Your Cookware Helper - Cookware, Cookware Sets, and Gift Ideas

Nine Cookware Buying Tips

There are some tricks to selecting the proper cookware. Here are nine cookware buying tips to help you make the best cookware purchase. These will help you save money and get the best cookware, for you, at the best price.

1) Understand the "Type of Cook" you are buying for - Whether buying for yourself or someone else, choosing the most suitable cookware materials is directly related to how much it will get used. If someone wants dishwasher safe cookware, and you get them something that requires hand washing, well, you get the point. Your Cookware Helper has a unique and exclusive article called "Matching Cookware Materials To The Cook."

2) Follow the simple 3-step process - When buying cookware, first pick your cookware material(s). Second, pick your brand(s). Third, get the best price. Very important - I recommend you not concern yourself with price first. Virtually all materials can be found in the full price spectrum. If budget is your primary concern, the Cookware Brands page has a chart of relative prices by cookware brands. Read the complete article about the 3-step process.

3) Quality lasts longer - Like fine cutlery, it is recommended to buy the best individual pieces you can afford. A long lasting cookware set may include different materials and brands. Match your cookware pieces to what you cook and how you cook.

4) Read the care and use instructions – Most quality products will only support their warranty if proper use and care are evident. Most recommend hand washing in warm sudsy water with a nylon type scrub pad. Automatic dishwashers are very tough on cookware with the high drying heat and harsh cleaning chemicals. Today, there are some top quality brands offering dishwasher safe products, but time will prove how good they are.

5) Low to medium heat – Quality cookware, especially those clad with aluminum or copper, can perfectly and safely cook your food using low or medium heat. The use of medium high and high heat can cause damage with warping, discoloration, and fumes that can kill birds. Yes, that really is a warning for non stick products!

6) Acidic foods and salts – Acidic foods can react with certain materials. It is best to remove foods soon after they are cooked. When adding salt to a dish, make sure to add it to a liquid first, and not directly on heated cookware. The salt can pit the cookware, damaging the surface and make foods stick to the pan.

7) Be "clad" you have layers – To improve the heat distribution of certain cookware materials, manufacturers will clad or layer high heat distribution materials like aluminum or copper between or underneath the lesser heat quality materials. This is often done with stainless steel, where 3, 5, 7, or even 9 ply layers are used to improve the quality of the product. Of course, the more layers, the higher cost. Another factor with multi-clad products is where there are layered. Bottom layered products offers help where it needs it most. Fully clad products are layered on the walls also providing a far superior heat distribution throughout the cookware.

8) Handles and lids - Do not underestimate the worth of handles and lids. If the cookware item can be placed in the oven, what is the max temperature the handle can withstand? If you are looking at a large skillet, what is the size of the handle? As a tennis player, I know the value of having an appropriate sized grip. Handles that are too small can cause muscle strain. And if the skillet is extra heavy with food, will it wobble as you carry it across the kitchen? Helper handles to grip both sides of a pan come in very handy.

Lids need to seal properly. If the cookware is advertised as "waterless", the seal has to be extra tight. If the lid is glass, is it tempered to reduce the risk of breakage, or protected with stainless steel?

9) Real-life use and opinions – A lot can be learned from the experiences of others. Cookware reviews are an essential way to determine if a product is good at the start and over the long-term. Through-out this site, you will see we include a fair sampling of reviews for the given cookware

Happy Cooking!

Mark
Your Cookware Helper

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 May 2011 13:01

Dishwasher Safe Cookware

Dishwasher safe cookware makes clean up a breeze. Do your cooking, eat your tasty treats, and when you are done, place the cookware into the dishwasher. What could be easier. A lot of cookware however is not dishwasher safe. Here I will address the issue cookware has with dishwashers, and list the brands and product lines labeled as dishwasher safe cookware.

Here are some dishwasher facts:

• The average dishwasher uses between 9 and 12 gallons of water per load of dishes.
• The expected product life of a dishwasher is 9 years.
• Washing dishes by hand uses approximately 20 gallons of water.
• Approximately 25% of dishwashers on the market today meet Energy Star Goals.
• Replacing a 10-year old dishwasher with an Energy Star-qualified model can save you more than $30 a year in energy costs
• A new sound- insulated model can be up to 75 percent quieter than a unit that's ten years old.
• It has been estimated that using a dishwasher can save up to 3 weeks time over a year

The Issue with Dishwashers

If you think about it, dishwashers have a pretty difficult job to do. We expect to be able to load up a machine with dirty dishes, have that machine splash water on them, splash on some cleaning detergent, dry it, and have everything come out sparkling clean. No dirt. No spots. And to make matters even more difficult, if we want to be "green", we want the dishwasher to do it with as little water as possible. In order to do the job we expect it to do, the dishwasher has to get a little rough. It has to use high water temperature, harsh cleaning chemicals, and high heat.

