Cast Iron Skillets: where home cooks and r/BuyItForLife agree

but a five ply will do that also

cast iron if I'm going to seirus steak I'm probably going to do it in a cast iron pan

this cast iron I particularly love to use for frittatas it's the perfect depth it holds the heat really well and it Cooks the frittatas perfectly like a nice thick frittata so I do love that small 8 in

I love to use cast iron on open fire on the grill on the smoker there's really nothing better for open fire than cast iron and Searing a steak

but like I mentioned in the beginning of this video a very well-made 5 to S ply stainless steel pan will SE a steak very well also

I'd go with the big cast iron because it's so useful for so many things on the fire

I'd go with the big cast iron because it's so useful for so many things on the fire

Stainless steel is the ultimate all-purpose cookware. You can use it to sear meat and fish, saute vegetables, boil pasta, simmer sauces, and much more.

Stainless steel is also the best type of cookware for pan sauces. Since it's uncoated, cooking meat in a stainless steel pan creates fond, which is the brown stuck-on bits of concentrated meat flavor at the bottom of the pan.

but this pan has been a Workhorse I think this is a 14inch I've had this pan for 9 years I don't even know the brand of this one but I I think I bought this one in HomeGoods or something like that a long long time ago

Because it’s so thick and heavy and holds heat well, it’s the better option for searing steaks, pork chops, chicken, and other meats.

It’s also better for cooking eggs, pancakes and other delicate ingredients. When cast iron is well seasoned it performs similarly to a non-stick pan.

Lastly, cast iron is ideal for roasting, baking, and frying because it heats up gradually and maintains a consistent temperature over long periods. Because it heats slowly, you’re less likely to burn food.

Stainless steel is more of a go-to everyday type of cookware. It heats fast and evenly and you can use it to cook any type of food, including tomato sauces, soup, and other acidic and liquid heavy meals.

But, since stainless steel pans are made with a highly conductive aluminum or copper core, they heat up fast and evenly.

The water in the stainless steel pan started boiling after 2 minutes and 55 seconds, and the water in the cast iron pan started boiling after 3 minutes and 34 seconds.

Cast iron may not heat up as fast or evenly as stainless steel, but due to its thick construction, it has far superior heat retention.

Don’t get me wrong, stainless steel pans, especially good quality fully clad pans, retain heat well, but not at the same level as cast iron.

After ten minutes, the water in the cast iron pan was 104 degrees Fahrenheit and the water in the stainless steel pans was only 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because it’s nonreactive and heats evenly, you can cook anything and perform any cooking technique.

Cast iron is also versatile - you can use it searing, roasting, sauteing, frying, baking, and cooking eggs.

But if you do it the right way, it also creates a slick surface that makes it easy to cook eggs and other delicate foods without sticking.

Because it responds to temperature changes quicker, you have more control over the results.

That extra height is really necessary for containing hot oil and food, such as when frying donuts and shallow frying chicken.

but we preferred those with wide broad loops that we could really hang onto, especially when wearing oven mitts

Generally though, we recommend buying a 12 inch skillet if you can. It's always good to have the option of a bigger pan for recipes of different sizes

Another downside, don't expect enamel cast iron skillets to be or become non-stick.

While some manufacturers claim their pans will do this and become more non-stick with use, in our hands-on testing experience, we found that not to be the case.

You also wanna avoid using metal utensils and scraping or banging the pan, you know it's glass, so you gotta be a little bit careful with it.

Most artisan makers will also take the time to hand polish their pan surface, which makes it naturally non-stick much faster than a mass produced pan.

These cast iron pans start out like traditional cast iron, but then they're coated in a glass like vitreous glaze that seals the pan from air and moisture that could cause rust

their enamel coating makes enamel cast iron pans virtually maintenance free. You never have to season them and you can soak, use soap and scrub as much as you'd like.

Okay, that is my buying guide for these wonderful lifetime pans.

Its superpower is that it can retain and conduct plenty of heat for deep browning of food.

like regular cast iron, these pans have excellent heat retention, so they'll sear, fry and braise well maintaining the heat you want without undesirable temperature dips as food is added or flipped

Though all of these are gonna sear a great steak.

A thick heavy pan has the mass and density to hold more heat than a thinner pan does, and once preheated will cook more evenly than a thinner and lighter pan

Best of all, you can cook almost anything, even acidic foods that need to be simmered for a long time like a tomato sauce because the enamel seals the cast iron making the pan rust proof and non-reactive.

While both regular and enameled cast iron pans are induction compatible, the smoother enameled bottoms can be a little gentler on glass cooktops

Enameled is for the person that never wants to think about seasoning their pan. Enamel doesn't need it.

