There are many types of pots and pans and each tend to have a specific use. The most widely used pan is the saucepan. The saucepan is used for everyday cooking for the likes of vegetables, rice, pasta, soups etc. A good pan should have a close fitting lid and strong secure handles. Ideally the knob and handle should be made of a heat resistant material. Saucepans can be made of stainless steel, which is probably the best type to buy as there are very durable. You can also get enamelled cast iron which is excellent for retaining the heat. Less expensive pans such as glass, ceramic and non stick are not quite as good at conducting heat, but will serve the purpose.

Pressure cookers are an excellent way of cooking food quickly. These work by trapping the steam and increasing the pressure, thus raising the temperature to above boiling point very quickly so the food cooks faster. These are ideal for making steamed puddings and casseroles. This way of cooking tends to preserve the nutrients in the food as they are cooked quickly.

Slow cookers are at the other end of the spectrum to pressure cookers and, as the name implies, these cook the food very slowly. Slow cookers run off the electricity supply and are very economical to use, even though they take several hours for the food to cook. They are ideal for casseroles and soups because the meat cooks slowly and is therefore tenderer. You can also cook dried fruit and grains in them.

Steamers are an excellent way of conserving nutrients when cooking vegetables. As the name suggests the food is steamed in very little water, so therefore very little of the nutrients are lost. There are several types of steamers. The cheapest is a flower steamer which expands to fit into most types of saucepan, or you can get an electric steamer which you can plug into your electricity supply and use independently from your hob. Electric steamers also have the benefit of having stacking units so you can cook larger quantities in them.

Frying pans are also very useful. These tend to be made of the same materials as saucepans. When cooking meat it is generally a good idea to cook the meat in a frying pan first, with a little oil, to seal in the nutrients. They are also an excellent way of crisping up vegetables. 

Omelette pans are very similar to a frying pan: the main difference being there size. Omelette pans tend to be about 10cm in diameter and are used solely for the cooking of omelettes.

Woks are used for stir frying. These are made of fairly thin metal which heats up quickly. Woks need only very little oil in them due to their shape so consequently are a more health way of cooking than frying pans. Because they are made of thin metal the food heats quickly and because of this the nutrients have little time to escape.    

Each of these types of pot and pan will serve their own use in your kitchen. If you cannot afford them all, the basic essentials are a couple of saucepans, a frying pan and a wok, but over time it is good to accumulate them all.