Berndes Enduo - premium kvalitātes pannas

How to choose a good pan

Pans are a matter of course in every kitchen. Even if the owner of the kitchen does not cook anything at home, I have never visited a kitchen where there was no pan. But which one is the best? I can only answer - it depends on what you will cook.

Nowadays, every self-respecting supermarket, including construction supply stores, has countless pans on the shelves - in different colors, different coatings, sizes, shapes. And if you still have induction in your kitchen, you need to do some serious research before buying a pan. In order not to get lost in the wide world of pans and to choose the most suitable pan for you, we recommend following the following criteria:

1. If you will have only one pan at home, buy a traditional - round pan with ~5cm high sides, with coating.

2. If you plan to buy more than one pan, we recommend that you think about what you will cook in them.

Pans with a higher edge - ~7cm are perfect for stewing. Stew vegetables or meat, fry larger quantities of potatoes. Of course, this type of pan can also be used for frying, but if you think of frying pancakes in it, it might be difficult to turn them around.

A small pan for stewing

WOK pans - traditional WOK pans are thin metal pans in which, by heating them at a high temperature, you can quickly fry vegetables and prepare tasty Asian dishes. The shape of the pan is specially designed to heat up not only the bottom of the pan, but also its sides, so the products are fried simultaneously from the sides and the bottom.

Fissler wok pan

Grill pans - a good grill pan is heavy, with a grooved surface on which, when fried, we get products that visually resemble those fried on the grill. The weight of the pan greatly affects the heat distribution of the pan - the deeper the base of the pan, the more even the heat distribution in the pan. Which, in turn, means that your steak will be not only beautifully striped, but also evenly cooked.

AMT Gastroguss grill pan

Grill pans tend to come in different shapes. They are traditionally square, but there are also oval pans for grilling whole fish, as well as rectangular pans, just like roasting pans, but can also be used as stovetop pans.

Pancake pans - such pans are of two types - for thin or crepe pancakes, as well as for thick ones. The thick pancake pan is also called an egg pan, because it is also perfectly suited for beautiful, uniform-shaped fried eggs - these are pans with several circular depressions in which you place the products to be baked and they align in the dimensions of the depression.

AMT Gastroguss pancake pan

Crepe pancake pans have a very low edge so that the thin pancake can be easily turned.

Pancake pans will be useful for those who like to bake them often. If you like them, but do not intend to cook them at all, it is better not to buy a pan, you will have more space in the kitchen.

3. Coated or not?

Ideal if you have mastered or decided to learn how to cook on a steel pan. It's really not that complicated - there must be a sufficient amount of fat, and the pan must be properly heated before placing the products. If you are a 30-minute cook, it is better to choose a pan with a coating.

Fissler steel pan

There are many different types of pan coatings today. Some are recognized as harmful, as has happened with Teflon, while others are replaced. And who knows what will be thought in the future about the safety of this pan, which we are currently using so little.

Ceramic coating - the first cry of fashion has long passed and many who bought a pan with a ceramic coating have probably thrown it in the trash a long time ago. Ceramic coating is a good coating, but it is sensitive to rapid temperature changes.

Coatings of marble, stone, etc. stone brothers and sisters - I will whisper that, in essence, it is the same ceramic coating. Modified, still sensitive to drastic temperature changes. However, it is now much more durable than ceramic coatings in the beginning. The stone coating will be quite good for the average cook, requiring little fat, easy to clean and non-stick. However, we recommend not washing in the dishwasher, regardless of what the manufacturer writes - pans with any coating do not like dishwashers and they wear out quickly.

fissler sensored pan

Pans with a titanium coating - this is a good, durable and durable coating, but you have to count on a larger budget than when buying a pan with a marble coating.

AMT Gastrguss pan

4. One pan is light, the other heavy - what determines this?

Most all pans these days are made of aluminum. Only the intelligence and technologies of the aluminum used differ. Aluminum is also used to make steel pans as an interlayer material.

Pressed aluminum pans are light and very cheap. Buy if you need a short-lived pan and are ready to replace it with a new one at any time.

Cast aluminum pans are heavier and more substantial. If you don't wash them in the dishwasher, they will last at least a couple of years. Of course, remember to use blunt utensils, do not scratch the pan with a knife or other pan-saving tools. Just love your pan.

Cast iron pans are products that are very convenient and good to cook on them. For example, meat. these pans are heavy, thus providing a very even distribution of heat. However, you also have to lift pans more than once, and you have to think about whether you want to lift something very heavy every day. Of course, they can also be easily used as a cold weapon, which is not characteristic of lighter pans.

5. Will I be able to hold the pan?

After you have chosen the function, material and coating of the pan, one more nuance - the handle of the pan.

Yes, pan handles tend to be different - ergonomic, non-ergonomic, plastic, bakelite, steel and otherwise. And they tend to be removable as well. And at this point, it is worth thinking about whether you want to use the pan in the oven as well. Frying pans with removable handles are usually more expensive than their non-removable counterparts. But it's probably cheaper than buying a separate pan for the stove and a separate pan for the oven.

Frying pan with removable handle AMT Gastroguss

Cheap pans are usually equipped with plastic riveted handles, not suitable for use in the oven.

We recommend choosing pans with screw-on handles:

1) the screw can always be tightened;

2) if the screw falls out, it can be screwed in again, but if you lose the rivet, you can simply throw the pan away.

Bakelite handles are heat resistant and can be used in ovens up to +200°C. However, before you do this, make sure that your pan's handle is really made of bakelite and read what the manufacturer says.

The biggest advantage of plastic and bakelite handles is that they do not get hot. And this is very important, because it is not always convenient to work with a kitchen glove in your hand, if, in addition to baking, you are doing something in parallel.

AMT pan with bakelite handle

Steel handles are durable, oven safe, but do get hot. There are manufacturers who have developed special protection so that the metal handle does not heat up as well, but this is usually clearly emphasized and specifically indicated. If you are looking for such a pan, be sure to ask whether the handle does not heat up.

fissler pan with metal handle

6. Which size to choose?

Pans are measured by diameter and standard pan sizes are 20, 24, 26 and 28 cm. 30 cm and more are usually bought by professionals who cook not only for themselves or their family, but for an entire cafe or canteen.

A 20cm pan is a pan for one person. Or an individually prepared pan. Omelet for one person or several omelettes - individually prepared for each one with special additives. One carbonade, a handful of potatoes, small thin pancakes, 1 filled pancake.

The 28cm pan is usually chosen by larger families who cook in larger quantities, for example four chops at the same time, 6 stuffed pancakes. Lots of fried onions.

On the other hand, the sizes in the middle are more or less a matter of taste, because it is clear that you can cook everything in the largest pan as in the small ones, but think about it - if you fry one pancake in a 28 cm pan, you will simply burn the pan.

paprika.lv offers German quality pans and their covers from such manufacturers as Berndes, fissler and AMT Gastroguss. New in our online store - Iittala Tools stainless steel pans. All this can be viewed in the Pans section of the store.

May you all enjoy cooking!