For details on the myriad materials that cookware products can be made of see What Your Pots & Pans are Made of. But if you want to know the difference between a wok, bain-marie and poacher, and what to do with them, read on.

Roasting Tray

As you know, roasting trays are usually large, deep-sided pans, rectangular in shape. The larger pans are sometimes called turkey tins, for obvious reasons at Christmas. It’s often a good idea to find one with a wire rack which allows for a good flow of hot air around the food and prevents the meat sitting in its own fat. Good quality pans can also be used on the hob, after the roasting process, to make excellent gravy.

Woks

Woks have become increasingly popular over the last twenty years. This is partly due to the increased awareness of Chinese cooking, particularly on television. Chefs like Ken Hom have always highlighted the healthy aspects of Chinese cooking as well as the convenience. But the wok is a very versatile piece of equipment that can be used not only for stir-frying but also for steaming, deep frying and boiling.

There are many types of woks out there, ranging from traditional steel models to non-stick coated, cast iron, aluminium, stainless steel and cast aluminium. Having used them for hundreds of years, Chinese chefs regard carbon steel woks as the real thing and tend to view more recent developments with disdain. In the West however, we like an easy life and, as a result, a variety of woks have been developed.

• Carbon steel woks are traditional oriental woks with round bottoms and are heated to very high temperatures on a gas flame. Although carbon steel is relatively inexpensive, an excellent heat conductor and heats rapidly, it has the disadvantage of rusting rapidly. You can overcome this problem by seasoning the pan. To do this, make sure the pan is clean and dry with all surface rust removed. Then wipe the whole cooking surface with vegetable oil, heat the wok on a hotplate until it starts to smoke, allow to cool and wipe off any excess oil. Your wok is now ready for use. Carbon steel woks should only be washed in hot water because using detergents will remove the protective layer of oil.
• Single layer stainless steel woks have the disadvantage of poor conductivity which means that the base of the pan gets much hotter than the sides. These woks are best used on a gas cooker where the flame can help to carry the heat up the sides.
• Multiple layer stainless steel woks have an internal layer of aluminium and are more conductive than those made of single layer stainless steel. The heat is carried up the sides and the wok can be used on any hob.
• Non-stick coated woks do not need elaborate preparation, although they should never be heated without oil. The food will not stick and, providing the coating remains undamaged, the pan will not rust. It can, however be damaged by high temperatures. Some manufacturers claim that their superior pans can be heated safely up to 280 degrees Celsius. But cheaper quality products are likely to peel and quickly become unusable.

Steamers

As the awareness of healthy eating has become ever more widespread, steaming as a way of cooking has become more and more popular. Traditionally a steamer was simply a pan with holes in put on top of a saucepan. But although these are still available, steamers have developed into more complex forms! The most common type is the multi-steamer; this is made up of a base unit which can double up as a small stock pot, and one, two or three perforated inserts which neatly stack on top of each other. The main advantage of this type of steamer is that it allows you to cook a wide range of foods at the same time. Some manufacturers have taken this idea further by adding an extra deep steaming basket for use with pasta, and even a bain-marie which is used for warming delicate sauces or chocolate.

Whichever type of steamer you choose, they all have the same advantage; that is, they keep most of the flavours, vitamins and colours that are in fresh food. Steamers are also energy efficient.

Bain-Marie

These have been around sometime, first becoming popular in the 1870s.

They are sometimes known as double boilers which, as the name suggests, consist of two pans, one inside the other. The larger pan is filled with water and the smaller one is suspended inside. This lets you heat sauces very gently.

Ridged Grill Pan

Griddle pans are amongst the most ancient of all cookware items dating back to Roman times when they were little more than “bake stones”, flat stones heated in an open fire. A popular variation of a flat griddle pan is a grill pan which has raised ridges which keep the meat away from its own excess fat while cooking. As well as being more attractive and making for healthier food, as the fat drops off the meat it burns giving the food its slightly smoky, barbecue flavour.

Grill pans and griddles can be made from a wide variety of materials but for best results cast iron or cast aluminium is recommended. This is because they are good heat conductors and casting allows for more defined ridges.

Poachers

Poaching is a way of cooking using hot water to surround the food to be cooked. Most often this is in the form of a steep sided sauté pan with compartments for placing unshelled eggs. Egg poachers have become popular again as they are seen as a healthy alternative to frying. Another type of poacher is the fish poacher, also known as a fish kettle. Used to cook whole fish, these are normally long and narrow and have an internal lifting tray in order to remove the fish undamaged.

Fondue

These were very popular in the 1970s but remain so today – especially in Switzerland! Fondues are deep-sided pans supported above a burner. The pans can be made of many different materials depending on the type of fondue being prepared, but they are usually made of cast iron which holds the heat well. Cheese fondue is by far the best known but there are also meat fondues where meat is placed in either fat or wine stock and sweet fondues which use melted chocolate.

Maslin Pans

These are also known as preserving pans and are used for making jams, chutneys and marmalades. They are made of aluminium or stainless steel, they are round in shape, broader at the top to give good evaporation with a bail handle and a pouring lip.