Choosing the right material for your kitchenware

Iron

  • Advantages: Good conductivity: uniform distribution on the bottom and the skirt; traditional; sturdy; micro-roughness on the metal’s surface: enables seasoning (natural anti-adhesion). Iron favours the Maillard reaction.
  • Composition: Natural material made of iron. Iron used: EN 10130 DC01
  • 2 types of iron used by de Buyer:
    • White sheet: "classic" iron
    • Blue sheet: blue sheet blued on the surface with a thermal treatment. Natural colour, no coating. This thermal treatment makes the metal more resistant to oxidation.
  • Magnetism: Extremely magnetic, no sandwich bottom. Only ranges that are thick enough are compatible with induction (at least 2mm thick)
  • Specific features: Change of natural colour following contact with heat. It turns blue, purple.
  • Functions: Sear, brown, grill.
  • Food cooked: Red meat, omelettes, fish, crêpes, potatoes, vegetables (except tomatoes and other foods with an acid taste).

Coated aluminium (non-stick)

  • Advantages: Even diffusion of heat; quickly heats up; sturdy; high resistance to scratches and heat; optimal non-stick properties; easy to clean.
  • Composition: Thick aluminium and multi-layered PTFE coating, guaranteed PFOA-free.
  • Magnetism: Aluminium is not a magnetic metal, only a range with a magnetic sandwich bottom is compatible with induction hobs.
  • Functions: Cooking slowly, reheating, warming up, especially gentle cooking methods.
  • Food cooked: Fish, vegetables, rice, delicacies.

Coated die-cast aluminium (non-stick)

  • Advantages: Sturdy; resistant coating; even diffusion of heat; preserves heat and maintains the temperature for longer thanks to the inertia of the material: perfect for simmering; easy to clean.
  • Composition: High pressure die-cast aluminium and superior quality reinforced PTFE coating, guaranteed PFOA-free:
  • Magnetism: Aluminium is not a magnetic metal, only a range with a magnetic sandwich bottom is compatible with induction hobs.
  • Functions: Cooking slowly, reheating, warming up. Especially long and gentle cooking methods.
  • Food cooked: Fish, vegetables, rice, pasta, delicacies, slow-cooked dishes, dishes with sauces, etc.

Stainless steel

With heat-diffusing sandwich bottom

  • Advantages: Good diffusion of heat across the whole bottom; sturdy; durable; hygienic.
  • Composition: Austenitic stainless steel: AISI 304* 18/10* stainless steel for the body and ferritic stainless steel for the sandwich bottom.
  • Magnetism: Magnetic thanks to the sandwich bottom
  • Specific features: Resistant; easy to clean
  • Functions: Any kind of cooking method
  • Food cooked: Vegetables, fish, eggs, meat, rice, pasta.

Multi-layer material without sandwich bottom

  • Advantages: Compatible with induction hobs; excellent conductivity: quick and even on the utensil's bottom and skirt; exceptional heating circuit: regular cooking and controlled temperature; sturdy; durable; hygienic 
  • Composition: Combination of stainless steel and aluminium consisting of 5 layers of colaminated metal: 1 layer of 304 stainless steel (inside), 3 layers of aluminium and 1 layer of 439 stainless steel (outside)
  • Magnetism: Magnetic material
  • Functions: Any kind of cooking method
  • Food cooked: Any kind of food

Copper/stainless steel

  • Advantages: Sturdy; functional; elegant; traditional; the best heat conductor after silver; Perfect conductivity and reactivity: even diffusion of heat on the bottom and the skirt.
  • Composition: Colaminated metal (90% copper and 10% AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel)
  • Magnetism: Copper and austenitic stainless steel are non-magnetic. Only the Prima Matera range has a special magnetic induction bottom.
  • Functions: Any kind of cooking method
  • Food cooked: Any kind of food. Ideal for sauces and reduction cooking.

 

How to Choose Your Cooking Utensil

Knowing what you want to cook

Choose the utensil based on the dish you are cooking and the cooking method. For instance: a fry pan to fry fritters, a saucepan to boil vegetables, a stewpan for ratatouille, etc.

 

Choosing the right material

The choice must be made based on the kind of food cooked, the cooking method and the source of heat used. For example: for an induction plate, you must use a utensil designed with a magnetic material such as iron or ferritic stainless steel. To sear, fry meat, it is best to use a steel fry pan, which favours the Maillard reaction.

Please refer to the guide to materials.

 

Choose the right diameter

It is important to adapt the size of the utensil to that of the heat source and vice versa. If the utensil's diameter is too big compared to that of the induction hob, burner, etc., this will lead to a poor distribution of heat inside the recipient, the food will not be cooked evenly and the utensil might warp.

On the contrary, when the diameter of the utensil is smaller than that of the heat source, this leads to a loss of heat. On gas hobs, there is a risk of burns due to the fact that the handles are closer to the fire.

