How to choose a pot?

Cooking is impossible without good products and knowledge of recipes - everyone knows that. But no less important than all these points is to still have a quality pan. Her choice is much more difficult than it seems at first, and has many subtleties.

Arriving at any store, even the most modest, it is easy to find dozens of types of dishes. Size and color, wall thickness and type of handles vary. You can recall about many other nuances. But the most important aspect that too few people think about at all is These are safe materials for health. Enamel is often used to protect food from being saturated with toxic substances.

This solves the problem only partially, because the enamel coating is very easily damaged. And through it toxic substances will get inside. Especially great threat when cooking acidic dishes. Clogging them with heavy metals leads not only to acute poisoning (this situation, at least, is easily recognized). Often there are also chronic intoxications leading to:

• loss of immunity;
• frequent and persistent headaches;
• imbalances in the body;
• unexplained weakness;
• chronic fatigue.

Moreover, even very small pieces of enamel itself pose a serious threat. Therefore, products with enamel coating should be evaluated as strictly as possible, if it is decided to buy them.

If the enamel is of high quality, then the dishes can not be easy by definition. Outside, the coating has any tone, but the bottom should be as dark as possible - this will accelerate heating.

The danger is enamel layers of yellow, red or brown color. Similar tones indicate the presence of compounds of cadmium, copper and other hazardous substances. A serious risk is the use of aluminum containers without special protection. Theoretically, a surface film of oxides should prevent the ingress of toxic metal into food. However, too high hopes should not be placed on her.

Because of the convenience and practicality, pots in which stainless steel is used are very popular. But it also has a significant drawback - the allocation of additional alloying elements when heated. Even if they do not have a serious negative effect, however, food will still get an unpleasant aftertaste.

Ideal in sanitary and practical terms, steel includes a maximum of 10% nickel and 18% chromium. And the chemical composition is not all. A multilayer heat distributor is necessarily built into the bottom of a solid product. This element is made of different metals, thereby accelerating heating and cooking. Selected designs from leading companies look beautiful and completely safe. The difficulty is only in very high prices for goods from large manufacturers.

The vast majority of experts believe that the best choice for the sum of the characteristics will be pots with a ceramic layer. It does not contain any hazardous components. Therefore, such dishes are suitable not only for cooking, but also for storing food.

Concerning fireproof glass products, they are very chemically inert and allow you to visually control the cooking process. It is easy to wash glass surfaces, and the scum does not linger on them.

But there are several serious disadvantages:

• high cost;
• fragility;
• severity
• low thermal conductivity (cooking will take longer);
• the inability to put the pan on a wet surface (because of this, it often bursts).

But to choose a pot for the kitchen only by material would be reckless. In this case, there is still too wide a set of options between which you will have to choose additionally. Of great importance are the dimensions of the dishes. Namely “sizes”, and not just one “size”. This is about:

• bottom diameter;
• the diameter of the part on which the lid rests;
• height;
• volume.

From the bottom, the pan should fully coincide with the burners on the stove. The maximum permissible deviation is 1 cm. It is believed that the wider the dishes, the more convenient it will be to stir the contents in it. But in home use there must be a high pan with a narrow neck. It is useful for cooking spaghetti and other dishes that require slow evaporation of liquid.

Conventional pots come in handy for soup, porridge and other standard foods.

It is useful not only to think and talk about them, but even to write on paper. It is on paper, and not on a tablet or in a computer - that’s more a chance to remember everything. Very small containers (1-3 liters) are needed for modest servings.

Such dishes are used for boiling milk, cooking cereals, soups and making mashed potatoes. You also need to choose pots for the oven: they can be relatively wide, but a high height is unacceptable. Such a requirement will be especially strict when breaking the oven into tiers. A capacity of 3-5 liters is enough for making soup for the whole family, for cooking meat and vegetables, a small amount of pasta, dumplings or dumplings.

Buying a pot with a volume of more than 5 liters is necessary for:

• boiling compote and jelly;
• cabbage pickles;
• cooking everyday food for a large large family;
• cooking jam.

But all these species refer only to the "mass" (let's call it that) segment. And there are also pots with a narrow specialization:

• buckets - can replace the kettle, suitable for boiling eggs and 1-2 servings of porridge;
• milkmen - similar to a bucket, but slightly higher;
• stewpots - transitional link between pots and high pans, good for stews and thick soup;
• bowlers and cauldrons - for lovers of oriental cuisine;
• with double bottom;
• double boiler and their subspecies - pressure cookers;
• pots for vegetables and pasta.

All types of cookware should be designed to interact with the hearth. It can not be reduced only to match the burners in size. Almost all types of pots are used for a gas stove. But the best choice are products made of cast iron, enameled steel, tempered glass. If there is an induction cooker at home, then it is best to choose options from stainless steel or cast iron.

Pure aluminum cookware cannot be used on the induction cooker. This applies to glass and ceramics. Partially, ferromagnetic coasters may become an output. However, they increase the cost of the entire product, and compactness is no longer necessary. Therefore, for most people, it is best to limit themselves to pots to which a magnet sticks.

Somewhat different requirements apply to dishes used on a simple electric stove. Pointed or protruding edges and other similar elements can severely damage a delicate surface. Best suited here cast pot. Stamped products pose much more problems.

The approach that was used in the past - “buy the same as it was” does not work today. At least because of the constant updating by manufacturers of the assortment. We can confidently say that KitchenAid KC2T60LCST is one of the best pots at the end of the 2010s. Its attractive property is an atypical design. Stainless steel covers the aluminum base, located in the entire body.

This solution allowed a radical increase in thermal conductivity. The capacity of the product reaches about 5.6 liters. Provides instant heating from below and along the edges, which significantly speeds up cooking. In the comments on quality, they note that this version is equipped with large welded handles. The outer shell is reliable even at high temperatures.

Speaking about the quality brands of pots of premium class, you can not ignore and Tefal inspection. Its volume is 5.1 liters. Because the product is useful for families with several children, and lovers to invite guests. The main structural material is selected medical stainless steel with a total thickness of 3 mm. The pan is also equipped with an encapsulated bottom, not prone to deformation and excluding burning of food.

Tefal Inspiration is equipped with handles that do not heat up in production. It is allowed to use the product in the oven at temperatures up to 175 degrees. The pan is compatible with all types of cooking surfaces. A 10-year warranty is officially given, which is not so often even in the practice of expensive brands. Important: users note that the pens are still not very comfortable. Another partial drawback is the rather large mass (about 2.3 kg).

The next position in our ranking is Tescoma Ultima. Despite the small capacity (about 4 liters), it deservedly falls into the top of optimal designs. The product is designed with steam control.

This function is realized with a special glass cover. You can of your choice:

• close the holes 100% (accelerating boiling);
• leave a small release for slowly boiling and cooking food;
• open the issue to the maximum.

This pan is better than many of the standard sets by the fact that it was made using excellent 18/10 stainless steel. The handle on the lid is made of nylon, and therefore heats up rather slightly. The capsule bottom device eliminates the burning of thick foods. On the inner matte surface after washing, no stains appear. But, all scratches are clearly visible on the polished surface.

Riess Streublumen 0532 049 - high quality enameled pan. It is being done at an advanced Austrian enterprise. Outside the product is covered with an attractive medium-sized pattern. The capacity is 3.5 liters. A very durable coating is used, which is much less destroyed than enamel in budget products.

Among ceramic pots, models from South Korean company Frybest. She actively uses non-standard shapes and rich colors. No wonder it is these products that are loved by interior designers across the planet. Beautiful pots allow you to not only cook, but also elegantly serve dishes on the table. The only problem is the high fragility of ceramics.

If we talk about aluminum pans, then a good choice can be considered products of the Russian brand Kukmara. The company uses exclusively proven and safe raw materials. The applied technologies fully comply with the world level. The special coating imported from Germany reduces the risk of scratches to the limit.

All of the above, including the features of individual brands, does not exhaust the nuances that allow you to choose the right pots for the house. People trying to bring their kitchen to a professional standard often choose copper products. The heat inside them spreads as evenly as possible. They also note a very pleasant taste, while maintaining useful qualities.

Over the centuries, it has become clear that the best option for most home cooking is round and cylindrical pots. It is easier to mix prepared dishes in them, and washing is easier. But there are other solutions. The square configuration is optimal for storage in the refrigerator, in drawers, in the kitchen cabinet or on the shelf. Oval products become a very good help in the preparation of whole bird carcasses.

See how to choose a pot in the next video.