Kitchen intermediates are tools, equipment and cookware that are helpful but not absolutely necessary. These useful items have to be adaptable to lots of uses and fill a need the basic equipment doesn’t fill.
Many people have a full range of skillets or fry pans. My experience says that for most people, several of those will collect dust. This is especially true if you’re a bachelor.
A cast iron skillet is a basic necessity. Other useful skillets would be a sauté pan, which has rounded sides making flipping food easy. But probably the best second pan to have is an egg pan.
Egg pans are just small skillets, usually five to seven inches in diameter. Most restaurant models are not non-stick because they use a lot of butter or oil if they use one at all. But for home use, the best version is non-stick, which allows you to use a minimum of oil or fat. Because eggs should be cooked at low heat, the non-stick coating should not create a problem. You’ll find you use this several times a week for more than just eggs. Just be sure to treat it kindly.
This is not the same as an omelet pan or one of those multi-cup things for poaching eggs. Those are pretty worthless.
You’ll want to invest in the proper tools to use your egg pan. In addition to a wooden spoon, a plastic, flexible spatula or turner will also be required. Never use metal utensils on a non-stick pan.
