Of course, you can pre-compile a list of dishes that you are going to cook in a saucepan, proceeding from this, to select the volume and material of the pan. But for this you need to know the differences between materials.

Tips for choosing a good saucepan

Enamelled pans
Once enameled utensils were an excellent substitute for aluminum. It is made of cast iron or iron, after which a double or triple layer of glass enamel is applied, this material is inert and does not allow the metal to be coated with corrosion. But earlier materials were considered incompatible, although now metal and enamel have the same coefficient of heat, although the mechanical properties are still different. Initially, the pan looks very attractive, it shines and has the original pattern. It cooks soup, borsch, mushroom and meat soups, vegetable stews and so on. In enameled dishes, the most delicious kissels and compotes are prepared, but it has its drawbacks.

The food quickly burns, while aluminum dishes are much more reliable than enamel. If for the sake of experiment you boil the milk in a new saucepan and do not mix it regularly, its taste will be very unpleasant, you will surely feel the taste of burnt milk. True, if you pre-pour a pot of cool water, then this defect can be avoided. Also, it is not very practical because people often knock with a spoon on the edge of the pan to get rid of the soup. Of course, deformation of the enamel takes place, small pieces are broken off. First, the area near the handles is destroyed, then the edges of the pan begin to chip off and so on. When the pan falls, the enamel split is inevitable - it will appear even on the bottom of the pan. After the appearance of cracks and chips it is impossible to prepare food, it is dangerous for health, it's not even that particles will enter the body, just metals will poison food. Prefer dense enameled pans, they have protection from bumps.


Aluminum pans
In the past, aluminum pans were the most popular because they last long and are quite cheap. You can easily boil milk without fear that it will burn. But immediately after boiling, the milk is poured into ceramic or glassware. In this saucepan you can boil water, cook vegetables, cereals and much more. Often, the housewives buy a separate pot for boiling milk from aluminum, because the milk does not burn, especially if you rinse the pan with cold water.

The main disadvantages of aluminum are the softness of the material, as the food can burn, and when washing, you will have to try to scrape it off. But you can not use an iron brush or washcloth during washing - deep scratches on the pan will appear.



steel pans All stainless steel cookware is very popular and versatile, besides it looks very nice and glitters. Stainless steel pans are the most preferred. The outer part of the pan is polished, and the internal polished, so you can clean the dirt without problems( read our article about how, how to clean the burnt pan).This is an excellent protection against germs and bacteria. It is not necessary to use additional cleaning agents - wash the pan in warm water with a simple detergent without solid particles, otherwise the appearance of the pan will deteriorate.

During the production of saucepans, the same steel is used as for surgical instruments. It contains 10% nickel and 18% chromium, so the pan is neutral to everything, and you can cook all the dishes. Thanks to this, all minerals and vitamins are stored in food, and the metal does not affect the taste of the dish. The pan cover is made of glass, there are holes for the steam exit, so you can observe the cooking process.


Also it should be mentioned that the pan has a bottom of several layers, it helps to warm up the food completely and keep the heat. The food will be cooked in a short time, and you can turn off the gas in advance, about 20 minutes before cooking because of the heat. The creation of such a bottom of the pan took years, first tried to make the bottom thin, but the food quickly burned, and the bottom changed shape. After that, the bottom was thicker, but it did not work either. Then inserted between the layers of steel disc of aluminum, which improved the conductivity of heat and the durability of the pan.

If you do not know which material to prefer the saucepan to - stainless steel is the best option. It does not require complicated maintenance, it is possible to prepare meals in a comfortable way, and the cost of the pan is not very high.