As promised in my post covering the pros and cons of pot and pans, I want to talk about the Saute’ pan and it’s function in the kitchen.

This pan has a flat bottom and straight sides.  The flat bottom promotes even cooking while the straight sides help to circulate the air in the pan and keeps liquids from spilling over the side.  It’s one of my top vital pans for the kitchen.  It comes in several sizes, from 2 qt to 6 qt.  I started with a 3 qt saute pan and later bought a 6 qt because the size of my family grew (literally grew as in got bigger with size of appetites, not number). Saute pans are heavy so I can’t just pick it up one-handed but in my book, quality trumps weight any day.

These pans come from many different manufactures however, I can’t speak about any of their quality except for All-Clad.  They are my #1 choice and rank very high among home users and professionals alike.  They are expensive and getting more so as technology gets better.  So my advice would be to by the best you can afford and upgrade as you need.

I use the saute pan for almost every meal whether I am searing/browning meat, saute’ing vegetables, making sauces from the bits in the bottom of the pan or cooking my whole meal.  I use this pan more than any pan in my repertoire. (Although the dutch oven, which we will talk about later, is moving up quickly).

For many people pans have become something that either collect dust in the cupboards or a necessary nuisance to scrub after burning dinner.  But that can all change by simply learning about them.  What are they made of, how do I cook with them and what type of pan do I use for what purpose.  Well, read on my friends and we will explore together the pros and cons of pots and pans!

In this first part of a series, let’s look into what type of pans you have to choose from:

Aluminum

Pros: Light weight, best heat conductor of all the metals (next to copper), comes is non-stick or anodized, less expensive and can handle high heat.

Cons: You should never cook acidic food in straight aluminum pans because it will react with the food causing an unpleasant discoloration.  A link has also been found between cooking with aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease but the FDA and most scientist discount any connection between the two.  In any case, aluminum is prone to warping or chipping over high heat.

Anodized Aluminum

Pros: Scratch resistant, great heat conduction, doesn’t react with food and can be found in the low to high price ranges.  Rachael Ray also uses these.

Cons: Like most metals,  it can be scratched or gouged. Damaging the surface of anodized metals will remove the anodized coating in that spot.

Stainless Steel

Pros: Durable, scratch resistant, doesn’t react with foods, can handle high heat and can be found in the medium to high price ranges. Can behave like a non-stick pan if you heat the pan before adding oil.

Cons:  Not a good heat conductor by itself.  Therefore, you need to find pans that have an aluminum or copper core and then you’ll have the best of both worlds; great heat conducting pans that can handle high heat and cook awesome!  Cleaning can be difficult, but not impossible if you don’t heat the pan before you add the fat and then cook your food.

Cast Iron coated in Porcelain Enamel

Pros: Once heated, it will remain very hot for a long period of time.  Added benefits from cooking with cast iron is the good workout you’ll get (they’re heavy).  These are non-reactive and will not impart previous food flavors into foods you are currently cooking.  Easy to clean, won’t rust and doesn’t need to be seasoned like cast iron itself. 

Cons: Porcelain may chip over time, interior can stain and each model needs to be checked for maximum temperature.

Non-Stick

Pros: Food doesn’t stick therefore you need less fat when cooking.  Non-stick is easy to clean and found in the low to medium price range.

Cons: Does not brown the food or make it crispy because the surface holds the moisture between the pan and food.  Coating can come off over time, not able to cook over high heat because it breaks the coating down, can’t use metal utensils and should not be stacked together without a fabric layer between them.

Over the next few posts, we will delve into greater detail about individual pans including:

• Sauté pan
• Sauce pan
• Fry pan
• Stock pot
• Dutch oven

Stay tuned!

I don’t know about you but I love hummus.  The first time I was introduced to hummus, it was store bought and not really good enough to write home about.  However, one day I was craving hummus and didn’t want to spend $5 for a tub.  So I decided I could make it myself.  Shouldn’t be that hard, right?  Right!  It isn’t hard at all and the beautiful part is you can make it however you want.   The way I look at it,  garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are my canvas and all my herbs, spices and other ingredients are my paints.  Voilà, Van Gogh hummus!

Lucky for us all, hummus isn’t just a painting using food.  It is also very healthy…and these days that is what I am all about.  Trying to find healthy and nutritious foods that my whole family likes is often times difficult – but not with hummus.  It can be used as a dip with crackers or vegetables, as a spread on flatbread, as a filling in a sandwich and so on.  I wouldn’t go as far as adding it in my smoothie or dipping my cookies in it but yes, I will smoother my finger in it and lick it off.  Yum!

You might be asking yourself, “What are some of the health benefits of hummus?”  Well, I’ve been reading a lot about health lately and here’s some good stuff I recently discovered.

1. Health Benefits of Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)

The nutritional benefits of hummus can be rooted down from each of its ingredients. For one, Garbanzo Beans are very healthy because they do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fats. They are also rich in protein. This makes hummus a favorite among vegetarians. Garbanzo Beans are also known to be effective in preventing build up of cholesterol in the blood vessels. Apart from that, it can maintain correct blood sugar levels.

2. Nutritional Value of Tahini

Tahini, meanwhile, is full of fat and calories. However, the fact that it is used sparingly in most hummus recipes and that it mostly contains unsaturated fat means there is not much to worry about. Like chickpeas, tahini is also high in protein. Apart from that, it is a great source of calcium.

3. Healthy Ingredients in Olive Oil

Another healthy ingredient found in hummus is olive oil. As most people know, olive oil is a healthy fat. It has high monounsaturated fat content but low in saturated fat. This oil can thus help regulate cholesterol and protect the heart from various diseases.

4. Health Benefits of Garlic and Lemon Juice

Garlic and lemon juice, meanwhile, are filled with antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress in the body. They also work to improve immune functions and fight of bacteria and viruses.

5. General Health Benefits of Hummus

Hummus as a whole contains plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are great for improving intelligence and maintaining a healthy heart. On top of it all, this dish also has iron, vitamin B6, manganese, copper, folic acid, and amino acids. Tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine are the amino acids found in hummus that can promote good quality sleep and uplift one’s mood.

Good to know?

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Van Gogh Hummus

Makes 6 to 8 servings

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 – 15 ounce cans garbanzo beans, drain & reserve liquid
2 tbls lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
¼ tsp paprika
salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Options:
Roasted red peppers
Tahini (very little, it gooooes a long way)
Sun dried tomatoes
Kalamata olives
Parsley
substitute 1 can of garbanzo bean for 1 can of white beans
….the sky is the limit!

Directions

Place the garlic into the bowl of a food processor or blender, and pulse a few times to chop the garlic slightly. Add the chickpeas and process until well mashed.  Add the olive oil and lemon juice.  If the mixture is to thick add some of the reserved liquid from the garbanzo beans a little at a time until the mixture becomes a smooth paste.

Add the cumin, paprika, pepper and salt. Taste the hummus for flavor, adjust any ingredient for your personal taste.  Let chill for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to fully develop.