Cookware Essentials to Stock Your Kitchen
Get exactly what you need.
Whether you're moving into your first apartment or looking to upgrade your kitchen repertoire, there are several cookware essentials you want to prioritize over others. Take a look at this list of specific pots and pans you’ll need for your daily cooking.
1. Frying Pan (10–12 in.)
A frying pan features a long handle, short sloped sides, a large cooking surface, and is usually made from stainless steel or ceramic. It can be used for anything from frying eggs to sautéeing vegetables (using moderate heat to cook ingredients in a single layer using little oil). This size is suitable for a small family of up to four members.
A saucepan is a deep circular pot with a long handle and can be made from stainless steel, aluminum, or nonstick materials. It's ideal for boiling eggs and cooking grains, like rice and legumes, as well as making sauces and syrups. With a saucepan of this size, you can create an array of foods for two to four people.
A stockpot has tall straight sides, two handles, and is commonly made from stainless steel. It's perfect for boiling pasta, but it’s also ideal for making soups and stews since the tall sides minimize evaporation during long cooking periods. Additionally, the lid helps to retain moisture when slow-cooking. Depending on the stockpot size and what you are cooking, you'll be able to make enough food to feed anywhere from two to 12 people.
A Dutch oven is a heavy oval or round pot featuring two handles, thick walls, and a tight-fitting lid. It's typically made from enameled cast iron and can be used on the stove and in the oven. Thanks to its even heat distribution and retention, this multipurpose piece of cookware allows you to bake bread, make stews, and braise meats (shallow-frying and then cooking in liquid with the lid closed).
A skillet has a similar design to a frying pan but is usually made from cast iron (including the handle). It's ideal if you want to up your cooking game – particularly if you intend to sear meats and create rich flavors. If the handle is oven-proof, you can also cook your meal on the stove before finishing and browning it in the oven. Bear in mind, you will need oven mitts to remove the skillet when done.
The sauté pan features straight sides that are taller than a frying pan, has either a long handle or two side handles, and is typically made from aluminum and stainless steel. It is one of the most versatile pieces of cookware that can do more than just sautéeing. A sauté pan can also be used for shallow frying, braising, and browning food in the oven (as long as it's oven-safe). Thanks to its large size, it's also suitable for one-pan meals where all the ingredients are usually browned, cooked in liquid, and served directly from the pan.
A wok has a slightly flat bottom with tall curved sides, and features either two short handles or one long handle. It's most commonly made from a nonstick material and used for tossing ingredients like vegetables, particularly for stir-fried food. It can also be used to boil, deep-fry, and braise, with the included lid allowing you to steam ingredients too.
A griddle pan has a large flat surface with shallow or no sides and one handle. It's commonly made from nonstick or aluminum materials. Though it’s most often used on the stove, there are griddle pans that can be used on the grill and even over an open fire. The broad, even surface makes for great heat distribution while offering plenty of room to cook various foods such as pancakes, eggs, bacon, and burgers.
Grill and griddle pans are almost exactly the same, save for one difference – the griddle features raised ridges that separate the fat from the elevated food. This changes the way food is cooked, creating a striped charred finish that is closer to that of ingredients cooked on a regular grill.
If you're going to spend plenty of time in the kitchen and prefer to get all of the essentials in one go, a cookware set will give you everything you need. Available in a range of materials and varying numbers of pieces, a set will typically comprise a sauté pan, frying pan, saucepan, and stock pot as the basics. Larger sets also include a Dutch oven, griddle, and wok. It's up to you to choose the selection that will best suit your needs.
Depending on the size of your household, you can always go larger or smaller with your frying pan and saucepan sizes, though it's still a good idea to have some medium-sized options for quick meals.
