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Cooking in the your kitchen is a creative event . It's all about using your hands and creating something from nothing that results in satisfying a number of senses.
"Many people say that they are at their most creative in the kitchen, that they don't feel limited by rules or people in charge. To be in your own kitchen where you are the boss and you have the space to learn, explore, and make mistakes is something magical. Here is where we discover ourselves, our history, and our new traditions."
"kitchens" by Emma Reed
About Kitchens & Cooking - Creative & Personal!
"The kitchen offers endless opportunities to 
express your creativity and find your flow.
Ever noticed how two people can follow the
same recipe and end up with different
results? Part of why this happens can be
attributed to the invisible element that is
part of every recipe: creativity. If you suffer from anxiety or low moods, cooking could help increase your happiness. Spending time in the kitchen can ease stress and restlessness, and enhance mindfulness, the study concluded." MindFood - "Why Cooking Makes You Happy"
My Thoughts - I know that cooking brings me down to earth - Especially when I am dealing with crops from my garden. It brings an immediate sense of being #OnWithNature" and brings me closer to my primal being. The creative process brings nearly instant gratification involving multiple senses! I tend to be at peace!The kitchen in "Why I Love To Cook" explains, "Cooking a meal is one of the most personal and intimate things you can do for someone. You’re literally providing plated nourishment made with your own hands and creativity — even if you’re following a recipe, you picked the recipe and planned the meal, didn’t you?
As human beings eating is essential, a common bond that connects all races, nationalities, and backgrounds. There’s also something about the primal nature of it that encourages us to relax, let our hair down, and just talk to one another.”
Putting the Kitchen & Cooking Experience Together
Over the years I have been involved in putting together kitchens - and all of the needs for cooking for kitchens of all sizes - both both for my homes and for a number of 
restaurants. My latest foray was building and equipping an outdoor kitchen and dining area.
While years back the choices of kitchen equipment and cookware were somewhat limited - at several choices in price points - the marketplace has exploded with types, sizes, colors, special uses, etc.
Making informed decisions is now an almost overwhelming task! As MealLime explains in an article about Kitchen Essential, “Selecting Your Kitchen Equipment - If you’ve ever attempted to purchase cookware for a new kitchen or simply tried to improve the quality of tools in your current kitchen you’ve probably found that stocking up on te quality kitchen essentials is much more difficult than it should be.”
howstuffworks goes on to ask us, "If you've shopped for cookware lately, you've probably noticed the shocking price range for pots and pans. There are complete sets available for as little as $30, and then there are sets that run about $2,000."
My Big Questions About Cost vs Value Were -
1) Is expensive #cookinequipment worth it?
2) Will the higher priced equipment make a difference?
3) Does cookware affect the foods quality and flavor?
Yes - If You Can Afford it! As I had experienced time ad time again - You Get What You Pay For! As Mashed tells us, "Generally, the more expensive the pan, the higher the quality of construction. That's a big deal because for starters, you're not going to need to replace them as often and over the lifespan of your pan, the costs could very well even out. You'll still have a $100 pot after years, but you might have to replace that $25 pot a bunch of times because of broken handles or a scratched surface. Longevity will help it make that initial purchase price seem not-so-bad."
Answer 2) Getting What You Pay For?
Yes - As Mashed continued, " It's an old saying: 'You get what you pay for.' It's a saying that's been around so long because it's absolutely true, and part of the reason high-quality cookware costs so much is simply that it's made better.
Generally, the more expensive the pan, the higher the quality of construction...Longevity will help it make that initial purchase price seem not-so-bad."
Answer 3) Affecting foods quality and flavor?
Yes - Dominican Cooking explains, "Although you may not believe it, the materials used to make kitchen pots, pans and frying pans could affect the nutritional quality of food: they can reduce or increase the loss of nutrients during the cooking process. As well as this, some pans intensify the natural aroma of some foods, making our mouths water and leading to hunger pangs."
