Cookware Detente: Or, The Only 8 Pots & Pans That You Really Need

I have a cookware problem.

It's not actually a cookware problem so much as a storage problem, but it manifests itself in cookware. Everywhere. You may have heard the stereotype of the twenty-something urban woman who keeps shoes in her oven; well, I keep a stand mixer in my bedroom closet. Pots and pans live on the dining room chairs, until we have guests, and then they vacation on top of our bed. Open up a sideboard drawer and you might find a pasta machine; look inside an end table and what should you see but an extra whisk (in case of whisking emergencies). This state of affairs irritates The Viking, but instead of speaking up he quietly retaliates by purchasing something along the lines of a spare set of bicycle wheels. Which I will then find stashed in the laundry closet. And so the arms race escalates.

When I bought all of these kitchen items, I think I honestly felt that each and every one of them would be useful -- nay, indespensable! Sure, I had enough good sense to avoid the belgian waffle maker and the fondue set, but I've ended up with several sizes of stock pot and skillet, five cookie sheets (curious, considering that I have but one oven), and an orange juicer the size of a toddler.

I've since realized that my cookware usage follows the 80-20 rule: 80 percent of my cooking involves 20 percent of my cookware. The remainder of that cooking could probably be accomplished without the additional cookware, given a little improvisation.

When it comes to pots & pans in particular, I really only use eight of them. Just eight. The list is below -- I hope it saves you much cash and conflict with your live-in loved one(s).




1. 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: Indespensible for stews, soups, pasta sauces, and anything that needs to be transfered from the stovetop to the oven.



2. 2-Quart Saute Pan: For my last birthday my mother gave me a Mauviel copper saute pan, and it's the one "nice" pan that I own. The flat bottom and high sides mean the pan can handle everything from roasting fish to sauteing vegetables to creating a sauce. Copper, which conducts heat evenly and responds quickly to changes in stove temperature, makes even cooking a breeze.


3. 12-Quart Stock Pot: For any task too large to fit in the Dutch Oven. Also moonlights as champagne bucket, vase, lobster tank, and watering can.


4. 3-Quart Saucepan: For smaller jobs like hard boiling eggs, making sauces, cooking oatmeal, melting butter.


5. 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet: Cast iron gets hotter and holds heat longer than stainless steel or copper, making it ideal for searing things (think: mushrooms, steaks, bacon). Great for tasks that start on the stovetop and finish in the oven.


6. 10-inch Non-Stick Skillet: Primarily for omelets, which we now eat one night a week because they are dirt cheap, mindless, and oh so delicious. Also handy to have available as a third skillet during big cooking projects.


7. Roasting Pan: Can be used on the stovetop or in the oven for any and all roast meats.



8. 2-Quart Pyrex Baking Dish: Useful as a second roasting pan for small meats (small poultry, pork tenderloin) or for gratins, roasted veggies, crumbles, brownies, cornbread, etc.