How to choose Cast iron pans and how to use them

Lately, I've been getting more and more questions about non-stick cast iron pans: how to choose them? How are they used? Are they really that delicate? And for which types of cooking are they more suitable?

I'm trying to shed some light on this topic and give some useful advice. But I already say it: I love this material and I won't be very objective!

What is cast iron

Cast iron ( cast iron in English ) is a metal alloy consisting mainly of iron and carbon. It has very ancient origins, so much so that furnaces for smelting iron have been found in various archaeological sites (in Italy, for example, in the mountains of Val Camonica).

Over the centuries, thanks to technical and engineering progress, this material has greatly improved its performance, becoming very common for various uses. The economy in production, the resistance to wear, the good workability, and its versatility make it a widely used material in the industrial and domestic fields. In this field, it is widely used for stoves and pots.

The latter has been an essential tool in every kitchen for many centuries; in the last 50 years, however, the advent of non-stick materials has relegated them to the background. But now that we know that not all non-stick materials - especially those of the past - are safe for health, cast iron pots are once again popular in our kitchens: also because, as we will see, they have many advantages from the point of view of cooking.

Cast iron pans: features

Cast iron is very interesting in the kitchen because it is a material capable of perfectly radiating heat slowly and uniformly. It is practically indestructible, very resistant, and is suitable for cooking on the fire, induction (you won't have to replace them if you change the cooking system!), but also in the oven (for roasts, but also bread). In short, it has all the characteristics to be versatile, robust, and multipurpose. We can use them to roast, grill, and caramelize, to prepare soups and soups, but also stews and braises.

As mentioned, they are perfect for dishes that require long cooking over low heat, but also for promoting the Maillard reaction, that chemical caramelization reaction of sugars that makes foods roasted in the oven or over a fire so appetizing and inviting.

On average, cooking is uniform, and cast iron pots and pans release heat even when the heat is off. They are also insulating and retain cold well, so you can put them in the fridge to briefly store cooked food.

Cast iron pots: how to choose them?

At this point we are at the first crossroads in choosing the pot: enameled or not? The former is often more beautiful to look at (because they are more colorful) and more non-stick. The quality enamel ensures resistance to thermal shock and allows us to cook even at high temperatures without worries.

Natural cast iron pots are usually cheaper and simpler, and therefore offer a good compromise for those who are not yet very convinced of the choice. Let us remember, however, that this type of cast iron cannot be washed in the dishwasher and is more porous, therefore it absorbs the smells of the foods that are cooked in it more.

Another doubt: which format to choose? First of all, it always depends on what we are going to cook. I would suggest starting with a frying pan and a saucepan with a lid, which can also be used for baking bread in the oven. Unless you have a very large family or have to cook for many people anyway, I would stick to a diameter of 24-26 cm. There are also grills, perfect if you prepare vegetables or meat.

Here are my shopping tips:

The Le Creuset enameled casserole: a great classic, perfect for every cooking, with beautiful and vibrant colors. A good investment, to be handed down to children and grandchildren! I admit that this is my favorite. I have two, bought several years ago at an online clearance sale. Scour the web to find the best deals.

The equivalent of Staub is also very robust, versatile, and in many iconic colors.

The Lodge frying pan is convenient for cooking vegetables, meat, and fish, but also focaccia in the oven! Economical, robust, indestructible. This too has been in my battery for many years and I highly recommend it. A "dutch oven" set for baking bread, but also for cooking over a fire and induction. Perfect for those who want an all-in-one set.

Cast iron pots: how to take care of them

Once you have chosen the pot or pans that are right for you, the main concern concerns maintenance. Do cast iron pots need to be hardened? How do they clean? Can they be washed in the dishwasher?

I'll try to clarify a bit, starting from a premise: cast iron is one of the most used and longest-lasting materials for the construction of pots and pans. Don't think that our great-grandmothers were so "delicate" and careful in the care of their crockery! This can already make us understand that cast iron is not as delicate a material as one might think, quite the contrary. He is extremely robust and tolerates more than a few unintentional cases of abuse.

The main difference in treatment depends on whether they are glazed or not. Enameled cast iron pans, especially if of high quality, can be treated just like any other pan. They can be washed in the dishwasher, and by hand using not-too-aggressive sponges.

Unenamelled cast iron, on the other hand, needs a little extra care. As we have seen, it is an iron alloy, therefore subject to the formation of rust, which is why it should be washed by hand, then dried and greased with a light layer of protective oil. Non-abrasive scourers and very little soap can be used.

Alternatively, they can be sprinkled with salt, brought to temperature, and then rubbed with the salt itself, if they are very dirty. Then we proceed with the oil in the same way.