What To Do On A Limited Budget?
Howstuffworks goes on to suggest, “Even with all the factors involved in determining the real value of a cookware piece, the moral to come away with here is pretty straightforward: If you
can afford the best of everything, buy it. You won't be sorry. 
Otherwise, mix and match. Spend on the pieces you'll use every day, and save on the ones you'll only use twice a year. Nothing bad is going to happen if all your cookware doesn't match."
Take Care of Your Investment - They're only as good as the care you give them!
Mashed cautions us - "More expensive pots and pans might be high-quality and more durable than cheaper alternatives, but in the end, they're only as good as the care you give them. That probably means not treating them the same as the pans you're used to, and each type of pot or pan needs different type of care."
Mashed continues - "Fortunately, following the manufacturer's care instructions will prolong the life of your pots and pans so your single investment might be one that you also make for future generations of chefs."
Let's Take a Look at The #TypesOfCookware and Their Best Uses
Note - If you're anything like me, you may have cabinets full of these items accumulated over many years. I still have a number of antiques that were received as wedding gifts many years ago! I'd suggest to pull them out, determine if and how you use them and clean house!
fineCooking provides us an insightful look at the types of cookware and specifics about the materials with an image to help visualize the types:
"Materials that make the pot (The letters identifying the materials are the key to the image) 
A. Stainless steel is a poor conductor of heat all by itself, but it’s a peerless surface metal: easy to clean, durable, shiny for good visibility, and completely nonreactive.
B. Copper is a superb heat conductor and radiates visual
warmth, too, if you keep it polished.
All alone, copper is highly reactive with food, so the pans must be lined. It’s often used as a bottom layer for better heat
conduction.
C. Aluminum is a top-notch heat conductor and is lightweight and easy to handle, but it reacts with acidic, sulfurous, and alkaline foods. Aluminum is often used as a core or bottom layer for better heat conduction.
D. Cast iron is an excellent retainer of heat and great for high temperatures. It’s relatively slow to heat up and cool down, and needs thorough drying and oiling.
E. Nonstick coatings have greatly improved to withstand high heat and abrasion.
F. Anodized aluminum is aluminum that’s been electrochemically sealed, making for a nonreactive, hard surface. The dark interior, though, makes it difficult to see color change in pan juices and translucent sauces.
G. Enameled cast iron’s coating solves the maintenance problems of cast iron, but the heating benefits remain. The enamel coating can chip with wear and abrasion."
I suggest that you think about the above, how and what you cook, your budget and your aesthetic for the kitchen. There is nothing wrong with mixing and matching, It is your creative workspace."
Wrapping It Up
Whether my kitchen is inside or outside on the grill, the enjoyment I gain from #CookingForFamilyAndFriends has grows annually! The pandemic added to my time at home, limited our restaurant outings, and increased the value of a well prepared meal!
As Lizzy Francis - author of “How I Stay Sane,” tells us in "Fatherly", I’m not kidding myself that I could go work in a restaurant tomorrow or anything. I just enjoy the sensory experience of cooking. The smells, the sounds, the sights. And I am very satisfied with my final product more often than not. I love sitting down with the food and my family. It’s like I said: cooking is for sure an act of love, but it’s also where I decompress. It’s my space, and my time, whatever little of it I have." I thoroughly agree and say - Bon Appetit!
Our Recommendation
1) The Cooks Bible? The New Joy of Cooking
2) The Ultimate Guide to Understandable, #TraditionalJewishCooking -
3) Your Guided Path To Baking Success
Note - With each I will link you to a manufacturer or vendor that supplies a brand that I or my friends have tested. Generally you will have a choice of styles at a variety of prices. To maintain and continue our research, we are compensated by some of the recommendations we promote. At all times we remain unbiased. We look for quality, durability & price as well as checking reviews.
Please Share Your Thoughts -
Philip W. Eide -- email - phil@vestabp.com // text - 216.577.5579
