Category Archives: Cookware
Pancake Day Essentials
Flip your finest with Pots and Pans
Sweet or savory, small or large, incredibly thin or thick and fluffy there are so many variations of pancakes that can be found all over the world. While Pancake Day has a rich history of which we are all aware, the round pancakes themselves also have an ancient history and pedigree of being enjoyed for thousands of years. Lets take a look back at where they began and then I shall discuss some modern tools to make flipping your own pancakes easy and delicious.
Pancakes from the Past
Pancakes have existed in one form or another since the Ancient Greeks with the earliest references (known as tagenias deriving from the Ancient Greek for frying pan) dating from as far back as 5th Century BC. The Middle English name pancake has been found in a culinary manuscript from 1430.
Archaeologists believe that varieties of pancakes are probably the earliest and most widespread types of cereal food eaten in prehistoric societies. These mixes of dry carbohydrate flours and protein filled liquids are baked to create a nutritious and very palatable foodstuff.
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Scotch PancakesFor the traditional scotch pancakes, piklets or drop scones a flat griddle is the traditional tool for cooking upon. While a round flat cast iron surface with a top bale handle from your local blacksmith is the traditional tool they are unfortunately much less common on today’s market. The top handle is there because you don’t need to move your pan around at all while they’re cooking. Your pancakes are flipped with a spatula not a flick of your wrist! |
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Nowadays griddles are most commonly made of Hard Anodized Aluminum that have a non-stick coating on them so make sure to use a nylon, wood or silicone spatula for flipping to protect it. This Stellar 6000 Griddle is of a decent weight, has excellent conduction so can be used on a low heat and has a 10 year guarantee on the non-stick.
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 Stellar 6000 Griddle |
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CrepesCrepes are always extremely popular because they are so versatile. You can fill them with sweet or savory fillings and they’re so thin you can eat lots before feeling guilty! A crepe pan will traditionally be a very shallow, flat frying pan with hardly any rim around the edge. This is to allow you a large surface area on which to spread your spoonful of batter out paper thin. |
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Our Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick Crepe Pan is on special offer in the smaller 24cm size. It is in the classic crepe pan style with Le Creuset’s very high quality of non-stick that will facilitate the making of these delicate pancakes. A larger size at 28cm is also available.
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 Le Creuset TNS Crepe Pan |
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American-style PancakesIf a stack of large fluffy American style pancakes is more to your tastes then a frying pan will certainly do the trick. These pancakes are the perfect base for different variations; add chocolate chips, bananas, blueberries or anything else you like. One of my attempts yielded a stack of peanut butter and banana pancakes which I thought were amazing but sadly were not to everybody’s tastes! There is a plethora of recipe ideas available online if you feel like getting creative. |
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Why not try the latest MasterChef 28cm Frying Pan. It has the high quality non-stick coating that is PTFE and PFOA free and a nice wide surface area, which is perfect if like me you enjoy a pancake the size of a hub cap! Moreover this pan has a helper handle and is relatively lighter than my other frying pans – perfect for flipping!
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 MasterChef 28cm Frying Pan |
Cast Iron Cookware – Why you need it in your kitchen!
Heavy, expensive, French – all these things are often true of cast iron cookware, but this is also true; you need it in your culinary life.
Why is cast iron such a good material for cooking with?
Cast iron offers the best heat conduction and retention properties, far superior to stainless steel or aluminium. What this means for the cook, is that stews and sauces can be left to cook slowly on almost the lowest of heat settings. Meats can be seared to perfection on a higher heat setting, and then the enamelled interior means that all the juicy, sticky bits created whilst searing, can then be transformed into a tasty sauce or gravy, by deglazing the pan. Cast iron is also ideal for one pot cooking, as it is suitable for all hobs (including induction) and ovens. Effectively, this means less washing up, always a bonus!
