-up and at the edges, which significantly accelerates cooking. In the comments in quality, it is noted that this version is equipped with large welded handles. The outer shell is reliable even at high temperatures.
Speaking about high-quality stamps of a premium pot, you can not get around the attention and Tefal Inspiration . Its volume is 5.1 liters. Therefore, the product is useful and families with several children and lovers to invite guests. The main construction material is the selected medical stainless steel with a total thickness of 3 mm. The saucepan is also equipped with a capsuated bottom, not inclined to deformation and excluding burning food.
Comfortable nose and special perforation will allow the excess of fluid without removing the cover.
Tefal Inspiration in production is equipped with handles that do not heat up. It is allowed to use the product in the oven at a temperature of up to 175 degrees. Pan is compatible with any kind of cooking surfaces. It is officially given a warranty for 10 years, which is not so often even in the practice of expensive brands. Important: Users noted that the handles are still not too comfortable. Another partial disadvantage is a rather large mass (about 2.3 kg).
The next position in our ranking is Tescoma ultima. Despite a small capacity (about 4 l), it is deservedly enters the top optimal structures. The product is designed with a warehouse adjustment.
This function is implemented using a glass cover of a special design. You can choose your choice:
- Close the holes 100% (accelerating boiling);
- Leave a small issue for slowly boiling and preparing food;
- Open release to maximum.
This pan is better than many of the standard sets, it is already the fact that for its manufacture, an excellent stainless steel 18/10 was applied. The handle on the lid is made of nylon, and therefore it is quite poorly heated. The bottom capsule device eliminates the burning of thick food. On the inner matte surface after washing the divorces will not appear. But, On the polished surface, all scratches are clearly visible.
Riess Streublumen 0532 049 - High-class enamel saucepan. It is done on advanced Austrian enterprise. Outside the product is covered with an attractive corpus pattern. Capacity is 3.5 liters. It uses a very resistant coating, which is much less destroyed than enamel in budget products.
Among the ceramic saucepan, models from South Korean firm Frybest. It actively uses non-standard forms and juicy colors. It is not for nothing that this product is loved by interior designers throughout the planet. Beautiful saucepans allow you to not just cook, but also gracefully apply to the table. The only problem consists in high fragility of ceramics.
If we talk about aluminum pots, then the products of the Russian brand can be considered a good choice Kukmara. The company uses exceptionally proven and secure raw materials. The technologies used fully correspond to the world level. Special coating imported from Germany, to the limit reduces the risk of scratches.
Despite the casting of the case with manual way, the price of the finished product is relatively low.
Useful recommendations
All of the above, including the features of individual brands, does not exhaust the nuances that allow you to correctly choose the pans for the house. People trying to bring their kitchen to a professional pattern, often choose copper products. Heat inside of them applies to the most uniform. It is also noted a very pleasant taste, while maintaining useful qualities.
However, it is necessary to remember that the copper dishes are expensive, cannot be stored in a wet environment and deprives the products of ascorbic acid prepared products.
For many centuries, it became clear that round and cylindrical pots will be the best option for most domestic cooks. It is easier to mix preparing dishes, and the washing is facilitated. But there are other solutions. Square configuration is optimal for storage in the refrigerator, in the table boxes, in the kitchen cabinet or on the shelf. Oval products become a very good help in cooking bird carcasses.
On how to choose a saucepan, see the next video.