How to choose a domestic pot, in order to choose the right one and not expensive?

As the saying goes, if you want to do a good job, you must sharpen your tools first. Without readily available kitchen utensils, cooking is not so much enjoyment as torture.

This article will systematically talk about different eating habits and cooking methods, and how to choose pots and pans.

Let's talk about thousands of branded pots and pans. Is it necessary to buy it?

The article is very long, but I believe that after reading this article, you can roughly grasp the requirements of different cooking techniques for pots and pans. You should be able to understand clearly when choosing and buying pots in the future. Even if you have never used a pot, you can have a general understanding of its performance and the most suitable use before buying it.

So, if you have time, please read it patiently.

In this paper, some pots and pans that need to be boiled and maintained will also be attached with methods, so that you can explode a non-stick pot with less than 100 yuan.

Before we start talking about all the pots and pans, it is necessary to talk about the materials in general.

What are you talking about?

Because the performance of materials is very important, the difference of thermal conductivity, heat storage and ductility of different materials is the fundamental reason why pots made of different materials are especially suitable for a certain cooking method!

There are many kinds of materials for pots, but each material has different thermal conductivity and heat storage performance (specific heat capacity). I checked the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of some related materials, and put all the materials that may be involved in this paper into a table:

First of all, as far as the thermal conductivity of pure metal is concerned, copper >; Aluminum > iron.

Purity has a great influence on the thermal conductivity of metals. For example, after copper with good thermal conductivity is mixed with other metals to form bronze, the thermal conductivity directly drops by an order of magnitude.

Aluminum alloy is between 150-230, cast iron is about 40, and stainless steel 15.

Secondly, from the specific heat capacity, the metal purity has little effect on the thermal storage performance, and aluminum >: iron >: copper.

So what effect will these have on the pot?

Take copper for example. Among these metals, copper has the fastest thermal conductivity and excellent thermal conductivity, so the copper pot can realize "secondary heating". Moreover, because the heat storage capacity is the lowest, basically once the pot leaves the fire source, the temperature in the pot will not continue to rise because of the huge heat storage capacity of the pot itself, so it will be more convenient to control the temperature of the ingredients with a copper pot.

Because of this, western kitchens usually prepare more copper pots of different sizes. Especially for temperature-sensitive ingredients, such as preparing sauces or melting chocolate in French dinners, copper pots can accurately grasp the heat, so copper pots are deeply loved by Michelin chefs.

Many movies or TV series will also see it, and some French chefs will also see this pot cooking sauce. For example, in The Burning Chef, the protagonist seasoned the sauce with a copper pot.

There is also Julie and Julia, and the walls are covered with copper pots.

In the domestic TV series "Good Sir", there is also a copper pot hanging on the top of the kitchen.

The brand-new copper pot is very beautiful, and interested local tyrants can buy one to go home.

But on the other hand! Copper pots rust easily, so it is much more difficult to maintain than other pots. For example, it needs a special detergent:

It is precisely because the copper pot is easy to rust, so the surface is plated with tin or other metals, which determines that it can not be used to cook acidic substances, nor can it withstand beating and tossing, otherwise the coating will be very troublesome (after all, copper is a heavy metal).

Because of this, ordinary families rarely use copper pots.

Similarly, the different properties of other metals also determine their different ownership in the kitchen. Let's talk about it in detail.

Chinese-style wok is a must-have pot in China.

As the most important kitchen utensils, there are many kinds of wok, such as raw wok (cast wok), cooked wok, stainless steel pot and so on. If you consider multilayer or coated woks, there are countless.

Moreover, the price of wok also varies greatly.

Tens of dollars can be seen everywhere on Taobao, and there are also imaginary series that limit poverty: 3.8 million yuan. It is said that there were discounts on the Double Eleven in previous years, and the incentives were very strong. It was directly reduced by 65,438+10,000, and it can be bought as long as 3.7 million!

This price is similar to that of a house. It seems that this pot is for living, not for frying.

How to choose a good wok at the right price? This should be the biggest concern of Xiao Bai who just entered the kitchen.

Before choosing a pot, you must first understand the cooking method of frying.

