Mulberry Kitchen

Hey people… Thanks for subscribing and for being a part of this family. I have been off for a while and it’s so good to be back. I am still trying my way around blogging but l am sure it gets better day by day.

To the gist of today, I would be discussing about about COOKWARES… in literal language pots and pans. So how well do you know about cookwares and the type to use for each cooking. Sit down and grab a cup of smoothie (as per healthy living ..lol) while we go on this journey of learning about COOKWARES.

COOKWARES !!!

There are different types of cook wares that are available either as a beginner, a mum\ housewife who wants to cook for her family or as an expert who uses cookwares all the time. You will mostly need efficient and cost effective solutions to your cookware needs.

Let’s dive in !!!

STOCKPOT: The stockpot is a large, deep pot with a flat bottom. it is used to cook liquid foods that do not need to be extremely close to the heat source. Their tall profiles are great for keeping pasta submerged when boiling. This particular pot comes in a variety of sizes and it is better to have multiple sizes handy especially when cooking for a small or large group.

FRY PAN/SKILLET: A fry pan/skillet is an essential in the kitchen. These pans are designed with a flat bottom and rounded sides which makes them perfect for fast cooking with oils over very high heat. Fry pans and skillets come in a variety of sizes.

CAST IRON SKILLET: Cast iron skillet are similar to fry pans, but the main difference is the care and the materials they are made of. This type of skillet are made of cast iron and are pretty heavy. It is advisable to get a pre-seasoned one in order to avoid food sticking to it.

SAUTÉ PAN: This pan is meant for sautéing which translates into being able to fry food while moving it around quickly in the pan, while covered with a lid. sauté pans are similar to fry pans when it comes to design, they have a flat bottom too but the main difference between them is that instead of having rounded sides, a sauté pan has straight sides. The pans can be used for more things besides sautéing e.g: deep frying.

SAUCE PAN: The sauce pan is a very versatile cookware that has a rounded bottom and tall straight sides. It can be used in making all kinds of sauces and soups. These pans can be used with or without a lid to control evaporation.

BRAISER PAN: Braisers are a large, flat bottom pan with a moisture locking lid. This design makes it multi-purpose and a great addition to any collection of cookwares They can be used to brown food on the stovetop and/or to slow cook food in the oven.

GRIDDLE/GRIT PAN: A griddle is a piece of cookware that has a large, flat or ridged surface. With a fairly small amount of oil, it can be used to cook pancakes, browns and eggs. it can be square or round but usually does not have the longer handle of a fry pan.

WOK: Wok is an all purpose Asian pan which has high sloping sides and are made of carbon steel. They have a hot cooking surface on the bottom of the while being cooler up the sides, as such, ingredients can be moved around in the pan. they are perfect for stir frying, steaming and deep frying.

PRESSURE COOKER: Pressure cookers gives the choice of having a quick release option, taking even less time to finish a meal and without wasting water to cool things down. Their lids completely seal the pot, while liquid is boiling inside. Most pressure cookers comes in various sizes. A pressure cooker with detachable pressure regulator can adjust the pressure to low, medium or high. The higher the pressure, the higher the internal temperature and the less cooking time needed.

COOKWARE SETS:

It is mostly preferable to buy cookware in bundle in order to save money and at the same time have matching pieces. Cookware sets range from 10-18 pieces with a different variations in each set, tailored to your needs.

COOKWARE MATERIAL TYPES:

Now that we are more informed about the different kinds of cookware pieces you can choose from, it’s time to decide which material will work best for you. An essential quality to look for in all cookware is the weight. A heavy pot or pan will sit securely on the burner, however , be sure that it is light enough for you to lift easily.

ALUMINIUM: Aluminium is probably the most popular material in cookware. It’s an excellent heat conductor and spreads heat evenly throughout the pan. Aluminium can be anodized to harden the surface. Hard – anodized cookware is harder than steel and extremely durable. It is less expensive and it is highly recommended to get aluminium with non – stick interior because it’s much less likely to discolour or react with foods.