Furthermore, some unenamelled cast iron pans must be tempered before use: this means that they must be brought to a high temperature and allowed to cool a couple of times, to form a non-stick layer. Follow the manufacturer's directions, this is usually quick and easy.

Whatever your cast iron pan, I'm sure it will give you a lot of satisfaction!

Resource Article:

https://thehomerepair.wordpress.com/2023/01/29/how-to-choose-non-stick-frying-pans/

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Recommended brands of non-stick pans that are easy to use in the United States

How can it be considered a good pot? 

Every housewife has her standards in mind. If you want a perfect pan, non-stick, safe, durable, beautiful, and cheap, I can tell you for sure, that there is no such pan on the market! This is the same as the perfect male god with all the advantages that only exist in the Mary Sue TV series!

So we can only settle for a second, choose a suitable pot according to your cooking style and appeal: For example, if you like to cook dishes that are fried and stick to the pan, choose a non-stick pan; If you like Chinese stir-frying, it can't be a frying pan or a soup pot, nor a non-stick pan with a layer, but a physical non-stick frying pan. This is our recommended frying pan in the United States. In the article There are selected recommendations for everyone. Those who pursue health can choose cast iron pot ;

If you are afraid of being too heavy, you can choose a stainless steel pot.

But no matter what appeal and style, my experience are that "in the world of pots, you get what you get for every penny", it is best to do it in one step and buy a good pot. This is related to the daily drinking and pecking of the whole family. What could be more important than this? In addition, I have to admit that good pots and pans make cooking happy. When you cook, you will get twice the result with half the effort, and you will be calmer and more confident. A good pot is as meaningful to a cooking woman as meeting your male god, and let your cooking skills point skyrocket.

Are nonstick pan layers safe?

The first type of pot I came into contact with during my cooking skills was non-stick, easy to operate, easy to clean, not afraid of sticking to the pot, and no special maintenance required. It sounds like a fairy tale, but I heard that the non-stick coating "This palace will be poisoned if eaten"?

This popular science story is long, so I'll keep it short. At present, the non-stick coatings on the market can be roughly divided into two categories: one is Teflon developed from PTFE, and the other is various so-called ceramic coatings. At that time, DuPont discovered PTFE by accident. This material has super stability and extremely low friction coefficient at room temperature, and hardly reacts with acid and alkali. DuPont seized the business opportunity behind this characteristic chemical material and registered Teflon.

As soon as this kind of non-stick pan was launched, it shuffled the whole market in a rolling fashion. Until 2005, the US Environmental Protection Agency accused DuPont of concealing that "in the process of producing Teflon, PFOA (perfluorooctanoate) was added." Most people don't know what this chemical is, but the summary in one sentence is "possible to cause cancer", and countless beasts rushed through the consumers' hearts immediately, "How dare you secretly poison this palace!"

So although DuPont made the following statement: "First of all, the harm of PFOA to the human body is only possible, and there is no direct data to support it, and secondly, during the production process, PFOA has been completely decomposed at a high temperature of 400 degrees, so our coating will not have Any PFOA residues", come to the test!

However, the US Environmental Protection Agency did not take this set, and still fined more than 10 million US dollars, and consumers did not believe this statement. This is a corollary effect of lying. When someone is dishonest in the first thing, then you are telling the truth in the second thing. I will also put a big question mark for you. The sales of Teflon non-stick pans fell for a time. to the bottom.

It is under this opportunity that the second largest category of ceramic non-stick pans came on the scene. The so-called ceramic coating is a silane resin, not a real ceramic. Its advantages are safe chemical composition, and high-temperature resistance and the disadvantage is that the service life of non-stick pans is too short!

Whether it's a low-end, high-end, or expensive ceramic pot, the customer reviews on Amazon below repeat similar comments: "This pot feels fantastic for the first month or two, it's safe, and the non-stick properties are very good, But after two months, it was a nightmare, sticking to the pan was a mess, can you believe that I bought this product for one or two hundred dollars?" This is mainly because the ceramic coating will shrink when exposed to alkali, and voids will appear on the surface of the coating. cause the coating to crack.

The shortcomings of the ceramic coating here are unbearable, the Teflon Group has thrown out an olive branch, and many high-end pot brands have gradually stopped using PFOA as an auxiliary.

My personal opinion is: to try to choose a non-stick pan manufacturer with a brand reputation, which means that it has mature technology in the production process and will not cut corners.

