Joe, we need to discuss your heavy reliance on fluoropolymers during culinary endeavors.

I'd like to introduce you to my friend Carbon Steel. You might remember him from such cooking accessories as incredibly durable and sharp knives.

I have this in 11":

When well seasoned, a little bit of oily fat makes it as slick as any nonstick pan you've got. Plus you can heat the f$%^ out of it and get a really solid sear. It also makes fantastic omelets.

They're pretty cheap and should last through the eventual zombie clobbering you'll use it for.

Silicone handle cover is a good idea.

If you really nail the seasoning, you can achieve that JDM civic rainbow exhaust look. Pretty neat.

I didn't quite:


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...27057a6c3d.png

Ok that picture answers a question i had, which was "Do Carbon Steel pans work well on horrible electric stoves (i have an early glass top. it infuriates me)?"

But raises another. I have these:


Or a similar set at least. Same SS finish.

I find it IMPOSSIBLE to cook on. Literally everything sticks to it. Never seen anything like it. I've essentially given up on using the pans, i just use the pots for soups/chili/stews now. The pans i use once in a blue moon to put a heavy sear on something then pop straight into the oven. Clean up is the most horrendous experience.

Am i doing something wrong? Or is this just garbage.

I've always wanted carbon steel stuff, but always thought that a gas range was almost necessary.

^The house I just bought has a new glass top and it works much better than the Bosch in my old apartment from a few years ago.

However, I don't wan to use my cast iron on it. Are there any high quality cast iron pans with a smooth bottom?

I don't hate glass tops in general. This one is just ancient and the knobs don't seem to have any correlation to what is actually happening on the range.

Stainless steel pots dont usually get seasoned. Not even sure it would do anything or work the same way.

Carbon steel is much more like cast iron than stainless. It will rust and it is porous.


The newer Lodge pans are relatively smooth, but they're still iron. My carbon pan has no features on the bottom. Just smooth metal like the inside.

Le Creu$et makes an enameled cast iron pan. Cha ching though.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0ab77da8cd.png

Yeah i found out that they don't get seasoned prior to trying them. I just can't get anything to NOT stick to them. It's absurd. You name it, it gets stuck. I'm about to just throw them out.

do you use oil? like high heat capable oil? Do you cook over really high heat? On my stove, the high end of medium is usually enough to make things brown. I only use higher when I'm starting with either cold ingredients or lots of thermal mass.

And of course if you want an easy way to clean your pans, dump a cup of water in and let it boil to remove the gunk (aka deglazing). Scrape lightly with a bamboo or wooden spatula. Leaves a lot less for soap to remove.

Yeah, I knew about Le Creuset, and I don't mind spending the money on nice hardware. Most of the time we cook most meals at the house. Was curious about how sturdy the enamel coating is.


It's not like my ex-wife when we were going out for dinner usually went out for 3 dinners, 1 lunch, and 1 brunch.

Doesn't matter what oil or what temp i'm cooking at. It sticks.

If they were fun or nice to cook with, i wouldn't care so much about cleanup. But these things make it impossible to cook anything that isn't a sauce/in a sauce. 100% impossible to sautee meat. Low heat, olive oil, any veggie you can think of fuses to the pan.

Maybe it's something that i'm doing, but i also have ceramic pans that can handle high heat in oven that don't have these problems, so i'm struggling to find a point to these stupid things.

We just got a Lodge 12" iron frying pan. Made in Tennessee and not China. Very good quality. No bad chemicals. $17 at Target.

I've had this cookware set since I was in college. It was literally the cheapest thing they had at K-Mart in the mid 90s, and it serves me well. Honestly, outgassing from Teflon is only a problem if you have birds in the house and abuse it with extreme temperatures.

I do have a ceramic-coated skillet, but I find that it is far less non-sticky than the cheap stuff. As in, I actually have to use the power drill with a scotchbrite pad and baking soda to clean it. The one thing I do like about it is the metal handle, and I use it in the oven often.

I have also used a stainless pan, and my experience was similar to concealer404's; it was difficult to keep things from sticking to it. I tried several different oils, and was just never really satisfied with its performance.


The whole cast-iron thing continues to tempt me, but again I go back to the fact that what I have now works, and new gear isn't going to make me a better chef.

