Guide to International Cookware

Bring some international flavor to your kitchen with specialty cookware. Make your favorite Chinese dish at home or cook up a Moroccan feast for friends with the traditional cookware. Take a tour below of our international cookware along with recipe links and cooking tips!

Woks & Stir Fry Pans

 

The high, sloped sides of this versatile pan are ideal for cooking quickly over high heat. Traditionally used in Chinese cooking, woks are great for stir fry, lo mein, and vegetable dishes. Look for stainless steel woks with a pure aluminum core for greater heat conductivity. For electric stovetops, look for a wok with a flat base for optimal heat distribution.

Key Features:

• Rounded base and high sides
• Long stick handle or two loop handles
• Best for rapidly tossing small pieces of food 
• Can be used for steaming with a lid

Paella Pans

 

This pan is named after a popular seafood and rice dish from Spain's Valencia region. It features a round, shallow design with two loop handles on either side. It's a great pan for making paella and other hearty rice dishes.

Key Features:

• Perfect all-in-one pan for sautéing and cooking rice
• Usually larger in diameter for family-size portions
• Depth and flared sides make it easy to cook rice dishes

Tagines

Traditionally made of earthenware or ceramics, this cooking vessel is often used for Moroccan dishes. It features a shallow, circular pan with a conical lid that traps moisture so it drips back into the food. This creates flavorful, moist dishes, and is especially great for slow-cooking meats. 

Key Features:

• Best for slow-cooking, stewing, or braising on the stovetop or in the oven
• Should be used with a diffuser on a stovetop
• Makes flavorful dishes with a small hole on top for steam to escape 

Tip!

Warm up on a cold night with one of these flavorful dishes featured by one of our bloggers in Comfort Foods with a Twist .

Crepe Pans

Try out this delicious French dish, which is basically a very thin, delicate pancake. The shallow design with low sides allows for a thin coating of batter on the pan to create the crepe, and a flat handle allows for easy rotation to spread the butter and batter.

Key Features:

• Best for cooking thin batters quickly
•  Often made for doing a flip technique halfway through cooking
• Look for a 9 or 10 inch pan for the ideal crepe size 

Fondue Sets

With a background in Swiss, Italian, and French cuisine, fondue is a dish featuring melted cheese in a communal pot. The pot sits atop an individual burner so the cheese stays melted for dipping bread, meat, or vegetables

Key Features:

• Best for keeping melted cheese or chocolate warm 
• Can also be used for keeping broth hot to cook meat 
• For dessert or chocolate fondue, use a smaller pot with a porcelain insert 

Tip!

For your next dinner party or small gathering, serve up bite-size appetizers for guests to dip in a cheese fondue. See our Tips for Hosting a Wine and Cheese Party for more entertaining ideas!