Confused about which pots and pans to buy? We’ll help you make a purchase you won’t regret:
When buying cookware, everyone dives towards the 7-in-1 bundle. Get everything you need in one box. Why not?
No matter how tempting it looks, realize that you’re getting an awful deal:
Always buy your pots and pans one-by-one. Choose them depending on what and how you like to cook.
Your choices depend on how you cook and what you cook. Let’s dive through your options:
When you say “pan,” you almost always mean a skillet. Flat, wide, with sloped slides, you can do 90% of all your cooking in skillets.
The two most popular sizes are the 10-in (~25cm) and the 12-in (~30cm). The 10-inch fits two eggs nicely, while the 12-inch can do three. For small kitchens, the 10-inch offers the advantage of being small enough to fit in your sink. The 12-inch will, but you might have trouble maneuvering.
🤔 Should you get a skillet? Yes. It’s a workhorse.
Unlike sloping-sided skillets, straight-sided skillets offer vertical sides that surround the pan.
Pros
Cons
🤔 Should you get a straight-sided skillet? Probably not. They’re not bad. But everything it does, a wok can do better.
We often get confused by the term “sauce pan” because we just call these “pots.”
But unlike pots, sauce pans sport single long handles. They’re basically deep skillets with straight sides. In restaurants, chefs use them to make batches of sauces which explains the name.
Pros
Cons
Small kitchens benefit from sauce pans due to their flexibility—they’re a cross between a skillet and a stockpot. We suggest you get the middle size. The small ones look cute, but they may limit what you can do with them.
🤔 Should you get a sauce pan? Yes, especially in a small kitchen.
Even deeper than sauce pans, stock pots use two short handles on both sides. Meant to cook larger batches of liquids, stock pots are designed to carry heavier weights so having two handles help.
Pros
Cons
🤔 Should you get a stock pot? Only if you like to make huge batches of soups or stews.
Dutch ovens (they’re not ovens lol) look like stock pots. But you’ll notice an obvious difference: they’re made with cast iron and they usually look colorful and bright. (We’ll go over cast iron in a bit.)
Pros
Cons
🤔 Should you get a Dutch oven? Yes, if you have the budget, deep-fry frequently, and entertain guests. Most households don’t need both a Dutch oven and stockpot, so just choose one.
Despite their reputation of being useful only for Asian food, woks offer the most versatility no matter what you cook. You might also think that they only work well when you can toss food like a pro, but that’s not true. Even beginners benefit from woks.
Pros
Cons
🤔 Should you get a wok? Yes, if you deep-fry, stir-fry, and steam.
Get a stainless pan in your kitchen if you want something that just works:
But not all stainless pans work great. On the cheaper end of the spectrum, (usually below P900) you’ll find thin, single-layer stainless pans. Don’t buy these. These pans, because of their thin material, often end up burning food due to extreme hotspots.
When buying stainless pans, look for tri-ply pans. Tri-ply means that 3 layers of metals: stainless for the two outer layers, and aluminum sandwiched in the middle. Aluminum offers superior conductivity which creates even heat distribution across the pan. On the other hand, the stainless outer layers offers rust protection and durability.
🤔 Should you buy stainless? Yes.
Filipino households like to use non-stick pans for everything. It’s kind of become a meme that every house has a non-stick pan scratched beyond recognition.
If you want your non-stick pan to last, only use it for sticky food like eggs and pancakes. No reason to use them for anything else.
Non-stick usually comes in two materials PTFE (commonly known under the brand “Teflon”) and ceramic. Both will wear down with use and will need to eventually be replaced.
Pros
Cons
Unlike other pans, non-stick pans should be considered disposable. Once food starts sticking, you might want to get rid of it for safety reasons. The coating that’s preventing food from sticking will slowly degrade and mix with the food you cook.
🤔 Should you buy a nonstick pan? Yes, but use it only for eggs and sticky dishes.
Popularized by brands like Neoflam’s Fika or Caraway, aesthetic pans look great on camera. Their light, glossy surfaces highlight the food being cooked in ways that other pans can’t.
However, these pans are just really non-stick ceramic pans with a new look.
They suffer from the same durability issues as nonstick pans. With regular use, expect to use them for just a year or two. If you want these pans, make sure you take the same extra precautions as you would for non-stick pans.
🤔 Should you buy an aesthetic pan? Sure, but treat them like nonstick pans.
Most cooks don’t cook with cast iron because it’s intimidating. Unlike stainless pans which you can use and abuse without ever giving it a thought, cast iron wants some of your attention.
Pros
Cons
🤔 Should you buy a cast iron pan? Yes, if you don’t mind the weight and are willing to do maintenance. A huge boost if you cook steaks often.
Unlike raw cast iron, enameled cast iron appears bright and smooth. Coated with enamel, It differs from raw cast iron quite a bit:
🤔 Should you buy an enameled cast iron pan? Yes, if you have the budget.
Some pans come with plastic parts, usually as handles of the pan itself or the lid. Avoid these.
Pans always come in contact with heat, and as you already know, heat melts plastic. This can not only lead you to an accident, it can also mingle with your food. On top of the dangers, plastic also won’t let you use your pan in the oven.
Now that you understand pan types and materials, you should choose them based on what you cook. Spend time and pick them out one-by-one.
But if you’re too lazy to give it thought, just go for this list:
In case you don’t mind cast iron’s maintenance, consider replacing the two skillets with a cast iron skillet—with proper seasoning it can act both as a regular skillet and a non-stick one.
