Lets talk pots and pans (seriously)

[Cameramonkey]

And for cast iron, screw the pre seasoning. grab your mouse sander and go to town. (Mr Rollins' other videos are awesome too. That man can cook!)

[video=youtube;ljSQrSoSYAE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljSQrSoSYAE&t=437s[/video]

I've seen others recommend flapper wheels on angle grinders as well. The key is to smooth the insides and season it your own damn self. It will work MUCH better.

Lodge (and sandpaper) is on my xmas list. LOL

 

[hoosierdoc]

my wife wants a hex-coated or whatever pan set

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I need non-stick for a lot of my cooking. I flip over-easy eggs and omelets without a spatula, and I don't think cast iron would lend itself to that.

 

[Expat]

We used Calphalon non stick for many years but it seemed like the quality of the coating diminished and started coming off quicker and quicker. The last ones we bought were All Clad and so far it seems to be holding up better than the Calphalon.

 

[Hoosierdood]

I need non-stick for a lot of my cooking. I flip over-easy eggs and omelets without a spatula, and I don't think cast iron would lend itself to that.

The right cast iron pan can have better non stick properties than the best non stick pans. They are just heavy, and would be difficult to flip an omelet in the air like lighter pans.

 

[Eagle]

Went throughout this a few years ago and bit the bullet, bought All-Clad. They are pricey, but buy once cry once. They clean up with Barkeeper’s Friend cleaner. We have a few of their small Teflon coated pans and they have held up.

 

[wtburnette]

Be aware that if you don't have a gas stove, cast iron and carbon steel might not be the best way to go. My wife's son is staying with us and has tried to season two cast iron skillets, a carbon steel skillet and a carbon steel wok, with not great results. I have a standard electric range with the heating coils on top for cooking and the heat is much hotter in the center than at the edges, so the seasoning is great in the center and pretty much non-existent at the edges. When he cooks bacon the middle burns and the ends are still chewy. He watched a lot of YouTube videos and did a lot of experimenting to find out he really needs a gas range for what he wants to do. The same can be said, only worse for a ceramic flat top range. They use a pulsating method of heating that works very poorly with heavy pots and pans. Found that out with a set of Calphalon pans I got years ago. I actually have a fairly inexpensive set of stainless steel pots I use and picked up two blue sapphire skillets that seem to work great. They are inexpensive enough that if the coating starts to flake or scratch, I'll just get new ones. They work just fine with my electric range. I also have a granite coated flat griddle that works well and has held up for a few years with no issues. I definitely recommend cast iron or carbon steel if you have a gas range, but if not, you may get better results with something else. Just my

 

[churchmouse]

Color me jealous

Me too.

 

[Thor]

We moved from non-stick to stainless and settled with cast iron. We have all American made heirloom mostly Griswold cast. 2x#3, 2x#5, 2x#8, 1x#10 and 1x#12 frypans, a #8 chicken pot with self basting lid, a #10 dutch oven and a 10 gal cauldron and 2 cornbread pans; one round with wedges and one with the corn molds. We also have a #10 Bayou Classic that sits in the camping gear because it was actually made in Chi-Com land and forged like an engine block...I highly do NOT recommend that brand.

A caveat to Cm's grinder video...please do not do that to a classic piece of cast iron, they came smooth from the factory; new stuff grind away.

A caveat to my cooking...I only cook on fire. I H8 electric stoves.

As to care, they have turned out to be the best non-stick cookware we have ever used. Often just wipe it out with a paper towel after it cools. If something sticks a bit of hot water and it's out. If something gets burned we have a stainless chain mail wash 'cloth'. But even if something burns (rare occasion) it will usually come off by just putting a bit of water in an heating in on the stove top. If I use water in the pans I heat dry them then wipe them with a light coat oil (just enough to color it coated) and heat until they just start to smoke.

If you are doing an initial seasoning on a pan it should be done in the oven and not on the stove top. Wipe the piece with oil, turn upside down on the rack with a bit of aluminum foil under it to catch any drippings and bake at 350F for an hour, turn off the oven and let it sit till cool. Note: could not do this with the 10 gal. cauldron; I obviously need a bigger oven.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

every professional kitchen I've worked in it's cast iron or quality SS so that's what I'm comfortable with at home. I do cheat and use a copper skillet for burgers and pancakes...I mean c'mon it's too easy to clean, I use a paper towel

 

[JRR85]

I use almost exclusively cast iron with the exception of having one non-stick skillet for eggs and other notoriously sticky things. My cast iron is a mix of old (Griswold) and new (Lodge and Field) plus I have a couple enamel coated cast iron ditch ovens. My one non-stick is a 12” Tramontina. They are $25-$30 and work great. They usually last 2-4 years depending on how well I take care of them. Then I throw it out and order another one. I found my first one at Costco about 8 years back, but now I just get it from Amazon.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

I use almost exclusively cast iron with the exception of having one non-stick skillet for eggs and other notoriously sticky things. My cast iron is a mix of old (Griswold) and new (Lodge and Field) plus I have a couple enamel coated cast iron ditch ovens. My one non-stick is a 12” Tramontina. They are $25-$30 and work great. They usually last 2-4 years depending on how well I take care of them. Then I throw it out and order another one. I found my first one at Costco about 8 years back, but now I just get it from Amazon.

