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We've worked to reduce plastics & chemicals in our house. Some things we do: * We use silk dental floss (we use Radius) * We use glass storage containers inst
by rdli 3y ago
We've worked to reduce plastics & chemicals in our house. Some things we do:
* We use silk dental floss (we use Radius)
* We use glass storage containers instead of Tupperware
* For cooking, we use All-Clad.
* If a recipe calls for non-stick (e.g., pancakes) I use a braiser from Le Creuset, which works reasonably well.
(Edited: formatting)
- MarkMarine 3y agoSame here, additionally reducing plastic packaging in our food purchases has been a constant effort. Glass milk jugs, baby bottles, etc. It's probably only touching the margins, but we're trying.
- stephencanon 3y agoA plain cast-iron skillet works flawlessly for pancakes and crepes, FWIW.
- juujian 3y agoThinking about buying one. Would I be wrong in assuming it was just a matter of the order: (really) heat the pan, add the oil, and then whatever you need to cook?
- cptaj 3y agoIn my experience all non-stick strategies are a hoax, including teflon XD
- hedora 3y agoYou don't want to get it super hot (the oil/butter should not smoke). Medium heat is fine. They do take a long time to warm up to a uniform steady state temperature though (this is both an advantage and a disadvantage, since it means the temperature stays stable as you cook). For instance, when making pancakes, my first step is putting the griddle on the range. Next, I start making the batter. Of course, you can set the range to high and heat it up really fast, but then you end up risking overheating it.
- throwaway173738 3y agoCare is a big component as well. The real power of cast iron is that you can renew the coating when it wears off by re-seasoning the pan. Using a drying oil like flax, you coat the pan and heat the oil until it starts smoking, then wait for it to stop smoking. Repeat this process a couple of times and you have a durable non-stick surface again. If you ever have the surface roughen up you can also strip the old seasoning by covering it in oven cleaner and heating it to cleaning temperature. The easiest way to do this is to stick it in an oven on high. I’ve had the same frying pan for 10 years now and this is how I keep it non-stick.
- shrx 3y agoIt's kind of funny that heating up the oil to the point of smoking is considered a healthy alternative to teflon coated pans. When oil is heated up to the point of smoking it produces carcinogenic compounds.
- arrosenberg 3y agoNot significant. You aren't burning the oil or keeping it at high temp for a long time, you are just getting hot enough to smoke, then you cut the heat. That polymerizes the oil into a non-polar coating. Can't get non-stick without some kind of polymer that things don't stick to.
- zukzuk 3y agoComparing the misc acrylamide and other byproducts of seasoning a cast iron skillet to the PFAS and other byproducts of teflon production is nonsense. Yes, complex hydrocarbons are not good for you, but PFOAs and their ilk are really really really bad for you and the environment. It's like comparing spent nuclear rods with brazil nuts. Yes, both are radioactive, but there is zero equivalence.
- shrx 3y agoIf you don't scratch the surface the teflon coating is at least as safe as the cast iron.
- tobr 3y agoConsider butter instead of oil for pancakes. The water content of the butter boils between the pancake and the pan. The escaping water vapor pushes them apart, which helps prevent the pancake from sticking.
- hammock 3y agoI don’t use oil at all for pancakes. Just cook them in a dry pan. That’s the only way to get the perfect even golden brown
- sergiomattei 3y agoButter also adds awesome taste to them :)
- tastyfreeze 3y agoAnimal fats. Not vegetable oils. Vegetable oils polymerize to a sticky substance. Animal fats carbonize and protect the metal. Also using a metal spatula is a must in cast iron. The metal spatula keeps the surface smooth which enhances the non-stick property. Also wash after use and spread a little fat in it to prevent rusting. Don't scour. Just wash with soap and water.
- dotancohen 3y agoSo cast iron can not be used by vegetarians? I live with two vegetarians.
- tastyfreeze 3y agoYou can use vegetable oils but it will be difficult to clean. Deglazing doesn't work well on polymerized oil. Baking soda will dissolve the sticky goo.
- dotancohen 3y agoThank you.
- givemeethekeys 3y agoDon't overthink it. Look up America's Test Kitchen videos on cast iron pans. They probably have one to recommend the best one for the $$ and how to take care of it. I have an old school cast iron skillet and pot. I wish I'd watched videos because newer types of cast iron apparently has a smooth finish and is thinner and lighter. When new, I washed it with soap and water, dried it, added a nice and thin layer of olive oil all around wiped it with a kitchen towel to take off the excess, then baked it for half an hour. Let it cool. Repeated that once or twice. You can even just heat it on a stove top. Once I'm done cooking something, I rinse scrub and rinse with warm water to get all the food off and add a touch of oil. A little goes a long way. That's all, really. It isn't complicated or particularly laborious. It just weighs a fair bit - it'll take your hands a couple of weeks to get stronger and then you won't care.
