Hi Steve, here are some considerations when buying pots and pans. FYI I don't buy sets of pans in the same way we don't buy a hifi "set" because it is better to mix and match
Size. This is by far the most important. Do not choose a pan which is much larger than your largest available burner. All the heat will be concentrated in the middle anyway, which means that any food pushed to the side will be undercooked. Since you are not going to use the sides of the pan (if you buy a large pan), you are better off buying an appropriately sized pan in the first place.
Material. Choice of material depends on the type of heat transfer you want:
- Copper: These have the highest thermal conductivity. Copper pans heat up and cool down like F1 cars. Because of the conductivity, heat distribution is excellent. The downside: they tarnish, they are expensive, and they taint some foods. Copper pans are usually either tinned or clad with stainless steel. Do not buy tinned copper pans, because the tin surface wears off easily with abuse and require retinning. Also beware of cheap copper pans - most likely the pan is stainless steel with anodized copper on it for cosmetics. If a magnet sticks to it, it ain't copper.
- Aluminum: Next best choice behind copper for speed. The downside is that the metal is soft, so it is often clad with stainless steel for durability. Bare aluminum taints food and is linked to Alzheimer's, so if you buy an anodized Aluminum pan make sure you don't scratch it. Like copper, aluminum is not ferromagnetic so is unsuitable for use on induction hobs.
- Stainless steel: Relatively poor thermal conductivity means that these types of pans readily develop hot and cold spots if not used on an appropriately sized hob. However, these are inexpensive, durable, non-reactive, resistant to scratches, and tolerate all sorts of abuse. If you buy a well constructed pan, these pans will likely last you a lifetime.
- Carbon steel: Poor thermal conductivity and the tendency of makers to produce thin pans means these types of pan readily develop hot and cold spots which is desirable for some types of cooking (woks, paella pans). These pans also rust. These pans are inexpensive but not suitable as an every day pan.
- Cast iron: very poor thermal conductivity. These pans take forever to heat up. However, excellent heat retention means that they heat up evenly and provide a very hot surface - ideal for searing (but also more likely to scorch your food). Enamelled cast iron like Le Creuset is less likely to scorch. The downsides: these pans are heavy, prone to rust if not seasoned properly, and react with acidic foods.
- Cladded pans: usually made with with stainless steel with an aluminum or copper core. You guessed it - the idea is to improve thermal conductivity and heat diffusion whilst lowering cost and improving durability. The difference between cladded pans depends on the thickness of the core and whether it extends up the side of the pan - both of these features add to the cost.
Surface treatment:
- tin: does not tolerate high heat, abuse, and eventually wears off. Needs retinning. Unless you live in a large city, chances are you will have to ship your pan to be retinned.
- stainless steel: durable, nonreactive, and scratch resistant - all good qualities which it needs because food has a tendency to stick to the pan requiring scrubbing to get out.
- enamel: durable, nonreactive, less likely to cause your food to stick than stainless steel. If it is a frypan, I prefer un-enamelled (i.e. naked) cast iron. Pots and braising pans made in cast iron need to be enamelled because naked iron reacts with acid and has a tendency to form Fe2+ ions.
- naked cast iron or carbon steel: these need to be seasoned. The process of seasoning bakes a layer of grease on the surface which prevents rust and contributes to non-stick properties. A well-seasoned cast iron pan is even more non-stick than a teflon pan and much more durable. Even if you scrub the seasoning off you can simply re-apply it, which is more than can be said about teflon.
- teflon: about the only benefit of teflon is that it is non-stick. Other than this, it does not brown as well as stainless steel, and the coating is fragile. It does not like high heat, metal utensils, thermal shocks, or scrubbing. There are also health concerns about PTFE particles in food. All teflon pans, no matter how expensive, eventually lose their coating and need to be replaced. The main difference between teflon pans is in their construction - better pans have a cladded core.
Other considerations:
- Oven proof? Pans which have plastic or rubber parts may not be suitable for the oven unless explicitly stated.
- Do you need a lid? Lids can be quite useful, even on frypans. If your pan does not come with a lid, at least make sure it is made in a standard size or shape so that you can buy a third party lid if you need to.
- Shape: some pans have curved edges, some are more curved, and some edges are more vertical than others. This is important if you toss your food. Less curved edges are better if you haven't mastered the art of food tossing and need to push and flip food with your spatula.
- Ridges or griddles: these produce "grill marks" if you don't happen to have a grille. I am completely against this - grill marks are for cosmetic purposes only. They do nothing for flavour, and are in fact bad for flavour since you are effectively producing lines of well Maillardized meat with huge islands of inadequate flavour development in between. Some say that it makes for healthier cooking because it helps oil drain away. If you are concerned about oil, don't add so much in the first place. If you must have grill marks, then do it the proper, honest way - on a grille.
Well that's all I can think of at the moment. Let me know if I missed anything
