Reached For

Evidence index · Cookware

Cookware: where beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts agree

Only the cookware that beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts have independently backed. A product one group praises and the other has never mentioned does not appear here.

beginners is who the advice is aimed at; buy it for life enthusiasts is who the advice is aimed at.

7 people on record as beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts make 91 quoted claims about cookware across 16 sources. Membership is recorded with its own evidence — for a person by the trait they are on record holding, for a community by the source it was said in — and authority is scoped to cookware rather than to fame.

Which cookware do both beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts recommend?

Endorsements and objections about cookware from beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts, together, strongest evidence first.

Lodge cast iron skillet

3 voices 9 claims 4 objections

2:03 supports Uncle Scott speaking on Uncle Scott's Kitchen Beginners earns commission on this
not quite as heavy as the lodge 12 inch cast iron but I will say that cast iron is a little bit easier to maneuver when I pick up this cast iron my thumb rests very close to the pan body not very far out on the handle

handling Owns it Worth $300 for a Demeyere Proline Atlantis?

Cites handle

Uncle Scott earns commission on this. Stated in the source: “Lodge Cast Iron Cookware: https://lodgecastiron.pxf.io/ravEOj” Kept and labelled rather than dropped: a paid endorsement is still evidence, and you should be the one to decide what it is worth.

Field cast iron skillet

2 voices 18 claims 7 objections

3:31 supports Uncle Scott speaking on Uncle Scott's Kitchen Beginners
It's [music] got three layers of grape seed seasoning on it. So, you can just give it a wash and just start cooking.

performance Tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites heat retention, maintenance, non-stick surface, searing and crust

the field turned out some nice cornbread, no sticking and a nice crust.
this field cranked out an absolutely delicious [music] grten with no sticking on the potatoes.
Butter potatoes. Those brown up pretty nicely and they did not stick. That's a good thing.
But the field did okay here and I think it helped with the browning that both the potatoes and the okra, they get moved around a little bit.
I think you did an okay job with bacon. Just a little bit of pulling on there, but the um the card says uh bacon can actually stick a little bit early on. So, with that in mind, I think it did uh just fine. I started it out in a room temperature pan, brought it up to heat, some early [music] flips, and mostly…
Um I mentioned that the pan doesn't have as much thermal mass as maybe some other cast irons or carbon steels for that matter, but I am still getting a good sear and browning here.
And here, summoning every bit of egg sliding mojo that I could muster, [music] I got a moderately decent sliding egg. It released even did okay on the flip. You know, cast iron skillets are not really known for flipping eggs, so the side walls are too tall, etc., etc., but it's still released on that second side, and…
2:01 objects Uncle Scott speaking on Uncle Scott's Kitchen Beginners
I think that lack of heaviness, lack of thermal mass, lack of metal, however you want to um describe that, uh for me anyway, I think it made the pan a little bit more difficult to cook in. It's difficult to get it heated evenly. I feel like um it's responsive, which is great for a uh copper skillet, for example. But…

performance Tested it Field Cast Iron Review: Egg Problems & Great Gratins

Cites base and rim (against), even heating (against), heat retention (against), non-stick surface (against), size and capacity (against), surface finish (against)

And I think one of the reasons I've had so much trouble with eggs in that field is that um those grooves, they uh I think they have not filled in yet and um they're kind of gripping food a little bit when I try and slide it around.
There is [music] a very tiny uh ring around the bottom of the pan which makes it sit up just a little bit. It's barely even noticeable. The Brevel has a temperature sensor in the middle of the cooking surface there and it has to stick up and make contact [music] with the bottom of a pan. Um there's also a logo here in…
Uh, no matter what I tried, I was getting, um, different essentially different cooking zones. I couldn't get the pan heated very evenly and I would put an egg in and sometimes um, part of an egg would stick and part would slide and the egg would come apart. And I think that's because the pan is not heated evenly and…
This uh 10-in pan um I had to work in two batches.
It's [music] um too narrow to lay out strips of supermarket bacon, but it will hold four if you cut them in half.
Let's talk a little bit more about that uneven heating though here. Uh you can really see it with these grilled cheese sandwiches. Give them their first turn there. And you can definitely see where one half of the grilled cheese is toasted and the other uh the butter is melted, but there is no toasting on there. So,…
I've also made some breaded squash and zucchini. And I like these for testing pans because I can lay them out all around the pan. Then when I flip them, I can tell if they're hotter or cooler spots. You can definitely tell that um some of these zucchini are much browner than the others.
And it's just a little bit more uneven and a little bit more difficult to cook in this pan than some others I have reviewed.
And after doing a ton of work on the seasoning and doing a lot of cooking, circling back to eggs, and I got this. And I got to say, I have never seen that [laughter] fried egg before. It's almost like uh orbiting almost like a planet or something. I don't know if that counts as half of a fried egg. never had um a…
And finally, I got to where I found that, uh, just trying different temperatures, if I went really, really low, um, I could get an egg to release, and this is after three or four minutes of setting up very, very slowly. I could get an egg to kind of sort of release and it'll move around, but I still say that egg is…