CARBON STEEL: Carbon steel is mostly used in very expensive and least expensive cookware. It is maintained like cast iron but it is much lighter in weight. It works well for cooking that requires quick heat changes because it maintains its temperature well. The most common pan made of this material are woks and stir fry pan.

CAST IRON: Cast iron is very thick and heavy duty. Even though,it takes a little bit longer to heat up , it retains, and distributes heat evenly. If you do more of braising, stewing , slow cooking, and baking,this would be the best choice for you. Cast iron comes in Bare iron or with Enamel coating.

CEREMIC: This type of cookware is a great insulator, so it does not react quickly to heat. It can be found in casserole dish or other shapes that are great for slow cooking at a constant temperature. It comes in three categories which are;

a. Porcelain: It is fired to become very hard and it is considered delicate but quite durable. It can be used on the stove, in the oven and in microwaves. It is typically white because it shows more prominence.

b. Stoneware: It is also fired to become hard similar to porcelain. The major difference in the two is that stoneware uses a different type of clay and comes in other colour asides white and it comes in multiple finishes.

c. Earthenware: It is usually prone to scratching and it is used as a server instead of a cookware.

d. Clad: These uses two (2) types of cookware materials together to get all the benefits of both material. Mostly, stainless steel is clad with aluminium. Aluminium gives you the thickness and excellent heat conductivity and stainless steel prevents it from corrossion. This type of cookware would last you. This type of cookware would last you a life time and it is easy to maintain. It’s is generally heavy and more expensive than others.

COPPER: It’s the best conductor of heat. It’s the best if you are cooking on top of the stove where you have to control the temperature. It can react with food and can be toxic which is why it is usually lined with another material such as the stainless steel and it’s not maintenance friendly as copper .

STAINLESS STEEL: It is a very good all round general purpose cookware. It is light, durable and easy to clean. It is a poor conductor of heat but mostly lined with copper or aluminium in order to distribute heat more evenly. It is easy to clean and dishwasher safe.

NON STICK: Non stick cookware has a coating inside the pan that makes it difficult for food to stick to it. This makes it easy to cook healthy , non fatty foods. It is very easy to clean and it can be found in combination with many metals that produce cookware.It scratches easily and so it is highly recommended to use nylon silicone utensils with it.

This would help us in knowing which type of cookware to buy and use for our cooking and it is highly recommend to clean your cookwares with hand instead of dishwasher in order to increase its longetivity.

If you want the best cookware, I would suggest you choose the heavier pots and pans because they are of better quality materials and are more secure. Be sure of your ability to lift it with ease off the burner.

In conclusion, there is no one type of material that is better than the other as they are equally beneficial depending on your specific needs.

Have a great time cooking and tell me in the comment section your experience or knowledge you have gain from this post.

HAPPY COOKING!!!!

Welcome to a brand new year and decade. A year full of light and exponetial growth. I am super elated to have you (yes you) become a new part of our family. It has been long coming and am glad we are here!!!

The holiday is over and its a start of a new week. A number of people use the kitchen equipment and utensils without knowing what they are or what utensils should be used in the kitchen. We would be refreshing our memories of different types of kitchen utensils and their uses. So, if you are about setting up your kitchen , or you just want a makeover in your kitchen or you simply want to refresh your knowledge, you would definately find this useful. Let’s dive right in !!!

Chef’s Knife: There are a number of different types of knives. A chef’s knife is the most versatile knife. It is used for bulk basic cutting, slicing and chopping needs.

Bread Knife : As the name implies, a bread knife is used to cut open bread and with its serrated edges, it would enable you to saw through it instead of squashing the bread.

Knife Sharpening/ Horning rod : Knives usually becomes blunt as it is been used often and having these would put a bit of sharpness back to them.

Chopping/Cutting board: A place where you chop/ prepare your food is so important and a chopping board is very important in the kitchen . Whether you choose the plastic or old fashioned wood is based on your preferance , but you should have several boards for different type of food as this reduces the risk of contamination.

