If you are a fan of cooking, your kitchen is most likely to be packed with all kinds of crockery, cooking tools, and equipment. One that might have missed your attention is a braising pan. If so, you need to find out more about it and how it can help improve your cooking.
So What Is A Braising Pan?
A braising pan is a cooking tool that will help you prepare restaurant-grade food at home. Whether you rarely cook or you are a hard-core chef, you’ll find it more efficient to work with a braising pan.
Braising pan is mainly found in commercial kitchens. It is an extremely versatile and user-friendly cooking equipment. It’s also referred to as a braiser, tilting skillet, or frypan.
What Does A Braising Pan Look Like?
A braising pan is a rectangular or square, large, flat-bottomed cooking pan. Its sides are high to enable it to accommodate large amounts of food. A braising pan can have one or two handles, making it easy to handle while cooking.
The pan may be tilted slightly at a small angle to make the cooking process easier. Braising pans are made of cast iron or stainless steel, explaining why they can withstand slow heating and searing very well.
What Is A Braising Pan Used For?
Braising pans have many uses. That’s why it has become a popular tool in all modern kitchens. You can use it to prepare pasta, pot roasts, or stews. You can use it to boil, fry, or braise. A braising pan is also an excellent tool for blanching, thawing, or poaching food. Because the pan has a lid, it is also excellent for simmering food if you don’t want to lose moisture.
What you’ll love more about the brailing pan is that it’s tilted by a few degrees to drain fat or oil away from your food as it cooks. This technique works like magic when you want to griddle or braise meat. Braising pans are also great for steaming food because they have lids. You can simply add some water in the pan, then use a perforated rack, pan, or tray to hold your food above the water.
Next, cover the pan with the lid and heat the water to boil. The food will be steamed within a few minutes. You can proof your food using the same technique. The only thing you need to do is to replace the boiling water with hot water.
A braising pan can also double as a hot bakery or proof box to store baked goods and cooked foods. The versatility and ease of use of braising pans make them to be among the most useful kitchen equipment. This is because they can substitute a lot of kitchen equipment.
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What Are The Types Of Braising Pans?
Typically, braising pans are bulky and large, but they come in different sizes and types, so you can choose the one that suits your needs most. There are three types of braising pans, including:
- Table mounted braising pans
- Floor mounted braising pans
- Wall mounted braising pans
These braising pans are named according to how and where they are mounted. Another available option is pressure braising pans, which can be used for pressure cooking to reduce the cooking time. The only problem with pressure braising pans is that they tend to overcook foods if left unattended.
What Are The Capacity Of Braising Pans?
Apart from the various shapes of braising pans, these cooking tools also have different capacities (sizes). The capacity of these pans ranges from 10 gallons to 40 gallons. So no matter your cooking needs or personal preferences, you'll get a suitable braising pan for it.
For your home kitchen, the best braising pans are those with capacities of 10, 12, or 16 gallons. The bigger pans are suitable for commercial kitchens.
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How To Clean A Braising Pan
Braising pans are easy to clean. You can follow the steps below to clean your braiser:
Prepare the pan: The first step to clean a braising pan is to prepare it by turning it off. You can then give it time to cool down before you start the cleaning process.
1. Remove The Pan’s Drain Screen:
Remove the braising pan’s drain screen then wash it thoroughly with water and soap. If your drain-screen is dish-washer-safe, then just use a dishwasher to clean it. If your pan has no drain screen, pass this step.
2. Prepare The Cleaning Solution:
Braising pans require ordinary cleaning agents like dishwashing liquids or mild detergents. You just need to add the cleaning agent in a bucket and you'll be set. Don’t use chlorine-based cleaners on stainless steel pans.
3. Clear The Pan:
Use a nylon brush to remove all food particles in the pan. If the food particle is baked-in or stuck, add the cleaning agent you prepared and let it soak for a few minutes, then scrub.
Use your cleaning solution to clean the pan thoroughly. If the pan is hard to clean, use a water-based solution of ammonia, vinegar, baking soda, or an alcohol-based cleaning agent.
4. Rinse And Dry:
Once you are satisfied that the pan is clean, drain and add more clean water to rinse it. You can use clean, warm water to rinse it to remove any detergent residue. Ladtly, use a towel to dry it.
5. Clean The Exterior:
After cleaning the interior of the pan, turn to the outside. Use the same detergent solution and warm water to scrub the exterior of the pan gently. If there are any stubborn stains, use ammonia or baking soda to clean it. You can then rinse the outside and dry it using a towel. Be careful no to sprinkle water on the mechanical parts of the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs
Q: Do you need a braising pan?
If you don’t have oven-safe cookware and want to casserole, bake, stew, or braise, then you’ll need a braising pan. A braising pan is a good addition to your kitchen. It’s an all-purpose pan that will reduce your need for buying several pans/pots.
Q: What is a braising pan used for in cooking?
A braising pan can be used for cooking sauces, pasta, rice, chili, stews, and soups. You can use it to cook vegetables, chicken, pork, pot roasts, beef, ribs, steaks, etc.
Q: Can you braise in a cast iron skillet?
Yes. You can braise in cast iron skillets because they are able to maintain their temperatures for long periods. Additionally, they facilitate caramelization of wine and other sugary liquids, which are good at adding texture to meats.
Q: What are the advantages of braising?
Braising has several advantages. It’s economical, it provides a variety of meal presentations and preparations, and creates more flavorful foods.
Q: Do you braise covered or uncovered?
Covering or uncovering food depends on the method of cooking you prefer. Covering cook’s food faster but reduces the food flavor. Uncovered cooking allows the exposed meat to brown and roast, meaning you have to turn it regularly to cook evenly.
Q: How do you know when braise is done?
You’ll know that braise is done when the food (beef) is fork-tender. The meat should be soft such that you can cut it with a little pressure from a knife/fork.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now have all the reasons to buy a braiser. It reduces cooking time and is very easy to use. When buying a braising pan, make sure you pick the right size for your needs. Also, learn how to use it so that your foods can cook well. A braising pan can replace many cooking equipments in your kitchen, meaning it offers a good value for money.
Hello, This is Annie Walker, a 36-year-old blogger, founder, and editor of Cookware Guider from NY, USA. I am a cookware fanatic and passionate cooker. I love to cook with different types of cooking appliances (example: all types of cookware, rice cookers, slow cookers, etc) almost every day in my kitchen. I love to share my experience with my readers in my blog. Also, I enjoy helping people to solve their problems through my website. You can follow me on Twitter & Pinterest. To know details about my blog please check the about us page.