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I've never understood the gravity of Teflon pans. I can never seem to keep them non-stick, whether it be because of using too high of heat or somehow scratch th
by thezilch 11y ago
I've never understood the gravity of Teflon pans. I can never seem to keep them non-stick, whether it be because of using too high of heat or somehow scratch the damn thing.
So, I got cast irons. It's trivial to keep them seasoned and thus non-stick, and they can take the beating of very high heat -- searing meats -- and any metal utensils or rough substances.
- sanoli 11y agoHow do you keep them seasoned? I tried a couple of times, but couldn't get it right. Could you give me some tips?
- manachar 11y agoCook with oil and real fats. Avoid soap. If you're having issues consider getting the pre-seasoned from Lodge. It's a few buck more and they've already got a dang fine seasoning backed on. Here's a decent article on seasoning: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-way-to-season-cast-iron http://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5820-the-ultimate-wa...
- blevs 11y agoSerious Eats has a very comprehensive guide [1]. The short version is rub lightly with canola oil, put in hot oven for about 30 minutes. Take it out and oil again. Repeat 3-5 times. The only thing you need to avoid while cooking is overly acidic foods. If you try to make a tomato sauce in it you will see the seasoning flake off. That's not good, but is very easily fixed by repeating the above steps. To clean it, scour the plan with kosher salt and a paper towel. Once clean, coat lightly in canola oil. [1]: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/how-to-buy-season-clean-maintain-cast-iron-pans.html http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/how-to-buy-season-clean-m...
- LukeB_UK 11y agoOnce it's seasoned well, it doesn't seem to flake. I've done tomato based sauces in my cast iron a few times and the seasoning hasn't flaked.
- panglott 11y agoTomato sauces weaken the non-stick seasoning on my main cast-iron skillet, but frying bacon in it once a week repairs any damage. My best-seasoned skillet is the one I only use for cornbread, fried eggs, and grilled cheese, since I only cook with oil there. A good seasoning is something you build up over time: when you first season a grey skillet, it looks unusable for a time, but keep cooking oily foods in it and it will blacken up. The nice thing is that since it's metal, you can use metal utensils. And if something is badly burned on enough that normal soaking and scouring won't remove it, you can scrape it out with metal tools.
- spathi_fwiffo 11y agoFor acidic things, buy an enameled cast iron. Those things are also great. They need no seasoning, but are a bit more delicate (you don't want the enamel to chip or crack).
- simoncion 11y agoI grew up with traditional CI cookware. I know how to season it and how to wash it. The roommate recently purchased an enameled cast iron skillet. The use and care guide was pretty poorly written. So, a couple of stupid questions on the topic follow: * The coating inside the pan is enamel, and doesn't need maintenance? * One needs to not use metal utensils (or steel wool) in order to not damage the coating? * One can wash the damn thing with soap and water without harming the coating? Thanks in advance. :D
- kaitai 11y agoAs I understand it, * no maintenance for inside * don't use steel wool. With a stubborn stain I use a little baking soda, which some folks say is ok and others forbid. I use metal utensils despite being told not to. I use them gently and accept a few scratches; I try to avoid cutting things in the pan. I also wear contacts while swimming because I'm that kind of rebel. Meh. * Soap + water = great :)
- spathi_fwiffo 11y agoIn addition, a lot of enamel will just stain after some time, which is normal; This is why some of the vendors are just going with black enamel these days, instead of the long-used white. I haven't tried baking soda to clear up the stains on mine, I'll have to give it a shot. Also, if the enamel cracks inside the cooking area of the pan, you may want to throw out the pan; it may expose your food to contact with toxins used in adhering the enamel.
- maxerickson 11y agoI'd be more worried about eating chips of (sharp, hard) enamel than any toxins - the firing process is not going to leave much other than the ceramic behind.
