h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For no other reason than I happened to be putting away the dishes after doing the washing up, I decided to work out why I couldn't fit everything back in the cupboard. My conclusion after fiddling around a bit was that it was down to pans.

My pan collection consists of:

A large pan that gets used for pasta.

Two middle size pans which I use for rice.

Two small pans that aren't used for very much - peas and the odd can of baked beans.

All the above pans come with a lid.

A milk pan. Huh? It looks like a small pan that's been whacked on the side.

A thundering great big stock pot type pan with a glass lid that's used for stews, and pasta if I'm cooking for more than two people.

A big non-stick frying pan for curries and stuff.

A small non-stick frying pan which is used for practically everything, especially tomato sauces.

An old non-stick frying pan that is used for nothing as it's losing its non-stick, and I don't much fancy eating teflon bolognese.

A reserve large pan.

Another reserve large pan.

A stainless-steel frying pan that came as part of the set mentioned at the top of the list. I used to use it a lot, but since I bought the large and small non-stick frying pans it hardly ever gets used.

A chapati pan. It's not a real chapati pan, but does make great chapatis on the odd occasion that I make chapatis - about once every 3 years.

An egg poaching pan that seems to bake the eggs rather than poach them, so I never use it.

A griddle pan which was my early Christmas present to myself last year - £28 from Habitat.

And a wok.

I make that 17 pans in total. My cooker comes with only 4 burners on the hob

Good grief - 17 pans???

I just bought a new set of three non-stick frying/sautéeing pans (chucked the old ones). But I kept the eensy frying pan for doing 2 fried eggs for a fried egg butty (the small size keeps the eggs from spreading too much).

Other than that I have a griddle pan, two saucepans (one is used mostly for cooking rice - for two). A bigger pot for pasta.

Space-wise, I bought a pan rack that has helped a lot. You can stack them up in the rack so that they aren't sitting on top of each other - easier to get at that way.

Oh yes, I also have a paella pan. And I keep two older pans just for heating up burritos for two (they are just the right size - two burritos per pan).

I now have one of those electric 'vitro-ceramic' cookers, which I hate! In my previous flat I had a proper gas cooker.


az

You need to simplify

Seriously though, even if you do some serious cooking you have way too many pans there GD. A big stockpot/pasta pot, small, medium and large saucepans, a saucier, a couple of cast iron skillets, a sauté pan, and a good non-stick frying pan is all you need.

And a wok

That is a lot of pannage. Funny you should post this, as I've only this morning bought a very heavy, steep-sided frying pan for curries and suchlike. I don't quite have the pannage that you do, but we have got:

6 saucepans (2 sets of three) of assorted sizes, three non-stick and three plain metal.

A small frying pan. Good for eggs.

A bigger frying pan. For larger fry-ups and soforth.

A ruddy great pan as described above.

A tiny ickle omelette pan.

The wok. Used for everything, to the neglect of the other pans.

I don't need a griddle pan because I have a George Foreman, which does the same job but quicker.

B

Between 14 of us we have a frying pan and a saucepan. I don't remember using the saucepan for anything other than a bowl because I couldn't be mithered cleaning a proper one...

If anyone has any pans going spare - feel free to donate them to me, especially if they are the glass one. I've got one. That's normally way too big, but occasionally too small for whatever I am trying to cook. I don't think it's ever been the right size. All the other saucepans in the set are broken now.

The bit about this I find most amamzing is that GD said he had done the washing up! Anyone would think his Mother was visiting

We use quite a few pans coz quite often we have to cook two versions of everthing since there is so much I cant eat - if we have pasta we have to cook two types!

we have

1) A wok - used for almost everything
2) an omlette pan (OJ makes the best omlettes)
3) a frying pan
4) two medium sized saucepans
5) a small saucepan
6) a large caserole pan/sausepan

We used to have another Wok which was OJ's only pan but gave it away when we moved in here

We also have two cullenders (reason above) and lots of mixing bowls

So the general concensus is that I ought to do a bit of clearing out

Give us a good argument why you think you shouldn't

If he has more pans then he does not have to wash up as often!

That's kind of the thinking behind having an Army Regiment Catering Corps size cutlery collection

what an awful lot of pots I have a sufficient number of pans to do everything I do A wok, used for everything, from doing fried breckfast for visitors and lodger and me and whoever is here to stir frys etc.
A large cast iron pan, casseroles, stews, shepards/cottage pie or anything relaly.
One large non stick saucepan (first of the non stick matching set), great for big stews as its bigger than even the cast iron pan or wok, or pasta if I'm doing a lot or pilaf or risotto (though I useually do risotto in the cast iron pan).
Two further non stick saucepans, one slightly smaller than the other, do rice, pasta, making sauces boiling veg spuds etc.
a 'milk' pan, which has never seen milk, but is ideal for heating through tins of beans soup etc.
Two frying pans, one non stick (part of the no n stick set) and one stainless steel hardly used frying pan that I got just before I spent the fortune on the non stick set, I only keep the stainless steel one because it is in perfect condition, but it relaly isn't every used of those pans, (asides the redundant stainless steel frying pan), prety much every week each is used at least once, with the exception of the non stick frying pan that only really comes out every now and then I've also one other little* saucepan, which is cast iron, and I've seen idential ones (its some fancy make) for over £100 on sale in teh shop where I got my non stick set, it is too* small* to use for anythint*! I only keep it because of its alleged worth, I think it accidentially* ended up with my stuff when I moved out of a flat I rented I did* have another two halfish complete sets of saucepans recently which went to my Father, and before that I had a odd collection of totally unmatching saucepans that also went to my Father, who breaks on average a saucepan a week when cleaning it

In relation to the quandry of having such a large number of pans as you do, I would ditch the non stick pan that you don't use as its loosing its non stickness, ditch one of the small pans, and perhaps also the milk pan if you don't use it; if any are any good give em to riends or charty shops?

Then at the end you had a list of some pans that are used very very infrequently, what I would personally do with this is either put those pans in a box, and store in the back of a cupboard or in the loft (I mean like a cupboard say under the stairs that is already full of gunk, not in one of the kitchen cupboards), this should then reduce the nubmer of pans you have 'active' at any time ,magic>

... yes, I could google, but what, oh what, are chapatis!?? Did I spell that right!??....

If this journal was a list poem, I would give you an 8/10, GD!!!

Chapatis (and yes, even I'm not sure of the correct spelling) are thin round Indian flatbreads. You tear pieces from them to scoop up curry and eat. Thank of them as an edible knife and fork

MMM mmmmm....

Man. I want curry now.

I store my pans in the oven ... needless to say, I've got limited cabinet space ...

Chapatis are sort of like a cross between corn tortillas and flour tortillas Draggers - they're as flat as corn tortillas but made of regular flour

I finally got around to trying out my Formby last night after seeing Master B bang on about how good they are again.

I agree. Did my tuna steak (with ginger, soy and crushed chilles) perfectly.

Ha! First thing I cooked in mine was tuna, too.

Similar recipe, an' all.

B