10 Useful Cooking Utensils Used in Trini Cooking

1. Pots and Pans

We qualify a good cooking utensil as one that distributes heat evenly and uniformly.  poor cooking utensil will  develop hot spots that are likely to burn or scorch the food being cooked. Two factors that determine a good pot are: its thickness on the bottom and the kind of metal.  The kinds of metal affect the transfer or disperse of heat.

There are  5 commonly used metal pans.

1. Aluminum.  This cooking utensil is light weight and easy to handle while cooking.  It is a good conductor of heat, but could be dented easily. It should not be used to cook strong acids, because it reacts chemically with many foods and tends to discolour light-coloured foods and sauces.  Note: the Calphalon brand is made of anodized aluminum. It's hard surface is more corrosion-resistant than regular aluminum pans. Most have nonstick finish and are less porous.
2. Copper.  This cooking utensil is the best heat conductor of all all pots, but is is expensive and requires a lot of care.  Note: This utensil should be line with another metal such as tin or stainless steel to protect the food from getting poisoned.
3. Stainless steel. This cooking utensil is a poor heat conductor. Therefore, food tends to scorch easily in this pan.  It is ideal for low-temperature cooking and steaming.  Stainless steel pot and pans are better heat conductors when they are layered with a  copper or aluminum bonded to the bottom or lined with a heavy aluminum on the inside, or inside and outside.
4. Cast iron- This is a favorite kitchen utensil for cooking.  It has the ability to distribute heat evenly and maintain high temperatures for long periods. However, care is also required for this cooking utensil.  It can crack if dropped, and it can rust if not cleaned properly.
5. An Iron pot  -   A heavy cast iron pot is also called a caldero or caldron.  This main pot is similar to the Dutch Oven.  The iron pot is used to cook meat, stews, soups and rice dishes such as pelau and mixed rice.
6. Nonstick plastic-type coating. The brands such as Teflon and Silverston have a slippery finish but requires a lot of care because they scratch easily.