It is the high water temperature mixed with harsh cleaning agents and the high drying heat that gives cookware trouble. Most often, the concern is with the cleaning agents and how they can either tarnish a cookware surface, remove a cookware surface, or get under the surface and make it peel or separate from the cookware. Cookware is not cheap, and if your new $100+ frypan goes into the dishwasher, and comes out less effective or tarnished, that is not the results desired.

Dishwasher Safe Pots and Pans

The rule of thumb is anodized aluminum cookware, nonstick cookware, and non-enameled cast iron pots and pans are NOT dishwasher safe. Some manufacturers are making progress in those areas. Look for the Your Cookware Helper exclusive dishwasher safe logo:

Automatic dishwashers are very tough on cookware. The high water temperature, harsh cleaning chemicals, and high drying heat can tarnish cookware surfaces, remove cookware surfaces, or make cookware surfaces peel. Our exclusive Cookware Selector makes it easy to select cookware that is Dishwasher Safe, or you can find our exclusive Dishwasher Safe logo on the product pages.

Happy Cooking!

Mark
Your Cookware Helper

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 May 2011 12:56

What Makes Food Stick to Cookware

There are 4 primary reasons why food sticks to cookware. When food sticks to cookware, it can damage the presentation of the dish, and make cleanup more difficult. Food sticking to cookware introduced a whole industry within the cookware market for nonstick cookware. However, regardless of the cookware materials you use, there are some simple steps to help avoid food sticking to cookware.

The 4 Reasons Why Food Sticks to Cookware

1) Cooking with heat set too high. In our microwave society where we can't wait a full minute for water to boil, it is common for cooks to jack up the heat on a fry pan to medium high or high for everyday cooking. With the exception of high heat cooking like searing or browning, quality cookware manufacturers recommend low to medium heat for most cooking. When cookware is clad with aluminum or copper, those materials are such great conductors of heat that low to medium settings provide a heat level equivalent of medium to high on poorer quality cookware.

2) Placing frozen or very cold food into a hot pan. Once again, in a society where speed matters, we often toss frozen food right into a hot pan to get it cooking faster. That temperature differential will cause sticking. Quality cookware manufacturers recommend dethawing food or setting food out for 10 to 15 minutes so it can adjust to room temperature. Temperature differential is an important concept to understand. Cookware can warp if frozen foods are placed in a hot pan. If a hot pan is placed in a freezer for food storage is another cause of cookware warping. If you pay attention to temperature differentials, you can help avoid food sticking and cookware warping.

3) Poor quality cookware. No one wants to pay more than what they need to for cookware, nor throw out cookware before it needs to be. But let's be honest. How many of you have at least one piece of non stick cookware that you know is beyond its time? Perhaps it lost its non stick qualities, or the non stick coating is scratched, chipped, or flaking off. If you have to add butter or oil to a non stick pan just like you would with a pan not coated with a non stick surface, there's your sign it is time for it to go. When cookware has hot spots, that is a sign of genuinely poor quality cookware. Hot spots allow one part of the pan to get hotter than another part and the food sticks on those hot spots.

4) Improper cleaning methods. Yes, how you clean your cookware also affects the sticking properties of cookware. Stainless Steel Cookware manufacturers never recommend using rough or abrasive cleaning pads or chemicals. Doing so may scratch or damage the cooking surface. If the cooking surface gets scratched or nicked, those scratches or nicks can provide places where food can cling to and cause sticking. Non stick cooking requires a properly cleaned and maintained cooking surface. Automatic dishwashers use very tough cleaning chemicals and high heat to clean dishes. That cleaning environment is very tough on shiny cookware exteriors and smooth interior surfaces. Most anodized aluminum cookware warranties are voided if the cookware is placed in an automatic dishwasher. Non-enameled cast iron cookware needs to be cleaned with just hot water and a cast iron cleaning brush. Using soap will remove the natural non stick coating that builds with use. Be sure to check your cookware care and use instructions.

When Food Sticking is Needed

Chefs know there are times when you want food to stick. Nothing beats a great sauce that was prepared with food particles stuck, glazed, or caramelized on a pan. After searing some beef, chicken, pork, or lamb in a pan and having those leftovers stuck in the pan can be the beginning of a great sauce. Saute pans are made for the purpose of higher heat cooking where vegetables and meats cook fairly rapidly and the remains in the pan can be used for glazes or sauces.

