How I wish we'd finally install one of those pull out drawers. I detest bending over to dig out pots and pans and without fail some fall out onto the floor and make a mess. They just don't fit properly in the space (and it's a big kitchen cabinet) - I have lots of space in my kitchen, so why can't I organize my pots and pans? The other day I gave away about 7 pyrex casserole dishes. I still have 4. The pots and pans just don't get used much. I use the smaller ones for sauces or veggies, and maybe ONE skillet is used now and then. I have a smaller skillet to scramble eggs, make pancakes, etc. But do I need ALL my skillets and pans?
It's the lids I think that are out of control.
So tell me - how many pots and pans do we really need? How many do you keep?
It depends...how many people are you cooking for? I live alone, so I have one frying pan, one dutch oven/pasta pot with a lid, and one sauce pan with a lid. On the other hand, when I was living with and cooking for a family of 5, I'd often have a pot on all 4 burners and have another pan cooling...
I cook for a few people so I have TONS of kitchen stuff (not to mention I love cooking lol). I have 6 frying pans, 2 big boiling pots, 4 smaller saucepans, 2 large pyrex, 2 small pyrex, 2 bread loaf pyrex, 4 cookie sheets, 4 chopping boards, 1 muffin tin, a brownie pan..... So, I am probably not the person to ask lol
ETA: I use different ones for different things since they have unique cooking properties (for the most part). If you're looking to get rid of some stuff then figure out what you could do the most with.
Last edited by TiffNeedsChange; 08-08-2012 at 11:21 AM.
I have a family of 4, but frequently have guests. Even when my inlaws visit and I cook for 21 people, I still don't' use all the frying pans we have. I have 2 large boiling pots and use them both. But it's the frying pans I think that are taking up all the space and the lids.
I'm with Tiff, I have a large collection of pans because I love to cook and different pans are good for different things.
My work-horse is my 12" stainless fry pan but I also have a nonstick in that size.
I have a wok, and I also have a braising pan (sloped sides, domed lid) that doubles as a kadhai or lower, short-handled wok. Both of these are stainless finish.
I have 10" and 8" stainless fry pans that I use for things like roasting spices, when I don't need the larger pan. I probably do not need both of these. My 8" nonstick, however, is the perfect size for cooking and flipping two fried eggs and I use it for that nearly every weekend.
I recently got a 12" cast iron pan - that is a lot of fun, a very new toy, not something I've worked with before but I know people who swear by it. If I get to like it, it might take over a lot of the duties that my 12" fry pan and braising pan do now.
Oh, and I have a 16" nonstick pan as well for very large jobs. I like this when I am sauteeing up fish and want to have lots of leftovers for the week.
I use all of these pans, except the smaller stainless pans, very often.
That's just my pans. Pots, dutch ovens, tagines, roasting pans - all a subject for another post.
I am always cussing our cookware cabinet, lol same issue. WAY too much junk we dont use. Big avalanche of metal if you need something on bottom or in back.
Really should toss about half of it, might be best to just start over. I cook almost all of my meals now, and I could easily get along with two pots and two pans, a large and small of each. I do want a wok also though, had one years ago, loved it.
Well, how many people are you cooking for and how many meals a day do you cook? I give meals to friends, freeze them, and cook 3-4 times every single day for multiple family members, so obviously I need more dishes in active service than when I was a single college student just eating one meal a day in my dorm!
I could stand to trim a few casserole dishes and Pyrex containers if I had to, but for various types of food the variety of sizes is quite useful. Or if one load of dishes is on and I need to cook more, having some alternate pots and pans is really helpful.
I have three saucepans of different volumes, a larger soup pot with steamer basket/strainer, large stock pot, short walled 12 inch sauce pan, small and large skillet, a wok, and a griddle for on top of my stove. I have maybe twelve pieces of Pyrex and use three of them heavily, with the rest being mainly for keeping freezer meals and storing half-used food (with lids).
I could stand to have a few more skillets or a larger stock pot and canner. But for my purposes, I have enough and wouldn't benefit from getting rid of any of my main service ware.
Last edited by Arctic Mama; 08-08-2012 at 12:50 PM.
