Kitchen Gear Explainers: How It Works, in Plain Terms

Explainers

How kitchen gear actually works, answered in the first two sentences and backed by the figures our guides already publish.

Each explainer takes one question a buyer types into a search box and answers it with the published numbers from the products we have compared, then links to the guides that go with it.

What size Dutch oven is good for baking bread? A 6 to 7 quart round Dutch oven is the usual size for a home loaf, and every pot in our guide falls in that range. What is the ultimate guide to choosing a cast iron Dutch oven for your kitchen? Match the published capacity, oven-safe temperature and weight of each pot to how you cook, and pick enamel over bare iron if you want no seasoning. What makes for a good Dutch oven? A good Dutch oven holds heat steadily, seals in steam with a heavy lid, moves from stovetop to oven, and comes in a size that fits… What is the difference between a well seasoned cast iron skillet and an unseasoned one? A seasoned skillet carries a baked layer of oil that gives a dark, easy-release cooking surface, while an unseasoned skillet is bare iron that rusts easily… Are vintage cast iron skillets better than new ones? Not automatically. Vintage iron can have a smoother cooking surface, but new skillets are pre-seasoned, sold in known sizes, and backed by published specifications. What are some differences between a regular skillet and a cast iron skillet? A regular skillet is a thin-walled pan, usually aluminum or clad stainless steel, that heats and cools quickly; a cast iron skillet is a thick, heavy… What is the weight of the lightest cast iron skillet available? The lightest cast iron skillet in our guide is the Victoria 10-Inch, which the maker publishes at 4.8 pounds. What are the pros and cons of cooking with a cast iron skillet? Cast iron holds heat well and moves from stovetop to oven to fire, but it is heavy, needs hand washing and drying, and its seasoning takes… What are the advantages of a cast iron skillet? Cast iron holds heat, moves from stovetop to oven to fire, and takes a seasoning that improves with use, which is why the makers of the… How do cast iron skillets cook meats so well? Cast iron holds heat and spreads it across the cooking surface, so meat keeps searing when it touches the pan instead of cooling the metal under… Which cast iron skillet is better, Lodge or Tramontina? Lodge appears in our cast iron skillet guide and Tramontina does not, so the comparison here is between the Lodge 10.25-inch skillet and the other four… How does the T-Fal Ultimate 17 Piece Nonstick Cookware Set compare to other cookware sets? It is the largest nonstick set in its guide and the only one there rated to 400°F, but it is not induction compatible and it is… What are the pros and cons to using a slow cooker? A slow cooker trades speed for convenience: you load it, leave it, and come back to a hot meal, but browning and crisp textures usually happen… Are slow cookers (Crockpot) and pressure cookers a good alternative to traditional cooking? Yes, for many dishes: a slow cooker trades speed for hands-off time, and a pressure cooker trades browning and stovetop control for speed, so each is… What is the point of a slow cooker and what does it do better than everything else? A slow cooker holds food at a low, steady heat for hours, so you can load it in the morning and return to a finished meal… Can you deep fry chicken in a 6.75qt dutch oven? Yes, a 6.75 quart Dutch oven can work for deep frying chicken, but none of the picks in our Dutch oven guide is exactly that size,… How do you reseason a cast iron skillet using a fire? Build a hot bed of coals, coat the skillet thinly with oil, and heat it over the fire until the oil darkens and stops smoking, then… How do I stop my air fryer from setting off the smoke detector? Keep the air path around the unit clear, cook at the temperature the maker publishes rather than a higher guess, and clean the basket and heating… What are some strategies for effectively using a slow cooker? Plan around the pot's capacity, use the low and high settings and the keep warm function deliberately, and sear or sauté in the insert when the… What are the pros and cons of slow cookers vs multicookers or instant pots? A slow cooker does one thing with a single heating element and simple controls, while a multicooker such as an Instant Pot adds pressure cooking and… What is literally the simplest easiest slow cooker recipe ever? The simplest slow cooker recipe is a pot roast: put a roast, potatoes, carrots, and onion in the pot, add liquid, and cook on low until… What is the most tasty slow cooker recipe you’ve ever made? This site has not cooked anything, so the honest answer is a recipe built around what the makers of the slow cookers we compare publish about… What makes the new pressure cookers like Instapots any better than traditional pressure cookers? Electric multi-cookers add one-touch programs, a sauté function and dishwasher-safe parts to pressure cooking, while stovetop canners keep the larger capacities and the dial gauge canning… Would you rather have an Instant Pot, a slow cooker, or an air