The series continues from The Pros and Cons of Pots and Pans with the beloved Stock Pot.

This pot has large flat bottom and high straight sides.  They usually come in a wide range of sizes, from 6 qt to 20 qt for the home cook.  It  is used for making stocks, large batches of soup or recipes too large to fit in a saute pan.  Before I purchased my Dutch Oven, this was my “large meal” pot.  I cook for (7 )so large meals are a daily thing and I would use this when making sloppy joes, soups, chili, stew or anything that needs to be braised in the oven.  Any meal that couldn’t be cooked in my saute pan, and even some that could, would be cooked in this pot. I have used it to make stocks in for years, as well as cook pasta and to make large batches of hot chocolate.

If you have a large family or cook for large groups of people I would consider adding this pot to your collection.

As a bonus for this pot you can buy the pasta strainer as well.  I use mine for large batches of pasta and making  stocks.  It strains all the large pieces used to make the stock out without any effort at all.

To continue with my series from The Pros and Cons of Pots and Pans , let’s talk Fry Pans for today’s topic.

A fry pan is simply a skillet with moderately high, slightly flared sides.  It comes in several sizes but the 8, 10 and 12 inch are the most popular ones for the home cook.  This pan is a great choice for cooking crepes, omelets, pancakes or sauteing  meats or vegetables.  Even though the fry pan can saute meats and vegetables, it is best to do that job in a saute pan.

As the name states, this is a pan used for pan frying as opposed to deep frying (when food is completely immersed in fat).  When I use this pan for frying, I use very little oil and cook foods like fish, potato pancakes, shrimp and so on.

This is a great pan.  I have two of them, a non-stick version and stainless steel one.  I love both and use each often…especially when making crepes for breakfast.

Continuing the series mentioned in The Pros and Cons of Pots and Pans  , today it’s all about the Sauce Pan.

A flat bottom and high straight sides make it pan perfect for many jobs in the kitchen.  Just like the Saute pan, this too comes in many sizes from 1 qt to 4 qt.  These pans are fabulous for soups, rice, sauces, risotto, potatoes and anything else you want to throw in them.  This is another pan the gets used daily in my kitchen!  I have both, a 2 qt and a 4 qt, one doesn’t get used more than the other.  I use these pans for warming foods, cooking sauces, cooking rice or any other food that is high in liquid.

These pans do come in other similar styles such as a Windsor pan and Saucier.  Although the name is different and the pan itself may look a little different, the function is essentially the same.  With that said, each of them performs better than another for certain tasks.  For instance:

The Windsor is great for reducing sauces because the sauce is exposed to more of the pan therefore making reductions faster.

The Saucier is better for puddings, custards and rice dishes because of its shorter sides and easier access to stirring for long periods of time.

There you have it, the basics about a sauce pan.  The more knowledge you have the better consumer and chef you will be.