The cooking method of Chinese stir-fry requires very high temperature and temperature. It requires that the pot can transfer heat quickly and reach a high temperature state, and it also needs to adjust the firepower to make it quickly spread to the pot. For example, after turning off the fire, the temperature in the pot can quickly stop heating, so that the chef can accurately control the heat.

In order to achieve this effect, the following characteristics are needed:

petty

Good thermal conductivity

Low heat storage

In fact, these points will also affect each other. For example, the thinner the pot, the lower the heat storage (why? Looking back at the unit of "specific heat capacity").

After reading the above section, your first reaction should be the copper pot.

However, as mentioned above, the maintenance of copper pots is very difficult, and it is generally not recommended to use them as Chinese woks in daily families. Besides, even if there is a copper wok, western-style frying and Chinese frying are different. If you can't knock on a copper wok, how dare you fry it?

After excluding copper, let's talk about several other metal pots.

1. Cast iron wok.

Because of the poor ductility of cast iron, basically all cast iron pots have their own "heavy" aura. This determines that it has obvious shortcomings as a wok:

The first point is insufficient, and the heat conduction is slow.

Cast iron has poor thermal conductivity and is also heavy. Generally, this kind of pot will give you enough time to heat the pot after firing, so that you can play a plate of the glory of the king.

Of course, it is not difficult for a proficient person, just a waste of time.

But for Xiao Bai, it will be difficult to judge the initial pot temperature with this pot.

Take stir-fried heart as an example. When the temperature is not enough, stir-fry begins. Not so much ripe as ripe. Products are generally soft, and the fried dishes can't always feel crisp and tender outside the restaurant.

The second point is insufficient, the heat storage is too good.

Because the pot is thick and has good heat storage performance, the temperature in the pot is still rising after the cast iron pot is turned to low heat or turned off, and it will be more difficult for Xiaobai to grasp the heat.

What are the advantages?

There is also an advantage, that is, a pot is multi-purpose.

Generally, cast iron woks can be stewed and braised, which is why cast iron woks are still everywhere. After all, not every family will prepare several pots, so for those who don't often cook and occasionally fiddle with various dishes at home, you can consider this type of pot.

As for the choice of cookware, as for the cookware made of standard materials such as stainless steel, cast iron and refined iron, I personally don't think it is necessary to consider the brand factor too much, because it is the material that really determines the performance of cookware (except multi-layer alloy cookware and non-stick pan! )。

So as long as it's not too complicated, you can start. If it is too miscellaneous, there will be heavy metal problems.

This is also the view on the choice of other pots and pans mentioned later. I won't go into details later.

A wok made of this material costs about one or two hundred yuan.

Besides.

In terms of non-stick performance: compared with other steel products, cast iron pots are not hard in texture, but they are generally malleable and prone to potholes on the surface. Even if the surface is polished smoothly at first, it will become pitted after a period of knocking, which will make it easier to stick to the pot. Of course, if the pot is well maintained, it can have a certain non-stick effect.

In terms of antirust performance: cast iron pots are also very easy to rust, and they also need daily maintenance, such as drying and oiling.

2. Cooked wok

The main consideration of the cast iron pot mentioned above is that it can take into account a variety of cooking methods, but! If you prefer Chinese cooking or want to improve the quality of dishes quickly, then I suggest you buy a special wok.

And wrought iron should be the most suitable material.

Wrought iron, also known as refined iron or pure iron, has a very low carbon content. Moreover, because of its good ductility, it can be made very light and thin, with low heat storage, and its thermal conductivity is better than that of stainless steel and cast iron, almost contrary to that of cast iron pan and stainless steel pot.

Therefore, the cooked iron pot can quickly heat up, and the adjustment of firepower can also be quickly transmitted to the pot, so that you can accurately grasp the temperature to the greatest extent.

Therefore, people who cook in restaurants and food stalls generally need cooked iron pots.

Roadside food stalls often see the master cooking or even the pot on fire, and the cooked iron pot will "wow" when it comes out.

Moreover, if the spoon is light and thin, it is easier to pour. Otherwise, why not try pouring six or seven pounds of cast iron pots?

In addition to the good characteristics of wok, cooked wok is also very cheap (after all, there are few materials), and basically dozens of cooked woks can be used very well.

So how do you buy it? Personally recommended, from Hong Kong's magic pot-Chen Zhiji.

