As I
mentioned earlier, I like heavy, sturdy cookware. The reason is not only because it is quality
made and lasts, but it distributes heat evenly and is not as prone to scorching
and burning due to sudden fluctuations in heat.
My advice is to get the heaviest cookware you can comfortably use -
within reason, of course. I would not
buy something just because it is heavy.
I also look for solid, sturdy handles and inspect the overall condition
of the piece. Something is better than
nothing though, so if you have arthritis or are not in the physical shape to
handle heavy cookware, buy whatever works best for you.
One Thing
I absolutely avoid though, is Teflon coated, nonstick cookware. I know that the “experts” say it is safe when
the coating is unscratched and for cooking under a certain temperature. I don’t believe them though. Such coatings are very toxic and many people
experience flu-like symptoms even when using the pans as directed… and I have
yet to see one that remained unscratched for long. Chemicals from a plant that
made such coatings were recently found to have contaminated much of the
groundwater in a county where much of my family lived. Cancer rates and strange autoimmune diseases
have become epidemic there. I will not sacrifice health for convenience. Besides, there are options that are just as
good.
In truth,
I don’t buy much cookware. I inherited
what seems like a literal ton of old cast iron passed down and collected by
several generations. I have nearly every
size and shape of Lodge, Wagner and many unbranded pans, pots, dutch ovens,
etc, some dating to well over 200 years old.
There are some modern-ish brands of cookware that I will not pass up if
I find one used, for a reasonable price.
Those include (but are not limited to) Le Creuset, which is enameled
cast iron, and Mauville - both are expensive French cookware that is actually
worth the price. There are good American
brands, too. I have not had much
experience with All Clad stainless steel cookware, but have been impressed when
I did. Recently, a brand called Made In
has gotten a lot of good reviews - I am looking forward to trying it. Many people buy copper ware for the looks,
alone, and display it in their kitchens.
They are hesitant to use it because copper tarnishes so quickly. However, it cleans up and polishes easily
with salt and lemon juice. Quality made
copper ware should be used and enjoyed.
I like stainless steel for a roasting pan. A roasting pan isn’t so much of a pan used
for cooking as it is just a vessel in which the roasts cooks while it is in the
oven. Stainless, though, goes easily
from the oven to the stove so that pan juices can be used for gravy and
sauces. It cleans up easily, too. You can choose a model with a roasting rack
to keep the meat off the bottom of the pan, or use the old fashioned method of
roasting your meat on a bed of root vegetables and celery.
That said,
I would not trade my cast iron for all the Mauville in France! If I had to, I could literally get by with
just one piece. That one piece would be
a dutch oven. That simple item of
cookware enabled the settling of North America.
A dutch oven can be used as a soup or stew pot, to deep fry, shallow fry
or saute, as a roasting pan for a chicken or a small roast, a stock pot, a
brazier, you can make a sauce in it… you can even bake bread in it! In contrast, a true favorite in my collection
is a small, flat skillet, with a slightly raised edge that I inherited from my
grandmother. This little pan is my
personal egg pan. The surface is as
perfectly non-stick as any Teflon coating as it has been seasoned through
decades of use. I can make perfect
omelets in this pan. I also use it when
making a grilled cheese or quick quesadilla or two for lunch. Were I cooking for more than one, this pan
would not be as practical. For a large
gathering, a cast iron griddle would be more practical. In between, I have cast iron of nearly every
size and depth. I even have a very old,
2 ft wide, 4 inch deep pan perfect for frying catfish!
In
shopping for cast iron, older is generally better. But, Lodge (at least) still makes good
products. I haven’t had experience with
other modern brands. The caveat is to
never buy cast iron that looks red and/or pitted. Folks used to think the way to restore an old
pan was to burn it in a hot fire.
Unfortunately, this ruined the pan.
Many historical pieces continue to be destroyed by burning due to the
persistence of this myth on the internet.
Almost as bad is to try to mechanically grind off the rust. What you should do is to scrub off any gunk,
coat the pan in oven cleaner and run it through an oven cleaning cycle a few
times. This will strip it down and clean
it. It will then have to be
re-seasoned. People say you should never
wash cast iron, but sometimes you have to.
When you do, it will again have to be reheated. Rub down your clean pan with vegetable
shortening, then bake in your pre-heated over at around 450 degrees Fahrenheit
for an hour. I say “around”, because
some people swear 400 degrees is the perfect temp while others state 500
degrees. I shoot for the middle. After an hour, turn the oven off and leave
the pan in overnight. In the morning,
wipe it down with a paper towel or cloth and it should be ready to use. With each use, the fat you use will add to
this non-stick, polymerized surface.
There are
two things you should absolutely NEVER do with cast iron. One is, don’t drop it on your foot. I know that seems obvious. But, most folks who cook with heavy pans will
drop one at some time… especially if you have a small dog or cat that is
underfoot hoping for scraps. The second
is to never pour cold water into a hot pan or plunge a hot pan into cold
water. A sudden change in temperature
will cause the pan to warp or even crack.
Such warped pans are called “spinners” as they will no longer sit flush
on a flat surface. A spinner can still
be used on the spider burners of a gas stove or for campfire and outdoor
cooking. I have one small dutch oven
that I use for camping, that was purchased as a spinner for just a few dollars. I don’t mind giving it rough use and although
it is a bit heavy, it is an essential in my backpack.
When it
comes to casseroles and baking dishes, there are many options from earthenware
to modern materials. I inherited a lot
of Corningware and Pyrex made in the 1950s and 60s, and I absolutely love them. If your only experience with casseroles has
been frozen food or those made with canned soup, you are in for a real surprise
and a flavor treat when we get to that chapter.
Real, from scratch casseroles are a big part of my French heritage and I
am an absolute casserole fanatic! Baking
dishes though, are much like roasting pans in that they are a vessel for
holding the food while it cooks. The
main qualities we are looking for are that it be made from a nonreactive
material and that it be heavy and dense.
Baking dishes should heat evenly and provide insulation. Thin materials can cause food to scorch and
burn.
Other
essential cookware for me would be a saucepan and a stock pot. I have a couple of stainless steel
saucepans. They are just small pots used
for simmering and reducing a sauce.
Again, you want a heavy enough pot so you can maintain an even
temperature. I have two stockpots, a 2 ½
gallon and a 5 gallon. Both are
stainless. I use the big one mainly for
beer brewing. A stock pot should hold a
large capacity so that bones, meat and veg can be cooked at a simmer for hours
without reducing to the point it may scorch.
Traditional stock recipes require 12 - 17 hours of cooking. That usually means leaving them to simmer,
unattended, overnight. Most folks these
days use an instant pot. I still prefer
a stock pot.
This article is an excerpt from
Available on in paperback on Amazon:
The Omnivore’s Guide to Home Cooking for Preppers, Homesteaders, Permaculture People and Everyone Else: Carroll, Judson: 9798354856374: Amazon.com: Books
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