A 4-5 liter pan is the most common. This volume allows you to cook for a small family for at least a couple of days. Therefore, the choice of this dish should be approached wisely. Which pan is better: enameled, aluminum or stainless steel? In fact, each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages that a good housewife just needs to know in order to make the right choice when buying new dishes.
Enamelware
Enamel pans, first of all, are distinguished by their beautiful appearance: they are multi-colored (which is convenient when choosing a shade suitable for the interior), various drawings are applied to them. But this is not their main advantage.
Enamel allows food to have no points of contact with bare metal. This is very important, since the oxidation processes and the corresponding release of harmful substances into the cooked food does not occur. In an enameled pan you can store food for a long time and do not shift it into a separate container.
The enamel pan is very light. This is very convenient, since cooked food in a volume of 4-5 liters weighs a lot. In light dishes it’s convenient to cook, the contents heat up and cook faster.
In addition to the obvious advantages of such pots, there are a number of disadvantages. After bumps and falls, the enamel is quickly damaged.. Rust is easily formed on the resulting cleavage, pathogens accumulate. In addition, in enameled dishes dairy products easily burn, even if they are constantly stirring.
Do not use coarse brushes or abrasives, or corrosive acids. Therefore, the process of cleaning the enameled pan is very difficult.
When choosing a five- or four-liter pan coated with enamel, you should focus on the thickness of the enamel. The thicker the coating, the longer the dishes will last.
Five liter aluminum pan
Aluminum pans can be found on the shelves of our mothers and grandmothers, as they were very popular in the Soviet Union. Their undoubted advantages are lightness and quick heating. That is why this metal is used in the manufacture of kitchen utensils.
But besides the obvious advantages, aluminum pans have a dangerous drawback. During oxidation, the metal releases toxic substances, which makes food cooked in such dishes not so useful. And if it is still possible to cook food in it, then storing food in an aluminum pan in the refrigerator is simply unacceptable. In addition to such a clearly negative factor, there is another problem, but it is more of an aesthetic plan.
Aluminum utensils quickly lose their color, absorbing all the colors from boiling foods. In addition, soft aluminum cooking utensils get deformed quickly.
A 4 or 5 liter aluminum pan is likely to be used frequently. Therefore, it is not very convenient: it can turn black and bend during active use.
If you still decided to purchase an aluminum pan, then pay attention to two nuances:
- metal thickness should be at least 3 mm;
- handles should not be cast, but screwed to avoid deformation when lifting a heated heavy container with food.
Steel version
A 4-5 liter stainless steel pan will become your favorite piece of kitchenware, as it is easy to cook and easy to clean. You can use such utensils for a very long time: wear resistance (compared to aluminum and enamel models) is high.
You cannot spoil a steel pan with iron corollas, forks and knives. So she is not afraid of scratches, so washing it is much easier - you can use an iron brush. In a professional kitchen, such dishes are most often used.
The obvious disadvantages of stainless steel pots are as follows: high-quality cookware is very expensive, but over time, it will fade and indelible spots will appear. In addition, it heats up quite slowly.
Be smart about choosing a stainless steel pan:
- the larger the diameter of such dishes with a volume of 4-5 liters, the better, as it slowly heats up;
- its thickness should not be less than 3 mm at the bottom and 0.5 mm along the walls;
- pay attention to the content of chromium and nickel in the alloy, the higher these two numbers, the better (18/10 - the optimal ratio).
Universal recommendations for choosing pots for 4-5 liters
Regardless of which pan material you prefer, you need to choose it based on certain subtleties.
- When cooking cereals, vegetables, meat, kitchen utensils with a thick bottom are necessary so that the food does not burn and can languish under the lid for a long time. To cook stewed fruit, soups and eggs do not need a thick bottom. When buying, focus on what dishes you will prepare in this dish.
- The handles of pots are stronger if they are bolted and not welded. In this case, they can be replaced over time, and they are practically not subject to corrosion. The material of the pens should ideally not heat up, so the pan will be as convenient as possible to use. Anti-slip silicone pads are ideal.
- The lid of a small pan should sit as tightly as possible and have a hole for the removal of steam. With a slight tilt, the cover should not move out immediately.
- A good pan cannot be cheap. When choosing kitchen utensils, focus on brands, because companies such as Gipfel, Tefal, Nadoba, Vitesse, Gourmet and Kukmara have long established themselves in the market.
- Before buying, be sure to check any pan for defects. It should not have cracks and chips, the bottom must be perfectly flat.
- If you plan to keep a five-liter pan in the refrigerator, pay attention to its height: will it fit on a shelf? It is optimal to choose this parameter within 30 cm, taking into account the height of the cover.
- For the happy owners of the dishwasher: find out if it will be possible to wash the pan in this wonderful technique. If there is such an opportunity, then further cooking in such a pan will free you from unnecessary trouble.
See how to choose the right pan in the next video.
