Gear-love: Know thy pan

Have you ever taken a good look at the pans that you use? Ever wonder why people can go so crazy over cast iron, or why some stores charge hundreds of dollars for a single saute pan? There are reasons for all of these things, of course.

Before we get into the actual materials, let's look at the pots and pans themselves. What do you really need? The answer? Not a lot, really. Here are a few basics that will get you pretty close to anywhere you need to go.

Saute pan: These come in various sizes, and what size you need is dependent on how much you're cooking (food for one generally takes up less room than food for four), how big your stove is (you want something that will easily sit over one burner, not crowd the entire surface), and such things. They've got sides (a couple of inches or so) that generally move out from the base a bit.

Sauce pan: Again, various sizes. This is one that I wouldn't mind you having two of (I have three myself, actually). These are measured by the volume that they hold rather than the diameter of the pan, and should always come with a lid (in fact, a lid for any given pot or pan is not a bad idea... or better yet, one nice universal lid for all those that don't come with them normally). If the sides are flared instead of coming straight up, what you're looking at is a saucier pan. The sides are flared in order to give a larger surface area so that sauces and the like will reduce faster.

Stock pot: Big. Really big. I think mine is about 14" tall. Get the biggest thing that will fit on both your stove and in your sink (for easy washing purposes).

Why am I happy with just three types of pots and pans? You really can do a lot with this list. The saute pan is generally my go-to item. You can cook a steak, a pile of green beans, cabbage, throw together a (small amount of) sauce... in fact there's very little that you can't do with it. Get one that's oven safe and the opportunities are nigh endless. Sauce pans are great for larger batches of sauce, small to moderate batches of soup, and other related liquid endeavors. Add a nice metal bowl that fits on top (you want most of the bowl to actually fit inside the pan) and you've got a double boiler to beat anything you'd buy from a store. A mesh strainer that fits snugly inside (with a lid to fit over) is a great steamer. Stock pots are great for not only stock, but will make enough soup to feed an army, and are the only pot that I ever use for pasta.

That's all well and good, but the right pan is only half of the battle. What the pan is made of is going to determine a lot.

Aluminum: Relatively cheap, durable, and light weight. They're not without flaws, though. Aluminum isn't the most effective conductor, and you'll have hot spots in the pan. Likewise, unless it's iodized (which isn't hard to find) acidic ingredients like tomatoes will mess with the pan (and the pan will mess with the food... and no one wants that).

Copper: Ah copper, how sweet it is. It's pretty much the best conducter available. For quick, even heating it can't be beat. It's not overly weighty... although it's not overly cheap either. More importantly it's a tad bit (and by a tad bit I mean more than just a tad) poisonous if you cook food in it (which is why you'll so often see copper-bottomed pots lined with stainless steel).

Stainless steel: Decent conductor, pretty durable... overall pretty good. Not as cheap as some, and still not completely devoid of hot spots.

Cast iron: Another lovely thing. True they're heavy and brittle (don't drop it, please), but they're solid conductors. Being a very dense metal they hold a lot of heat (this does also mean that it takes a bit longer to heat up), and so when you slap down cold food there's enough heat in the pan already to keep going. Lighter metals (such as aluminum) will lose a lot of their heat to the food, and will need time to come back up to speed to continue cooking.

A special note on non-stick pans. What are they good for? Eggs. What else, you ask? Nothing, really. If no bit of that steak sticks, no fond is left in the pan (those tasty little black bits just bursting with good flavor). This means that you won't be making any pan sauces (at least not as good as they could be). You've got to be incredibly careful with them, too. No harsh scrubbing (not even the green side of those little sponges), no oven time, and I wouldn't care to run them through the dish washer either, just in case. But, if you're an omelete lover, I wouldn't begrudge you a small one.

There's a short list, at least, of what makes a pan. While this won't fully outfit your kitchen, it's sure to be a good start.