5 pots and pans you can’t live without

There are few things that are as overwhelming as pan shopping. It seems like they come in a thousand shapes, sizes and materials and it’s hard to know which ones you really need in your home. This guide explains what we think are the essentials – the pans that you absolutely should not live without. With these pans at your disposal, you should be able to make almost anything with ease!
Non-stick frying Pan
There should be a non-stick frying pan in every kitchen. They are the ideal choice for cooking a range of food, from cooking eggs (scrambled or fried), to searing a steak, sautéing vegetables, braising lamb, stir frying and more. If you don’t need a lid to steam, you can put it in a pan to fry.
The non-stick elements of a frying pan are essential as you don’t need fat to fry food, enabling a healthier option, but also to make it easy to clean.
Chinese Wok
You may think that if you have a frying pan, you’ll have no need for woks, but you could not be more wrong.
A Chinese wok is a fantastic tool to have on hand in the kitchen. Carbon steel woks, cast iron woks and eurocast woks are able to withstand high temperatures and enable you to cook a wide variety of recipes. Woks are suitable for frying food as the wider rim protects surfaces from splatter.
An authentic Chinese wok has two smaller handles as they were traditionally used on a woodstove. In most homes an oven can replace the stove, and a wok with two handles can be used to make anything from hotpots to roasted meat by simply moving your pan from the hob to your oven.
Woks are also great for tossing food and ensuring that sauces evenly coat meat within a pan before serving. Thanks to the high sides, it has never been easier to serve food from wok to plate without spilling.
Teppanyaki Plate
A teppanyaki plate, though niche, is absolutely a kitchen essential. They allow for versatility in cooking and can create restaurant quality meals that are guaranteed to impress guests.
The plates can be used on the hob in the morning to make the perfect pancakes, they can be used in the oven as a tray to cook a range of meat and vegetables, they can even be used on a BBQ to stop harder to cook items such as fish and broccoli falling through the cracks on the grill without compromising on flavour. You’ll be able to prepare and discover a range of meals and cook them with ease.
Plus, if you wanted to get really fancy with your knives there are a range of teppanyaki cooking guides out there that are sure to impress any guests you may have!
Sauté pan
Sometimes, you’re going to need two of the same pan at the same time. Of course, you don’t want to buy two or three of every pan, that’s where a sauté pan comes in. A sauté pan is the best of all worlds. You’re able to use it as a frying pan with high sides, a wok that is perfect for stir fry’s or sauce based dishes, a wide saucepan or even a casserole dish if you make the most of an ovenproof, non-stick sauté pan with a glass lid.
This pan is literally a jack of all trades and is the ideal tool to have in your cooking arsenal.
Saucepan
Everyone needs a saucepan. You can use them to cook a range of food, from boiling an egg, to cooking beans and making hot chocolate – a saucepan is a necessity. They often come with glass lids and sometimes have a removeable handle, this makes them great for rice or pasta as they cook efficiently and are easy to drain.
Saucepans can be made from different material, but personally, we recommend non-stick options thanks to their easy cleaning properties which avoid damage and as they offer healthier cooking alternatives. As long as soft utensils are used, these pans will last for years.
BergHOFF have a range of non-stick pans available, including a non-stick pan set. To get a range of some of our favourite pans listed above you may want to look into our BBQ cookware set or Chef non-stick pan set. Each BergHOFF pan benefits from extreme non-stick material, works on induction, gas and electric hobs and can also withstand high temperatures in the oven.
See what we're cooking up.
Bringing you the latest recipes for inspiration
... let us know how you get on!
11 February 2025
Make Your Own Hummus and Chapatis this Ramadan
This homemade hummus recipe is a creamy and flavourful Middle Eastern dip made from chickpeas, tahini, and lemon, a perfect Ramadan recipe.
Read More
17 January 2025
Quick and Easy Spag Bol Recipe
With national pie day taking place on January 23, it is time to get your pie dish out and cook up a treat. Rhubarb custard pie is a classic English dessert that balances out the tart, tangy rhubarb fruit with a creamy custard and flaky, buttery pie crust.
Read More
14 January 2025
Rhubarb and Custard Crumble Pie
With national pie day taking place on January 23, it is time to get your pie dish out and cook up a treat. Rhubarb custard pie is a classic English dessert that balances out the tart, tangy rhubarb fruit with a creamy custard and flaky, buttery pie crust.
Read More