Cookware. Does size matter?

[pacanis]

I've been replacing my old cookware with new stuff, mostly Cuisinart Chefs Classic in SS. I already had their 5.5 qt saute pan and although I use it, it's huge, or at least it seems too big at times. Four decent size chicken thighs are swimming in there and of course require a lot of oil to get a thin layer on the bottom of the pan, which in turn adds that much more oil to any gravy I am planning to make, so..... in a recent shopping spree at Amazon I ordered the next smaller size, 3.5 qt. I'm looking at it thinking that I would be hard pressed to fit four chicken thighs in there, especially because obviously you can't rearrange them until they've released. I had no idea there would be such a drastic size difference between 3.5 and 5.5. Seems like the perfect size for me would be a 4.5 qt, if they make one.... but I'm going to keep it because I can see it being handy for some of the stuff I cook.

So, which way would you lean? Cooking in a crowded pan, or cooking where the food has copius amounts of room and requires a lot more oil?

 

[LadyCook61]

Even though there are only 2 of us at home, I would use the 5.5 qt. because one could have company and want to make larger meals. Also you could cook the meat , freeze what is leftover.

 

[GrillingFool]

For some applications, it is important to give the food room to cook.
Braising becomes steaming if food is crowded.

Then again, in some others, it is good to have it tightly packed.

(I think it is a conspiracy by the cookware makers to force us to buy different sizes!)

 

[pacanis]

lol, I think it's a conspiracy, too, GF. It seems like my old saute pan was the perfect size. I guess I should learn how to judge the quart sizes that cookware uses before I purchase. I need a "tweener".
Is there a chart somewhere that lists foods you do not want to crowd? How can you tell if your food is sauteing (braising) or steaming?

 

[Andy M.]

I have both sizes. For simple meals, such as two serving sized pieces of protein, I use the 3.5 and it works great. The larger one gets used for larger recipes that will make several meals. such a jambalaya. I also use it for things such as chicken pie filling and cooking for guests.

The larger one also serves and a water bath for my cheesecake pan.

 

[Jeekinz]

I have to tailor to my "piece" stove. I can barely fit two 10" saute pans on one side without the front pan barely on the burner.

As far as size goes, you need to determine that yourself. For instance, I use a 20 qt stock pot sometimes but alot of people may think it's too big. Then on the other hand, I like to use a 1 qt sauce pan for alot of things. My 10" saute pans or CI pan see the most action.

I could probobly toss more than half of the cookware in my kitchen and not blink an eye.

 

[pacanis]

I just measured and the 3.5 qt measures 9.5 inches. The 5.5 qt measures 12 inches. That 2.5" is a pretty noticeable difference, but what it really a big difference is if you figure out the cooking area. Just the cooking surface alone is a 42 sq in difference. That's huge. IMO. Less than 71 compared to 113.
I guess the true test would be to try to cook my 4 chicken thighs in the smaller pan and see how they come out as compared to the gravy (because of the extra oil needed in the larger pan).

 

[Andy M.]

I don't think you'll have a problem with 4 thighs in the smaller pan unless they came from a steroid enhanced bird.

 

[justplainbill]

I just measured and the 3.5 qt measures 9.5 inches. The 5.5 qt measures 12 inches. That 2.5" is a pretty noticeable difference, but what it really a big difference is if you figure out the cooking area. Just the cooking surface alone is a 42 sq in difference. That's huge. IMO. Less than 71 compared to 113.
I guess the true test would be to try to cook my 4 chicken thighs in the smaller pan and see how they come out as compared to the gravy (because of the extra oil needed in the larger pan).

Maybe you should use a 4 quart cast iron dutch oven with 2TBS of olive oil.

 

[pacanis]

Maybe you should use a 4 quart cast iron dutch oven with 2TBS of olive oil.

Yeah, that's something else I've been thinking about, so I don't have to pull out my big camping DO everytime a recipe calls for using a DO. The kind with three legs and a rim around the lid.

