In the bustling, steamy heart of every kitchen lies a legacy of history told by humble yet indispensable tools: our everyday pots and pans. From the rudimentary clay vessels of ancient civilisations to the rocket-science designer marvels of the modern age, these kitchen essentials have witnessed the evolution of culinary culture. Join DM on a captivating journey through time as we investigate the fascinating and at times surprising saga of pots and pans.
In today’s society, while much emphasis is placed on the quality and origins of ingredients in our kitchens, the essential tools used for cooking are often overlooked, yet they play a vital role in the success or failure of our culinary endeavours. The history of cooking utensils traces back to the discovery of fire, which enabled early humans to settle down and develop civilisations. The advent of cooking, particularly boiling water, marked a significant transition from nature to culture, tenderising food and creating hearty broths. Initially crafted from clay, cooking vessels evolved with the progression of civilisation, incorporating materials like copper, iron, bronze, and steel.

Common roots

In the early stages of civilisation, the remarkable consistency of cookware’s fundamental characteristics across different cultures stands out. While varying in decorative elements and specialised utensils for specific, local recipes, pots and pans serve the same essential functions worldwide. Whether in Japan or Scotland, these tools boil, stew, fry, and sear with uniformity, adapting only in shape, material, and size to local customs and kitchen settings. For example, woks, designed for open flame stoves in Chinese cuisine, offer distinct advantages for stir-frying with their rounded shapes and temperature control. Similarly, cast-iron pots suit Northern European slow-cooked stews, allowing cooks to multitask as meals simmer unattended.

“Roman ‘puls’ is the ancestor of nearly all of the civilised world’s traditional specialities”

The universal stew

Wet cooking was the watershed innovation that set apart the prehistoric hunter-gatherer from the civilised cook. It implied the use of water, a vessel to boil it in, and any ingredients that were at hand, such as cereals, vegetables, fats and, when available, meat and fish.
This combination, believe it or not, is in fact the recipe to almost any traditional dish in the Western world, and for that matter also of a good part of the rest of the planet.
The Romans called it “puls”, from the sound flour made when it was dropped into it to thicken it. Roman puls was of course exported to the rest of the Roman world, and adapted to local ingredients and tastes, so it might have become ‘Polenta’ in Northern Italy, after Corn was introduced from the Americas, of indeed Porridge in Great Britain, or French Cassoulet, Brasilian Feijoada…

The ennoblement of cuisine

For centuries, cooking and cooks were confined to the kitchen, and it wasn’t until the 19th century that they gained relative importance in society. The Congress of Vienna, where the future of post-Napoleon Europe was discussed, saw food and cooks take center stage in the proceedings, as if diplomacy had been left to cooks and pots. The well-known quote from Talleyrand in response to Louis XVIII, who attempted to give him instructions before his departure for Vienna, is emblematic of this evolution: ‘Sire, I need more pots than written instructions. Give me good cooks, and I will give you a good treaty.’ Antonin Carême, chef to Talleyrand, was possibly the first celebrity chef in history. He initiated a trend that never stopped and continues to the present day, with celebrity chefs sharing the public limelight with football players, movie stars, pop singers, and politicians.

Designers stir up the scene

Eugenio Medagliani, known internationally as “the humanist cauldroner”, was an artisan maker of bespoke pots and pans for the hospitality industry. Among his clients, avant-garde chefs and designers from the most iconic brands. In the second half of the 20th Century, design gave a push forward to the dormant world of pot-making, which hadn’t evolved much since the early codification of Scappi in the 15th Century. Apart from Papin’s invention of the pressure cooker, there hadn’t been much innovation either, except perhaps for non-stick coatings, still controversial to the present day, and the use of noble materials such as gold and silver. Pots certainly adapted to advances in technology, notably induction cooktops, that required iron-based bottoms, and microwaves, with an entire panoply of plastic cookware.
Medagliani experimented with shapes with a pragmatic, yet at the same time poetic, approach, taking into account the scientific principles behind the cooking process but also the need for an emotionally engaging result. For Gualtiero Marchesi, a three-starred Italian celebrity chef, he designed a “straight-spaghetti cooker”, and a“ pyramid shaper ” for one of Marchesi’s signature rice dishes.
He also collaborated with Bruno Munari, who, along with brother Francesco, founded FBM for the production of moulded plastic handles and accessories for pots. These were years of great ferment, and true innovation broke through in 1985 with Alessi’s Pasta Set, designed by Massimo Morozzi with technical assistance from Medagliani. Featuring an integrated strainer, this revolutionary design instantly became widely copied, transforming the way pasta is cooked worldwide. Alessi emerged as a true emblem of style in the field, collaborating extensively with world-acclaimed designers. It is worth mentioning Patricia Urquiola’s iconic Edo collection in this context.”
The rich history of pots and pans, and its evolution, provides us with a roadmap for future innovation. While reflecting on the timeless functionality of these humble kitchen essentials, we are prompted to explore new horizons in design, materials, and technology. The future holds untapped potential for reimagining these tools in ways that marry tradition with innovation. From integrating smart technology to enhancing sustainability, the possibilities are endless, embracing the challenge of reinventing pots and pans for the modern age, while honouring the timeless legacy of cooking that they represent.
“Before the ingredient, there’s the pot”

Eugenio Medagliani, the humanist cauldroner

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