These tools are your loyal workhorse that do best jobs for you to your next generation.
June 2, 2019
Cast-iron cooking tools are kitchen essential in any home as they’re extremely durable and versatile. These pots and pans are perfect for various cooking methods and heat sources, from stovetop, oven, grill to campfire. Moreover, the longer heat retention makes them great for braising, stewing and energy-saving cooking for camping.
Cast iron skillets are real workhorse in any kitchen. They are good to handle sautéing, frying, searing, baking, stir-frying or making cobbler dishes on any heat sources—from your oven, grill or over a campfire.
The 10” to 12” capacity are flexible size are for multipurpose without too weighty. Look one that has for sloped sides, big spouts, a good-griped handle even with mitt and a wide assist handle.
See the Best Cast-Iron Skillets.
Even on stovetop in your tiny apartment, grill pans are handy for preparing crusty burgers, kebabs, cheesy sandwiches, tasty char-grill marks steaks or a grilled corn on the cobs quickly and easily.
The good grill pans should have ridges ranging from 4- to 5.5-mm high and spacing around 1- to 2-cm wide for making impressive char marks, which yield a flavorful crust, as well as look great.
Dutch (or French) ovens are ones of the most-used cookware in the kitchen—from baking, searing, braising, simmering, frying or even sous viding. Say, they can be called as the busiest pots ever that can live (nearly) forever in our lifetime.
A good Dutch oven should have heavy, wide bottom, not-too-tall sides, wide handles, big knobs and a heavy lid. We prefer 5- to 6-quart size for multi-purposes, as well as less weight and price.
See the Best Cast-Iron Dutch Ovens.
If you find difficult to regularly season traditional cast-iron skillets, the coated pans are good to consider. Enameled skillets have no significant difference in cooking efficiency but offer instant nonstick finish that makes easier to use with no acidic food-reactive effects.
Look for ones that have solid construction and tough ceramic-glazed coat for longer lifetime. The around 12” pans with another helper handle are recommended.
Whether at your home or a campfire, cast-iron griddles are perfect to prepare breakfasts—fluffy pancakes, crisp bacons and eggs. Moreover, these pans are a multi-tasker tool. While they’re good to make crunchy pizzas, quesadillas or crepes, you can sometimes use them for searing meats, baking cookies in the oven and grilling over a fire.
A good griddle pans for multi-tasks should have flat, slick and thick bottom with very short sides. For morning routines, the around 10.5” size is ideal.
Whether cooking on the stovetop in your kitchen or on fire in the camp, cooking 2-in-1 sets are good utilities for saving energy, storage and money. These sets are flexible to cook various recipes, from searing meats, frying chicken to simmering as a Dutch oven.
Commonly, the combo sets offer a skillet and a Dutch oven or utility pot. Consider sets that has can fit the skillet as a lid with easy-to-grip handles.
Braisers—braising pans or casserole—have wider and shallower bottom than Dutch ovens. Braisers are designed for absorbing maximum heat to make excellent browning a big batch before stewing process. This makes them easier for braising technique—like pot roasts, short ribs or lamb shanks than Dutch ovens.
A good braiser should have heavy, wide bottom, shallow sides. A tight-fitting lid is a must for avoiding drying out. The 3.5- to 5-quart size for cooking, as well as searing on the dinner table.
On the stovetop or grill, good grill presses are very helpful. They can keep bacon from curling, press out unwanted fat from burgers and prevent annoying splatters while cooking. Also, they helps speeding up cooking time when preheated.
A good one should have heavy-duty construction base with stay cool handle. It should be heavy enough for flatting meat but not too much to lift by a hand—we prefer around 3- to 4- pound sizes.