- Miraste 3y agoCast-iron is a huge pain to maintain in my experience, but ceramic pans are a good non-carcinogenic alternative.
- modzu 3y agoonce cast iron is properly seasoned it maintains very well, and can last for generations! and they are dirt cheap to boot. but yes there is a little learning curve. they are heavy, so use two hands when handling. it must be seasoned (many come preseasoned) and never put it in a dishwasher for example -- but when properly seasoned the nonstick properties are so effective food just rinses off. i encourage everyone who cooks to try one!
- coffeebeqn 3y agoI also got a high carbon steel pan which is not as thick and heavy but has all the other properties of cast iron. I had a few “ceramic” pans but inevitably they become scratched (and useless) after a year or two in everyday use
- stephencanon 3y agoIf you don’t mind the rather extreme cost, the Sanjo Special Cast pans are delightful. Cast iron, but about the weight of a “normal” pan.
- omnicognate 3y agoCast iron skillets just take a bit of getting used and are then zero maintenance and last for ever. The problems people have with them are usually due to trying to season them and doing it so badly (due to abundant online misinformation) they'd have been better off not doing it at all.
- basisword 3y agoHow would you suggest seasoning and maintaining cast iron?
- tmaly 3y agoblue steel is good for crepes
- kbos87 3y agoI switched to carbon steel a few years ago. There's a definite learning curve when it comes to getting them seasoned properly and a lot of people give up. But once they are seasoned, nothing sticks to them, and they need almost no maintenance. I'm never giving them up!
- coffeebeqn 3y agoThe great thing about them is that if you really mess them up you can just sand them down and re-season
- anamexis 3y agoThey're not cheap, but Scanpan makes great non-stick pans. PFAS-free, dishwashable, metal utensil safe. https://www.scanpan.com/haptiq-8-inch-fry-pan-40141-configurable+size-8 https://www.scanpan.com/haptiq-8-inch-fry-pan-40141-configur...
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- notatoad 3y agoA great alternative to a non-stick pan is a stainless steel pan with a sheet of parchment paper in it
- thaumasiotes 3y ago> If a recipe calls for non-stick (e.g., pancakes) My dad has made pancakes for my entire life without ever using, or owning, a non-stick pan.
- AnonCoward42 3y agoHonest question: Why do you try to replace Tupperware? Plastic has a bad reputation because of its longevity, but that also makes it a good material for containers. That - in turn - makes it bad for throwaway packaging of course. I might have missed something, that's why I ask.
- rdli 3y agoThere's definite leaching of plastic compounds into food, which gets exacerbated when heated. My concern is the number of unknown unknowns. BPA became a big part of the consciousness a few years ago, and now it's PFAs, but what else? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/18/are-plastic-containers-safe-to-use-food-experts https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/18/are-plastic-... My general view is that glass is super-durable, microwave-safe (I would never microwave Tupperware), and the cost tradeoff is minor, so it seems worthwhile. That said, if I order takeout and it comes in a plastic container that's hot ... I still eat it :).
- AnonCoward42 3y ago> There's definite leaching of plastic compounds into food, which gets exacerbated when heated. My concern is the number of unknown unknowns. BPA became a big part of the consciousness a few years ago, and now it's PFAs, but what else? PFAS and BPA are not used for (multi-use) food containers I think. Don't get me wrong! Avoiding throwaway packaging, where possible, absolutely makes sense. I specifically mean to find the culprit with Tupperware (or multi-use plastic food containers in general). > My general view is that glass is super-durable, microwave-safe (I would never microwave Tupperware), and the cost tradeoff is minor, so it seems worthwhile. Glass breaks faster than plastic containers (usually). I still use glass containers, but I am always aware that they break relatively easily. Regarding microwave-use I am with you. Not a fan of microwaving plastic, even if it is safe for many plastic materials (the term plastic is vague I admit).
- phil21 3y ago> Glass breaks faster than plastic containers (usually). I still use glass containers, but I am always aware that they break relatively easily. I have maybe 60-70 or so glass food containers that get very regular use from being used for leftovers, to being put in the deep freezer for 6mo and then warmed up. We handle at least half a dozen of these a day on average from filling/cleaning/removing portions and putting back into the fridge. I've broken dozens of the plastic lids for them. I can't remember a single case (although I'm sure it's happened) of breaking a glass container in the past decade. They have survived more than a few rather large drops. These are the Pyrex brand glassware with the new glass that is more drop but less heat shock resistant. Luckily Snapware also sells lids, since the glass containers far outlast the plastic lids and we end up replacing 3-4 of those a year as wear items. That doesn't bother me much since very little food gets in contact with them. I expect my Snapware/Pyrex food storage sets to largely outlast my lifetime, but without lids to match once they stop manufacturing them.