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This may be obvious, but could you clarify what is meant by a heavy-bottom pan? I thought cast iron, but ended up using what I would call a big pasta pot because of size (the bottom is not heavy?).

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

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This event was on June 11, 2024

Join Chef Char Nolan in her virtual office as she welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to ask anything – from cooking techniques to course-specific questions, to how to turn your cooking passion into profit or simply hearing the perspective of a professional chef, Chef Nolan is ready to answer them all.

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Question

Lisa Cronin

This may be obvious, but could you clarify what is meant by a heavy-bottom pan? I thought cast iron, but ended up using what I would call a big pasta pot because of size (the bottom is not heavy?).

Answer

And, um, I always love a good pot and pan question because I think most of us are always on the quest for the perfect pan. And right now, you know that I am totally in love with my caraway pan, which is a breeze to clean. It cooks beautifully, it retains heat. Well, it browns like magic without any oil, and I'm totally in love with it. But for those of you who are looking for, um, a heavy bottom pan, uh, many of my friends like the all clad triple bottom pans. And the benefit to a heavy bottom pan is that they ret retain heat a little bit better. They will cook your food, um, in a, in a faster time. I'm a big fan of, uh, using Le Crusa as well. So I think that it's really a personal thing. What I do recommend is do a thrift shop and look and see if there isn't a, um, an old clad or a piece of Le Crus say or whatever, and try out using that pan before you buy an entire set or catch a sale and buy one piece and kind of monitor it and see how you like it. See if you have shelf space for it, because that's another thing to also take into consideration. So, uh, I think pans are personal. That's just my, just my own opinion.

Char Nolan

Plant-Based Connector/Chef Instructor

Char Nolan is a serious crusader for plant-based education, armed with a degree in public health from Philadelphia’s Temple University. She teaches nutrition and plant-based cooking throughout Philadelphia, and in many underserved communities. Char holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from eCornell and completed Rouxbe’s Plant-Based Professional Certification course in 2015. In 2019, Char completed post-graduate course work in social media marketing at the University of the Arts. When she is not cooking or teaching, she manages social media accounts for several plant-based influencers. Char prides herself on learning everything she knows about cooking from growing up in her grandparents’ Italian restaurant. Her favorite vegetables are Brussels sprouts and kale, of course. Char originally hails from Queens, NY, but has lived in Philadelphia most of her adult life. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer.