Advice On Cookware

by Asahd2

posted on 07/02/2009

Whether you are single or just got married, cooking for yourself is a constant. Determining the right cookware for you is easier said than done. Do you get non stick or stainless steel? Cast iron or copper?

A lot depends on what kind of food you prepare and how often you cook. If you a single and get take out or fast food regularly, shame on you. No, seriously, you do not need quite so many pots and pans. One large pan and two medium size pots should meet your needs. Buy a separate fryer or microwave any for the most part, you are set.

Cookware can be expensive and buying individual pieces can be more expensive than buying a full set. Calphalon has anodized aluminum pans that are overrated. For the price, they just aren't worth it when there are other choices. Of course this is just my opinion. Obviously someone likes Calphalon products because the company still exists.

Normal nonstick pans are generally bad for the environment and bad for you if you ingest the material. Ingesting the material is quite common as over the years the surface material actually comes off. The nonstick material Dupont uses to make the pans nonstick is a carcinogen. One person found out the hard way that the vapors that come off the pan when heated can kill. She owned a parrot and she turned the heat on her stove and placed a nonstick pan on the eye of the stove. She left the kitchen to go to the pantry. When she returned the pan was too hot to cook in. She removed the pan to cool it down and noticed her bird was dead. Later she learned the fumes from her nonstick pan was responsible. PTFE fumes from the pan is the chemical that caused the birds death. Nonstick pans do not recommend using the pan expect on low or medium heat.

Inexpensive store brands can be a good buy if you are more than a casual cook and less than an everyday cook. You would want to make sure you have one fry pan, one stockpot, a wok and also one large and one small pot. Adding a crock pot and a pressure cooker will help to make sure that all bases are covered. That is in case your Mom visits and she wants to cook for you.

Cooking at home is more economical than ordering out or stopping for fast food. One hot dog at Hardees or Rally's is $2.35. Buying a pack of ten hotdogs on sale is $2.99 and the rolls are about the same price. Whether single or not cooking at home will save money and if you at the least bit conscious about your health; the better way to eat.

There is a nonstick pan that is actually good for you, your time restraints and the environment. It is made with a 'green' method. The coating is called Thermalon. The coating on the pans is versatile. These pans can be used on the stovetop and also in the oven up to 800 degrees. The thermalon coating also offers restaurant grade cookware and easy clean up as does traditional nonstick pans. Chef Todd English is the name behind the product and it has gotten rave reviews.

I don't use it simply because I cannot afford it, but right after I get the VitaMix blender, I am buying these pan. I do quite a bit of cooking and I expect to be able to do more. These pans will come in handy and I recommend them based on other people's recommendations. They can be purchased with payments spread over 3 months at Home Shopping Network. More information about the Thermalon GreenPans is below.

Taken from the HSN site.

"PTFE is a chemical found in traditional nonstick coatings. It can begin to degrade at temperatures over 500 degrees, which is why the instructions on traditional nonstick pans generally advise to use them only on low and medium heat. You can use Thermolon™ on low and medium heat like traditional nonstick, but unlike traditional nonstick coated pans, GreenPan with Thermolon™ is also made to be used at high heat (above 500 degrees) for something you would normally use stainless steel or cast iron cookware for. Now you can do it all with one pan!"

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