Top of the Stove

To cook efficiently and with pleasure, it is essential to fit out your kitchen with the best equipment you can afford. Nowhere is this more important than in choosing pans and dishes for cooking on top of the stove.

Saucepans, frying pans, flameproof casseroles and so on receive heat only through their bases. For this reason, they should have thick or heavy bases; if they are too thin, the food being cooked in them is apt to burn and the pans themselves may buckle. In addition, the material used to make the pan must be able to conduct, or diffuse, the heat evenly from the base up the sides. Metal is the best conductor of direct heat which is why it is the material most frequently used. But, as you can see in the box below, a range of metals are used to make pots and pans. Pans should be well made so that they will last: lids should fit snugly and knobs and handles should be sturdy and securely fixed to the pan or lid. Also, be sure to lift up any stovetop equipment before buying. Many pieces, especially those made of cast iron, can be very heavy, and there isn’t any point in spending the money on something you will find difficult to use.