Friday, May 2, 2014

I was discussing cookware with my niece, specifically, what pots and pans are the most useful?.  Like everyone else, I have my favorites.  But I wanted to see if the ones I think I use the most are the ones that I actually do.

I began keeping track of each pot, pan, skillet, or baking dish that I used, March 8th through May 1st, 2014 (104 data points)  I did not record utensils like knives, whisks, strainers, colanders, etc.  Nor did I log work bowls or serving platter, only things that I cooked something in, with the exception of our food processor.

The results matched my expectations fairly well:

Item
Usage

Manufacturer
Comments
12" cast iron fry pan
17%
18
Lodge
Great pan all around, but heavy
2.5 qt sauce pan
13%
14
Calphalon
Our go-to sauce pan
Jelly roll pan
13%
14
Various
Mostly for roasting vegetables
13" non stick fry pan
12%
12
T-fal
Cook's Illustrated's top non-stick
10" non stick fry pan
6%
6
Claphalon
Mainly for frying eggs
5 qt enamal Dutch oven
6%
6
Le Crueset
The workhorse Dutchie
4 qt sauce pan
5%
5
Cuisenart
Great for steaming vegetables, too
Baking dish
4%
4
Le Crueset
Finishing steaks in oven, baking potatoes, etc
7.5qt enamal Dutch oven
4%
4
Le Crueset
A must have, but not as much as the 5 qt
10" cast iron fry pan
4%
4
Unknown

1 qt sauce pan
3%
3
Falk copper

10" non stick skillet
2%
2
Calphalon
Good for pilaf
Broiler pan
2%
2


6" fry pan
2%
2
Calphalon

2.5qt Evasée pan
2%
2

Great for polenta and other things requiring a lot of stirring
Tea kettle
1%
1


8 qt stock pot
1%
1
Calphalon

2 cup sauce pan
1%
1
Calphalon

Food processor
1%
1
Cuisenart

10 * 14 baking dish
1%
1


8" fry pan
1%
1
Falk copper


100%
104




I am surprised that I do not use my small, 1 quart sauce pans more.  And I have two of them, a stainless clad aluminum made by All Clad and a stainless clad copper by Falk (the Belgian company, not the Milwaukee gear people.)

I know, this should be a graph, but my cut and paste is not happening.