When you do need to season it, all you have to do is clean it, dry it, rub it with a thin layer of oil, and bake it in the oven. Although the baking portion takes an hour or so, the actual work you need to do takes less than 5 minutes. It’s not a big deal and it’s not difficult

But the reality is that seasoning isn't just oil; it's polymerized oil that's been bonded to the cast iron. It's hard and tough and as long as the dish soap doesn't contain lye or sodium hydroxide, a few drops won't hurt

I always recommend using a chainmail to clean cast iron, but if you cooked an especially messy meal and chainmail is not doing the trick, mild dish soap is okay

As you can see, the soap didn’t impact the seasoning at all

But flavoring food with a small amount of acidic ingredients, such as a splash of wine, vinegar, or lemon juice, won't cause any issues

If you're not cooking highly acidic foods for a long time, like over 30 minutes, the seasoning should be fine

To prove this point, I squeezed a whole lemon into this cast iron pan and let it simmer for about 4 minutes. After removing the lemon juice and wiping the skillet, you can see that the seasoning wasn't affected at all

One of the reasons I love cast iron is that it retains heat exceptionally well

Once it's fully preheated, it retains heat well, so your food will cook evenly

That may be true, but in my experience, this step is completely unnecessary. If the skillet is well-seasoned and you dry it thoroughly, it shouldn’t rust, and you don't need to oil it after each use

i highly recommend for all the skillets in this video to at least get 10 inches or larger preferably 12 inch skillets because 12 inch skillets are literally the jack of all trade skillets you can feed a family in a 12 inch skillet

i feel like once you got a cast iron skillet your next logical step is to upgrade to a carbon steel skill

i feel like every kitchen should have at least one stainless steel skillet if you can afford it

Cast iron reacts with acidic foods like tomato sauce, citrus fruit, wine, and vinegar. It’s also prone to rusting if you don’t dry it thoroughly after cleaning. Because of that, you need to periodically season your cast iron pan.

You also never wanna leave these pans soaking in the sink, so if you're that type of cook, maybe cast iron isn't for you.

Cast iron lasts forever

Also, I've never experienced problems with the cookware radiating excessive heat back onto the cooktop, nor have I heard of this being a common issue from others

Bacon cooks really well in cast iron skillets, and cooking fatty meats like bacon can contribute to the seasoning process

But a well-seasoned cast iron pan still needs to be greased. And even when it is greased, eggs can sometimes stick if the temperature of the pan isn’t right

For example, simmering tomato sauce or braising short ribs in red wine for extended periods will damage the seasoning and make your food taste like metal

But when people say it heats evenly, they're wrong. The truth is that iron is a terrible heat conductor. Because it has a much lower thermal conductivity than other cookware materials like aluminum and copper, it doesn't heat as fast or evenly

But it takes a while to get there, and as it heats up, the middle of the pan closest to the heat source will be significantly hotter than the sides

However, cast iron is actually brittle. It contains about 98% iron and 2% carbon. The carbon adds hardness but also makes the material more brittle

Unlike other metals like aluminum and steel, cast iron isn't ductile, which means it will break before it bends

If you drop a cast iron skillet or subject it to extreme pressure, especially against a hard or pointed surface, it can crack and break

are you willing to dedicate time to the craft of cooking?

It may not be for everyone

The stainless steel pan, as is their want, left some fond. It stuck a little bit. There was a brown spot where the burger had cooked, and that's great if you're gonna make a pan sauce or whatever. It's not a non-stick pan. It has none of the traits of non-stick the way cast iron or very well-seasoned carbon steel have.

For example, most 12-inch cast iron skillets weigh between 7 and 8 pounds, and 12-inch stainless steel skillets weigh between 3 and 4 pounds.

Moving a cast iron skillet requires oven mitts and two sturdy hands, especially when you factor in the weight of the pan plus the food.

they're actually really famous in france and europe they're also really popular in american restaurants eight times out of ten you're probably going to see carbon steel skillets at your favorite restaurant

i can tell you that that's definitely changed in recent years a lot of people have been gravitating towards carbon steel skillets especially after they were initially exposed to cast iron

where antique cast iron skillets are sought after anti-carbon steel skillets are sought after in europe

anytime we went to a restaurant we saw stainless steel skillet they usually look like this

for example my wife she loves the stainless steel skillet at the end of her cook no matter how sticky her stainless steel skillet is she can just toss it in the sink and i'll eventually get to it so so the stainless steel skillet for her it's probably one of her favorite skillets

and she definitely loves the carbon steel skillets but i don't think she likes to do that extra step at the end you know completely drying them off and cleaning them

and you'll find a lot of restaurants using them where if you see an amazing sauce on the menu they probably made it on a stainless steel skillet

trust me i was a huge cast iron fan i know there's like a very devoted following