3 ms·

somewhat (un)related, is there any particularly interesting alternative to cast iron and ceramic as alternative to non stick pans that isn't a new kind of chemi

somewhat (un)related, is there any particularly interesting alternative to cast iron and ceramic as alternative to non stick pans that isn't a new kind of chemical where we don't know if it is as toxic as Teflon?

hedora 5y ago
Why are you looking for an alternative? I don't have much experience with ceramic, but most people that dislike cast iron are using it wrong: 1) put all non cast iron frying pans, skillets, etc in storage, and make the cast iron the default (so the cast iron is used at least every few months and the patina is maintained over time). 2) put a small amount of oil in the pan each time you cook (unless the food is fatty, like ground beef) 3) to clean, scrape with a small rectangular plastic scraper (such as the brown one pampered chef makes for $3), and finish with a stainless steel pot scrubber. Do not use soap. Use hot water and dry immediately (perhaps by heating it briefly on the range and storing it there). Optionally recoat with oil once dry. This should be easier than maintaining Teflon, or you are doing something wrong. Look for more advice. If you've ruined the seasoning already (or got a "ruined" one for free, hint, hint,...), give it a thorough cleaning, coat in a very thin layer of cheap oil (canola/vegetable is fine, exotic oils often have exotic problems, like flaking) and bake for a few hours at 20-50 degrees below the smoke point of the oil you chose. When cooking, the first step should always be to start preheating the cast iron. If you still really dislike cast iron, consider stainless, optionally with a copper core. You might want a stainless sauce pan anyway, since simmering tomatos in cast iron strips the seasoning over time. Stainless is harder to clean, but is otherwise fine. Make sure the stainless is induction compatible, since a mid-priced stainless set will outlive you (be sure to get metal handles with solid rivets). Induction is the future, and you don't want to toss the set in a few decades.
- wgd 5y ago
  > Do not use soap Using modern dish soap on cast iron is entirely fine, the detergents used are much softer than the sorts of lye-based soap that this advice stems from, and will not remove the baked-on (polymerized) seasoning. (It will slightly slow down the rate of seasoning accumulation by removing the thin layer of unpolymerized oil, but this can be fixed by just wiping on a thin coat of oil after washing and drying the pan. I usually don't even bother doing that much though.) In general I think that most guidance for using cast iron is overly cautious and makes it sound like more of a hassle than it needs to be. At the end of the day it's a large hunk of metal, and there's very little you can do in the kitchen that will permanently mess it up. edit: One piece of advice I do have: don't use a plastic spatula, they're a suboptimal choice people are forced into by easily-damaged cookware. Since that's not a concern with cast iron, you should get a thin metal spatula (example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015R7P6O https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015R7P6O). The tip will always be exceedingly thin and never deform/melt/get torn up like a plastic spatula, and as a bonus it doubles as a very effective scraper for easy cleanup.
  - dymk 5y ago
    It's also very easy to re-season a cast iron pan if you do happen to screw it up somehow (and like you said, it's difficult to really screw it up in the first place). Oil the pan and stick it in the oven on 450 for a few hours. Re-patina'd!
  - hedora 5y ago
    Agreed. Metal spatulas are great. I've found that dawn is a sufficiently good degreaser to force me to reseason every few years. That's not acceptable to me. (Yes, I'm that lazy.) Plus, the Dawn doesn't really help vs. the pot scrubber.

hedora 5y ago

Why are you looking for an alternative? I don't have much experience with ceramic, but most people that dislike cast iron are using it wrong: 1) put all non cast iron frying pans, skillets, etc in storage, and make the cast iron the default (so the cast iron is used at least every few months and the patina is maintained over time). 2) put a small amount of oil in the pan each time you cook (unless the food is fatty, like ground beef) 3) to clean, scrape with a small rectangular plastic scraper (such as the brown one pampered chef makes for $3), and finish with a stainless steel pot scrubber. Do not use soap. Use hot water and dry immediately (perhaps by heating it briefly on the range and storing it there). Optionally recoat with oil once dry. This should be easier than maintaining Teflon, or you are doing something wrong. Look for more advice. If you've ruined the seasoning already (or got a "ruined" one for free, hint, hint,...), give it a thorough cleaning, coat in a very thin layer of cheap oil (canola/vegetable is fine, exotic oils often have exotic problems, like flaking) and bake for a few hours at 20-50 degrees below the smoke point of the oil you chose. When cooking, the first step should always be to start preheating the cast iron. If you still really dislike cast iron, consider stainless, optionally with a copper core. You might want a stainless sauce pan anyway, since simmering tomatos in cast iron strips the seasoning over time. Stainless is harder to clean, but is otherwise fine. Make sure the stainless is induction compatible, since a mid-priced stainless set will outlive you (be sure to get metal handles with solid rivets). Induction is the future, and you don't want to toss the set in a few decades.

wgd 5y ago
> Do not use soap Using modern dish soap on cast iron is entirely fine, the detergents used are much softer than the sorts of lye-based soap that this advice stems from, and will not remove the baked-on (polymerized) seasoning. (It will slightly slow down the rate of seasoning accumulation by removing the thin layer of unpolymerized oil, but this can be fixed by just wiping on a thin coat of oil after washing and drying the pan. I usually don't even bother doing that much though.) In general I think that most guidance for using cast iron is overly cautious and makes it sound like more of a hassle than it needs to be. At the end of the day it's a large hunk of metal, and there's very little you can do in the kitchen that will permanently mess it up. edit: One piece of advice I do have: don't use a plastic spatula, they're a suboptimal choice people are forced into by easily-damaged cookware. Since that's not a concern with cast iron, you should get a thin metal spatula (example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015R7P6O https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015R7P6O). The tip will always be exceedingly thin and never deform/melt/get torn up like a plastic spatula, and as a bonus it doubles as a very effective scraper for easy cleanup.
- dymk 5y ago
  It's also very easy to re-season a cast iron pan if you do happen to screw it up somehow (and like you said, it's difficult to really screw it up in the first place). Oil the pan and stick it in the oven on 450 for a few hours. Re-patina'd!
- hedora 5y ago
  Agreed. Metal spatulas are great. I've found that dawn is a sufficiently good degreaser to force me to reseason every few years. That's not acceptable to me. (Yes, I'm that lazy.) Plus, the Dawn doesn't really help vs. the pot scrubber.