This month, Virginia Willis, the food stylist for "The Main Ingredient, " shares some tips about the implements in your kitchen without which no meal is complete!

In the same spirit as the award-winning actress who gratefully acknowledges the behind-the-scenes personnel, a good cook is aware of all the ingredients and implements that play a part in the production of her masterful meal. The pots and pans that ornament my kitchen have particular qualities that assist me in the preparation of my favorite dishes.

Cast iron

I like to use my grandmother's cast-iron skillets, beautiful gems that are slick and ebony from decades of use and proper care.

Benefits: Very efficient in absorbing, conducting and retaining heat.It's good for pan-frying or sauteing meats, onions and vegetables.

Types include:

Regular "traditional" black cast iron and coated cast iron (see below). Tips: Requires "seasoning, " or smoothing out the pan's surface to prevent food from sticking. My nonstick surface suggestion: coat pan very well in vegetable oil, then bake it in a hot oven (350 degrees) for one to two hours. The best way to clean pans is to wipe them out with a soft cloth or paper towel; then, if necessary, buff lightly with a nylon pad. Use soap and water only in difficult cases. It's absolutely imperative to thoroughly dry a wet cast-iron skillet to prevent rust. To do so, leave pan in a low oven (200 degrees) until completely dry.

Price: Very affordable. Available not only in cookware stores but in good hardware stores as well.

Coated cast iron

This type features all the benefits of regular cast iron, and is a bit easier to care for.

Tips: The heavy bottom prevents food from scorching and the cookware holds up very well to both high-heat and long, slow, low-heat cooking.

Price: Expensive, but an investment you'll have for the rest of your life: The popular brand Le Creuset guarantees its pans for 101 years! The classic six-piece set is about $300. A single piece, such as the five-and-a-half-quart round French oven, is about $200.

Lightweight aluminum

When cooking stock or pasta, I use a lightweight aluminum pot.

Benefits: Very good heat conductor.

Drawbacks: Aluminum reacts to acidic or alkaline foods. When making light-colored sauces, I find that the gray metal sometimes discolors the liquid. In these cases, I opt for my anodized aluminum cookware instead.

Tips: Lighter-grade aluminum cookware is great for quickly heating up water to blanch vegetables.

Price: Moderately priced; available in several different gauges.

Anodized aluminum (Calphalon)

My Calphalon cookware is a heavy-gauge aluminum that's anodized and has a charcoal finish.

Benefits: It conducts heat well and doesn't discolor food the way other aluminum pans do.

Price: A seven-piece set will run you about $260 and a single piece, like a five-quart saute pan, is about $150.

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