Food
and cooking tips and techniques:
CHOOSING
CASSEROLE DISHES AND STOCKPOTS
by Diana Griffiths of Salamander Cookshop
In English “Casserole” has evolved to mean
a wide, straight sided pot with a close fitting lid
and ‘ear-like’ side handles. It has also come
to describe the method of cooking which produces a rich
stew of meat and vegetables and to achieve this it is
important to give some thought to the type of casserole
you choose to buy.
Casseroles
 Casseroles
can be made of a variety of materials including cast
iron, ceramic, stainless steel and heavy duty metal
with reinforced non-stick coatings.
Generally the heavier it is the better, as the meat
needs to be browned quickly at a high heat on the
hob at the start of cooking, followed by a long and
slow process to continue cooking the stew at a very
low heat either on the hob or in the oven.
If the casserole is made of a thin poor quality material
it will be difficult to keep it at a low heat without
burning, unnecessary heat loss, or undesired rapid
evaporation.
A thick pot with a heavy base will ensure that the
heat is slowly absorbed, retained and evenly transmitted
to the contents so that the food at the top of the
pot is cooked just as thoroughly as the food at the
bottom.
Round casseroles tend to be used for cooking stews
and ragouts, with oval pans for pot-roasts and braising.
 Stockpots
Stockpots are essential for anyone who enjoys making
good quality soup, and indeed stocks, for a variety
of other recipes. The choice of material tends to
be the same as for casseroles but the design is rather
different.
Stockpots have higher sides and tend towards a narrow
shape which slows evaporation of liquid and allows
the solids (bones or vegetables) to remain submerged
for hours at a time, so as to get the best flavour
out of them for the stock. Some manufacturers produce
stockpots with pasta inserts which lift out easily
leaving the water behind, and can double up as a strainer
for blanching vegetables.
Salamander Cookshop is recommended by Hub-UK
- to find out more about the different casseroles stockpots
available or to order a new one for your kitchen just
click on any of the links below. Salamander Cookshop
recommends these manufacturers:
Berndes
Pans
Chasseur
Emile
Henry
Le
Creuset Cookware
SKK
Cookware
Diana
Griffiths of Salamander Cookshop
www.salamandercookshop.com
Published
14 May 2009
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