Our 3 Cast Iron Best Buys
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1st Best Buy: Staub 11cm Casserole
Fast becoming a modern classic, this little pot is ideal for use at dinner parties for starters and individual stews. Not to be confused with ceramic alternatives, this cast iron pot can be used in the oven and on the hob, for the best results, every time |
 Staub 11cm Oval Casserole |
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2nd Best Buy: Le Creuset 30cm Buffet Casserole
This super versatile, stunning pan is practical for both cooking and serving, making it ideal for oven to table use. It’s wide, shallow shape, also makes it an ideal pan for risotto, where the superb heat retention properties come in really handy |
 Le Creuset 30cm Buffet Casserole |
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3rd Best Buy: Chasseur Crepe Pan
The best crepes require a crepe pan. This specialist pan is very shallow, making it ideal for not only crepes, but also more traditional pancakes, crumpets and drop scones. And the superb heat conduction offered by the cast iron ensures the best results, every time! |
 Chasseur Crepe Pan |
Top 3 Non-Stick Frying Pans
Whether you know it as a skillet or a frying pan, every kitchen needs one, but unfortunately the non-stick frying pan is a kitchen essential which can occasionally have a bad reputation. But never fear, we are here to steer you through the potential minefield that is non-stick pans, and provide you with our top three recommendations.
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1st Choice: Le Creuset TNS 24cm Deep Frying Pan
From the best selling Toughened Non-Stickrange, this non-stick pan from Le Creuset is simply excellent and its extra depth makes it very versatile. Be warned, once you have got one, you may find you need one in every size!
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 Le Creuset 24cm Deep Frying Pan |
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2nd Choice: Raymond Blanc Professional 30cm Frying Pan
Another best seller and a personal favourite, this pan is well sized for larger families and provides excellent results time and again.
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 Raymond Blanc 30cm Frying Pan |
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3rd Choice: Stellar 3000 20cm Omelette Pan
This pan utilises a Teflon platinum non-stick coating, which is their highest quality coating, and the glossy black exterior looks great in modern, minimalist kitchens.
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 Stellar 3000 Black 20cm Omelette Pan |
- Temperature – once the desired cooking temperature has been reached, turn the heat down. The excellent heat conduction properties of our frying pans mean that they will retain the correct temperature, without having the heat on full.
- Utensils – Non-stick is a surface coating upon the pan, which means that sharp metal utensils can scratch and damage it. For optimum results, always use wooden, silicone or nylon tools.
- Dishwashers – Non-stick surfaces will last far longer if washed by hand, and the quality of the surface makes the task incredibly quick and easy. It is worth noting that some non-stick surfaces are classed as dishwasher safe rather than dishwasher proof. Dishwasher safe means that whilst you can put your pan in the dishwasher, its lifetime will be shortened.
Best Induction Pans for the Future
Prepare for a new way of cooking with cookware that will last an age…
Induction stove-tops are becoming increasingly popular; consequently I have more and more people coming into the store asking what induction is and what pans are suitable.
The first thing I tell them is there are A LOT of options out there, usually far more than you think.
Induction cooking is a magnetic friction based method of heating which means the bases of your pans must be strongly magnetic. What this gives as far as a cooking-top surface is concerned is a very fast heat up and cool down time, very easy cleaning and an inbuilt safety feature in that there’s no flame and you simply can’t forget to turn your stove off. The element will not heat up unless there is a magnetic pan on it so no pan, no heat. Consequently more and more people are installing induction hobs in their kitchens; some universities are now even putting them in their student flats!
CHOOSING INDUCTION PANS
Now here’s the best part: the vast majority of our pans are perfect for induction. Practically anything with a stainless steel base is good to go. For example, the whole Le Creuset range online is perfect (with the one caveat that cast iron is heavy and your stove top will be made of glass so you must be careful), the whole Stellar range is also now completely induction ready. Sadly, for my long standing love of Mauviel copper pans they are not induction suitable, although there are magnetic interfaces on the market that allow you to use existing pans. These tend to cost as much, if not more than the new pans you would be buying. Anything that is aluminium, enamel or hard anodised aluminium will need to have a steel base, so check their specifications. Circulon Infinite is one of our most popular non-stick ranges which is induction safe, as is the Le Creuset toughened non-stick, Jamie Oliver Professional Series Hard Anodised Range, Stellar 3000 and 6000 to name a few. Top tip: don’t forget to take a magnet to the base of the pans you already own, hopefully you’ll be able to keep your Gran’s jam pan if the magnet sticks!
