Not only for chefs but also for those who enjoy home cooking on weekends, kitchen tools are essential partner. Most of you would know from firsthand experience how much kitchen tools affect the cooking outcome.
Today we would like to show you a representative Japanese style pan, "Yukihira saucepan", which has been widely used either at restaurants or at home.
What is Yukihira Saucepan?
Yukihira saucepan is a single-handled pan that features hammered surface like fish skin with scales.
It is manually hammered by professionals. This strengthens the durability and heat conductivity. Aluminum is commonly used for materials, but copper or stainless steel are also used.
Yukihira saucepans are typically deep and widely open with a spout. In Japanese style cooking, they are often used for cooking miso soup or simmered vegetables. However, with its shape, it can be used for a wide variety of cooking such as sauce, confit, steamed dishes as well as meuniere, pasta and curry.
Use & Care
Aluminum is vulnerable to strong acidity or alkaline and likely to discolor. This can be prevented if you boil the water that was used to wash rice or water with vegetable scraps in it before first use.
In case it discolors, boil water with a tablespoon of vinegar or citric acid, or sliced lemon, and let it cool down spontaneously overnight. This can relieve stains or discoloration. Doing this periodically will make long-term maintenance easier.
Copper Yukihira saucepans also might discolor due to acidity or alkaline, but do not scrub with steel scourer or whatever. If the stains stand out, just try the aforementioned cleaning method.
After use, wash it gently with a neutral detergent and sponge. Avoid using scourer or anything to possibly damage the surface, which will lead to discoloration or rust.
The kitchen tools are something that will have more own features as you use them over time. It is impossible to keep them brand new. It would be great if you can even feel attached to those stains or discoloration as their identity.
