{"id":1151,"date":"2017-04-12T16:25:02","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T20:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agooddish.com\/?p=1151"},"modified":"2017-04-12T15:06:58","modified_gmt":"2017-04-12T19:06:58","slug":"less-pots-pans-in-your-kitchen-paring-down-to-essential-cookware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.agooddish.com\/?p=1151","title":{"rendered":"Less Pots & Pans in Your Kitchen – Paring Down to Essential Cookware"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Colorful grill pans with other color coordinated kitchenware – so tempting!<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Browsing a kitchenware store is one of my guilty pleasures (along with strolling through bookstores, flea markets, art supplies, handbags, spice or specialty grocers and a good factory tour). The colorful enamelware pots and colanders attract me like a child to candy bins. While admiring, lifting and examining each pan or sieve, I imagine the scrumptious dish I will prepare in or with it, as if it were already in use. Unfortunately, this preoccupation has resulted in overstuffed kitchen drawers and cabinets, from which I am routinely culling items to add to the give-away pile.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cast iron dutch ovens and other Le Creuset Flame pots<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We really only need a few cooking pots and pans in our kitchens, not a whole fleet. Cookware manufacturers and salespeople would have you think otherwise but as I cook more, I’ve realized that many pots do double duty and many are so similar as to be redundant. Why fill your walls and cupboards with cooking pots and lids that get used only occasionally? If you have an enormous kitchen with unlimited storage – okay – you need not read on. But for most people, deciding how to stock one’s kitchen is a matter of space and utility. For example, if you make paella regularly, you may want to keep that paella pan but if you make it once in 2 or 3 years, your large skillet will suffice. If you only use your wok every 5 years, couldn’t you find a better use for all that space and make do with that same large skillet?<\/span><\/p>\n

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All Clad Master Chef pots with brushed exteriors<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Especially in an apartment kitchen, I have to be conscious of the value of cabinet footage, and mindful of what I hoard behind closed doors. (I am especially conscious of this reality this week as we are painting our apartment for the first time in more than 15 years and I have to pack and move each one of those hoarded items). I love stainless steel pots (as they are non-reactive) and cast iron pans (for their heat retention) and I prefer heavier to lighter. My husband, a very good researcher of consumer durables, among many other areas, came to our relationship with several excellent Paderno pots from Bridge Kitchenware that we are still using more than 25 years later. We purchased and were gifted several pieces of All Clad Stainless (love the brushed steel Master Chef) and Le Creuset (addicted to Caribbean and Flame) and I think those are both still the gold standard. Full disclosure, I definitely have accumulated more than I need because some are so beautifully crafted or colored or have sentimental attachments. But as I learn the value of less, I am slowly deaccessioning even my beloved kitchenware.<\/span><\/p>\n

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My motley assortment\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I gave up on Teflon years ago but do use one Tramontina non-scratching, PFOA-free, non-stick pan for making eggs. I ditched my crepe pan (skillet works fine) and egg poacher (saucepan substitutes perfectly) but held on to the wok, extra saucepans (how can I get rid of such good quality pots when I know I am going to need them when I burn yet another after forgetting to set a timer?) and that extra huge stockpot. And this is not mentioning the broiling, roasting and baking pans! Perhaps writing this post is a semi-conscious effort at listening to my own words. In the long struggle to lighten up, I am making steady progress in the kitchen, although that wok ….<\/span><\/p>\n

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Inexpensive Lodge cast iron skillets are highly rated<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here is a list of my essential stovetop cookware:<\/span><\/p>\n