Cooking Pans

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John_Conrad

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So i went out and looked at some pans. There are some newer heavier pans like cephalon and various others which appear kind of the same under different names.

I've tried the ceramic's and really am not having any luck with them lasting. I am careful washing and in reapplying oil as per the instructions.

The only pans that seem to last are my cast iron ones.

So what is a good long lasting pan, that does not break it's surface up and start leaking material into your cooked foods? and

Are cast iron the safest? Not that i'm aware of any dangers with them but if there are, i figure some one will know

thanks
 
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Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
So what is a good long lasting pan, that does not break it's surface up and start leaking material into your cooked foods?


Quality stainless. Good enough for a professional kitchen, good enough for your usage at home.
 
I use cast iron or enameled cast iron for virtually everything. The only thing it can really "leak" into food is iron, which isn't a problem. They're non-stick, easy to clean, and about as durable as possible. I can go from the stovetop to the oven, and run the temperature up to 600 or higher without an issue. I can even take the cast iron out to the grill and use them. To top it off, cast iron is some of the most cost effective cookware available.

There are some brands like Green Pan that are supposed to be safe, but even the Thermolon on them starts to break down at temperatures above 450. That's not even enough to properly sear something.

And to top it off I don't need something like Barkeeper's Friend to clean the cast iron. It simply comes clean with a quick wipe.
 
I would avoid China built cast iron.
They have a habit of putting Lead in everything.
Lead will leach out along with the Iron.
 
Cuisinart French Classic stainless - I have a set that's ten years old and aging wonderfully. Barkeeper's Friend is a good cleaning product if regular dish detergent isn't strong enough to remove something. I expect the set to last my lifetime.

Lodge Logic cast iron is nice too, but more of a specialty item and requires more care. I have a large skillet and griddle.

Ceramic is a gimmick. Non-stick will eventually fail.
 
There isn't a nonstick cookware you can use everyday and pass it on from generation to generation as the coating wears out. You may not believe it, but in my experience, cast iron doesn't heat evenly. My wife has Swiss Diamond pots and pans and seems happy with them.
 
very good points and leads, thanks.

skyactive, what kind of mileage are you seeing out of the swiss diamond brand so far?-with good care of course.
 
I am not sure there is a single type of pot construction that works well for everything. Consumer Reports has rated pots/pans in the past. If you want to put your pans in the oven, that limits your choices. Large enameled cast iron pots are nice but very heavy.

Cast iron works great as a flying pan, but must be cleaned properly (not in dishwasher).
 
I cook a lot and often complicated things.

I really like heavy stainless (ideally stainless-lined copper, but that's really expensive for larger pans/pots so I only have smaller ones like that). The Cuisinart heavy-bottomed stainless is good stuff like already mentioned. This is my favorite pan.

One of the tricks is to de-glaze the pans immediately after taking out the food. It will release any particles sticking, and clean up is a breeze later - just wipe it out and rarely ever have to scrape or use soap. That's the real trick to keeping the surface smooth and resistant to sticking. After a year or two of use, I will polish them a bit to keep them like new. I cook A LOT of meals in a Lodge 7qt. Dutch oven - it's good as a fry pan, too with the tall walls to reduce splatter and retain heat. Great for frying fish, chicken, etc. instead of a large open pan. Properly seasoned, these are pretty much non-stick almost as good as regular non-stick pans.

Calphalon hard-anodized is very popular and IMO very over-rated. Relatively good at being non-stick, but heat is very uneven compared to iron or heavy stainless. For pans they are easily beaten by other option, but I do find them good as stock pots.

I do feel the need for one non-stick pan - particularly for egg dishes. But it gets used by far the least.

I find quality cast iron to heat beautifully and work great. If it's not working right, try cleaning and re-seasoning the pan (google that). That will correct it. I have some cast iron that's new, some about 80 to 100 years old, and all work great (Lodge). Doesn't have to be that brand, but at least quality and not Asian junk.
 
We use Cast Iron and Scanpan, the Scanpan has lasted 5 years so far, but we are careful not to ut things in it with a knife.

Cast Iron is bulletproof, but is very heavy and the handle gets hot.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
So what is a good long lasting pan, that does not break it's surface up and start leaking material into your cooked foods?


Quality stainless. Good enough for a professional kitchen, good enough for your usage at home.


Agreed. I got rid of the vast majority of our nonstick pans and went with stainless. Triwall type. Unfortunately they are a [censored] to clean.
Walmart actually has one of the highest rated sets out there
 
very good points, donald, oro, and expat...

and obviously i cook a lot of different dishes...

my cast irons are always a steady ready to handle any or all. i can't mention how many of these i have but it's a lot, from dutch ovens to frying pans, to griddles...of all sizes

feeling the need to add some of the non stick pans especially as oro meontioned for the egg dishes.......
 
Originally Posted By: John_Conrad
So what is a good long lasting pan, that does not break it's surface up and start leaking material into your cooked foods? and

Are cast iron the safest? Not that i'm aware of any dangers with them but if there are, i figure some one will know


What's unsafe about Teflon coated pans?
 
you tell me kschachn if there's any issue with eating teflon!

i don't like it when pans get worn out and you get little specs of black in the food!
 
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that having been said, looks like i'll add some stainless steel pans and try a few other non stick pans, knowing that at some point they come to the end of their useful life and have to move on to new ones...
 
I generally use a mix of stainless and cast iron. Both are durable, easy to clean and will hold up to use of metal utensils.

I do keep a couple of teflon-coated non-stick pans around, but I only use them for eggs and things where the non-stick is really helpful (and they only get plastic, rubber or silicone utensils used on them, never metal).
 
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