Pans for serving hot meals

Portion pans are cookware that is designed to serve hot food. How appetizing and even gastronomically picturesque the "village dinner" looks in such dishes: toasted sausages with scrambled eggs and slices of ruddy potatoes, or golden potato pancakes with mushrooms and onions. On a plate, the same dinner (or lunch) does not look so authentic, but the correct serving adds advantages to culinary pleasures.

The simplest (in terms of predictability) version of the portioned pan is cast iron. A cast iron product is the most durable, it will last longer than others, and it looks weighty and representative.

Cast iron has other advantages as well:

• the material has natural non-stick properties, therefore, he does not need any artificial spraying;
• durable - in many families, cast-iron pans are passed on from the older generation to the younger;
• versatile - suitable for almost all types of stoves and ovens;
• heavy, which means that accidentally touching and turning over a cast-iron frying pan is problematic.

It would be unfair not to mention the disadvantages of cast iron pans. Despite its strength, cast iron is afraid of strong impacts. Temperature contrast can negatively affect the quality of the material. If the dishes are left wet, the cast iron will rust. True, there are options for cast iron pans with non-stick coating and enamel coating: these dishes are moisture resistant.

Such mini-frying pans are pre-processed, in terms of their qualities they are close to cast iron.But the appearance loses, of course: precisely because of the lack of aesthetics, small pans made of aluminum are rarely bought for serving food on the table.

If you decide that just such dishes are appropriate in your interior, then choose a frying pan with a resistant coating so that scratches are not scary to it. The peculiarity of such portioned dishes is that it is in it that you will cut food, and not with plastic forks and knives.

On sale you have probably seen ceramic forms with handles that resemble frying pans. They look pretty, but still more often they just bake food in them. However, this is not an ironclad rule so that it cannot be broken.

Potato casseroles, lasagne, stir-fries - they all look great in a ceramic skillet. If you are upset that you cannot put such dishes on the stove, you can first cook the dish in a regular frying pan, and then transfer it to a ceramic one and bake in the oven for a couple of minutes.

Mini glass pans are suitable for baking, but even heat-resistant glass is afraid of sudden temperature changes. Therefore, if the dishes are cold, it is absolutely impossible to put them in a preheated oven.

Most likely, in a restaurant you saw that fried or baked fish is served in elongated pans, scrambled eggs and bacon in round ones with high edges, and potatoes with mushrooms in oval ones. There can be many options, which is very convenient for the hostess, who believes that there are no trifles in the kitchen.

Mostly you can buy round and oval pans. Oval ones are more suitable for cooking small fish in general, but not only this purpose is possible. If you need a frying pan specifically for fish, you can find dishes in the form of a fish with a tail. If you put this form on a wooden stand on the table, even small children will want to try the ruddy fish.

And also frying pans can be:

• with a smooth bottom;
• with a raised bottom (like grilled dishes).

Pay attention to the type of pen: this is also important. It should be comfortable, cute and not very long.

The volume and diameter of the portioned pan is important, because you probably already have a rough list of dishes that you are going to cook in such a pan and serve.

The following tips will be informative.

• A portioned baking pan should be no more than 15 cm in diameter, and its volume should not exceed 300 ml. Otherwise, a person simply will not master such a dense meal.
• If you are going to serve fish, meat, vegetables, the sides of the pan should not be very high, you should feel a comfortable slope in them.
• If you are in doubt about the size, remember that vegetables and meat can be arranged in a pan so that it does not fill it all. Therefore, if it seems that you need to take more dishes, you can do so.

Frying in a portioned pan is optional. You can prepare the main course in a large bowl, and then arrange everything nicely in portions.

The possibilities for such utensils are great, and the recipes will be born one after another, as soon as the pans pass the first check by the guests. Pretentious feasts with expensive dishes and exquisite serving are not always appropriate. Often, friends or relatives want to come to a sincere get-together, where the food will be delicious (albeit at the lowest calorie), and the serving will be cozy and truly homely.

In such cases, mini-frying pans help out. And if you already have part of the dinner ready, the pans will help you quickly figure out the remaining menu items. You don't have to think about what else to put on the table so that it looks not very scanty. Each guest - a frying pan, and a plate with vegetable slices or a dish (if necessary).

Let's take a look at what looks especially appetizing in portioned dishes.

• Ribs stewed in sauce with vegetables. You can boil the ribs in advance, and then stew them in the oven with tomato sauce, carrots, beans and a mixture of herbs. Serve Hot!
• Rustic sausages, potato slices and toasted vegetables - potatoes and sausages can be pre-boiled, vegetables (carrots, onions, peppers, tomatoes) can be stewed in soy sauce. Then the dish is laid out in pans: the sausages and potatoes will brown, the vegetables will become even juicier. You can sprinkle cheese on the dishes almost before they are ready.
• Fried potatoes. If time is short, and the food in the refrigerator is not abundant, you can always treat spontaneous guests with delicious fried potatoes with green sour cream sauce. It's simple - fry the potatoes in thin strips in an ordinary roomy frying pan. When it's cooked, place it in portioned pans. Put a couple of tablespoons of sour cream right on top of the potatoes. And in it (at choice) either finely chopped greens, or finely chopped pickled cucumber. A delicious and self-sufficient dish that guests will definitely like and satisfy.
• Potato pancakes and mochanka. We fried potato pancakes, stewed onions, mushrooms and sour cream in a separate pan (you can add greens and soy sauce). Placed in mini-frying pans: 4-5 pancakes each, plus a few spoons of mocha. It's hard to resist such a delicious dish!

It is important not to be too clever with serving. For a rustic dinner, lay a pretty napkin with embroidery and / or ornaments on the table. If you decide to serve a very hearty dinner, you can prepare soup (for example, watering or potato with dumplings), and pour it into ceramic pots that resemble cast iron pots. Sprinkle the soup generously with herbs, to it on a plate you can serve bread croutons with cheese and garlic.

The second dish will be served in pans. Knife and fork are included as standard. Ideally, if the dish is still "breathing", bubbling, curling, the cheese is melting, and the ruddy sides of potatoes or meat still shine with a glossy finish. Serve cranberry juice or apple-currant compote as a drink.

If the pans are small, then the portions will be small, which will be appreciated by those who do not like overeating. But, in the end, such a serving is not supposed every day, and sometimes a hearty dinner is the best remedy for sadness and an opportunity for a family to get together.

A mini frying pan is a tricky weapon in the arsenal of every housewife. It helps out in case of unplanned guests, helps to make an ordinary dinner a little more festive, and brings variety to the culinary presentation. And miniature pans are inexpensive: first you can buy a couple, and then get a whole row. There is only one drawback - guests will come to you even more often for cozy and very tasty dinner parties and lunches. Only is this a minus?

For information on how to choose the right pan, see the next video.