The wilko guide to pots & pans

Types of pots & pans

If you’re an avid home cook, or feeding a family, your pots & pans get almost daily use. It’s always a good idea to have a variety of cookware in your cupboards to make things easier, as some recipes may involve using multiple pans at once. Take command of your cooking and swot up on the following cookware pieces!

Saucepans

If we had to pick, saucepans are probably the most versatile bits of kit you can have in your kitchen. These nifty pans can be used for cooking so many ingredients, from simmering sauces to boiling water for pasta.

Saucepans are available in loads of different sizes, and it’s good to have a few at hand. There are smaller pans such as milk pans, all the way up to large saucepans for batch cooking or feeding friends & family.

Many saucepans will come with a close-fitting lid, which are great at stopping bubbling sauces from making a mess on your hob, but they’ll also bring water to the boil faster – so you won’t fall behind!

Frying Pans

Flipping, searing, caramelising… a trusty frying pan is another kitchen cupboard must-have! From breakfast omelettes to bacon for brunch, all the way to sweating onions & garlic at dinner time, a good frying pan is every cook’s best friend.

If you’re looking for one pan to rule them all, a frying pan with a diameter of roughly 30cm is a great place to start. Now, we love saving money, but it’s worth spending that little bit extra and getting a frying pan that you can rely on. Frying pans with a thin base may heat up faster, but they’ll also lose heat quickly and are prone to warping over time. A solid, sturdy, thick-bottomed pan will retain its heat and will have a longer lifespan. They may cost more at the start, but they’ll save you money over time – trust us!

Within the frying pan range, you’ll also find griddle pans which give distinctive bar marks to whatever you’re cooking in them. These are perfect for searing steaks, mushrooms, or chunky veg for a pro finish.

If you’re after a large frying pan, grabbing one with a lid is ideal for cooking larger quantities of things like Bolognese sauce. A large frying pan with high sides can also be used as an alternative to a wok for fried rice or stir fries if you haven’t got the cupboard space.

Stock pots & casserole dishes

You may be asking yourself: ‘what’s the difference between a stock pot and a casserole dish?’

This is the kind of thing that keeps us up at night. We’ve consulted cookbooks, asked chefs, and even been on the internet to find answers, and it’s still a bit of a grey area. Here’s what we’ve managed to find out through our research:

Both stock pots and casserole dishes are titans of the cookware world; large-capacity pans for big meals or batch cooking. They’re high-sided pans with lids to keep all the goodness inside.

Stock pots tend to be big versions of saucepans, great for cooking large amounts of pasta or rice, as well as making soups and – you guessed it – stock. They’re usually made from aluminium or stainless steel for cooking on the hob.

Casserole dishes, on the other hand, tend to be thicker and heavier. They come into their own through their ability to be popped in the oven, which is brilliant for slow cooking and any recipe that involves ‘braising’. This essentially means frying off ingredients, adding liquid, then slow cooking for some unbelievably tasty and tender results.

Woks

If you’re a fan of stir fries, then you shouldn’t be without a wok. These large frying pans have large, swooping sides which are designed for fast cooking over a high heat for fiery flavour. Don’t be afraid to get your wok nice and hot, which will lock in the flavours of protein and veg for delicious and healthy results.

If you’re bored of steamed or boiled veggies, try some thinly-sliced veg in the wok with a touch of chilli and soy sauce. Boom – your dinners just got better in no time at all.

Material matters!

The material that your cookware is made out can affect the function, price, and suitability of your cookware. Here’s a quick rundown of the most popular materials in pots & pans:

Aluminium

A popular choice due to its value and versatility, aluminium cookware is lightweight, inexpensive, and available in loads of different shapes and sizes. It’s great for everyday cooking and quick meals, especially if it has a non-stick coating. Speaking of which…

Non-stick

From beginner cooks to experienced chefs, non-stick pans are a fantastic choice for everything from saucepans to woks and frying pans. Their clever coating means that food is much less likely to stick and they’re incredibly easy to clean. Also, you’ll find that less oil is needed when cooking with non-stick, so your meals will end up healthier too!

For more fantastic tips on healthy food, we have a blog on ways to eat healthier.

Stainless steel

If your pans get a lot of use, stainless steel is hard to beat when it comes to durability. It’s naturally resistant to rust and staining, and is fantastic for searing and boiling.

