The Differences in Cooking Pots and Pans

Cooking pots and pans come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Typically, the shape and size of the pots and pans are generally determined how they are used. There is an immense difference in their actual shapes and their structures are identified for particular cooking purposes.
 

Saucepans are pots with vertical sides about the same height as their diameter. They are used for simmering or boiling. Saucepans generally have one long handle. Small size saucepans used for heating milk and usually have a lip for pouring. 

Sauté pans are used for sautéing. They have a large surface area and low sides to allow steam to escape and make it easy to toss the food. Sauté pans often have straight vertical sides, but may also have flared or rounded sides. 

Sauté pan

Sauce pots are also called soup pots.  They are larger saucepans which generally have two handles close to the sides. Although most often sauce pots resemble Dutch ovens in shape, they do not have the same heat capacity features.

Stockpots are large pots with sides at least as tall as their diameter. This feature allows stock to simmer for an extended period of time without reducing too much. Stock pots come in a large variety of sizes to meet any need from cooking for a family to preparing food for a big event.

Brazier

Braising pans and roasting pans (also known as braziers and roasters) are large, wide and shallow, to provide space to cook a roast. They typically have two loop or tab handles, and may have a cover. Roasters are usually made of heavy gauge metal so that they may be used safely on a stovetop following roasting in an oven. Roasters are usually oblong or oval. 

Dutch ovens are heavy, relatively deep pots with a heavy lid, designed to re-create oven conditions on the stovetop (or campfire). They can be used for stews, simmered meats, soups, and a large variety of other dishes that benefit from low heat, slow cooking.

Frying pans, fry pans, or skillets provide a large flat heating surface and shallow sides, and are best for pan frying. Fry pans with a gentle, rolling slope are sometimes called omelet pans.

Grill pans are fry pans that are ridged, to let fat drain away from the food being cooked.
 

Wok

Woks are wide, roughly bowl-shaped pans with one or two handles at or near the rim. This shape allows a small pool of cooking oil in the center of the wok to be heated to a high heat using relatively little fuel, while the outer areas of the wok are used to keep food warm after it has been fried in the oil. Woks can be used for stir-frying, and anything from steaming to deep frying.

With all the differences in shape and size, cooking pots and pans are structured to make cooking tasks easy and enjoyable. Whether cooking is an everyday task or just for occasions, understanding how it is used would certainly help to select the right pot or pan to fit your cooking preference. 

Buying Stainless Steel Cookware - Set vs. Piece

Pots and pans are one of the necessities in the kitchen.  Whether you enjoy spending time cooking or just cook on occasions when needed, pots and pans are essential cookware and become handy when take out order is not an option.  There are facts to think about when looking for new cookware to fill your kitchen cabinet.

Cost
Depend on what brand name and the quality of the stainless steel cookware you're looking at, the price for a set varies from between low $100.00 to approximately $1,500.00.  Price for a single pot or pan might run from $40.00 to$350.00.  Make some thinking and see what you need before purchasing a set or a piece.  Keep in mind that good quality stainless steel cookware is a long value cookware which could last for long period of time with proper care.

Set vs. Piece
If you don't cook so often, buying a whole set sometime leaving you with pieces that never be used.  If this is the case, buying just a pot and pan that fit your needs probably a best choice.  If you love to cook and like to try out new recipes, thinking about having a whole cookware set as it is cheaper to buy a set than to build the set over time.

If your budget is not allowed to invest in a high quality cookware set that you have an eye on, collecting piece by piece is not too bad.  Of course, the total cost will be much more expensive than buying the set, but you'll have the pot and pan that you love with the budget allowed at the time.   Eventually, you'll be able to build a whole set that you like to have. 

It would make some thinking to decide whether you should buy a whole cookware set or just collect it by buying piece by piece.  Think about how often you'll be using your pots and pans along with the budget available.  Decide on what you like and what benefit you most.  Look for the feature of each pot and pan and see if it fits with your daily cooking purpose. Then browse stainless steel cookware to find the whole set or just a pot or pan that you'd like to have.