Le Creuset dutch oven

2 voices 4 claims 1 objection

15:47 supports Uncle Scott speaking on Uncle Scott's Kitchen Beginners earns commission on this
Now, as far as the enamel, I think all of these Dutch ovens are goodlooking.

appearance Tested it NEW: Lodge USA Enamel Review with cooking & Staub/Le Creuset comparison!

Cites appearance, surface finish

Uncle Scott earns commission on this. Stated in the source: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” Kept and labelled rather than dropped: a paid endorsement is still evidence, and you should be the one to decide what it is worth.

The stoves and the L Crusades may be a scoch smoother, and I can't tell if that's actually true or if that's just what I expect. And um it's reinforcing my expectations.
3:38 supports The Knife Wizard Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
so in my mind and I'll give you my opinion in my mind I would much rather buy a l cruset knowing that if I ever wanted to sell it I could get 75% of what I paid for it back without any hassle then try to save some money and get this have a subpar product and at the end of the day never be able to sell it and get my…

recommendation Tested it Le Creuset vs. Lodge Enamel — Compare and Contrast.

Smithey cast iron skillet

2 voices 3 claims 1 objection

What do beginners and buy it for life enthusiasts say about cookware in general?

Not a recommendation for a specific product: technique, materials and what to look for in cookware. Citable on its own terms. There are 57 of them; the 40 with the strongest evidence are below.

2:36 objects Uncle Scott speaking on Uncle Scott's Kitchen Beginners
if you have an electric flattop stove it makes it more difficult to get your pan seasoned now i season my pan regularly when our gas stove top if you're cooking on a gas stove top the flame hits the bottom moves outward enough around the sides of the pan so you get a good even distribution of heat all over the pan…

use-case fit Owns it Matfer Carbon Steel Pan Seasoning Problems Solved

Cites heat conduction (against)

3:02 supports Uncle Scott speaking on Uncle Scott's Kitchen Beginners
if you get some micro scratches on the surface of your carbon steel pan no big deal um those will fill in with seasoning the next time you season the pan and lots of people think that those little micro scratches give that seasoning something to grip to and it lasts a little bit longer the next time

performance Tested it Remove Rust from Carbon Steel

Cites seasoning durability

1:35 supports Uncle Scott speaking on Uncle Scott's Kitchen Beginners
you do not have to season your pan 11 times to get it to work correctly that's just crazy that's like a new hobby or lifestyle commitment you don't have to do that what you need to do is season your pan correctly one time once you've done that it'll pass the fried egg test

performance Matfer Carbon Steel Pan Seasoning Problems Solved

Cites speed and efficiency

9:39 notes Uncle Scott speaking on Uncle Scott's Kitchen Beginners
she's one of these good old southern traditional cooks she's been using 70 80 year old cast-iron skillets that were handed down from her mother she's been using these for 40 or 50 years

ownership Passing on someone else's experience Matfer Carbon Steel Pan Seasoning Problems Solved

3:31 supports Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
but this is great for like I love doing stir fries in this I love doing searing steaks in this is great

use-case fit Owns it If I Started Over, I'd Only Buy These Pots & Pans

Cites heat retention, searing and crust

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
0:00 objects Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
there is no nonstick in my house anymore we have stopped using non-stick for a little over a year now and we will never go back you really don't need that crutch or that gimmick

recommendation Stopped using it If I Started Over, I'd Only Buy These Pots & Pans