On an induction plate, the plate might trigger a safety device, as a minimum diameter is required for the operation of each induction hob. Refer to the operating instructions of your plate for the min and max sizes accepted for induction hobs.

 

De Buyer Culinary Glossary

B

Blanching: when cooking, it means boiling raw food in salted water and when the water starts boiling again, the food is removed and immediately cooled in ice water.
When baking, it means vigorously whisking with a whisk a mix of egg yolks and sugar until frothy and light.

Brunoise: this involves cutting food into small regular dice measuring 4 mm.

 

C

Canelé: a speciality from the Bordeaux region, this is a moist cake flavoured with rum and vanilla and covered with a thick caramelised crust.

Cooking: an operation that enables you to cook food by exposing it to a heat source. There are different cooking methods:

  • Roasting: cooking food either in indirect contact with the heat source or by radiant heat (oven, spit-roaster, spit, etc.) and with fat.
  • Searing: this consists of starting to cook food with high heat and on a high flame so that the surface coagulates instantly and the food browns (Maillard reaction, caramelisation of juices) or does not brown (food immersed in a boiling liquid).
  • Grilling: cooking food in direct contact with a hot surface, on a high flame and at a high temperature.
  • Frying: the food is cooked by immersion in grease at a high temperature.
  • Sautéing: quickly cook and brown food (of varying size) in a container (a straight or rounded sauté pan with handle, a fry pan, a sauté pan with 2 handles) with fat. The food is stirred while it is cooked. No moistening is used.
  • Steam cooking: consists in cooking food without any contact with the heat source at low pressure (stewpan/ stockpot with steam colander) or high pressure (pressure cooker). Food is cooked in contact with the steam, which generates heat.
  • Boiling: cooking food in boiling salted water (starting in boiling water).
  • Poaching starting from cold water: consists in cooking food in a liquid (flavoured or not liquid), which is cold at the beginning. The liquid is heated until it simmers without bringing it to the boil.
  • Cooking in court bouillon: cooking food in a flavoured broth called court bouillon.
  • Blanching starting from cold water: boiling food in cold water with salt or vinegar at the start (the food is immersed in cold water which is then brought to the boil).
  • Stewing: cooking process divided into four stages: in a container (stewpan, stockpot, sauté pan, sauté pan with 2 handles) sear the meat or fish with some fat; lightly dust the food with flour; add the moistening and aromatic garnish (carrots, onions, bouquet garni, etc.) ; cover and leave to cook slowly.
  • Panfrying: involves cooking food in a covered container (braising pan, sauté pan with 2 handles) with fat (the food is frequently covered with the liquid) and an aromatic garnish. The cooking process may start by browning the food (fry pan, sauté pan, sauté pan with 2 handles).
  • Braising: the cooking process starts by browning the food, which is then cooked on low heat in a closed container (braising pan, stewpan, coquelle) with little moistening (a small amount of liquid: water or broth).
  • Cooking in the oven: ambient cooking, heated air cooks the food.
  • Reducing: cooking without a lid to reduce the volume of a liquid to bring it to the desired consistency
  • Sweating cooking a vegetable or fruit on a gentle heat to remove part of its water.
  • Slow cooking: cooking food slowly over gentle heat.

Cutter / Pastry cutter: used to cut pieces of tart pastry. It can be either smooth or fluted.  To make a tart, the cutter needs to be bigger than the mould, as it must cut the pastry size corresponding to the size of the mould, plus the edge.

 

D

Deglazing: pouring liquid to dissolve the caramelised juices at the bottom of the cooking utensil.

 

E

Emulsifying: mixing two liquids with a whisk or a blender.

 

F

Fluting: cutting grooves in a vegetable or a fruit with a canelle knife.

 

J

Juices: caramelised parts that settle on the bottom of a cooking pot.

Julienne: food cut into thin strips.

 

L

Lining: to cover a mould/pastry ring with baking paper/pre-cut linings for easy removal.

 

M

Maillard reaction: it occurs from 145°C and causes caramelisation on the surface of food’s natural juices. The food, thus caramelised and browned on the surface, seared on both sides continues cooking on low heat without losing moisture. The juice remains inside the food and preservers its nutritional qualities.
Ideal temperature: between 145°C and 164°C.
Beyond this temperature, the food's carbonisation process starts, which makes it difficult to digest.

Matignon: mix of vegetables cut into 10mm dice.

Moulding stamp: stamping means garnishing by following the shape of the bottom and the sides of a mould, tart ring or a tray with flattened pastry. The moulding stamp is used to quickly create the bottom of tartlets by pushing the rings of pastry into the cavities.

 

P

Pastry chinois: micro-perforated utensil. It very finely filters jelly, coulis or custard to block the germ of the egg yolk which, when cooked, becomes as hard as a rock.

