Not only can stocking your kitchen with an adequate selection of cookware help you save time and effort, but it will also improve the quality of the food you produce whenever you attempt a new dish.
In addition, having a variety of cookware that is adaptable guarantees that you are not constrained to a single approach to food preparation while you are in the kitchen.
Having said all of this, it doesn’t matter how many different pieces of cookware you have if you don’t know how to properly utilize them.
As a result, you are required to do appropriate study into cookware and discover how the various components of a pan impact the functionality of the pan.
Let’s have a look at the many sorts of handles that are available for pans and how the shape of the handle impacts their functionality in the kitchen.
Contents
Why Do Pans Have Metal Handles?
The fact that metal handles can withstand greater temperatures for longer is the primary reason why frying pans have metal handles. If your pan has handles made of metal, then you won’t have any trouble placing it in the oven to bake anything.
Because metal is strong enough to withstand the heat, there is no need for you to worry about the handles melting or becoming damaged in any way.
The longevity of a pan’s handles is another benefit that comes from having them made of metal. When compared to handles made of plastic or wood, these ones have a longer working life due to the fact that they are constructed of metal, which also makes them durable and solid. In addition, the sheen of metal handles makes them seem more visually beautiful when they are attached to pans.
The fact that metal handles become hot throughout the cooking process is the sole disadvantage associated with using them. Because of this, you will not be able to raise your pans with bare hands; instead, you will need to contact the handle using oven mitts. The kind of metal the handle of your pan is composed of will determine how quickly it will get hot.
Iron, stainless steel, or carbon steel are the three most common types of metal used to make handles. These three different types of materials each have a limited capacity for the transfer of heat energy.
As a result, the rate at which these handles heat up will be far lower than that of handles constructed of aluminum or copper. Handles manufactured from stainless steel are widely regarded as being superior to other types of metal handles. This is due to the fact that stainless steel handles heat up far less quickly than iron or carbon steel handles.
The construction of the handle is another component that plays a role in determining how rapidly the temperature of a metal handle rises. If a metal handle is welded onto the hot pan in such a way that there is minimal contact between the two, then the heat will be conducted to the handles more slowly.
Therefore, if you want a pan with metal handles that don’t heat up too quickly, you should try to look for designs like these.
Why Do Pans Have Wooden Handles?
The ability of hardwood handles to maintain their cool temperature over extremely extended periods of time is perhaps its greatest selling point.
This indicates that you won’t need to worry about the pan’s wooden handles getting too hot to touch in order to safely lift and carry it because they are made of wood. People who like to stir fry their food while it cooks in their frying pan will find this to be an extremely useful item.
The fact that a pan’s wooden handles prevent it from being used in an oven is the most significant disadvantage associated with having wooden handles on a pan. Even though wood does not catch fire until temperatures reach very high levels, somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 degrees Fahrenheit, it is still not safe to put the oven there.
Related Article: How to Determine whether a Pan is Suitable for Use in the Oven
The reason for this is that, at higher temperatures, wooden handles release dangerous combustible gasses, which is why this is the case. Because these gases can cause a sudden explosion inside your oven, you should never put wooden handles inside an oven. This is one of the reasons why you should never put anything flammable in an oven.
Another drawback associated with wooden handles is that they cannot be cleaned in a dishwasher.
Dishwasher interiors with wooden handles can readily absorb water due to the porous nature of the wood. After some time, the water will evaporate as a result of the heat generated by the handles, which may result in the wood breaking down.
Why Do Pans Have Plastic Handles?
Plastic handles, just like wooden handles, offer the person using the pan a great deal of convenience and comfort by maintaining their cool temperature.
Their capacity to transfer heat is inferior to that of metal handles in almost every way. As a consequence of this, they do not become hot during the cooking process, which ensures that they are very secure.
Handles made of plastic are typically composed of silicon, and they have the ability to withstand temperatures of approximately 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The fact that plastic handles are prone to melting when subjected to high temperatures is the most significant drawback of having such handles. Because of this, you are unable to bake with a pan that has plastic handles because they will melt in the oven.
In addition, you should make every effort to maintain the safety of your plastic handles by preventing them from coming into contact with a high flame. Even if the flame from the next burner on a stove happens to accidentally touch plastic handles, the handles will begin to melt. Because of this, plastic handles are significantly less long-lasting than metal handles. If you want to avoid melting the plastic handles on your pan, remember to keep this in mind whenever you cook in a pan that has plastic handles.
One more thing that could be considered a disadvantage of having plastic handles is that at best, they look unremarkable.
The appearance of a pan with plastic handles, as opposed to a pan with metal or wooden handles, gives the impression that the quality of the pan is not as high as it could be.
What to Do When You Accidently Melt the Plastic Handle of Your Pan
The risk to our health posed by the melting of plastic handles on a frying pan is significant.
It not only ruins the appearance of our frying pan in a way that cannot be reversed, but it also has far more serious repercussions for our health. When plastic handles melt, they release toxic chemicals like carbon monoxide, dioxins, and furans into the air around them as well as the food that they come into contact with. These chemicals pose a significant threat to our health.
It is common knowledge that carbon monoxide is a toxic gas. If you have accidentally melted the plastic handles of your pan, you should immediately open up the windows in order to increase the ventilation of air. For this reason, you should immediately open up the windows in order to increase the ventilation of air.
In addition to this, you need to throw away any food that was left in the pan after it was cleaned. Not only will this food have an unpleasant odor, but it is also potentially harmful to consume because it may have taken in some of the carbon monoxide gas that was given off by the plastic.
FAQs
Why does a pan have a wood or plastic handle?
Because both plastic and wood are poor heat conductors, handles made of plastic and wood are typically attached to pans made of metal in order to protect the user’s hands from being burned by the pan’s surface temperature.
Why are cooking utensils made of metals but their handles of plastic or wood?
Metals such as steel, copper, aluminum, and others are the primary constituents of utensils. Because they are good conductors of heat, it is not hard to cook food in them because they don’t need much effort. As a result, the handle is often constructed of wood or plastic since these materials act as encasings and do not get heated during the warming process.
Why are pan handles plastic?
Plastic that does not get distorted when heated is called thermosetting plastic. This kind of plastic can endure temperatures that are quite high. Because of this property, it is ideal for use in the manufacture of handles for saucepans and other kitchen implements. Additionally, it is an effective insulator and does not heat up very much; as a result, it is used in the production of electrical connectors and switches.
Why are handles of the pots made of wood?
The problem is solved by the fact that cooking pots come with handles made of wood or plastic, both of which are poor heat conductors. The heat from the pan will not be transferred to our hand as a result of this. Because of this, we are able to hold the utensils in our hands without any discomfort.
Why do pans have metal handles?
Metal handle.
It is able to conduct heat more quickly than other materials, which enables you to use the pan in the oven without undergoing any changes or even having things get burnt.