5 Things To Consider Before Buying Cookware

So you have now decided to have a little kitchen of your own but are confused which parameters to use while selecting cookware. Given the absolutely overwhelming number of options available these days , across variants, it is definitely a tough ask for anybody not to get somewhat confused on what to buy and what not to.Let us discuss a few parameters which can be a good starting point for you to consider regarding buying cookware.

1-The Budget: It’s hard to accept, but it is among the most important considerations while buying cookware, like most other things that require investment .The only advice that can be given on this is that try and buy the absolute best you can afford. Cookware will last a long time, some even lifetimes and it is imperative that they be seen more as a long term investment rather than a frivolous expense. Whereas the cookware can be changed from time to time, it is true that over a period of time cookware become an extended part of your kitchen and cuisines and most of us, over time tend to have a favorite pot or pan to cook. Although it might be hard to, but please do consider buying cookware that might seem a little over your present budget, but will last a lifetime and will pay for itself in performance, at WaxonWare we provide exceptional quality while maintaining consumer friendly prices as well.

2-The Material: After you’re sorted with the budget, the next most important thing to consider is really, the material of the cookware. Thankfully, in this field, there are limited choices available, only 4 or five basic ones. The basic metal that all cookware are made up of is generally either of Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Cast Iron or Copper. The decision has to be made by you as to which metal you think will serve the purpose of your kitchen and cooking requirements.

Obviously all the above metals have their pros and cons and therefore the choices have to be made after careful consideration of those. For example, whereas Stainless Steel is durable and easy to maintain, it does nothing to prevent food from sticking to its surface and is generally a poor conductor of heat compared to other available choices. Aluminum on the other hand is inexpensive and a great conductor of heat but is soft and sometimes reactive, although hard anodized and coated aluminum cookware make for an excellent choice. Cast Iron is durable but is extremely heavy and needs to be seasoned intermittently.

Copper, although a great conductor of heat, is very expensive and reacts with acidic food. Based on all these attributes, the choice should be made as to which metal is most suitable for you. We here can recommend selecting Good Quality Non Stick Aluminum Cookware that is easy to maintain, widely available and the good ones really can last quite, quite long.

3-You: Yes, the third most important consideration for selecting the cookware is your own cooking personality since everyone has a different one. Basically, it is to recognize within yourself the degree of importance you give to the cooking at a personal level. Whether you absolutely love cooking and want to make each meal a gourmet experience in as much as you can, or you are somebody trying to squeeze in some kind of cooking between your work and personal schedules.

Obviously if you represent the former category, you would like to invest in cookware that will last a lifetime, will want to buy cookware that looks great too since you will most likely want to display those in your kitchen as well as you will want to have a wide spectrum of cookware so as to experiment and practice with different cooking techniques and recipes.

If on the other hand you are somebody who cooks just to put food on the table, or rather somebody that does not find the time or the means to practice fine cookery on a daily basis, you should be looking at cookware that is hassle free, easy to clean and maintain and is convenient to use, even store food in. Whereas most cooks in between these two extremes, you have to recognize which one are you and to then balance out your cookware choices and arrive at a mix suitable for your style of cooking.

4-The Type of Cooking you do mostly: We are not trying to make any cultural comparisons but it is true that the cuisine is very important to the kind of cookware you might need. For example oriental cuisine must have a good quality wok, since most stir frying will be done in it whereas it has extremely limited use for say, somebody that does a lot of french food. Similarly if you cook a lot of meat, the cookware choices will be different for you as opposed to someone into vegetarian cooking mostly.

It is for you to decide which cuisine you are most comfortable with and are likely to cook, going forward. There is no use in buying an expensive stock pot if you are never going to cook anything in it. Having said that, there are a certain minimum basic cookware products that all kitchens must have and assembling that list is a good place to start.

5-The Type of Stove: The type of heat source also has a bearing on the cooking utensil selection. If you do open flame cooking, most kinds of cookware are generally suitable, although there are some limitations for glass and ceramic cook tops in the way the bottoms of these cookware are shaped.

For example a round bottomed wok, even if of superlative quality will not really perform well if it can’t sit well on the heat source, similarly if you have only induction stovetops, you must be quite careful in selecting cookware that is induction friendly, generally magnetic and use of regular aluminum, stainless steel, glass, Pyrex or ceramic will be out of question for you.

In The End

As we can easily see from the above examples, whereas cooking is an art form and an extension of personality for some, for many others it is a chore that must be performed, the kind of cookware that you should invest in depends on where you stand between these two extremes. What is of immense importance nonetheless is that the choice of proper cookware can really enhance or otherwise restrict your overall cooking experience as well as the cooked product, so do spend a little while in making that selection.