In fact, Chen Zhiji's main business in Hong Kong is selling knives.

But the fire in China is actually caused by the cooked iron pots on the sideline.

I bought one myself, and I have used it for several years since Taobao.

This pot is 33cm in diameter, but it weighs only two and a half pounds!

I have recommended it to people around me several times, and the first reaction is: ugly.

Personally, I don't really have deep feelings. On the contrary, I think this is a very practical pot. It doesn't have a fancy appearance, even a lid, because its design has never considered the time you can use.

Moreover, it is uncoated, cheap and durable, and the big iron spoon can be knocked and scraped at will, so there is no need to worry at all. In the process of second frying, such a pot can make you operate freely and ensure the quality of the final product. Change to an expensive non-stick pan, I may not even dare to use a plastic spatula.

If you really dislike it, you can also buy brands such as Japanese pearls.

The basic wok of this brand can generally be started at around 200. It can be divided into concave-convex models and smooth models. Concave-convex models are a key point in their home, saying that they can be physically non-sticky. However, personally, as long as the cooked iron pot is well maintained, it will never stick to the pot and will not be tangled.

But Pearl Life is very different from Chen Zhiji. Chen Zhiji is a pot with a sharp bottom, and the pearl life is a pot.

This makes Chen Zhiji's firepower more concentrated and more suitable for stir-frying, but at the same time it is easy to have too much firepower. You can weigh it according to your eating habits and your ability to grasp the heat.

In addition, Chen Zhiji's pot is relatively thinner, the thickness is only 1.2 mm, and the life thickness of pearls ranges from 1.2mm to 1.6 mm, which is thinner, conducts heat faster, is more suitable for stir-frying and requires higher ability to grasp the fire.

Some people on the internet also say that the quality of life of pearls is uneven. If you consider this risk, you can consider the following pots.

There are also two Japanese companies called "Ji" and Yamada Industry, both of which have good comments, but the purchase channels are not so convenient and may need to be transshipped from Japan:

Some are similar to Netease YEATION, and some are cooked iron pots, which are also pretty good. You can also consider:

Want to buy a better wrought iron wok?

Personally, I think it is unnecessary. Pots at this price are enough for ordinary families. What's more, the wok used in the kitchen of high-end hotels in China is just a cooked wok with dozens of pieces like Chen Zhiji. In addition to the brand premium, the more expensive cooked iron pot does not have much blessing for cooking.

I won't introduce China woks made by European and American brands. It seems that I have never seen wrought iron, and I have always wondered, do foreigners generally use China's woks?

Generally speaking, the principle is that all wrought iron materials can be used, but if they are too cheap, there may be heavy metal risks.

The following is also a brief talk about the key points of cooking and maintenance of cooked iron pots:

Boil:

Boiling is actually a key step, which determines many properties of your cooked iron pot, especially non-stick. Because mine is an old pot, I didn't leave a picture of the cooking process many years ago, so I can only describe it in words.

The first step is to prepare a piece of lard (without washing) and clean the pot at the same time. If it is Chen Zhiji, there may be rust inhibitor on the surface at first, so it should be washed with detergent! Just wash it a few times if you don't trust me.

The second step is to heat the bright gray pot, and when the fire reaches the pot, it begins to turn dark and blue. Generally, the bottom of the pot begins to turn blue, and it needs to be heated by rotating the pot to burn evenly.

Step 3: Turn off the fire after the whole body is evenly grayish blue, put lard into chopsticks, quickly wipe the surface and apply lard.

Step 4: Wash the water, reheat it, and then coat it with lard. This step is repeated 2~3 times.

Finally: Wash with clear water, heat the pot for the last time, and wipe it with vegetable oil after turning off the fire.

What it looks like after boiling:

The purpose of the boiling pot is to form an oil film on the surface of the pot, so as to achieve the purpose of not sticking to the pot.

Demonstrate fried eggs and see what a spike non-stick pan is:

Give me another spoon:

By the way, frying spoons in a cooked wok is really not handsome! Because the heat transfer of the wok is very fast, which is basically concentrated at the bottom, it is necessary to stir the food continuously in the process of cooking, and the more efficient way than stir-frying is to stir it with a spoon. So really! Yes! Don't! Yes! Play! Handsome!