Thanks Andy. I wouldn't want to ruin them by "steaming" them.
Yet more cooking terms I need to look up; steaming something, but not with water, by cooking the food too close together. It seems to me they would still be frying Then there's sweating onions....

 

[Andy M.]

If a pan is so full you can't maintain high heat when you put the cold food into the hot pan, the moisture in the food is vaporized to steam. Leaving space between chicken thighs or whatever is to ensure there is enough free pan surface to maintain browning temperatures.

Sweating onions or other veggies is basically doing intentionally with the onions what you want to avoid with the meat. Cooking them at a lower temperature so they will soften and release juices but not at a high enough temperature to brown them.

 

[pacanis]

Hey! I sweat onions all the time and didn't even know it (lol). The onions I made gravy with last night were sweated.

Thanks for the terminology lesson.

 

[Maverick2272]

Doesn't this question depend on which gender you ask??

yea OK I am getting censored for that for sure!

I agree, though, that you should leave room between any meats you are cooking (or large items) for proper heating. Of course that means you have to turn them often (or swivel around) to cook evenly as well, so sometimes I do things in smaller pans and one or two items at a time instead of four or five items.
And then of course what good is a large pan without a large enough burner?

So I guess size is relative after all...

 

[lezah]

Doesn't this question depend on which gender you ask??

oh god, thank you! I was starting to wonder if I was the only one bursting with the urge to make some kind of sly remark.

 

[pacanis]

oh god, thank you! I was starting to wonder if I was the only one bursting with the urge to make some kind of sly remark.

I'm pretty sure that the OP had the same thoughts when he titled this thread

 

[Andy M.]

I was just thinking, "The young 'uns have all grown up. Not a single 'size matters' wise crack."

Oh, well. Tomorrow's another day.

 

[lezah]

...I just can't help myself.

 

[AllenOK]

I have to say, I was going to make two separate wisecracks.

When it comes to cooking, SIZE DOES MATTER.

However, it's not how big (or small) it is, it's how you use it!

When you're sauteing food items, if there is to much cold food in the pan and the pan temp drops to much, what happens is that the water in the food is allowed to seep out into the pan. HOT temps drive the water further into the meat items, as the protein coagulates. You can see a little bit of this liquid seeping out when you overload a pan. Heck, if you train your ears, you can even hear the difference in the sound of the bubbling in the pan both when the water begins to leaks out, and when it cooks off and just the fat is sizzling.

If you don't have a pan large enough to brown all the meat in one step, just do it in batches. Keep the browned meat in a bowl. The meat will weep it's juices as it cools. Pour this liquid (a mixture of fat and water-based juices) into the pan after you've browned all the meat to help deglaze the pan. This is how I make my kick-butt beef stroganoff.

I have to feed 3 adults and 5 kids ranging in age from 5 - 14. Trust me, when you want to talk cooking in volume at home, I can help. That said, I'd love to have a commercial range in my home kitchen.

 

[pacanis]

Well I guess I "used it" fast and furious
This smaller saute pan required a lot less flame underneath than what I am used to. The chicken thighs I had tonight were done 10 minutes earlier than usual, even though I realized to turn the heat down after ten minutes.
The plus side, the chicken was crispier, so it was a nice change I guess. I like it fine regular crispy, but this was good, also. The downside, somewhere along the way I burned my gravy I never had that happen before when using my larger saute pan. As I turned the heat up, added my butter and grabbed the flour, it was all she wrote I followed the same steps I alway do, but I need to get used to using less heat with a smaller pan to reach or keep a temperature.
That or I need to cook faster
Pseudo gravy was made quickly with a rue, spices and chicken stock. It was passable, but not what I'm used to, and the main reason I pan fry chicken is for the gravy. I was going to BBQ some thighs later this week, but might need a second attempt at tonight's dinner while it is still fresh in my mind. Burning that gravy burns me. I never heard of such a thing.

And, four chicken thighs fit just fine, but I would have had to hunt for a small one to fit five. And then they would have been pretty crowded.

I'll get it though. I figure cooking with more than one pan to make the same thing can only help the internal clock. Like switching grills.