- bradgessler 11y agoBuy a chainmail cleaner: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ringer-Cleaner-Stainless-Chainmail/dp/B00FKBR1ZG http://www.amazon.com/The-Ringer-Cleaner-Stainless-Chainmail... For $18 it will change your cast iron life. The idea is that after you cook, you scrub all the stuff that gets stuck to the bottom with the chainmail and some water, then wipe it off with a paper towel. You'll never have to use soap again.
- morsch 11y agoIs this that much different from a brillo pad (aka metal sponge)? That's what I use on my steel and iron cookware. They're like 2 EUR for a 4-pack; each sponge lasts for a very long time.
- tired_man 11y agoWell, yes. It's chain mail. Really. Brillo's are just steel wool. You could wear that and safely expect it to stop a stab wound from a knife.
- esaym 11y agoI was (am) new to CI, I bought the ringer because it seemed like steel wool would scratch the season off (vs 'the ringer'), but then again, I never tried steel wool, so don't know.
- bradgessler 11y agoYep! Very different. Chainmail is stainless steel, so it doesn't rust. Its also much more coarse than steel wool. Brillo pads have soap, which you don't want because it takes the grease (read: seasoning) off the pan. They also rust quickly when you leave them out, which can discolor things.
- CodeWriter23 11y agoWe use bacon fat or avocado oil. For cleaning, we use a Lodge plastic scraper if needed. And we never use soap. We wash our cast iron with about 2TBSP of kosher salt. Just dry on the pan, maybe a few drops of water, rub with a paper towel. Removes all the food debris while protecting the seasoning. Rinse the salt out with some water then dry or deglaze immediately.
- wiz21c 11y agoI doubt that. I do more or less as you do but, after that process, if I take a clean towel and rub it against the "clean" surface, it invariably comes back with a distinct brown color. That brown color doesn't look like "clean" to me, it's more like burnt oil... I'd expect my towel to be 100% clean if that "seasoning" was working as advertised...
- hussong 11y agoYou can think of the brown color as a feature, not a bug. Yes, it is effectively burnt oil and you probably shouldn't eat too much of it, but it will give steaks for instance a great crust and I think it adds a bit of flavor as well.
- geon 11y ago> And we never use soap. In theory, soap shouldn't be a problem. The non-stick coating is polymerized oil bonded to the metal. It's not soluble by soap. But there are conflicting opinions.
- hussong 11y agoI'd recommend the following: 1. Scrub thoroughly using only hot water and a stainless steel pot cleaner -- this should give you a clean start 2. Make fried potatoes using lots of oil, fry potatos until black (throw them away, obviously) -- this should help soak the somewhat porous surface with oil 3. Apply a thin coating of oil and bring to immense heat -- this will create a solid surface 4. After every use, clean gently using only and old towel (or hot water and pot cleaner, if needed) and always rub some oil on it when dry -- this will give you a good start for the next heat-up Please note that 3. will result in quite a bit of smoke from the burning oil, so you may want to do this on the grill outside your house.
- fluidcruft 11y agoYikes. What makes you think this results in fewer carcinogens on your pan's surface than teflon?
- simoncion 11y agoThe cleaning step. Steps one through three are what is called "seasoning" the pan. It's a process that often makes a bunch of smoke. Ideally, you only ever have to do that once. Cooking on cast iron doesn't produce a smoky mess.
- fluidcruft 11y agoIf "seasoning" the pan achieves anything at all, doesn't it necessarily have to result in some sort of coating of the pan's surface?
- simoncion 11y agoYes. Seasoning leaves a baked-on coating of oil/fat. That doesn't mean that the coating is carcinogenic. IIRC (and I might not RC, I'm no food chemist) the coating is polymerized oil/fat and completely harmless.
- 11y ago
- pyre 11y agohttp://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/ http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-te...
- esaym 11y agoYes this is a good read. After reading that last year I bought a griswold #8 from ebay for $50. Stripped it with lye oven cleaner over a few days, and then seasoned it like above. I stopped 'washing' the pan with soap as I found chiseling any stuck on stuff with a metal spatula, followed by using "The Ringer" under hot water to be quickest and easiest. After that, I dry with a paper towel and spray with Pam (read somewhere that the oil in pam (canola?) was a good 'drying' oil). It is also good to bake stuff in the pan, pizza, pies, cornbread,ect. The extra heat will also help re-season. I have been super impressed by the pan after a year.