Try to choose a non-stick pan that does not contain PFOA. As long as the process is strictly controlled in the factory production process, even if PFOA is used, it will theoretically be completely decomposed during the manufacturing process, so the safety of PTFE is not a problem, especially PFOA free. Sticky pan. After analyzing the selection points of non-stick pans, I recommend several excellent representatives of the non-stick pan-industry

All-Clad Nonstick Pan

All-Clad is a high-end kitchenware brand in the United States. It is said that many Michelin restaurants in North America are using All-Clad pots. I love watching some of the stateside cooking shows and have found quite a few bloggers using All-Clad pots.

The highlight of the All-Clad cookware is to create a multi-layer composite metal, the middle layer is aluminum, and the outer two layers are stainless steel, strong and durable, this design will lead to uniform and fast heating, open flame, induction cooker, oven, dishwasher, etc. can be used. The most famous of their family is the stainless steel pan series. The non-stick pans are mainly frying pans, which are not suitable for Chinese-style quick frying. However, daily omelets, pancakes, fried vegetables, etc. can still be satisfied.

GreenPan Non-Stick Pan

GreenPan, a kitchenware brand from Belgium, is famous for its Ceramic coating. I have a friend who is a die-hard GreenPan fan, and the house is full of their pots. According to her theory, the ceramic coating is more natural. The GreenPan Paris series uses a more advanced Tamron coating, which is more reassuring.

T-fal nonstick pan

T-fal is a well-known brand in the non-stick pan-industry. It is very popular in the European and American markets. The biggest highlight is the unique red dot detection technology. The function of this patent is to sensitively detect the temperature of the bottom of the pot. When the red dot turns black, you can put the dish to cook. I feel that this technique is very tasteless, but it is very suitable for beginners in the kitchen.

The price of T-fal's pots and pans is very close to the people, cheap is cheap, a large set of more than ten pieces is only more than 100 dollars (but I do not recommend you to buy it unless your kitchen is very large and there is a lot of space for idle kitchen utensils ), other brands can't even buy a pot. But I don't recommend it. However, if you are renting a house, or are an international student who only stays for one or two years, you can start with a T-fal non-stick frying pan, which is usually enough for frying eggs and pancakes, and the non-stick technology is also very good. But it is not suitable for cooking at home.

Costco HexClad non-sticky pot

This is a stainless steel honeycomb-coated nonstick pan that sells well at Costco. Honeycomb layer non-stick pan is a very popular non-stick concept in recent years. Many pot brands have similar pots. Look carefully at the bottom of the pot. The sides of the hexagon are raised so that the layer is protected and even a shovel will not destroy the non-stick layer in the depression. The official website claims that you can use an iron spatula, but after all, there are layers, so it is not recommended for everyone to use an iron spatula.

I haven't used this pot myself, but I read a lot of people who have used it on the Internet and said that this pot will fall off after two or three years, and when it sticks to the pot, you will doubt your life (these people must believe the official one) with a shovel). If you take good care of it, you can use it for a few years.

River Light Japanese pole wok

Finally, I would like to recommend this extremely iron frying pan from River Light, also called a carbon steel pan. In principle, it is not a non-stick pan, because there is no non-stick layer, but the more you use it, the more non-stick it becomes, and it is physically non-stick.

We have recommended this pan in many places. It is really easy to use. It is made of high-purity iron, without coating, and the iron technology is not easy to rust. It is light, thin, rigid, less oily, and does not pick the cooker (an induction cooker can be used), The key is that it is very suitable for Chinese-style quick frying. The shovel is made casually, and it is completely easy to use for more than ten years. The legendary "one pot will last forever".

This pot is a national treasure of Japan, and it often appears on the must-buy list of travelers to Japan. 

How to maintain a non-stick pan

First, never dry the pot. Because PTFE begins to deteriorate when it exceeds 260 degrees and begins to decompose when it exceeds 350 degrees. As long as there is something in your pan, even oil, its smoke point is far below 260 degrees, the critical point at which PTFE begins to deteriorate, and a dry cooking pan is likely to make the pan exceed the safe temperature line of PTFE, regardless of whether it is Teflon-coated Or any other coating, there is a risk of coating deterioration. I accidentally dry-fired a Scanpan once, and a few small bubbles appeared directly on the coating. . . I cried in the toilet!

Second, never rinse the hot pan with cold water after cooking! ! This can easily cause the coating to peel off!!

Third, it must be cleaned in time. I usually send it directly to the dishwasher for cleaning, which can ensure that the grease on the pot is clean. A good non-stick brand must be dishwasher safe! ! How bad is the stability of this coating if it can't even go in the dishwasher!!

The last point is, never to use a steel ball to brush the pan or a steel shovel. I even abandoned the wooden shovel. Here, I must strongly recommend a particularly easy-to-use silicone shovel, which has no damage to non-stick pans and is flexible. use. After I recommended it to my mom group, it got rave reviews.