Caring For Your Cookware
It doesn't matter how much you pay for your cookware if you don't take care of it. In fact, proper care will not only prolong the life of your cookware, it will also increase the odds that your food will turn out well. To that end, here are a few basic tips:
1. Any cookware that has the word "cast" in the name, such as cast iron or cast aluminum, needs to be seasoned first. A well-seasoned pan is nearly stick-proof. Here is how you season a pan: rub it with a light coating of cooking oil, and then wipe the oil off with a paper towel until the pan appears dry. In a 500 degree oven, place the pan, upside down on a cookie sheet (to catch drips as the residual oil heats up). Cook the pan for 30 to 60 minutes and then let it cool to room temperature. Although once is enough, the more you repeat this process, the less porous and more-stick resistant your pan will be---if you haven't seasoned your cookware properly, you'll know because food will stick.
2. Never use abrasive kitchen cleaners. Some people have even used oven cleaner on their pots and pans in desperation---that's a sure way to ruin the surface. If you've just finished cooking something and are faced with a lot of stubborn residue, fill the pan with hot water and let it soak. If you can't get to the pan right away and find yourself faced with a cold pan and hardened residue---fill the pan with hot water, add a little baking soda and set it to boil for a few minutes. Then let it rest for an hour or so.
3. Never use metal scouring pads or scrubbers. If you do, the pan may look clean, but you'll pay when the microscopic scratches allow even more food to stick next time. Instead, use nylon scrubbers. If you're careful, you can even use a nylon spatula to gently get under the residue and peel it off in little sheets.
4. It's OK to use high heat on cast metal pans (that's what they're made for), but don't overheat non-stick pans. You'll know when you've overheated a non-stick pan because you will actually be able to smell chemical fumes. Not only does this severely shorten the life of the pan, but---more importantly--- you're releasing chemicals into the food you're cooking.
5. To help prevent sticking on the bottom of a lightweight pan, use a stovetop diffusing plate to distribute the heat of the burners. A diffusing plate is a round metal disk that you insert between the pan and the burner. If you don't have one, it's a good investment. You've probably noticed that quality cookware has a thick base. This, in essence, is a built-in diffusing plate. Also, to better prevent sticking, add oil or shortening to a pre-heated (rather than a cold) pan.
6. Unless the manufacturer specifically states otherwise, assume that your cookware is not dishwasher safe. Dishwashers are a lot harder on cookware than most people suspect. They find this out the hard way the first time they pull an expensive anodized aluminum pan out to find that it's covered with deep and visible scratches (essentially ruined).
No matter what you pay for your cookware, it's always an investment. The universal rules of care boil down to the following: monitor your food while it's cooking; soak first scrub later; use nylon scrubbers; and don't put cookware in the dishwasher.
About the Author:
Jeff Schweppe is president of Schweppe, Inc. a walk-in, online, and phone order foodservice and restaurant supply business, with the best selection of professional-grade kitchen supplies and commercial equipment in the Chicago area. Schweppe's store, located at 376 W. North Ave. 1/2 mile east of I-355, in Lombard, Illinois, is always open to the public. Website: http://www.SchweppeInc.com.
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