I’m all about minimizing. If you have been reading livingsmall.com, you already know this. I’ve not quite whittled down to just a couple pots and pans in my own kitchen, but if I did — these would be the two:

Cast Iron “Chicken Fryer”

This little gem was discovered by my mother who gave it to me years and years ago. It’s like a mini-dutch oven – which is perfect sized for cooking for 1-3 people. When the kids were at home, I used it in tandem with the cast iron dutch oven.

These days, I just use the chicken fryer — for nearly everything. It’s perfectly seasoned, and is the first pan I reach for to stir-fry, to cook large amounts of anything — or even to fry an egg.

My version has a simple lid, but there is another model that uses a frying pan for the lid. I prefer being able to lift from the center, instead of using a handle off to one side. So I’ll keep mine, but your mileage may vary.

4th Burner Pan

I’m not sure why they call this the fourth burner pan. I think it’s a great front-and-center burner pan! I use it for poaching eggs (I have a couple stainless steel egg cups I picked up at a thrift shop a few months back), for cooking vegetables, boiling eggs, as a tea pot and dozens of other things, including as a large measuring cup.

Although I tried other versions of this type of pan before I found this perfect rendition — having the lock-on lid with the built in (two sizes of) strainer upgrades it remarkably! It’s a great “heat up” leftovers pan too (I hate using a microwave — I just don’t trust them!)

I love the measurement marks on the inside. I love the thick bottom clad core for even-heating. I love the pour-spout. I love the size. I just love this pan!

A little shop on Main Street in Stanford Kentucky had this little pot for sale (along with some other cool things that I resisted). Imagine that, after looking for this everywhere a few months back and finding nothing like what I wanted — I finally found it a few miles down the road! I was looking for the wrong brand — and I didn’t know what they were called, so my searches sucked.

The place, if you are interested, is called “Perfectly Practical” and you can call them at 859-304-1248 if you would like to see if they still have them in stock locally. 🙂

As, I’ve said, I’m not quite down to two pots yet, but I’m getting closer all the time! These little gems help get me closer to my own version of ideal. If I ever do that “cross country” thing I want to do, these are the only two pans I’ll take with me. And, yes, the cast iron is worth the weight in my little travel trailer. It’s worth every ounce!