The Essential Pots and Pans You Need
Outfitting your kitchen can feel like an overwhelming task. Whether youโve spent hours scouring the internet, wondering โwhich pans do I actually need?โ or youโre sick of beginning a recipe only to realize you needed a pot you donโt have, weโve got you covered with the list of the essentials to get your kitchen up to speed.
When choosing the best cookware to stock your kitchen, look for pots and pans made with heavy-duty materials that can stand up to years of cooking, that can be used in the oven, and, if theyโre nonstick, that theyโre metal-utensil safe and free from toxic coatings.
Here are the 9 essential pots and pans you need in your kitchen
If youโre going to start with one stovetop pan that can get you through every meal of the day, this is the one to start with. A large skillet can fry up to 8 eggs at once, can cook pancakes to perfection, and is perfect for searing two gorgeous steaks. Use a large skillet to cook chicken thighs (start them on the stovetop, then move them to the oven), to make quick vegetable sautรฉs, and a few filets of salmon. A 12-inch skillet is ideal for pan pizza or for frying a batch of latkes. Next up: get a 10-inch skillet, which is better for smaller batches.
The 8โ pan is the perfect companion to larger pans, and an essential if youโre cooking for 1 or 2. Use a little skillet like this one for making omelets, fried eggs for 1, toasting nuts and seeds, and much more. A small skillet is great for small batch side dishes like quickly sautรฉed peas, a single piece of meat or fish, or an epic grilled cheese.
Though you might think a wok is just for the occasional stir fry, itโs good for so much more than that. The high sides and rounded shape of a wok make it ideal for tossing vegetables, small cuts of meat, and other ingredients. Use it for small-batch frying, big-batch cooking, and noodle dishes.
Small but mighty, the two-quart saucepan wonโt disappoint you. This guy is the smallest size you need to keep in your cupboards, but donโt let that fool you. Use it for sauces, to hard-cook a few eggs, or to reheat soup on the stovetop. If you want something slightly larger, jump up to the 3-quart pot, which can handle slightly bigger batches of leftovers (around 4 to 6 servings) or to make grains.
You may think of your 5-quart Dutch oven for soup, stews, and other braises, but itโs much more versatile than you might think. Use it to make chicken en cocotte (a sublime French way of roasting chicken), to make bakery-worthy bread, or to make a Sunday pot roast that will last the whole week.
If you like to entertain, then this is the pot youโll want to have on hand. Thereโs no better pot for feeding a crowd. Use an 8-quart pot for a classic chili, a chicken soup for cold winter days, to poach a whole chicken, or try your hand at donuts. An 8-quart pot is good for making stock at home, too, though if youโd rather a bigger pot thatโs dedicated to stock, weโve got one of those, too.
The wide, flat shape of a griddle pan is perfect for pancakes, french toast, lentil dosas, and grilled cheeses.ย
Itโs the perfect pan for people who love making big-batch breakfasts or want to recreate the lacy French crรชpes after a French vacation.
Though you might think itโs only good for the annual Thanksgiving turkey, a roasting pan is actually a kitchen workhorse worth investing in. Use it for big pieces of meat, poultry, or fish, big batch roasted vegetables, as a hot water bath for soufflรฉs and cheesecakes, or to make breakfast on the stovetops. (Seriously, wait until youโve made bacon for a crowd in a roasting panโitโs a game changer!)
Of course, kitting out your pots and pans cabinet is an extremely personal process and you might have a different list of must-haves. Take this list as a starting point from which to build your dream kitchen.