Cites durability (against), price (against)

get rid of the nonstick folks you don't need it it's a crutch it's a gimmick it's a waste of money and it goes right into the landfill
11:34 supports Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
I would also have a saier like this I love using this for desserts like custards and things like that or pan sauces or Poached Eggs I love the curved Edge for the Poached Eggs you get that water swirling in that curved Edge helps keep the eggs moving in that circular motion really really well I love this pot for that

use-case fit Owns it If I Started Over, I'd Only Buy These Pots & Pans

Cites shape and form

for that and I do a lot of a lot of Poached Eggs it's one of my favorite breakfast
1:00 supports Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
there's three ply there's five ply there's seven ply Alloys that are stainless steel with titanium to make them stronger and last longer and look better for a longer time period

durability Owns it If I Started Over, I'd Only Buy These Pots & Pans

Cites appearance, durability

Owned 9 years

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
8:33 supports Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
First, a broad cooking surface. We preferred pans that offered at least 10 inches of flat cooking surface.

recommendation Tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

Cites handle, shape and form, size and capacity

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
5:32 objects Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
The enamel coating can sometimes heat and expand and retract at different rates, which can lead to cracking, an issue called crazing.

reliability Tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

Cites crazing (against), non-stick surface (against)

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.
3:01 supports Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
Artisan makers often cast their to have thinner sides, but a thicker bottom which cuts down on the total weight of the pan, but keeps that heat retention capability.

performance Tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

Cites heat retention, non-stick surface, surface finish, weight

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.
2:01 supports Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
Generally being a single piece of metal also makes these skillets very sturdy.

durability Tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

Cites build quality, coating, durability, ease of cleaning, maintenance, rust resistance

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.
0:30 supports Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
In terms of cooking, there's very little these pans can't do.

performance Tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

Cites even heating, heat conduction, heat retention, searing and crust, versatility

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
0:00 supports Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
Cast iron skillets are one of the most versatile pieces of cookware you can buy since they work on the stove top in the oven, even on the grill.

use-case fit Tested it Cast Iron vs Enameled Cast Iron: Which is Better? | Gear Heads

Cites acid resistance, induction compatible, maintenance, oven safe, stovetop compatibility, versatility

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.
12:04 supports Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
This is a beautiful pan. It's one of my, probably my most reached-for pan.

best in class Owns it Are Carbon Steel Pans Really The Best? | Gear Heads

Our buying, seasoning, and maintenance guide for every chef's secret weapon, the carbon steel skillet.
11:03 supports Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
You don't have to be careful with these pans. That's why I love them. I don't like to baby my pans. I don't like to make sure I'm using a certain spatula.

durability Owns it Are Carbon Steel Pans Really The Best? | Gear Heads

Cites scratch resistance, repairability

I have my pan here from home. This is little Eddie. Eddie and I have gotten in a lot of fights over the years, and we always make up.
1:30 supports Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
I mean you could really honestly just get away with one 12in stainless steel pan I mean you could use this for small jobs you could use it for large jobs so if you really wanted to save money and just get one pan to do pretty much every job your 12-in stainless steel frying pan or Skillet is the way to go

recommendation Owns it If I Started Over, I'd Only Buy These Pots & Pans

Cites price, versatility

so now for my Allstar picks of what if I had to start over what would I buy I would go with a 12-in fry pan
7:32 objects Hannah of America's Test Kitchen Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
like cast iron, it rusts when it's bare. It requires seasoning or a process that bonds oil to the surface of the pan not only for protection, but also to start the pan on its journey to make it non-stick.

durability Are Carbon Steel Pans Really The Best? | Gear Heads

Cites dishwasher safe (against), rust resistance (against)

One thing you wanna note with carbon steel, you don't wanna put these pans in the dishwasher. The dishwasher will ruin the seasoning.
2:30 supports Christopher Scott Buy It For Life Enthusiasts
that's to me most households could get away with just those three to four pots and pants I really do believe that there's probably not much else that most households these days need in order to accomplish their the majority of their cooking requirements

recommendation Owns it If I Started Over, I'd Only Buy These Pots & Pans

still what do we really really need a 12-in skillet two to three pots I mean that's really all we really need