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What material should i consider for pots and pans?!

post #1 of 3
8/4/09 at 6:38am
Thread Starter 
Oh my!

Help help help please. I'm in Germany right now, and my mom has been hinting that I should buy her a good solid pan, cuz she thinks that the Germans make super kitchen equipment (I am clueless).

Cuz I love my mom tons, I do want to get her a great, sturdy pan that will last a long time. My mom cooks a lot. She pan-fries a lot of vegetables, fish, eggs etc. Think Cantonese-Chinese cuisine.

She used her last non-stick wok until the shiny metal showed, unbelievable but true.

So basically I would like to know if I should get
a) non-stick,
b) cast aluminium
c) stainless steel
d) annodized aluminium...


etc.

Cast iron is out because she's extremely asian, so I don't think i can introduce her to something new.

I've been searching online and i've also looked through most of the forum threads here but to no avail. ::C

I realise people have different preferences, but I think the key points to note is that my mom needs something extremely durable, nothing fancy at all.

Did i also mention that I have to carry it back for her to Singapore? So preferably lightweight, please!

Thank you all soo much.
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post #2 of 3
8/4/09 at 9:18am
Cast aluminum is durable and would be much lighter to carry than steel or iron. These aren't as popular as they once were. Berndes is a German company that makes great still makes cast aluminum cookware. Not inexpensive however. I'd first try a restaurant supply store. Since aluminum is a better conductor than steel or iron, the bottom of the pan must be extra thick in order to heat evenly. Keep in mind that nonstick coating is easily scratched up by a cook using metal utensils. If your mom has worn one out in the past I'd lean towards something without the nonstick coating. I don't actually own a cast aluminum pan but I believe they should be seasoned like a cast iron pan or wok. Can anyone veryify this? Good luck.
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post #3 of 3
8/4/09 at 11:13am
The aluminum won't generate a carbon patina like the steel and cast iron do. It creates an oxidized surface just by exposure to air that protects it. It can certainly be treated with heat and oil in the manner of stainless steel pans and that can create a good slick surface but it has no durability in the way patinas do.

If she wants a wok, she should just get a simple carbon steel wok and she'll probably have better quality and cost right there in singapore. Nonstick woks aren't that good, nor are stainless ones.

If she wants western style stainless cookware, well that's going to be a little heavy and there are a ton of threads on the topic already.
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