Boiling is troublesome? In my impression, some Taobao sellers have the service of boiling pots. You can also have them open it and send it to you. You can consult the store.

Matters needing attention in daily maintenance:

Don't cook too thick food, especially when it is cooked in a pot for a while.

One pot for one use, this is a pot only used for frying, frying and frying. It is not recommended to stew for a long time (it can also be cooked after stir-frying), especially for acidic substances such as tomatoes and vinegar.

Daily water is enough, and detergent is not needed.

Be sure to put it away after cleaning, or it will rust easily

If it is not used for a long time, it needs oiling and maintenance after drying.

It's good to blow things up when you are free, but it doesn't hurt.

For example, stir-fry a durian crisp. ...

In addition, the more the pot is used, the darker the color will become, but it will become more and more useful. Of course, the premise is that the pot should be boiled and maintained in place. Actually, my pot is not well maintained. I don't cook at ordinary times, and my aunt at home is not maintained as I said. So I recently changed the non-stick pan. )

Generally speaking, the cooked wok is used for cooking. You can occasionally take care of cooking and some lightweight cooking tasks, such as frying a fish head:

What is heavyweight frying? For example, steak is discussed in detail in the frying pan section.

Although the use of cooked iron pots in one pot has caused many restrictions, it is inevitable to prepare saucepans and frying pans at home. However, from the perspective of improving the quality of dishes, cooked iron pots are still worth having. If you want to improve your cooking quickly, you might as well give it a try.

Does that wrought iron wok have any shortcomings? And:

It consumes more fuel. After all, its non-stick depends on the oil film, so the amount of oil will affect its non-stick performance. There is no way to do it like a non-stick pan without any oil at all.

The lampblack is slightly larger. Because the pot heats up quickly, the temperature of the pot is very high, the firepower is concentrated, and the oil is easy to volatilize, so the oil smoke is relatively larger than the non-stick pot. Please match a better range hood.

Need to run in. As I said just now, a cooked iron pot can accurately grasp the temperature, but before that, people who need to cook must have a certain understanding of the temperament of the pot. Otherwise, I am used to thick pots, and it is easy to burn pots or stir-fry vegetables when I use them. But it's not a big problem, just run in for a while.

3. Non-stick pan

Personally, it is not recommended to use any non-stick pan with a coated surface.

At present, there are two main types of non-stick pans. One is water-based non-stick fluorocarbon material, which uses PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) to provide non-stick performance. The famous Teflon is said to cause cancer, but it is still inconclusive, so many low-priced non-stick pans in China are still in use. This material has excellent non-stick performance, but its texture is soft, its hardness is not high and it is easy to wear.

The other is a non-stick pan represented by ceramics and Tao Jing. Because of everyone's scruples about Teflon, Tao Jing non-stick pan came into being. This kind of pot has higher hardness than Teflon and is more wear-resistant, but its long-term non-stick performance is poor. After several months, it began to stick to the pan.

In order to solve the above two problems: wear resistance and long-term non-stick, manufacturers have also made a lot of efforts in non-stick pans, such as using titanium gold and other materials on the surface to provide wear resistance.

On the other hand, some manufacturers reduce the contact area between the ingredients and the pot by increasing the fine lines on the surface of the pot and extend the non-stick performance.

But unfortunately, at present, most non-stick pans are still difficult to be durable and wear-resistant, and it is impossible to knock casually like a cooked iron pan.

In other words, non-stick pans are mostly consumables.

But the non-stick pan is not without its merits. For many cooking whites, the non-stick pot is really a pot that can be used quickly, and in most cases, it can take into account a variety of cooking methods. I bought one at random recently and used it to cook a lot of dishes.

So are you going to buy it or not?

My personal suggestion is that if you don't cook much, but want to try cooking, you can consider buying a non-stick pan within 300 yuan, but it's not too cheap. If it contains toxic substances, it will not be worth the loss.

In addition, if you buy a non-stick pan, don't expect too much from the life of the pan. It usually takes two or three years, so don't worry too much about throwing it away. When you have a certain cooking age and want to fry a good dish, you should try the cooked iron pot.

At present, in order to protect my own wok, I bought a non-stick wok for my nanny.

