Aluminium Cookware: Chefs’ Delight!
Everyone knows that chefs tend to have their very own knives that they look after with care and attention, washing and keeping them sharp themselves. What is less well-known is that truly dedicated chefs have their own preferred sets of cooking pots and pans. These pots and pans can help the chef to correctly gauge cooking times, portion control and much more: but how does a chef go about selecting that all-important set of pots and pans in the first place?
Quantity
Chefs are occasionally called upon to make immense batches of foods – especially things like stews and soups – and thus will need casserole pans and stock pots that can hold immense quantities of ingredients. Cookware sets can be as small as a cupful or they can go up to over one hundred litres. Ideally, every chef will need a set of pots that covers this range, so they can tailor their cooking from a single meal to a boarding-school full of students and teachers.
Variety
But not every pot or pan needs to be a saucepan. Chefs will need a choice of shallow frying pans, woks for stir-fries and sizzle cooks, and, as mentioned above, a range of sizes for the various different dishes, sauces and gravies. Often a chef will have a pan that is just used for pungent foods like onions and garlic. Using these pans for something delicate and sweet, like crème brulee, for example, can leave the dessert with an oniony or garlicky tang that will not please customers’ taste buds at all! Omelette pans, too, are often treated with delicacy and caution, and would never be used for anything but eggs, and indeed, would seldom be trusted to a dishwasher or any harsh chemical cleaners. Indeed, some chefs never wash their omelette pans, simply wiping them clean after each use. It is not hard to see why they would become unhappy should their precious omelette pan have its unique coating stripped away or tainted with some powerful flavour or texture.
Durability
Chefs will, necessarily, require their pans to be made from high-quality materials such as aluminium to ensure that there is no risk of the pans contaminating the food, and that will allow for stringent cleaning in order to adhere to proper hygiene and food safety standards. Chefs’ pots and pans are, like chefs’ knives, once-in-a-lifetime purchases and must both stand the test of time and be able to handle heavy, often daily, usage.
Benefits of aluminium cookware
Aluminium is tough and durable – after all, they make aeroplanes out of it! – and it is also very lightweight. While this might not matter for smaller pots, when the vessels get larger and larger, being able to lift the pots and position them correctly is very important, and if the pot itself is too heavy, this can cause issues when said pot or pan is filled with ingredients. Aluminium is an excellent heat conductor, which is another benefit for the chef who wants to get the heat into the food, rather than hold it in the pan. The pans will heat rapidly and evenly, allowing the cooking process to begin promptly. Rapid and even heating is an excellent way to ensure that dishes are cooked to perfection every time, so it is easy to see how aluminium cookware can quickly become a chef’s favourite secret weapon.
Cooksmill’s Aluminium Pan Range
Cooksmill’s range of aluminium casserole pans, stock pots and cooking pans come in a range of duties from 705 medium duty pans to 805 heavy duty pans. Manufactured from pure aluminium to EN601 and EN602 standards they have a satin wash inside and out. The pans are all 6-8mm thickness for excellent performance and durability.
All the medium and heavy duty range are supplied with lids and stay cool handles. The handles are made from vacuum formed polished stainless steel which remains cooler for safe handling on and off the cooker or from the oven. Held on with large aluminium rivets the handles offer the ultimate in security even for the largest and heaviest fully loaded pan.
While these pots and pans are perfect for professional chefs, based in commercial kitchens, whether at schools, hospitals or other similar institutions or in high-class restaurants with more discerning clientele; they can also be used by enthusiastic amateur chefs who are simply cooking for family and friends but who enjoy the quality and substance offered by a high-end set of cookware.
Here at Cooks Mill, we have an exciting range of unique food service products plus exciting accessories that will make you stand out from the crowd. To learn more then simply visit our website today to shop online or visit our Manchester store. Delivery is free on orders over £50 ex vat with thousands of items available for fast courier delivery when you shop online.