How to Buy a Pots & Pans Set

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Bring out your inner chef by outfitting your kitchen with these basics.

Step 1: Set your budget
Buy the best pans you can afford. They should be thick and sturdy enough to prevent dents and warping, with securely attached handles. Stainless steel is a versatile material – look for an aluminum core to help conduct heat. Other materials include copper, anodized aluminum, and cast iron.

Tip
Look for pots and pans you can use both on the stove and in the oven.

Step 2: Invest in a saucepan
Invest in a 2- or 3-quart saucepan for heating soup, stews, and other liquids. A 1 1/2-quart saucepan is ideal for small or single-servings. Lidded cookware will make your pots and pans more versatile.

Step 3: Get a frying pan
Get a frying pan, or omelet pan, for cooking eggs, frying fish, and sauteing food. A nonstick coating makes for easy cleanup and reduces oil and butter use.

Tip
Newly developed "green" nonstick cookware is made without petroleum and may reduce carbon emissions.

Step 4: Add a saute pan
Add a 10-inch saute pan to your collection. It is wide and shallow but has higher sides than a fry pan, making it ideal for cooking meat dishes or making stews and other thick dishes.

Step 5: Finish with a stockpot
Round out your collection with a large, 8-quart stockpot, which has a handle on either side. Use it to cook pasta, big batches of soup, chili, and to roast large cuts of meat.

Step 6: Add more pieces
Add additional pieces, like a cast iron skillet for making fried chicken, or specialized cookware, like a wok, based on your cooking preferences and as storage space allows. Now get cooking!

Did You Know?
Did you know? Teflon was accidentally discovered on April 6, 1938, by Roy Plunkett.