Describe an item in your kitchen that you often use

The kitchen item I use most is a large cast iron pot, a kazan, which my family uses for cooking plov and other traditional dishes. We have had it for about fifteen years, and it was a gift from my father's cousin, who is a professional cook.

It's a heavy, round, black pot with two handles, about forty centimetres wide. It is so heavy that I have to hold it with both hands when I lift it. It is not used every day, but I would say we use it about once a week, usually at the weekend when the whole family is at home. My father generally does the cooking when we make plov, and I help him cut the carrots and onions. We heat the oil until it's almost smoking, put in the meat and vegetables, add rice and water, and leave it to cook slowly. The smell fills the whole flat, and everyone starts walking around the kitchen asking when it will be ready.

I like using it for a few reasons. The first is that it heats evenly and holds the heat for a long time, so food cooks perfectly and stays warm for hours. Honestly, plov tastes different when it is made in a kazan than in a regular saucepan. The second reason is that it's a family tradition. Cooking in it brings us together, and I learn from my father, who says he learned from his own father. Finally, it's incredibly durable. With proper care, it will last for generations, and I hope to inherit it one day.