Few things can compare to the joy of cooking from home. This isn’t a universally held skill that everyone can enjoy, but for those who do enjoy the process of making their own food, it’s hard to beat. A home-cooked dinner for a person who loves cooking is just as good as any Michelin restaurant because it’s the experience itself that’s so addicting. Whether that’s the satisfied complement of a friend or loved one who enjoyed your culinary artistry, or just the simple joys of fragrance, temperature, and rhythm that come with cooking in the sanctity of your own kitchen.
One of the most important factors to having an enjoyable cooking experience is always going to be the equipment that you use. For anyone who knows their way around a kitchen, the quality of equipment they have access to is a huge factor in their experience. A good set of pots, pans, knives, and other tools really does make or break a cooking experience.
The truth about getting high-quality kitchen equipment, like a nice pot set, is that it simply is not going to be cheap. The good thing about investing in a piece of kitchen equipment is that the quality should be evident in two functions both longevity and function.
Even though kitchen equipment doesn’t have an innate personality, it’s hard to not become emotionally attached to something you are passionate about. Over time you start to learn how certain pieces of your kitchen equipment work. Which pots, pans, or knives, you should use for certain timeframes or cooking styles, as each one will handle heat, or prep work differently? Cooking is a way of life and brings a lot of joy to those who do it, so investing in the right kind of equipment is important.
How to Take Care of High-Quality Kitchen Equipment
If you make the jump to buying high-quality kitchen equipment, the most important factor will quickly become the maintenance of these pieces. Getting the most mileage out of your favorite pots, pans, knives, or various appliances is something that comes down to simple maintenance habits that can help extend their life span.
If you have been wondering how to get the most out of your new pot set, or any other cookware, here is everything you need to know.
When to Dish Wash
When it comes to taking care of your cookware, you can’t ever go wrong with handwashing. While this may be the case, cooking can take up a lot of time, and having to handwash everything can really pile on the inconvenience. Now, certain premium cookwares are designed to be dishwasher safe. If this is something that is important to you, the good news is that you don’t have to compromise on quality to find this to happen. Certain brands like Hexiclad create industry-grade quality cookware that can be easily placed in a dishwasher for quick easy cleaning.
The reason you don’t want to use the dishwasher unless advised by the manufacturer is simply that the heat and detergent can have negative effects on the quality of the cookware. A pot set that is not designed to be machine washed can lose its seasoning and non-stick features that will cause it to depreciate in quality.
Handwashing
If you have a piece of cookware that is not recommended for machine washing, what should you know about handwashing? The most important thing to distinguish handwashing will always be the type of pot or pan that you are cleaning.
For example, most pots and pans you clean are going to be able to sustain hot water, detergent, and thorough scrub. However, if you are cleaning non-stick pans or stainless steel pots, don’t ever use a tough bristle, scrub pad, or steel wool. This can result in scraped metal that can greatly depreciate the quality of your cooking.
Washing Cast Iron
When it comes to hand washing certain cookware such as cast iron, the rules change quite a bit. First off, the most important thing to remember about cast iron is that you should never use detergent to clean them. Instead, use hot water and abrasive scrubbing techniques. Cast iron is a durable metal that can withstand using bristles, scrub pads, or even steel wool. The reason you wouldn’t utilize detergent is that it can remove the seasoning from the pan and affect the way that it cooks.
The second most important factor with cast iron to remember is to never let moisture air dry as it is prone to rust. Instead, remove the moisture with a towel or heat dry it on the stovetop.
Conclusion
Learning maintenance of cookware is nothing new When you get a quality piece of equipment that is dependable, durable, and practical it’s hard to replace, and learning how to properly maintain it will help extend its life.
