STOCKPOTS

These are the tallest vessels that form part of the cookware range. We could consider them as being those receptacles whose sides are at least as high as the diameter of the uppermost part

Regarding stockpots, it is worth noting the low ratio between their volume and the evaporation surface (the surface of the liquid in contact with the air). Their proportions between the diameter of the base and the height of the vessel make them ideal for containing a lot of liquid with lower evaporation in relation to saucepans. For this reason, stockpots are limited to immersion cooking and are ideal for making broths, stews, soups and cooking legumes in quantity. Aqueous liquids (these would exclude oils, for example) evaporate much more slowly. Inside these vessels, liquids circulate very efficiently due to convection movements. The flow in contact with the base of the receptacle is heated, expanded and, due to the decrease in density, begins to rise. Meanwhile, the liquids on the upper part move downwards. This rotational movement allows heat to be efficiently transported throughout the contents of the receptacle, but sometimes, such as when boiling over a high heat, this movement can become too violent and spoil solid food. Therefore, when cooking particularly delicate fish, the use of a low and wide receptacle minimizes this convection effect. To optimize the boiling process and minimize evaporation, it is highly recommended to use a lid which gives the item greater caloric efficiency.

As opposed to stockpots, we identify as cooking pans all those vessels where height of the side walls is less than their diameter. This is why they have a volume / evaporation surface ratio higher than that of the stockpots, making them more efficient receptacles when it comes to heating the contents.

With cooking pans, we can differentiate two types according to their height: tall pans and low pans. The first are identified through the height of the walls usually being about 2/3 of their diameter, and are ideal for pastas, boiled rice, and vegetables.

Low cooking pans have sides of a height approximately one third of the diameter. Thanks to their low height and wide opening, they can be used for rapidly evaporating liquids. They are also very useful for sweating onions and vegetables (mirepoix) or for slow cooking and to concentrate and reduce liquids. In both cases, they allow a greater evaporation of fluids than the stockpots, but more so for low cooking pans.