- torrent-of-ions 11y agoJust use it. I only use saturated fats in mine (mostly lard and butter) and I use metal utensiles which helps to keep it smooth. I avoid vegetable oils because I find that they go sticky (they're also not as good for you to cook with as animal fat).
- robbiep 11y agoWhy do metal utensils not scratch it?
- fluidcruft 11y agoI think what was meant (and that I can anecdotally confirm) is that metal utensils do a much better job of stopping what I will call "gunk film overgrowth" during cooking.
- knodi123 11y agoIt's not that metal can't scratch it; it's that NON-stick surfaces are highly vulnerable to being scratched by metal, whereas cast iron is much, much less so, and scratches can heal as long as you cook with more oil.
- esaym 11y agoIron is a harder metal than 'steel'.
- elektromekatron 11y agoNot true. Steel is about 5.5 - 6.3 and Iron is around 4.5 on Moh's Hardness Scale. Higher numbers are harder.
- elektromekatron 11y agoThey do scratch it, that's why they keep it smooth, but the iron is not a coating and is non-toxic, so it doesn't matter about wear.
- _delirium 11y agoWhile teflon pans are the most famous household use of teflon, they don't appear to be a significant route for these compounds getting into human bodies [1]. The main route is environmental contamination of crops and sources of drinking water, not contamination during cooking or household storage. The main sources of the environmental contamination seem to be industrial discharges, and the use of firefighting foams that contain PFOA/PFOS. [1] See the paper linked in another comment, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10046612 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10046612
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- InclinedPlane 11y agoFor casual home cooks I'd recommend hard anodized aluminum. It's an excellent non-stick surface, easily hand washable, non-toxic, fairly durable, and low cost. Really as long as you aren't constantly gouging it with metal things then it'll hold up for years and years. Cast iron is great too though, don't get me wrong.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- aembleton 11y agoI bought this set: http://www.costco.com/Circulon%C2%AE-Premier-Professional-Hard-Anodized-Nonstick-13-Piece-Cookware-Set.product.100104723.html http://www.costco.com/Circulon%C2%AE-Premier-Professional-Ha... Not only does the hard anodized surface work well, the lids have small holes where the spout of the pan is so that you don't need to use a colander.
- outdooricon 11y agohttp://www.yourcookwarehelper.com/cookware-college/healthy-cookware-safe-cookware/is-anodized-aluminum-cookware-considered-safe-cookware/ http://www.yourcookwarehelper.com/cookware-college/healthy-c...
- mtgx 11y agoWhat about ceramic pans?
- lingben 11y agoceramic is a great option, as long as you take care of it (don't scrub with abrasive, etc.) I switched recently to ceramic pans and I love the look and feel, silky smooth and glossy white surface!
- imglorp 11y agoIs that wise? Al cookware has questionable safety. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Health_concerns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Health_concerns These guys recommend stainless or cast Fe. http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=92 http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=92
- Geee 11y agoTeflon pan should never be heated without oil or something else on it. Heating it empty will vaporize the Teflon, which could be toxic when breathed. Also, use only plastic utensils when cooking so you won't scratch it.
- hussong 11y agoGotta love the cast irons, inherited one that's about 50 years old, took me a while to season it properly, but now it's working like a charm. When you take good care of them, they will last for several generations.
- randallsquared 11y agoTeflon pans are cheap, and you don't have to care for them at all. Just throw it in the dishwasher and after a year or so get a new one. Having said that, I'm really liking the two nonstick ceramic pans I bought a few months ago, and I'm not sure if I'll need to toss them next year, yet.