If my wok is oiled and put away every day, I will also use a non-stick wok when I am in trouble. It's easy to plan and it's not too difficult to stir-fry, such as a cabbage beef or something, but there is still a gap between the product and the cooked wok.

Used to fire people:

Or fry a big tiger shrimp:

Yes, so in fact, one pot is multi-purpose, and this non-stick pot is still ok.

It should be noted that there is a kind of wok called "medical stone" on the market, which has nothing to do with medical stone. It's just a pattern made of medical stone and Teflon coating, which also belongs to the category of non-stick pan and contains Teflon material. Although the carcinogenicity is still inconclusive, it is not recommended to buy it for insurance reasons.

4. aluminum pot, stainless steel pot, to the multi-layer metal pot.

Generally, aluminum pot is made of aluminum alloy, and there are few pure aluminum.

Aluminum has good metal properties, and everyone should have studied chemistry in junior high school. The film formed by alumina can protect aluminum pot well, so there is no aluminum corrosion problem.

Moreover, the thermal conductivity above is also seen. The thermal conductivity of aluminum is second only to that of copper, and it is also very light, so it is also an ideal material for making pots and pans.

But why are there so few aluminum woks?

Because in the process of high-temperature frying, there will be dissolved substances in aluminum pot, and too much aluminum intake will cause certain damage to the nervous system. Have you heard that eating too much aluminum-containing fritters can easily lead to Alzheimer's disease? That's the truth.

So generally speaking, aluminum pot will have a coating to prevent too much aluminum from dissolving out.

Of course, as long as it is a coating, the problem mentioned above will occur-the coating will fall off. So this is a temporary solution, not a permanent cure.

On the contrary, stainless steel does not have this risk at all. It is corrosion-resistant, less dissolved matter, easy to handle and resistant to bumping, but its fatal disadvantage is that its heat conduction is too slow.

So what should we do? I think you've thought of it. It fits!

For example, the brand Allclad is the representative of multi-layer pot. Stainless steel pot is outside and aluminum is inside. Combining the advantages of both, it can not only conduct heat quickly, but also prevent the surface from rusting, which is easy to handle and has no risk of harmful metal precipitation.

Then there are five layers, iron-clad aluminum and copper-clad aluminum:

But the disadvantage of this pot is also obvious, that is, it is expensive.

In addition, because of the multi-layer metal, it can't be as thin as a cooked iron pot. Looking at the parameters, this pot weighs nearly 7 kg, while Chen Zhiji's cooked iron pot is only 2.5 kg.

For those who are not bad money and have brand beliefs, they can be considered.

I, on the other hand, usually close the page silently when I see the price. ...

Do you have anything cheap?

In fact, there are many three-layer pots in stainless steel pot that are made of aluminum, and there are brands at home and abroad, which should be counted as their prices. For example, Shuangliren's Chinese stainless steel multi-layer wok is around 500, and domestic cookware brands Chuhuang and Astar's multi-layer stainless steel pot can achieve the price in the early 200 s.

If you don't need to upset at ordinary times, you just want to take care of it. This pot can be considered, but because there is no uniform standard for the thickness and material of the interlayer in multiple layers, the performance of each brand should be quite different, which needs to be considered in combination with evaluation.

In addition, it is difficult to form an oil film on the surface of stainless steel, and there is no advantage in not sticking. I've been to a friend's house before, and it's a little sticky.

What if the surface is coated with a non-stick coating? Then combine the advantages and disadvantages of the previous non-stick pan and consider it together.

When the wok is finished, let's talk about the slow cooker.

In fact, stew pot is also a common pot, and it is useful to stew meat or soup for a long time.

The most important consideration of the stew pot is slow heat transfer and uniform heating, otherwise, like wrought iron, the fire will burn first when it is hot, but it may still be cold on the top, which will be miserable. Therefore, saucepans and woks need almost opposite properties.

What material is it made of? If all the above are good-looking, I guess you have guessed, cast iron or stainless steel.

There are two more here, heat-resistant glass and ceramics.

At the end of the initial thermal conductivity table, we can see that the thermal conductivity of glass is 1, but what about ceramics? Less than 1!

Let me say it alone.

1. Cast iron saucepan/enamel pan

Does the cast iron saucepan sound strange? Nothing, to put it another way, enamel pot. Have you heard of this?

