I remember walking down the confectionary aisle in supermarkets as a kid, awe-struck and sensing the first signs of gluttony kick in. I wanted every last bit of chocolate on display there. Now that I’m older, wiser and more independent there’s a new devil in town.
All those flashy cooking shows render cooking like a pro to be a cakewalk. And those high power cooking appliances and utensils – Oh my. I. NEED. THEM. ALL.
I’ve realised people either overlook the need of the right kitchenware or just invest too much in them. So how much is too much or too less?
First, prioritisation is everything. There’s no point buying kitchenware on impulse. There’s a ‘Banana Slicer’ in my kitchen collecting dust proving just that. Spoons, forks, knifes, straining spoons, ladles, spatulas and measuring cups- now those are a must. Although, the megacorps have us all spoilt for choice with highly diverse ranges for each product. Make a list of the kind of kitchenware you would need based on the kind of food you make on a daily basis. Weeding out the kind of pots and pans suitable for your needs won’t be all that tough once you figure that out.
Which brings us to our second indicator – the material. The kind of material your utensils are made of, play an essential role. Now, copper is a good conductor of heat, so it reacts faster to temperature change and the heat is distributed evenly all through the cookware, which in turn doesn’t burn the bottom part of your morsel to black bits.
Stainless steel on the other hand is easy to maintain but not so balmy on the conduction of heat side. Teflon coating is such a blessing to kitchenware(try cleaning burnt noodles off a copper pot), but if you’re one of the goody environment conscious ones, cross it off your list!
Now for the heart wrenching factor- Price. This is a deciding factor for most. I go by the rule of thumb of kitchenware when I go shopping for my kitchen products, ‘Buy the best you can afford’. That alone eliminates all the exorbitantly priced swanky kitchenware.
No matter how hard you try to convince yourself you need that shiny cherry red Lamborghini of coffee makers, stick to the economical Toyota of the lot and it’ll make you just as good coffee. (I tend to blame the appliances for my bad cooking skills, I still burn my soup).
Not many people pay head to this, but some metals react to the food you cook in them. Aluminium is quite reactive and tends to make your food acidic. So make sure you know how reactive the metal is before rushing to the cashier.
Durability and Maintenance is quite essential. Stainless steel is highly durable and easy to maintain despite other drawbacks. Make sure you can use the products for a while to come and they can endure that kind of handling. If you’re someone who puts off the dishwasher duty for judgement day, opt for plastic and stainless steel utensils. Maintenance is a time consuming activity, so choose the kitchenware based on how much time you’re willing to spend on keeping them sparkly clean. Make sure you have enough storage area to store all your kitchenware.
Now you’re all set to make that trip to the supermarket, don’t let that salesman beat you off track though, you’re on a mission!
By: Lilian Rebekah Kotha
