Which pans

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This helps to conduct heat evenly all over the pan, which helps with even cooking. Think stainless steel is hard to keep clean? Think again. The trick with using stainless steel is to heat to a high heat, turn down, and put a drop of oil into the pan and swirl around.

Leave it for a minute or so, to cool off the almost smoking point, and then add food, and a little more oil if necessary. This allows the heat and oil to close the microscopic pores in the pan, making much less prone to food sticking semi-permanently. This should be done every time the pan is used, as cooling and washing will open up those pores again. Cast iron cooking. Need a good sear? Cast iron is your man as it transfers heat very efficiently and is therefore great for cooking steaks.

Cast iron is heavy, and heats evenly. It transfers heat extremely efficiently, and holds heat for longer periods. Because it is so efficient, it should also be used at a mid- to low heat, and will sear a steak beautifully — just allow time for the pan to heat first, and add food when it is hot. To clean after cool, scrub with a sponge and natural abrasive, like salt. Store with a light film of cooking oil to prevent rust spots from forming.

But with so many pans on the market — where do you start? And how do you decide between aluminium and stainless? Aluminium pans provide heat and an even surface to get to the food, are generally lighter and the metal works well with non-stick technologies.

Stainless steel pots and pans are much heavier — normally the heavier they are the better their performance. There are also other traits you need to look for when choosing pans — depending on your cooking needs. Ill-fitting lids will create a mess on your hob if pans boil over, while some work better for steaming or draining. Budget is also a big factor — however sometimes a good quality pan will speak for itself and last for years, so spending a little more on the right pans could be a great investment for your future creations.

While testing our top picks, we kept an eye out for ease of use — taking into account both ease of cooking and cleaning post meal — looks, durability, value for money, and of course how evenly they distributed heat for perfectly cooked food. Everyone knows Tefal for its non-stick pans — but can they keep on impressing us with so much competition?

This piece set is ideal for a large family — with two frying pans, saucepans, and detachable handles it definitely stands out. We loved the bakelite handles, which are sturdy and attach to the pans easily, plus the glass lids which vacuumed on to the pans, and have a quirkily designed handle. The two pans also come with plastic lids — for storing leftover food in the fridge. Made from stainless steel the saucepans have a shiny exterior — looking very stylish on top of our hob.

Though not as heavy as some of the other pans we tried, it was still a struggle to drain water with them and we found ourselves using two hands to hold it up.

We did love the feel of the stainless steel handle though, which seemed to mould well into our hands. The glass lids were also another plus, allowing us to assess how well our pasta and potatoes were cooking, while their small steam vents were great for cooking vegetables. If you want your kitchenware to match you can also opt for their non-stick frying pan , which has a three-layer non-stick coating and works particularly great when cooking meats and eggs.

For such an iconic name the price is relatively reasonable — we think these pans would last for years. These are currently out of stock online, but more are on the way. This mirror polished stainless-steel set is vast, which is perfect if you love experimenting in the kitchen.

The domus shape of the pans gave them a unique look, and they were hard to scratch while cooking or cleaning them.

Some of the pans did make the food stick to the bottom, but they cleaned well in the dishwasher. Oven safe up to C we put them to the test when cooking a casserole and they fared well. The set is currently on sale, and we do think the original price is a little steep, but for nine pieces of kitchenware the sale price is fitting so grab it while you can.

These attractive black pans, with silver handles, are suitable for all hob types, but we found the five-piece saucepan set relatively light. Made with forged aluminium and a hard-anodised exterior the set includes a; 24cm frying pan and four pans; a 16cm, 18cm and 20cm saucepan and; a 16cm milk pan. All of which come equipped with their zerostick technology — plasma ceramic particles which have been fused to the surface of the pan for a non-stick coating.

We used the frying pan for a quick stir fry, with great results — as the heat distributed evenly and the chicken and vegetables cooked quickly, without leaving anything on the pan. One plus was how all pans are oven safe to C, meaning we could start a creation on the hob and then finish it off in the oven — which we did use for an egg dish at brunch.

Easy to wash — the saucepans were left with a white residue on them afterwards, which was hard to get off. For a five-piece set we think the price tag is perfect. All the pieces, including a frying pan, 16, 18 and 20cm saucepans come with a goldstone non-stick technology which is oven safe up to C. We used the 16cm pan to cook porridge and were impressed with the non-stick technology, leaving no porridge on the side of the pan.

We also cooked vegetables in one of the bigger pans and were particularly impressed with the lids, which have steam vents — almost like using a steamer. Easy to wash the pans are also dishwasher safe.

The rest of the kitchen box includes everything from a garlic press to a full dinner set — perfect for any new homeowners. This six-piece set comes with four different sized saucepans, a casserole dish and a non-stick frying pan — ideal for anyone who wants to update their whole range.

Made from 3. The handles for the whole set are made from stay-cool silicone, which give them a good grip, while they never get hot. This feature was particularly useful when we used the casserole dish in the oven. Suitable for most hob types including induction, they are also oven safe to C, easy to clean and dishwasher safe. We loved the speckled marble design of this saucepan set, which comes in 16, 18 and 20cm sizes.

Relatively light, we found the pans easy to move and drain — even with just one hand. The pans all feature soft touch TPR bakelite handles, which we would say were one of their best qualities, as they made them sturdy and easy to use, never getting too hot when we cooked.