The Best Commercial Cookware can stands the rigor of the professional kitchen. In a professional kitchen, the btu output of the kitchen stoves are many times higher than a home kitchen. Thin aluminum pan that most home cook use would never survive that type of heat. You can expect those pan to warp within a month. Luckily, there are some manufacturer like All Clad and Tramontina whose quality can withstand the rigor of a professional stove top.

Best Commercial Cookware List

Below you will find a list of some of the Best Commercial Cookware.

Frying Pan – All Clad D5

In this category, All Clad makes some of the most durable cookware out there. While their high end copper core line works the best, their standard d5 model will work just as well. The high heat output of a commercial stove will heat it up right away.

Best Buy – Winco Majestic 3003 Aluminum Satin Finish Fry Pan

However, this can be a costly option for a kitchen. Luckily Winco makes a great cheaper alternative. It uses a very thick aluminum base so that it can hold heat and sear like no other.

Non Stick Cookware – Matfer Bourgeat Carbon Steel Pan

In this category, you cannot beat a carbon steel pan. Matfer Bourgeat makes one of the best carbon steel pan out there. It thick walls means that it can hold heat and sear food without warping. The nonstick coating will also get better overtime. They are great for searing multiple steaks at once.

Best Nonstick Alternative – Tramontina Professional

However, some restraunt professional need a true nonstick pan. Luckily, Tramontina makes a great professional grade nonstick pan. The aluminum is thick and the handle is long and comfortable. Perfect to keep your arm away from the heat. It is also really affordable to boot.

Sauce Pots – All Clad D5 4qt

Sauce pots are great for sauce and soup. It is one of the most used things in a kitchen. Thankfully, a nonstick coating is not needed in this category. You can get away with just a plan stainless steel coating. All Clad wins again with their 4 qt sauce pot. They have a helper handle to help you carry it around and a rolled lip to pour liquid.

Best Buy Alternative – Winco Sauce Pot

For a Best Buy alternative. Winco makes a great sauce pot. It is shaped like a windsor pan that helps evaporation of the liquid. Its industrial handle also ensure that it will pretty much last forever. It is also NSF Certified so its safe in a restaurant.

Stock Pots – Vollrath Stock Pot

Stocks is the hear of any dish. A well made stock can transform a ordinary dish to an extraordinary one. Generally, the bigger the better. You can make a giant batch and freeze the rest. Vollrath is one of the best stock pot manufacturer around they make a wide range of size from 20 qt all the way to 80 qt. If you have that sort of volume, it can be benefecial to you. It also has a spigot for easy draining.

Things to Look for in Commercial Cookware

There are a few things to look for in a commercial cookware. Stuff like price, quality and general performance are all important.

For starters, you need to balance the price of a cookware to how you would use it. A lot of high end pricey cookware offer no benefit aside from a better fit and finish. Lower grade cookware can perform just as well. Of course there are some exceptions like All Clad and Lodge. But the general rule of the thumb is that you should look for thick heavy cookware.

Things like comfort and stay cool handles should be secondary. In a professional kitchen, you will often time finish cooking in the oven. You need a metal handle so that it is oven safe compatible. Plastic handle will melt and get destroyed due to the heat. Generally the higher the oven safe temperature the better.

Why do Professional Use Stainless Steel Cookware?

The reason why professional use stainless steel cookware is because of durability. They resist warping and generally last longer than nonstick cookware. If you use it right, stainless steel cookware will not stick. Nonstick pans will rarely last a few month in a professional setting. At the temperature that chef cook in, that coating will burn to a crisp. There are also possible health risk involving nonstick pan. The main thing is the fumes that can be released at temperature of 572 degree fahrenheit and above. It can cause Flu like symptom among human. This is known as Teflon Flu and can kill small birds. Although unlikely to kill human.

Healthiest and Safest Nonstick Cookware

However, sometimes a nonstick is needed. To get around this, they use cookware like carbon steel or cast iron. As you cook in it, they will develop a nonstick coating called seasoning. Although generally professional like the carbon steel for its lighter weight. If the seasoning, should somehow get stripped, you can always reapply it. Carbon Steel and Cast Iron is a great toxic free and safe alternative.

To be fair though, non stick cookware is used sometimes but they are replaced often so a cheap thick one is recommended.

Aluminum cookware is also a favorite in a commercial kitchen. They are light and cheap, if it gets destroyed, you can replace it quickly. Try to get one that is at least 3 mm thick. That extra thick base will prevent the pan from warping and ensure that it will provide excellent heat distribution.

Size

Size matters. Generally you would be cooking in giant batches. Making stocks and stews in large quantity is a lot more economical and quick if you make it one go. You should find pots that are at least 20 qt plus. If you have the volume, some of them go as high as 80 plus! Some of these stock pots have spigots as well. This lets you drain liquid easily.

For things like pans, smaller one will work just as well. Generally you should be frying things to order. So the portion wont be as big.

Best Commercial Cookware Thoughts

These are some of the best commercial cookware around. Their requirements are a little different than a home kitchen. Generally, they need to be more durable than your standard cookware. The high heat output will warp any consumer grade cookware in a matter of seconds. The size required are generally a lot larger as well. If their needs and yours is align, then I highly recommend giving it a try. The quality is top notch.

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