I cook eggs nearly every morning in cast iron.
If you keep the season up eggs shouldnt stick.

 

[Snapdragon]

I prefer heavy stainless steel for everything except a skillet. I have had a few sets that were great to cook with but either the handles were awkward or they got too heavy for me with my arthritis. Pay attention to handles and make sure the pans feel balanced in your hand. Now I have vintage Revere copper bottom pots and pans that I have scrounged at thrift stores, yard sales, ebay, etc. They are not super heavy weight but the copper bottom gives good heat distribution. I once got a vintage Revere copper bottom Dutch oven with lid at a thrift shop for 30% off, taking it from $1 to $0.70.

For skillets, I have one non-stick (just any old cheap one because they will all get scratched up) and one cast iron. I got a Lodge pre-seasoned 10" cast iron from Amazon for about $15 and I love it, even though it is a bit heavy for me to handle.

 

[Snapdragon]

Went throughout this a few years ago and bit the bullet, bought All-Clad. They are pricey, but buy once cry once. They clean up with Barkeeper’s Friend cleaner. We have a few of their small Teflon coated pans and they have held up.

I have a set of All-Clad baking pans that I bought when I was young and prosperous. At $70-120 per pan they were not cheap, but they will last a lifetime with just basic care.

I had a set of All-Clad pots and pans that were awesome but I ended up selling them (here on INGO) because the handles felt awkward in my hands. Probably just that particular model and my particular hands.

 

[lovemachine]

I use the copper chef pans for everything lol

 

[jwamplerusa]

SWMBO'D had been buying Me Creuset enameled cast iron of late, and like it.

I can burn water, so I'm no judge of cook ware...

 

[Ingomike]

I've just started learning how to cook using cast iron. My Lodge is OK but nothing like my girlfriend's Wagner.
I like how cast iron holds the oil but haven't gotten the hang of it yet. I've already burned some stuff in it and had to re-season it.

My steaks still turn out much better using of a regular old T-Fal aluminum teflon "titanium" skillet. There's certainly nothing "titanium" about it from what I can tell.

Part of learning how to use the pan is learning how to use your stove. I have an infrared cook top. Girlfriend has gas. Neither of us is any good using the others stove.

I have several Wagners from my grandmother, been in the family nearly 100 years...

 

[Ingomike]

SWMBO'D had been buying Me Creuset enameled cast iron of late, and like it.

I can burn water, so I'm no judge of cook ware...

Le Creuset is great stuff. One thing happening here is conflation of skillets and cookwear. While I do have a great big Lodge camp Dutch oven, it is not that convenient for home cooking. The making of chili, soups, in the enameled cast iron, is just fantastic, and no worries that acids will ruin your hard earned seasoning. I have some Le Creuset skillets but they suck.

Talk about luck in cookware, I got a ton of Le Creuset from Tuesday Morning back in the early 90's when it really was a deal store. I spent about $350 cash for retail $1400 in cookwear back then. It was the original French made.

 

[SheepDog4Life]

Went throughout this a few years ago and bit the bullet, bought All-Clad. They are pricey, but buy once cry once. They clean up with Barkeeper’s Friend cleaner. We have a few of their small Teflon coated pans and they have held up.

Green with envy!

For SS, All-Clad is hard to beat! I couldn't swing the cost at the time so gambled on Cruisinart and have been very pleased (but still envious, lol!). The bottoms are extremely flat for electric ceramic stove top and heat nice an even. Second on Barkeeper's Friend (the powder), cleans up even the worst burnt on screw-ups on SS. Have the 10-inch and 12-inch skillets plus the large covered saute pan. Look for oven safe to 500 F for stuff that goes from stove top to oven and that you might want to finish with a broil, like frittatas and such.

For non-stick, I go with ceramic... got my set cheap at Aldi. If you nest them in the cabinet, put something cloth between them to prevent scratches and they'll last a long time.

All of that's because I've got a ceramic electric stove top... so cookware with perfectly flat bottom is a must. If I had gas, cast iron and high carbon all the way plus a ceramic for quick eggs... and I'll always have mom's LeCreuset French oven approaching 40 years of weekly use.

 

[Ingomike]

Green with envy!

For SS, All-Clad is hard to beat! I couldn't swing the cost at the time so gambled on Cruisinart and have been very pleased (but still envious, lol!). Second on Barkeeper's Friend (the powder), cleans up even the worst burnt on screw-ups. Have the 10-inch and 12-inch skillets plus the large covered saute pan. Look for over safe to 500 F for stuff that goes from stove top to over and you might want to finish with a broil.

For non-stick, I go with ceramic... got my set cheap at Aldi.

All of that's because I've got a ceramic electric stove top... If I had gas, cast iron and high carbon all the way plus a ceramic for quick eggs... and I'll always have mom's LeCreuset French oven approaching 40 years of weekly use.

Bar Keepers Friend also works on the enameled cast iron, though I only use it when absolutely necessary. It will clean up the inside like new and will remove a stain from the exterior if you must, but I have not had that issue much.