I share a kitchen with my roommate, so space is very limited
I'm not currently in my kitchen, so I'm posting this from memory:
-1 crockpot (that isn't stored in the kitchen. It's stored in another room)
-3 different sized cookie sheets
-2 small muffin pans
-1 regular sized muffin pan
-1 blender, kept on counter
-2 frying pans: 1 small, 1 regular, no lids
-3 pots: 1 small, 2 large, all with lids
-1 double boiler (has 3 pieces to it. 4 if you include lid)
-2 or 3 casserole dishes, only 1 has a lid so they stack inside of each other
-3 various sized cast iron skillets. NEVER use these but they're nice so hopefully one day I will.
...I think that's all. But most of the time I'm not cooking for many people. Even when I'm making a big meal that I can freeze part of....I try to use as few pots & pans as possible. Cleaning up is the worst part.
This title made me laugh at loud because this is a continuing area of "discussion" between my beau and I. I'm a less-is-more type person while he is always buying one more kitchen utensil or pan (I think he's up to 9 frying pans). This was just an amusing difference when we each had our own kitchen, but now that we're starting to consolidate, topic of ENDLESS discussion.
"Really need" depends if you're one of the family Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner makers in my opinion. Really, we only use a medium pot, fry pan, and a baking sheet.
However, since we're one of the 'holiday house hosts' we have about a billion other items we use on only that day. (turkey pan, pressure cooker, etc.)
I'd keep those pyrex or serving bowls. That's the one thing we always run out of. Besides, the day you get rid of something guarantees you'll need it the next week.
I guess in my original post I should have listed our inventory! LOL. I did post that we are only a family of 4 but frequently have guests over. With that said, I must have 6 frying pans / skillets. I mean really LARGE ones and a handful that are medium sized and a few more that are smaller. Plus the pans - oh my gosh - I have a gazillion in so many sizes. Strainers? I have about 5 in all different sizes. I have the crockpots and double boilers, sigh...... I guess maybe my post was a little in jest - I know I have too many - I know what I need when the 21 inlaws come over - I know what I need for holidays - and I still have too much. Out they go!
ETA - as for serving bowls - that would be a whole other thread, I have over a hundred. I like pretty dishes!
Last edited by chickadee2; 08-08-2012 at 07:14 PM.
I had quite a few until the son moved out and the hubby moved away...gave quite a bit away to them.
I have one big pot, 1 small, 1 med, 2 big skillets, 1 sm and that's about it. I have baking dishes and cookie sheets, baking pans, and cake pans and that's about all I need. I have managed to cook family dinners with what I have and I usually only cook for about 10. Family dinners don't happen often and it's just me and my daughter so it is more than enough.
Oh, this thread is so wonderful! My mother is a semi-hoarder and it drives me up the wall! We have at least 8 frying pans (some cast iron that never ever are allowed to be washed b/c she has them seasoned), we have about 10 cookie sheets, 6 wire racks, 4 different sets of pots, at least 15 mixing bowls of various sizes and materials, 4 or 5 different sets of measuring cups, 5 different sets of measuring spoons, 2 identical food processors, 2 blenders, 3 mixers, a coffee grinder, 4 cheese graters, and the list goes one.
I'd say on average we use maybe a quarter of all that, but if I suggest donating any of it her response is invariably "I need it!" or "I paid x amount for this (25 years ago)!"
You should see our bathroom. We have big bottom drawers in the bathroom (something like 2 feet tall by 2 feet deep by 1-1/2 ft wide) and one is STUFFED with body wash. We have so much, there are 5 bottles sitting on the floor beside the shower, and another 6 inside the shower. Every time she goes out, it seems, she buys a new one. If I mention to her, while we're out, that we already HAVE so many of them, she goes "but this one is nice" OR she gets mad and throws it back mumbling "fine, whatever, I won't buy anything then."
It's nice to know that there are some people out there with similar amounts of stuff as we have. I'm a very minimalist person with that sort of stuff, so I sympathize with others who are and are living with someone who collects these sort of things lol
I have two- one short sauce pan (which I also use as a frying pan) and one taller one for boiling. I also have one baking pan, which I use as both a cookie sheet and a casserole dish.
In general I cook for myself, and maybe an additional person or two from time to time. These work fine for it, no hassle.
It sounds like you might be interested in trying to make a few minimalistic lifestyle changes- it's becoming quite a bit movement.
How many pots and pans do we really need?
