Cooking is already a lot to handle with so many directions and ingredients to follow. To make matters worse, there’s also a variety of sizes, styles and materials of bakeware and cookware to choose from. In general, you want something that has multi-use (can be placed in the microwave, oven and freezer), can take temperature fluctuations, has a nonstick finish, has a versatile size and shape and is easy to clean. So which material do you choose?
Stainless steel is everywhere in our kitchen from pots and pans, to utensils, and even our appliances. It’s a favorite because it’s durable, high quality, and is usually cheaper. They can last you years as they don’t chip, bend or crack easily. Stainless steel is usually used to cook anything acidic, for example, our stock pot is great for making homemade tomato sauce.
Aluminum, on the other hand, is a reactive metal which means that it reacts with certain foods. Although, they retain heat much better than stainless steel products, so it’s good for cooking rice, melting sugar, and pan browning meat. You tend to cook acidic foods in stainless steel pots because in a reactive pan, like aluminum, it can alter the color and flavor of the dish. Our Think Kitchen Tanga 30 cm frying pan is a great example of an aluminum pan.
Glass is another great non-reactive choice as it’ll never absorb odors or flavors. When purchasing glass bakeware, you always want to make sure that its Borosilicate glass, like our Think Kitchen square baking dish, perfect for brownies! It’s more resistant to thermal shock and is more durable than regular glass. A great bonus to using glass is that if you let it cool after cooking, you can place it directly in the fridge to save for later – no clean up necessary. The downside is that it’s heavier than stainless steel and can break if dropped, or if you expose it to temperature extremes too quickly.
Stoneware is another option for both bakeware and cookware. It’s a type of ceramic, which means it’s made out of a clay mixture and then baked at extremely high temperatures. If cared for properly, stoneware can last forever; it heats evenly, and becomes nicely seasoned after several uses that create a non-stick finish (after 5-10 uses you don’t have to grease it). They’re also heavier and can break more easily. Make some delicious pie in our Remy Oliver Elite Ceramic Pie dish.
What about the different styles such as non stick and granite?
Non stick is the easiest to clean, but requires a little more care to keep them in good shape and shouldn’t be used for everything. It‘s important to not use a knife or any metal utensil on them, or cook with acidic foods as it’ll damage the finish. The positive of non-stick is that you don’t always have to grease them, which makes them great for low fat cooking. For example our non stick Monaco frying pan.
Granite is safe for acidic ingredients but like glass, can be more temperamental if brought from one extreme temperature to another too quickly. It’s easily recognizable by its speckled, porcelain coating on the outside. It’s non-stick and is great option for induction compatible cookware. Check out our granite collection for both bakeware and cookware.
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