^I have some fancy set of non-stick pans, with rubber handles that are oven safe to 500°, and I use them that way in the new house since I've been hesistant to use the cast iron.

I like the idea of using iron because of the lack of Teflon particles being added to my food as well as other chemicals we know little about. I also really like the fact that it's a little thicker and heavier and therefore distributes heat more evenly across its surface.

We don't use any non-stick stovetop cookware. Only stainless steel or cast iron. Care for cast iron is a bit of a pain, especially when you are frying something, but not too terrible. Teflon works great, but health concerns are there. Ceramic kinda works, but not nearly as well as teflon. I've been using my grill a lot more lately too.

Just did an experiment a week ago with a set of stakes - which taste better, from cast iron skillet or form the grill. Grill won

Solution: do not use metal / ceramic / stone utensils in pans coated with Teflon. Use wood, plastic, or silicone.




Decided to, like, simplify, man.



https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f242775488.png


Pre-shredded zucchini / squash / carrot blend. Very little carrot, which worked well. If I had a spiralizer, I'd do it myself.

(wait one... buying a spiralizer).


Ok, one avocado. Some minced garlic. A bunch of fresh cilantro. Grape tomatoes. Lemon juice. Salt & peppa. Olive oil not shown.


Sixteenth the avocado, and into the food processor. Add about 1/3 of the bunch of cilantro, 3-4 cloves garlic, 2 tbs lemon juice, 1.5 tbs olive oil. Blend.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...33626ee328.png

Traditionally, I abohor overly-processed avocado, but we're making a sauce here, not guacamole. We want it smoooooooooth and creamy. I added a bit of water as I went along to thin it out. Season to taste with salt & pepper. I used very little of either.


Now, the shredded veg goes into a medium-hot skillet with some olive oil. I used about 1/3 of the package (22 oz to start) for one batch. Simmer it 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently. We're just softening 'em up a tad here.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3e1147d716.png


Remove from the flame and let cool for a minute or two. Add the avocado sauce and the tomatoes:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c709009122.png



Plate and serve.

It was rich and yummy. Can't think of anything I'd change. I wound up with a tad more avocado sauce than I needed, so it's in the fridge.

Cast iron is my jam. If you don't like the as cast surface of newer stuff, a little work with some power tools can smooth that right out. I've sanded down three Lodge pans inside and out, and the result is always great. It does take some time to get properly seasoned again though.

Teflon pans aren't terrible for health. The chemicals they're made with are, but we don't eat those. A little flake of cured teflon isn't going to harm you either. That's not my issue with them. I actually just bought a new Ikea teflon pan yesterday. Primary vessel for scrambled eggs.

What I prefer the carbon steel, cast iron, and sometimes stainless pans for is fond and browning. I want that shit to stick and turn crusty. It doesn't always do it as well in the teflon.

And I wouldn't sear anything in teflon pans.

The hassle with cast iron and carbon steel is largely overplayed. Rinse with hot water, scrub with your chosen scrubber (I like the bamboo whisk style shown below more than the chainmail thing) and rinse again. Let dry on the stove. heat not required.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...695b9596df.png
https://www.wokshop.com/newstore/pro...leaning-whisk/ (3 bucks each)

Correction, they aren't teflon, they are hard anodized.

Analon is the brand.

I never have an issue getting a sear on something, although cast iron is definitely better.

I think i have a pan or two made by them, as well.

Ceramics have come a long way. I have a couple by Greenpan that i like, and are kinda my go to at this point, since i can't figure out how to use the stainless junk. The real high heat tolerant Greenpan Ceramic pan isn't as.... non-stick as the others, but it will handle oven roasting and a hard sear just fine. Clean up is still a joy compared to the stainless stuff.

Stainless works great if you know the right uses and temperatures. For example i make perfect sunny side up eggs on stainless and the eggs don't stick and come out as easy as if it was teflon. Key is a bit of butter and keeping temperature low enough not to burn the egg white, but cook it gently. It also helps me crisp pen fried sliced potatoes that I make with onions. Once crisp (medium high) metal spatula lifts crispy golden potatoes nicely, they don't stick as much as when they are still raw.