Kitchen Shears/Scissors : This is a versatile utensil in the kitchen and really aids food preparation . It is used in cutting stripes of meat or dry vegetables.

Vegetable Peeler : This is used in peeling and removing the skin of vegetables with ease.

Garlic Press : This helps in finely mincing your garlic to extract all its flavour . It also helps in reducing the risk of biting large garlic chunks in your food.

Grater : It is used for grating and zesting food items and one with a different surface(s) comes handy.

Kitchen Scales: It is used in controlling portions of food items and a very essential equipment if you are baking.

Measuring Jug: It is used in measuring liquids

Measuring Spoon(s) and Cup: Measuring spoon (s) and cup is used in measuring food items especially flour and co , inorder to get the cooking right.

Mixing Bowl : A mixing bowl is required especially when combining several ingredients together. A good mixing bowl should be large enough to allow space for mixing.

Colander/ Pasta Strainer: This is used in washing vegetables and other large food items before preparing. It can also be used to drain boiled rice/pasta once ccoked.

Sieve: This is used for declumping floury food items before cooking/ baking . It can also be used to rinse finer ingredients before cooking.

Rolling pin: It is used in flatten out dough and it is essential when making any pastry.

Can Opener : A can opener is used in opening cans, although most cans now come with ring pulls.

Blender: This is used in blending ingredients especially sauces and soups. It can be found in different sizes and types.

Frying Pan/ Skillet: It is an essential piece of kitchenware. You can use this to shallow fry a variety of ingredients.

Saucepans: This is also a very needed piece of kitchenware as most of the cooking would be done with this. It is however adviseable to have pans of varying sizes for flexibility. The type of pans you use is dependent on the type of stove you have.

Ovenproof dish: An ovenproof dish is used in baking food especially if you have an oven.

Roasting Tin: This is used in roasting things and it is a high sided tin which allows the juice to gather at the bottom.

Baking Sheet: This is used underneath an oven proof dish to make it more easier to remove and to catch any overflowing food that occur during the cooking/baking process.

Stirring Spoon: It is used in stirring in cooking and it’s very essential . We would however recommend a more traditional wooden spoon which wouldn’t melt in direct heat.

Slotted Spoon: This is used to remove food from water. The slots in the spoon allows the majority of water to fall away in the process.

Spatula : This is used for removing food from frying pans . The slots in this allows for excess fats to fall away in removing.

Tongs: This is used for lifting things out of way or turning thick meat or poultry in a pan.

Masher: This is used for mashing food items such as potatoes and avocado.

Ballon whisk: This is used in whisking especially when making sauces.

Ovengloves: This helps to prevent burns when removing things from the oven.

Potholders: This is used in removing hot pots from the stove/gas and it prevents the hand from being hurt.

Ladle : This is used in serving soups/ fluid foods.

Pasta fork: It is used in removing and serving pasta.

Bottleopener: This is used in opening bottles.

STORAGE EQUIPMENT

Plastic Container : This is used for keeping food and left overs , fresh in the refrigerator or freezer. It is however adviseable to have the ones that are microwave safe.

Plastic Zipper bag(s) : This is used for storing prepared ingredients in the fridge or freezer.

Bread bin/box : It helps keep bread well ventilated and out of direct light.

MISCELLANOUS EQUIPMENT

Plastic wrap/ Cling film: This help keep food fresh and bug free during preparations.

Baking Parchment : This is used in baking and ensures that things do not stick where they shouldn’t.

Kitchen foil: It helps in the cooking process of some food and helps reflect heat.

Kitchen Towels: This helps in drying dishes and covering without exposure to much moisture.

Kitchen Tool Organizer: This is where all utensils are kept. This can easily be placed in a drawer or the cooking area.

Using some of these utensils has made cooking more effective and easy. They are very easy to use and easy to get at stores.

Are you familiar with any of the utensils , or you have had the opportunity to use any at one time or the other. Please share your experience in the comment section.