Pan industry

Pots are at the kitchen front line. In the battle that is service they are in the line of fire from morning to night, subject to temperature, tantrums and often treated with about as much respect as a hammer does a nail.

"They say chefs are artistic, but they're also like bulls in a china shop," says Jeff Bland, executive chef at the Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh. "We've got over throwing pans at each other, but they still get chucked around from stove to sink. They have to be able to withstand an awful lot."

Indeed they do. Temperatures on the stove can reach more than 1,000°C, and although most frying takes place at around 250°C, over several hours the metal will feel some effects. So what chefs really need from a frying pan or saucepan is durability.

It helps to understand the different metals and what they can or can't withstand. At the top of the range are copper pans with a stainless steel interior. Copper is one of the best conductors of heat, but it's poisonous, so it needs a stainless steel lining to protect the food. An advantage is that it will clean better. And as both metals are very durable, the combination should last.

But a copper and stainless steel 20cm sauteuse pan made by Mauviel for Continental Chef Supplies' (CCS) Maitre Cuisine range will set you back £100 and not everyone's budget will allow for that. "Price comes into it because you need a dozen small saucepans and when you find yourself looking at something that costs £65 each it soon adds up," Bland says. "I used to buy Wagner [a big German manufacturer] but now we shop about, see what's on special."

In John Campbell's view, it's important to spend more money in the long run. "I'd always prefer to buy a pan every year than four a year," says the chef-proprietor of the Vineyard at Stockcross in Berkshire. "Most of the Vineyard's kitchen is stocked with Bourgeat pans, which come with a 10-year manufacturer's guarantee."

The guarantee is worth noting. The new Demeyere range from Belgium boasts a whopping 30-year guarantee. Company director Maurits Demeyere says that on the frying pans this is down to the 5mm aluminium core sandwiched between stainless steel that has been electrochemically treated. This process, which the company calls Silvanox, makes the stainless steel more resistant to tarnishing, making cleaning easier, even in dishwashers.

Improved metal technology has brought costs down. "Twenty years ago everybody was buying Spring and Wagner, small pans, even at £60 a go," Paul Goodfellow from CCS says. "But now you can get the same size Bourgeat pan for around £25, Lacor for £20 and something from Turkey for £15."

With stainless steel and aluminium now cheaper, many pans use a combination of the two, often as a multiple layer of metals such as aluminium between two layers of stainless steel, as in the Lacor and Bourgeat ranges (available through CCS) and the more expensive multi-ply range from Spring. The aluminium is a very good conductor, but it oxidises easily (which means that as well as discolouring in the flames, it also tarnishes easily in dishwashers) and is linked to Alzheimer's disease - so must be enclosed. A stainless steel interior means the pan is easy to clean, while the exterior won't tarnish and allows the pan to be used on induction hobs and washed in a machine.

Richard Gilbert, managing director of Gilberts Food Equipment, which supplies Spring, says the multi-ply method also means the heat goes all the way around the pan up to the top edges, providing a more efficient heating process. But look out for pans with an exposed aluminium base or a sandwich base with the sides exposed, as salts in water can eat away at the join until the layers separate and fall off.

Also, if the aluminium base is too thin, it can warp at very high temperatures. Pure aluminium melts at 630°C but will begin to warp at around 300°C, and when it loses its shape it can break the next layer, be it a non-stick surface or a stainless steel base.

One material still favoured by many chefs, especially for omelettes or pancakes when you need a non-stick surface, is black iron. The problem is the maintenance. New pans must be washed and then continually seasoned with salt and oil. This creates a non-stick surface that can be used with very little fat. Blue steel is similar. But because a patina is built up slowly, the pan should be wiped clean rather than washed.

Manufactured non-stick surfaces, such as are seen in domestic kitchens, have found the going pretty tough in the commercial world. The hot temperatures lead to warping, which cracks the coating, or sharp and steel utensils nick and cut the layer, causing it to peel as moisture and oil get underneath.

But chefs have found a non-stick surface to be increasingly important. Paul Gayler, executive head chef at the Lanesborough hotel in London, uses non-stick pans for fish and for searing foie gras. Increased usage has also arisen from customers' health concerns. "You get a lot of people who order an egg-white-only omelette cooked without any oil, so a good non-stick is essential," he says.

Hoping to provide a solution is SKK's new range of frying pans made from hand-cast aluminium. The hand-casting ensures that the metal has not been stressed, leaving no hot spots and ensuring an even distribution of heat. It also makes the pan less vulnerable to warping because it's thicker and weightier. On top of that is a layer of titanium. Paul Bridgeman from Chomette, which supplies the SKK range, explains: "The titanium gives a hard base under the non-stick surface to aid adhesion." It's given two layers of non-stick material to improve durability.

The range has been lauded by domestic reports and Bridgeman is confident it will perform in a commercial environment. "Both the stainless steel handle and the phenolic handle, a kind of modern Bakelite, are ovenproof, as is the non-stick surface," he says. The only place where it won't perform is on an induction hob (though a induction-friendly version with a steel mesh in the aluminium will soon be available). The company claims it also resists damage from steel utensils.

Treat 'em mean?

Apparently, like everything else, they don't make pans like they used to. Myth or otherwise, it makes plain good sense to look after the pan you do have a bit better.

Black iron pans can last for several years. However, being made from iron they rust, and rust - or iron oxide - is poisonous. It's possible to build up a protective patina and create your own non-stick surface. When they come from the factory the pans are covered with a thin protective layer to guard against rust, so this needs to be broken by washing. Dry immediately and rub salt, then oil, into the pan and dry it off in the oven. Do this each time the pan is used.

Non-stick and stainless steel pans should be treated when first bought by heating up some oil in them for half-an-hour or so. Then wash the pans in warm water with a little detergent and, for non-stick surfaces, wipe with oil.

Other tips:

• Never leave pans over heat with nothing in.
• Check your non-stick surface and handle is ovenproof before you finish that seared joint of meat in the range.
• Never drop a hot pan straight into water - the change in temperature will make the metal warp and the surfaces crack.

More to Life Than Metal

Not all commercial pans are metal. Artis supplies a range called Ceraflame made from ceramic materials. The range is aimed at a more contemporary market, ideal for theatre cooking. Being ceramic it's also microwave-proof, and because of a high thermal shock resistance, can be used for cooking straight from the fridge or freezer.

Contacts

• AFE 0116 281 6000
• Artis 020 8391 5544
• CCS 0808 1001 777
• Chomette 020 8877 7000
• Gilberts 020 8731 3700
• Samuel Groves 0121-554 2001

How to pick your pans

Gas? Solid hotplate? Induction? Remember to check that your pans are suited to your stove before you use them. Induction hobs need pans with a magnetic bottom to work, so go for stainless steel, not aluminium, black iron or copper. And a little secret - those iron Le Creuset pans work too!