Yes, the famous enamel pots of Le Creuset and STAUB are actually cast iron under the enamel coating, but there is an enamel coating on the surface, so it will not be as pitted as a simple cast iron pot, and it will be easier to clean and take care of.

And the beautiful enamel coating will make the pot more pleasing to the eye. No way, who let this be a world of looking at faces?

Many years ago, when I was a student diaosi, I longed for a pot like this.

After many years, I finally stopped being a student and became a product diaosi. Then, I bought this pot.

Take a picture:

It has been used for more than a year, but the enamel porcelain is not well maintained, and there are some scratches in it.

Like other brands of enamel pots, there are protrusions inside to collect water vapor:

Five pounds and a half in a single pot!

You have to pay three pounds more for the lid, which comes to eight and a half pounds! My mother often spits about this pot, saying that she can't move before eating.

Why is it so heavy? As mentioned earlier, because the heavier and thicker the heat transfer, the slower and more uniform the heat transfer, and the specific heat capacity of cast iron itself is relatively large in metal, the temperature and heating in this space can be basically ensured to be relatively uniform and constant after the cover is covered. Even if it is simmered slowly, it will not be said that the bottom is burnt, but that the top cannot be heated.

So what about the performance of the cast iron pot? Because the materials are almost the same, they are all cast iron, just look at the weight.

I don't know where I saw a sentence before, saying that good brands of enamel pots and cast iron pots have better sealing performance.

For this statement, I just want to say that your physics teacher's coffin board can't be covered.

If the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the pot can be formed only by the seamless seam between the pot cover and the pot body and the weight of the pot cover, is it necessary for the rubber ring of the pressure cooker to exist?

As for steam leakage, the key lies in the design of the pot itself. Nowadays, many enamel pots are equipped with shower heads to collect water droplets, which makes use of the temperature difference between the pot and the lid. When the steam rises to the pot cover, it forms water droplets, which drip back into the pot along with the shower water, so that the steam can be circulated.

However, some poorly designed cast iron pans (such as those without collecting water droplets) or insufficient materials lead to no obvious temperature difference in the pot cover, so there will be water leakage and steam leakage, which has little to do with whether there is water leakage between the pot cover and the pot body.

If you want a better water circulation effect in the cooking process, you can promote the condensation of water vapor by filling the pot cover with water or adding ice cubes and ice packs.

At present, YEATION and Xinxuan are basically not much different from other big brands in design, and there will be no shortage of materials, so there will be no obvious gap.

So the conclusion is clear, if there is no brand belief, there is no need to buy thousands of enamel pots. I think a cast iron pot chosen by Netease YEATION and Taobao is enough for you. Of course, it's not bad money. Forget it.

But then again, it's best not to buy enamel pots that are too cheap and complicated. After all, it needs to be simmered at high temperature, and it is difficult to guarantee whether enamel and cast iron will precipitate harmful substances.

Those are cast iron pots. How to choose enamel and non-enamel?

Non-enamel cast iron pot;

If there is a layer of enamel in it, it will be easier to clean, but at the same time, you should protect it more, otherwise, like the pot above me, there will be some enamel scratches in it. In addition, after maintenance, the enamel layer will have a certain non-stick effect.

The cast iron pot without enamel has no enamel layer, so the problem of beating resistance and beating will not be too big. In addition, some high-temperature frying functions can be considered (the frying pan part is detailed), but the disadvantage is that, like a cooked iron pan, it needs to be boiled and lifted.

So how to choose black glaze and white glaze?

These two processes are different. White glaze has better non-stick performance and does not need curing. Black enamel needs to be cured before it will stick. But if there are scratches on the black glaze, it is not obvious. If you don't mind the trouble of maintenance, you can consider black glaze.

Therefore, no enamel, black glaze and white glaze have their own advantages and disadvantages, depending on how you weigh them.

Personal experience, raising a pet phrase iron pot is exhausting, but also raising a stew pot? Decisively bought white enamel.

What do you usually do with it?

In fact, the previous recipes can be seen, and stewing for dozens of minutes or even hours is the most appropriate. For example, braised beef:

And casserole porridge. Yes, casserole porridge can be made without casserole, because the characteristics of the two pots are the same.