fryer? For slow, hands-off cooking, a slow cooker is the direct answer, and the Instant Pot Duo adds pressure cooking on top of a slow cook mode,… Are Instant Pot style pressure cookers a better way to cook? They are faster and more versatile than slow cooking, but they are not the only pressure cooker design, and the choice depends on what you cook. Are Instant Pot knock offs as good as the Instant Pot? No published comparison exists, because this site has not compared electric pressure cookers, Instant Pot or otherwise, and none of the four guides cited here covers… Why do people love the Instant Pot? People love the Instant Pot because it combines pressure cooking, slow cooking and steaming in one electric appliance, so one pot handles beans, stews and vegetables… What makes the Instant Pot Duo Plus different from earlier models? This site has not compared the Instant Pot Duo Plus with earlier Instant Pot models, and none of the guides cited here covers it. Is an Instant Pot really worth the extra cost versus a simple pressure cooker? It depends on what you want to cook: an Instant Pot is a multi-function electric appliance, while a simple pressure cooker or canner is a single-purpose… Which single recipe adds the most value to your Instant Pot? Soup and stock from dried beans is the recipe that uses the most of what a pressure cooker does, and none of the guides cited here… What are some of the easiest Instant Pot recipes? The easiest Instant Pot recipes are the ones that skip browning and pressure-cook in one go, and the pot you serve from matters as much as… Which electric pressure cookers available on the market reach 15 PSI? None of the electric models in this site's pressure cooker guide publishes a 15 PSI working pressure, and the two picks that do publish pressure figures… Why is an Instant Pot better than other electronic pressure cookers? On the figures Instant Pot publishes, the Duo 6 Qt combines seven cooking functions, 13 one-touch programs, a tri-ply stainless steel pot and over 10 safety… Which should be preferable, a heavy or a light pressure cooker of the same capacity? Weight alone does not decide it: the material, the heating method and the safety features matter more than the number on the scale. Which works better, a digital pressure cooker or a stovetop pressure cooker? Neither design wins outright: digital electric models are sealed, programmable units, while stovetop models are manual vessels that reach and hold pressure on a burner, so… Which pressure cooker is good for health, stainless steel or aluminum, and why? Stainless steel is the better choice for health-focused cooking because it is non-reactive, while aluminum is reactive and is usually coated or used as the canner… Which pressure cooker is good for sterilization? The Cosori Pressure Cooker 6QT is the only pick in our guide that lists a dedicated Sterilize program, but the makers do not publish the temperatures… Are pressure cookers undervalued in cooking? Yes, in the sense that a pressure cooker does work that most kitchens otherwise spread across several appliances, and the makers' published figures show how much… What makes a pressure cooker a good buy? A good pressure cooker is one whose published capacity, safety features and stovetop or electric format match the job you actually do, whether that is canning… Which cooks the fastest, the Ninja Foodi or the Instant Pot? Neither maker publishes a cooking speed figure for the Ninja Foodi, and the Instant Pot Duo's only published speed claim is up to 70% faster than… Are thousand dollar home espresso machines really worth the cost? A thousand dollar machine buys published specifications that cheaper machines do not list, but the figures alone do not settle whether the machine suits your kitchen. How should you choose coffee grinders for your home? Choose by burr type, grind settings and hopper capacity, and check the dimensions against your counter before you commit. What are the pros and cons of the Baratza Encore burr coffee grinder? The Baratza Encore does not appear on either of this site's grinder guides, so this page cannot set out its pros and cons; it can only… Can you actually taste the difference with a burr coffee grinder? Yes, because a burr grinder produces a uniform grind size, and even extraction is what separates a balanced cup from a bitter or sour one. What stuffs other than coffee can you grind in a coffee grinder? Blade grinders can handle spices, seeds, herbs and nuts, while burr grinders are built for coffee beans and the makers describe them that way. What is the most durable conical burr coffee grinder available? Durability here comes down to what each maker states about burr material, burr size and housing, and the OXO Brew and Ollygrin grinders are the conical… What are the pros and cons of buying an expensive espresso machine? An expensive espresso machine buys you control over grind, dose and temperature, but it also asks for more counter space, more attention and more cleaning than… Is an espresso machine worth the money? An espresso machine is worth it if you will use its published features often enough to justify the counter space, not because of a price tag.