Cooking: High Quality Cookware

Here another post that one of our readers submitted, thanks for sharing! If you have thoughts on cookware that you’d like to share, just write them in the comments section below. Thanks!

There are two areas that come to mind when I think of cookware.

The first is how easy is it to use, and how easy does it clean up. These questions are very important because of the lifestyle I lead. I have very little time to spend cooking over the hot stove, and clean up is a given.

I have found that almost any brand of non stick cookware will work for those easy clean ups. But I will add that you get what you pay for. Spending a little more money overall will get you a product that lasts longer, I have found the Rachael Ray non stick Hard Anodized cookware to be great for my needs.

It is a good quality set at an equally good price. Another thing that I can not live without is my Rival Crock Pot.

I am a single mother, with the time taken way running kids around to practices and working, I find the convenience of using the crock pot high on my list of necessities. I am able to cook wonderful tasting meals with very little prep time.

The Rival crock-pot that I purchased has two crocks. The first is your normal crock pot, but the second is divided into two separate areas. I like this when I am making nacho’s and have my meat on the one side and the melted cheese on the other. I use this all the time at parties. (Check out this article from YourHouseHoldKeeper titled “Save Money by Cooking with a Crock-pot” and Crock Pot recipes too).

Last but not least is my enamel roaster. I am talking the old blue roaster with white speckles on it, the kind your grandmother use to have. It literally makes the best roasted chicken. I have perfect roasted chicken every time I use it. When its time to make one of their favorite meals, it is almost always the roasted chicken that is requested. Having the right cookware, not only makes the job enjoyable, but it also makes it fun.

One of our readers recently sent in this reminder on the dangers of nonstick cookware:

As a pet owner, one thing that bothers me is people using nonstick pans (such as tefal pans) when they have pet birds. Without proper ventilation, these pans can actually harm or kill birds, as the fumes they let off whilst heating are very toxic. To make sure my birds will be okay, I prefer to use a heavy cast iron pan - they may be expensive to buy at first, but an investment in a Le Creuset pan will soon pay off - they do last forever.

My favorite type of cookware to use are the ones that are made of either glass or ceramic.

I feel that cooking with this type of material is safer than cooking with some of the other cookware materials such as aluminum. Materials used to make other types of cookware can react and even enter the foods that are cooked in them.

I also find that ceramic and glassware are easily cleaned compared to aluminum and steel. Some of the ceramic products such as the original Corning wear can go straight from the stovetop into the oven. In more modern times this has been even more useful by being able to go from microwave to the oven.

I love to use Pyrex bake ware as it is easy to see though the pan into the food that is cooking to get a good idea if it is cooking well or not.

I also enjoy the use of glass lids on the pots to check on the contents without lifting the lids and allowing the steam to escape. Pyrex glass ware is the only type of cookware I use for microwaving as I don’t want any of the plastic from other products leaking into the food.

Glass and ceramic materials also resist corrosion unlike some of their metal counterparts.

Teflon is easy to use because of it’s quality for non-sticking to food but you really have to wonder how much of the Teflon product is entering the food while it is being cooked. I have used the Visions line of glass pots and pans.

Even though they are completely made of glass, I have never broken one when dropped. I really like the different colors that they came in, amber was my favorite. The visibility to see the cooking process happening inside the pot is really a great. If you have never tried using ceramic or glass ware for cooking, I suggest you try it!