Pie pan: the high-sided pie pan is ideal for making any kind of quiche or tart. The bottom of a pie pan can be smooth or perforated: depending on the kind of product, the perforation prevents condensation when the tart or cake is cooling down and thereby prevents it from becoming too soft; the pastry remains firm after cooling. The pie pan can have a removable bottom, which makes it easier to remove the food without breaking the pastry bottom.
Tip: when taking it out of the oven, place the pie pan with removable bottom on a bowl. The edge of the pie pan will fall and the tart can be removed from the mould without breaking it.

 

R

Roll out: spreading the pastry according to the desired thickness with a rolling pin.

Round-bottomed mixing bowl: The name of this stainless steel or copper bowl with a hemispherical convex skirt is due to its rounded bottom. This hemispherical shape provides proper ventilation for the mix during the mixing stage, a movement performed from top to bottom. Inseparable from the whisk, the round-bottomed mixing bowl is the ideal tool to quickly and easily beat egg whites until stiff and make emulsions. It can be used to beat crème fleurette into Chantilly cream. In this case, do not hesitate to put it in the freezer for a few minutes, with the whisk and cream, so that all three are very cold.

 

S

Salpicon: mix of various ingredients cut into small cubes measuring 2 mm and sometimes bound with a sauce.

Scraper: usually made of soft plastic material and rounded on one side. There are also hard scrapers, often made of stainless steel. Rounded scrapers are used to scrape a container, that is remove the remains of a mix sticking to the inside by following the shape of the container. Another function: scrapers are also used to cut tarts, bread or pizza dough.

Seasoning: process to make the utensil used for cooking the food naturally non-stick when using it.

Slicer: manual vegetable cutter used to grate and cut fruit and vegetables.

Stamping: garnishing a mould, a tart ring with tart pastry base.

 

Z

Zesting: peeling by separating the bitter peel from the outer skin. This term is mostly used for citrus fruits.

 

Quick Cookware Glossary

Sauté pan

Saute pan with 2 handles: It is used to "sauté" food. Cylindrical container whose height is one-third of the diameter. Same feature as a straight sauté pan, except that it has two handles.

Straight sauté pan with handle: It is used to "sauté" food. Cylindrical container whose height is one-third of the diameter. It is used to sweat food. Typical sizes: 24, 28 and 32 cm. Material: steel, coated aluminium, stainless steel, copper.

Rounded sauté pan: ideal for reduction cooking, as its small base heats food quickly and its wide top diameter enables greater evaporation.

 

Frypan

This is the utensil used to grill, sear or brown. Flared shape, shallow. It is used without a lid. Typical sizes: 18 to 32 cm in diameter. Material: steel, coated aluminium, stainless steel, copper.

Lyonnaise-shape: shape of the skirt of the frypan, well flared and rounded to easily turn food and move it to the plate.

Lyonnaise shape fry-pan

French arc: shape of the long handle of the fry pan used to:

  • Keep your hand away from the heat source and ensure the long handle is cold

  • Balance the grip: the utensil's centre of gravity is located under the gripping centre

  • Make it easier to grip, especially large models, which are often heavier

  • Pour a liquid or sauce more carefully

All de Buyer cookware ranges are designed around this principle and have a long, curved French-style handle, which is usually riveted. The long strip steel handle (made of iron covered with epoxy) is a distinctive de Buyer feature. It is curved at the centre, which gives it greater strength (so it does not bend) and means you can easily position your thumb.

 

Braising pan

Cylindrical shape and large size, the height is two-thirds the diameter. It can be used to braise food or cook it with the ''étouffée'' method. A utensil often used by professionals, it is the "in-between", between the stewpan and the stockpot. Typical sizes: 28, 32 and 36 cm (available from 20 to 50 cm).

 

Wok

Semi-spherical shape, it is the basic utensil in Asian cuisine. It has two handles or one long handle and sometimes a lid. Its shape enables you to fry or sauté food quickly and with little fat. Typical size: 32 cm. Material: stainless steel, copper, steel, coated aluminium.

Saucepan

Basic utensil for reheating food and reduction cooking. Cylindrical shape with a height equal to the radius (with 0.5 or 1 cm more if required for professional models). If the height is greater than the radius, it is no longer a saucepan but a bain-marie. Saucepans have a long handle. Typical sizes: 10 to 24 cm in diameter (sizes in 2cm increments), but professionals have saucepans measuring up to 32 cm. Material: stainless steel, coated die-cast aluminium, copper.

 

Stewpan

This utensil is the same size as a saucepan, but has two handles. It is used with a lid, except at the start of the cooking process to "brown" food. Cylindrical shape, height equal to its radius, for instance a 16 cm diameter stewpan -> 8cm high. Typical sizes: 20, 24 and 28 cm (there are stewpans with a diameter from 16 to 60 cm). Material: stainless steel, copper.

Stockpot

This is a large-sized utensil. Cylindrical, with a height equal to its diameter, it has two handles and a lid. Typical sizes: 24, 28 and 32 cm (made from 24 to 60 cm in diameter). Material: stainless steel, coated die-cast aluminium.