I Tested Every Type of Pan, Here's What to Buy (and Skip)

About this video

• Video Title: I Tested Every Type of Pan, Here's What to Buy (and Skip)
• Channel: Prudent Reviews
• Speakers: None explicitly named in the transcript.
• Duration: 00:12:08

Overview

This video provides a comprehensive guide to various types of cookware, explaining their intended uses and offering recommendations on which ones are essential, nice to have, or unnecessary for a home kitchen. The presenter shares insights from testing over 60 cookware brands and dozens of pan types to help viewers make informed purchasing decisions.

Key takeaways

• Frying Pan (Skillet): An essential piece of cookware with a wide, flat base and sloped sides, ideal for browning, searing, and tossing food. A 12-inch size is recommended for most home cooks.
• Sauté Pan: Similar to a frying pan but with taller, straight sides that contain liquids and splatter better, making it suitable for stews and sauces. It's considered a "nice to have" rather than essential.
• Saucepan vs. Saucier: Saucepans have tall, straight sides for liquids, while sauciers have sloped sides and a rounded bottom for easier whisking and preventing scorching. A 3-4 quart size is recommended, and the saucier is often preferred for its versatility.
• Stock Pot: A large pot with tall, straight sides and two handles, essential for cooking large batches of soups, stocks, or pasta. A 6-8 quart size is generally most useful.
• Dutch Oven: A heavy, enameled cast iron pot that excels at retaining heat, making it ideal for browning, braising, and slow cooking. While not essential, it's a highly recommended "nice to have" for specific dishes.
• Braiser: Features short, sloped sides and a wide base, perfect for browning ingredients before braising. It's considered a lower priority "nice to have" compared to a Dutch oven.
• Rondeau: A large, wide pan with shorter sides than a stock pot, suitable for cooking for crowds or making one-pan meals that require searing and simmering. More common in professional kitchens.
• Sheet Pan (Rimmed Baking Sheet): Highly versatile for roasting, baking, and cooking various dishes. A half-sheet size (approx. 13x18 inches) is recommended, and having multiples is beneficial. Essential for most home kitchens.
• Roasting Pan: Essential only if regularly cooking large roasts like turkeys or hams. Otherwise, a cast iron skillet or sheet pan can suffice.
• Griddle: A large, flat pan for cooking items like pancakes and smash burgers. Useful for converting a grill to a flat top, but not an everyday essential for most.
• Wok: Features a wide opening and sloped sides, designed for high-heat cooking with distinct temperature zones. While versatile, its functions can often be replicated in a fry pan or sauté pan.
• Kadai: Similar to a wok with two handles, ideal for South Asian and Indian cooking. A niche item unless you frequently cook these cuisines.
• Pizza Steel: A flat steel slab that replicates brick oven heat for baking pizza at home, resulting in a crispier crust. A "nice to have" upgrade for pizza enthusiasts.
• Gratin Dish: A shallow oval dish for baking and broiling dishes like creamed spinach or scalloped potatoes, developing a golden crust. Considered non-essential for most home cooks.
• Butter Warmer: A very small pot (approx. 3/4 quart) that heats up quickly, useful for melting butter, warming small portions of sauces or soups, or boiling a few eggs. Surprisingly useful for small tasks.