Stainless steel pans are often dishwasher safe, taking the stress out of your tidy up, but you should always double check!

Cast iron

Having a cast iron pan in your cupboard is a sign to the world that you’re a serious home cook. They’re brilliant at retaining heat and cooking ingredients evenly thanks to their thick, heavy bottoms. Cast iron pans can be used on the hob, in the oven, or even outside on your BBQ!

If you’re taking the plunge into cast iron cookery, bear in mind that they take a little more maintenance than other materials. If ‘seasoned’ properly, they’re naturally non-stick, though you’ll need to careful on how you clean it to avoid stripping the non-stick capabilities.

Match your pots & pans to your hob

When you’re kitting out your kitchen with new cookware, you’ll need to make sure that your chosen pots & pans are suitable for your hob.

There are 3 different types of hob out there: gas, ceramic/electric, and induction. Unless otherwise stated, all pans will work on gas and ceramic hobs, but you’ll need specific pans if you’re cooking on induction. As it relies on a magnetic field (and plenty of scientific magic), any non-magnetic pans simply won’t heat up on induction, so make doubly sure that it’s suitable before buying.

Get a handle on your handles! Comfy handles with cool-touch grips are brilliant for safety, but if you’re looking for pans that are oven-safe, metal handles are normally the way forward.

Cookware sets or individual pieces?

Pots & Pans sets

As you’re looking through our collection (it’s pretty good, isn’t it?), you’ll see a mix of individual pots & pans as well as sets of varying sizes.

If you’re heading off to uni, kitting out a rental home, or if all your current pans are showing their age, then grabbing a set is a quick, easy, and often cost-effective way of making sure you have all bases covered.

Pros:

• Has all the basics included to get cooking
• Easier to stack for easy storage
• Saves you time shopping around

Cons:

• Depending on your needs, it may lack certain pans or includes pans that you don’t need

Individual pieces

Buying individual pieces is the way to go if you’re a seasoned cook and know exactly what you’re after, or if you’re replacing one or two items that you already own. Maybe you always find you’re one pan short when creating in the kitchen, or wish you had a more specialist pan for your favourite meals – it’s easy to grab what you need!

Pros:

• Avoids being bogged down by other pans in multi sets
• Can get exactly what you want without compromise
• Cuts down on wastage by only replacing what you need

Cons:

• You’ll need to make room in the cupboards
• Cookware won’t perfectly match – but who has time to worry about that?

Dos & don’ts when cooking with pots & pans

When you’re cooking with your new pots & pans, there are 2 things that you have control over: heat, and amount of oil. Finding the balance in these 2 areas is where deliciousness is born!

Some ingredients require fast cooking over a high heat – any recipe that says ‘sear’ will need a nice, hot pan. Let your pan do the work!

However, if you feel like things are going a little too mad, have the confidence to take your pan off the heat for a minute or 2. The residual heat in the bottom of the pan will continue to cook, but it will start to cool down.

The amount of oil you use depends on the ingredient, but also the type of pan you have. Non stick pans require less oil thanks to their non-stick coating, whereas you may need to use more on stainless steel or cast iron pans – especially if they’re new.

Lastly: utensils. We’d always recommend avoiding metal utensils when you’re cooking with pots & pans. It can damage non-stick coatings making it less effective, or scratch other materials. It also makes a nasty noise, so do yourself and your pans a favour by using wooden or plastic utensils!

Pots & pans maintenance tips

How to clean pots & pans

Regardless of the material of your pan, we’d almost always recommend washing your cookware by hand. Dishwashers, although brilliant, can reduce the lifespan of your pans, especially if they’re non-stick.

If your stainless steel pan is looking grimy, these can usually be put through the dishwasher, but double check first!

Cast iron pans are a bit different. They should never be put in the dishwasher, and don’t technically need to be washed with soap as it removes the natural ‘seasoning’ of the pan. Simply wiping it out with a damp cloth is usually enough.

Storing your cookware

If you’ve invested in some quality pots & pans, the last thing you want to do is just throw them into a cupboard. Not only will you have a hard time finding what you need, but you’re also at risk of damaging them, which is no fun!

Many pots & pans are stackable, though we’d recommend putting something soft in between them so they don’t get scratched. There are pan dividers made for this purpose, or you could use napkins.

If you’re running out of room, a decent kitchen trolley gives you a bit of overflow so you can fit your new cookware in.