Using the Same Cookware for a Non Stick Surface and a Sticking Surface

So how can the same cookware provide a non stick surface when you don't want it to stick, yet stick when you want it to stick? Easy. The answer is to learn the proper cooking techniques for the cookware material you are using. Most non stick surface manufacturers do not recommend high heat. If you need to sear or brown a food, use cast iron, anodized aluminum, or stainless steel. Those same surfaces can be used both for sticking and non sticking when the proper heat is used, and the cookware is cleaned according to manufacturer specifications.

No one likes unintended sticking of food on cookware. When you know what causes food sticking, you can take measures to prevent it. Know that too high of a heat, temperature differential, poor quality cookware, and cleaning methods are all known causes of why food sticks to cookware. I hope this information helps you to understand the nature of cookware and how its proper use can make your cookware last longer.

Happy Cooking!

Mark
Your Cookware Helper

Last Updated on Sunday, 26 September 2010 10:50

Matching Cookware Materials to the Cook

A great tip before buying any cookware is to match the cookware materials to the "type of cook" the person is. Your Cookware Helper makes it easy by identifying four (4) types of cooks, and the cookware most suitable for them. While one type may fit perfectly, it is very likely a persons lifestyle, style of cooking, and time allotted for cooking can span more than one type. Think about the person you are buying cookware for, and I'm sure you can identify the characteristics described.

Type #1: "The Reluctant Cook"

This person cooks out of necessity, does not necessarily enjoy cooking, and wants to get it over with as quickly as possible. This person wants to throw some food on/in the stove, cook it up, throw the dishes in the dishwasher, and get on to more important things. Time is a key factor here. Having to hand wash a skillet would be out of the question.

Suitable cookware materials for "The Reluctant Cook" include:

• Dishwasher safe Nonstick
• Stainless Steel
• Some of the newer dishwasher safe Anodized Aluminum
• Glass / Ceramic / Stoneware

Type #2: "The Busy Cook"

This person will likely have the most pieces of cookware in their kitchen. They are transitional. During the week they need to cook rather fast to get the food prepared, on the table, eaten, kids to bed, walk the dog, pay the bills, get a few hours of sleep, and start it all over again tomorrow. But on weekends, they may enjoy a break from the fast pace and spend a little more time preparing something fancier. As they may not spend the money on themselves for a fine piece of cookware, they are very appreciative of the gift for these weekend adventures.

Suitable cookware materials for "The Busy Cook" include:

• Everything!
• Dishwasher safe Nonstick for the busy weekdays
• Stainless Steel because it is dishwasher safe
• Copper and/or Aluminum Clad Stainless Steel for the finer cooking
• Cast Iron - plain or enameled
• Anodized Aluminum because it is durable
• Glass / Ceramic / Stoneware because it is easy to see and judge when the food is cooked

Type #3: "The Chef"

This person is sensory. This person gets a lot of satisfaction seeing, smelling, and tasting the treats being prepared. They need a light color on the inside of the cookware so the contents can be clearly seen as they saute, brown, and caramelize. While clean up may not be a joy, they do not mind the delicate hand washing. They almost see it as a challenge to cook the food at the right temperature and duration so it doesn't stick. Having the cookware do what it is supposed to do is paramount. Quality is vital.

Suitable cookware materials for  "The Chef" include:

• Copper
• Copper and/or Aluminum Fully Clad Stainless Steel
• A quality Nonstick skillet for delicate foods like fish and eggs
• Cast Iron
• Glass / Ceramic / Stoneware

Type #4: "The Healthy Cook"

This person, whether by necessity or choice, is vitally aware of the health aspects of food. This person uses intuition and research on choosing cookware materials and may not always trust what the manufacturer, industry, or government says is safe. This person is likely to buy organic foods and eat healthy. They may or may not enjoy the process of cooking. To this person, cooking is a means to an end. It is important to this person that their cookware not leave trace amounts of coatings, surfaces, or dangerous metals in their food. Traditional "Teflon" nonstick is definitely off the list.

Suitable cookware materials for "The Healthy Cook" include:

• Plain Cast Iron - as long as they do not have too much iron in their bloodstream already
• Enameled Cast Iron - as long as it is quality and the enamel does not chip
• Glass / Ceramic / Stoneware
• Stainless Steel that does not have nonstick interiors
• Eco-friendly nonstick

Check out our section on Cookware Materials, where we have all the info needed to select the best cookware material for you.

Enjoy!

Your Cookware Helper

Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 June 2011 23:40