OUR TOP 3 INDUCTION READY PANS
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1) Stellar 1000 Top selling stainless steel pan range.
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 Stellar 1000 |
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2) Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick Top quality non-stick.
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 Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick |
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3) Jamie Oliver Professional Stainless Steel Super popular range.
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 Jamie Oliver Stainless Steel |
I hope you find this guide useful!
Nina,
Manager
Pots and Pans, St Andrews.
The Best Choice of Roasting Tin
The Best Roasting Tin for Sunday Success!
To cook the best Sunday Roast for your family whether it’s topside of beef, crackling pork, tasty chicken or delicious lamb, a good roasting tin is essential.
| A traditional British Sunday Roast can’t be beaten. It’s the one meal of the week that is guaranteed to bring the whole family together. A roast can also be very economical with a good joint stretching a long way, often to Monday dinner and a slow cook in the oven allows cheaper cuts to be just as tasty. The essential piece of cookware needed is a really good quality roasting tin or dish. It doesn’t matter if your prefer stainless steel or non stick roasting tins but it is certainly worth investing in the best roaster you can afford. |  |
When do you use a Roasting Tin?
Home cooks across the UK love a good roast and it tends to be the meal of choice for many. Typically however roast dinners celebrate special occasions and important days. There are a few occasions where you will definitely need a roasting tin,
• Christmas Day – this is traditionally the biggest celebration of the year and often requires the biggest meal ! You will need a roasting tin large enough to comfortably a very large turkey together with roast potatoes, parsnips, and pigs in blankets.
• Easter – this is another event that will call for a roasting tin. Many people celebrate Easter with a traditional roast dinner of spring lamb fresh from the roasting tin.
• Any Sunday – whilst any occasion is suitable for a roast dinner the tradition that still endures is the Sunday roast. Throw a selection of root vegetables into the roasting tin, sprinkle with oil or syrup for a fabulous feast for friends or family!
Our Best Buy recommendations for Roasting Tins
We are often asked by our customers for help with purchasing the best cookware, including roasting tins. Our customers don’t just want any old cookware – they want the best they can get for their money – and we are happy to provide a little advice when needed.
We offer a wide range of top brand cookware but you can be sure that we have carefully selected every product ourselves – we research the products and pass the information on to you, the consumer. We use our experience to ensure every one of the products we sell meets our high standards and we are happy to stand behind our recommendations!
1st Choice: Le Creuset 3-ply Roasting Tin
| A Brilliant Roasting Pan! This tin comes with 3 ply technology! You get even heat distribution throughout the entire pan for easy cooking/browning.It’s a large tin (35cm x 25cm) ideal for higher heat roasting and searing of meat and vegetables. Use for roasting, baking, poaching and bain-marie cooking.Suitable for oven use up to 220°C/Gas mark 7, dishwasher safe and Lifetime guarantee. PRICE GUIDE : £120 – £140
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2nd Choice: Stellar 6000 Hard Anodised Roasting Tin with Rack
| Quality Hard Anodised Choice! This Stellar 6000 roasting pan is finished in traditional matt grey hard anodised finish with polished stainless steel handles and includes a rack.Excellent heat conduction ensures even cooking on traditional hob types.They are oven and dishwasher safe and come with a Stellar lifetime pan guarantee and 10 year non-stick guarantee on the Teflon Platinum Pro triple layer coating. PRICE GUIDE : £70 – £80
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3rd Choice : Prestige Professional Roast ‘n’ Rack
Unbeatable Value and our Best seller Year after Year!The roasting pan has a durable, three coat non-stick exterior and the rack is also non stick for easier cleaning.It also features safe, riveted cast handles, which add to the durability of this pan. Oven safe up to 240°C/475°F/gas mark 9 and suitable for all cooker types, EXCEPT induction. Comes with a Prestige Lifetime Guarantee. Size: 36cm by 26cm, height: 8cm (pan), 14cm (rack). PRICE GUIDE : £25 – £50 |
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