When choosing pots and pans to add to your kitchen there are only a few choices of materials available. In this article we will explore the nature of each material and look into the pros and cons of each.

The main purpose of any pot or pan of course is to transfer heat from a stove or oven or other heat source to the food contained in the pot. In most cases the faster this heat is transferred the quicker the food is cooked. This could lead you to believe that the choice of material would be a simple process of choosing the one that has the best heat transfer ability but of course it is never quite that simple.

Copper for instance has the highest heat transfer efficiency of all the available metals. Almost 98 per cent of the heat is transferred very quickly to the food being cooked. While this alone would seem to make copper an easy choice there are some drawbacks. Good quality copper is heavy and quite expensive. In addition it is very soft and dents easily. Because of this softness copper is usually used as a coating on the bottom of pots or pans and sometimes in high quality stainless utensils is is sandwiched in as a core material. This sandwich core helps the transfer of heat while protecting the soft copper.

Copper discolors very easily and if not polished regularly it will soon become very unattractive. Some high end copper pots have linings of tin. This lining can be very easily damaged if over heated and is best left to professional chef's who are experienced it it's use.

Stainless steel is very common in pots and pans even though it does not transfer heat very efficiently. It does however have other advantages. It is very tough and almost impossible to damage while being the easiest of all materials to clean. When it has a copper or aluminum core it is one of the best all around choices which explains its popularity.

Aluminum has long been a popular choice especially when combined with bright outer colors to enhance it's appearance. However it did have some problems not so long ago when reports were issued claiming that it released harmful toxins. Recently those fears seem to have been proved unfounded. One problem that continues however is it's problem of reacting with acidic foods such as tomatoes causing some sauces to turn unsightly colors. Many aluminum pots and pans have received various inner coatings to eliminate the chance of problem contamination. Aluminum has remained a staple material in many restaurant kitchens.

The benefits of cast iron have long been recognized. While it does conduct heat very evenly it does take longer to heat and also demands more care and cleaning than stainless or aluminum. The negatives are far outnumbered by it's positive features and for many cooking chores it is still the material of choice.

For an all around set of pots and pans it would seem that quality stainless has much to offer with aluminum perhaps the second choice. Of course no kitchen would be complete with out a few light gauge sauce pans and any number of cast iron items for specialty cooking tasks.

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What's for Dinner Tonight? Stuffed Mangoes looking like a work of art!

Way back when, I was the type of kid who would not eat anything that did not look pleasing to the eye. So, to my mom, presentation was everything in order to have her picky child attain good nutrition. The way she made stuffed mangoes was like Michelangelo creating the David - but of a slightly lesser omnipotence. My children do not appreciate their Grandmother's work of art in the kitchen as much as I, but in any event, I made them take a second (or two) to admire the construction of their deliciously filled, bulbous entr?e before "digging in". As a side note: I refer to this dish as stuffed mangoes, they are probably more properly known as stuffed bell peppers, but in honor my family tradition, I will continue to refer to this dish as stuffed mangoes.

Let's get back to the ingredients and preparation of this art. At the grocery store, my mother would select mangoes that are shiny and robust in color that are also firm and heavy in proportion. No wrinkles or bruises. She also took in consideration the size of the pepper to the diner, so when I was little I had a cute child's sized stuffed mango. At home, she cooked rice in a stock pot, browned ground beef (fat deleted as much as possible) with diced onions and chili powder to taste in my skillet and added a dash of salt. While those fixings were steeping, Mom used her paring knife and cut off the top of the mangoes or the "pepper pan"; remove the insides; put the washed mangoes in a casserole dish filled with about 1/3 cup of water; then she'd cover up casserole dish and let the mangoes steam for about 3 minutes. Going back to the ground beef, she mixes the rice in its skillet. The ground beef-rice mixture is then spooned into the warm mangoes with just a little overflowing the neck of the fruit. She adds a dollop of ketchup on the top and puts the delectably filled capsicums into the preheated 300 degree oven. After 20 minutes, a mango is put in the center of its own individual plate with more of the ground beef-rice mixture surrounding it. The baked ketchup on top of the mixture (while some part of its sweetness seeped through the rice) looks like a swirled cap or stem that has been re-attached to the mango. So now you see a shiny, rich green, yellow or red apple-like edible bowl with coppery brown ground beef and rice spewing out, like confetti, topped with a dollop of red sauce as its cap. The steam strings and curls toward my nose and the aroma is nothing but mouthwatering. Simply: A work of art.

So, a great meal was had by all. No left-overs again. Therefore that leaves me wondering, what will be for dinner tonight, tomorrow?

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