- VLM 11y ago"Teflon pans are cheap ... after a year or so get a new one." Really? "Real" nonstick pans (not walmart) sell for something like $40 to $100+ a piece, but cast iron (Lodge Inc, etc) sells for something like $20. So CI works better, last forever, is cheaper, and its less toxic. Its true that you can buy a pan shaped object from walmart for $5 that doesn't really work, but in all fairness the CI equivalent is the "free to a good home" pile of CI at an estate sale, so CI is still cheaper. I will say there is one, exactly one use for teflon pans and thats burned cheese or burned eggs. Just something about it chemically that makes it stick to cast iron. Yet meats don't stick, very strange.
- ceejayoz 11y agoI've had two of the Lodge cast iron pans crack completely, and being able to dishwash the nonstick pans saves me a lot of time.
- azinman2 11y agoCrack? Like fall apart? What are you doing man?! It's freaking iron!!!! I'm using my great-great grandmothers pan all the time and it's amazing despite being from the 1800's
- ectoplasm 11y agoThere are many reasons why a cast iron skillet inexplicably cracks. Poor quality control in manufacturing, natural crystalline formation defects, excessive impacts in handling, extreme thermal stresses, etc. Cast iron, being a non-ductile material, in the daily thermal cycling of cooking, any minute microscopic fissure will start to propagate through a process known as metal fatigue, and eventually fail catastrophically. To some degree, cast iron can be annealed or hardened, depending on your cooking habits. Something I do which I would not recommend to anyone else: I buy cheap cast iron cookware, heat it up red hot and pour cold water in it. If it didn't crack, them I heat it up again in an oven and let it cool down as slowly as possible to anneal any internal stress. In any case, if the skillet is of great value to you, there are places that actually can repair it for you. As a last tip, stop practicing skillet abuse and trying to be an iron chef. :-)
- tired_man 11y agoI'd bet the issue is that you did not season the teflon pans (yeah, just about the same way as a cast iron pan...) and that you regularly use the pans at a very high heat which isn't exactly a teflon pan's forte. Teflon doesn't like high heat or rapid temp changes. Here's a really good article on use and care from Fine Foods Mag: http://www.finecooking.com/articles/the-science-of-nonstick-cookware.aspx?pg=0 http://www.finecooking.com/articles/the-science-of-nonstick-...
- hodwik 11y agoOff topic, but did you know the word "forte" in that context is pronounced "fort" not "for-tay"? I just learned that recently.
- e12e 11y agoI think you have that backwards -- it would appear it's pronounced ˈfȯrt when used as a technical term of the the strong part of a sword hilt -- but not here, as it is used as a reference to a certain tools strong use-case? http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forte http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forte
- gjm11 11y agoThe OED gives the bisyllabic pronunciation for all meanings, with a note saying that the monosyllabic pronunciation used to be used.
- nkozyra 11y agoBoth pronunciations are now standard.[1] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/forte https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/forte The pronunciation for the Italian word for strong/strength is "for-tay"
- tired_man 11y agoI wouldn't say its a standard. It's more that those who do pronounce it correctly can't be bothered correcting a sea of semi-literates any longer. Dictionaries are no longer the bastion of language they once were as they now stuff in new faddish words at the drop of a hat. Too bad they don't also have a removal process to remove them once they've had their few years of trendiness and are forgotten.
- leni536 11y agoI have a 7 year old Tefal pan, I mostly used it in a dorm. I often lent it to my dormmates and even they couldn't destroy the coating.
- batbomb 11y agoWhen you want something even more practical and nicer, step up to a Matfer or De Buyer carbon steel pan.
- maskull 11y agoAmerica's Test Kitchen had a nice roundup review of these the other day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suTmUX4Vbk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suTmUX4Vbk They also have some tips for seasoning them.
- venomsnake 11y agoThey can't ... I have managed to burn off the seasoning on regular infrared electric stovetop.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- elchief 11y agoCast Iron + Lots of Butter = Teflon
- Sammi 11y agoDon't let soap and teflon touch. That's one of my rules. Wash with hot water and not too hard scrubbing. This and the heat from cooking take care of hygiene. My cheap ass Ikea teflon pan has lasted years in good condition. Also no metal utensils and don't heat it up like crazy especially without anything on it. Easy rules.