I see no need to own a cast iron pan

[AveMarica]

/----/ Professional kitchens are all about speed and efficiency. A family member is a professional chef. There is no cast iron in the restaurant, but he has several at home he regularly uses.

Your anecdote doesn't make a cast iron pan indispensable to anyone, since as you pointed out restaurants can turn out great food without them.

 

[Flash]

Food tastes much better in a cast iron pan. If you wash it, you really destroy it. I had a cast iron pan for years. Water never touched it.

I usually wash our cast iron skillet in cold water after use. Then I wipe it dry and apply a little oil. It is very seasoned.

I never use hot water or soap.

 

[westwall]

/----/ Professional kitchens are all about speed and efficiency. A family member is a professional chef. There is no cast iron in the restaurant, but he has several at home he regularly uses.

Exactly. A good friend of mine is the Executive Chef up here at the Hyatt, same applies. No cast iron in any of the 5 restaurants he manages, but at home, cast iron is his favorite.

 

[AquaAthena]

When I used to fry foods, I used my cast iron skillet for the best crusty skin and cast iron skillets make the best gravies, especially milk gravy. Now, I rarely fry anything or make gravy. I really liked the even temperature they retain while cooking. If you are stuck or prefer having to fry a steak instead of grilling or using a broiler pan, cast iron skillets really bring the texture and flavor, with the last few minutes under the broiler for the sizzle.

I recently purchased two cast iron skillets, one 8-inch for my hubby's sandwiches as he loves the way it makes the sourdough bread very crusty. He keeps the skillet seasoned. In the 10-inch skillet, he is going to try his self-acclaimed "world-famous stew" as soon as the weather begins to chill. I'll probably make chili in it. Or not. My hubby loves to cook.

 

[Cellblock2429]

When I used to fry foods, I used my cast iron skillet for the best crusty skin and cast iron skillets make the best gravies, especially milk gravy. Now, I rarely fry anything or make gravy. I really liked the even temperature they retain while cooking. If you are stuck or prefer having to fry a steak instead of grilling, cast iron skillets really bring the texture and flavor, with the last few minutes under the broiler for the sizzle.

I recently purchased two cast iron skillets, one 8-inch for my hubby's sandwiches as he loves the way it makes the sourdough bread very crusty. He keeps the skillet seasoned. In the 10-inch skillet, he is going to try his self-acclaimed "world-famous stew" as soon as the weather begins to chill. I'll probably make chili in it. Or not. My hubby loves to cook.

/----/ My cast iron skillet has ridges on the surface to keep the food from swimming in grease.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Your anecdote doesn't make a cast iron pan indispensable to anyone, since as you pointed out restaurants can turn out great food without them.

/----/ I never said they were indispensable. Besides, someone else just posted their friend, who is a chef, uses them in his home but not in his restaurants. Different applications require different tools.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Directly from the Lodge website:


Can I soak my cast iron pan?

No! Soaking cast iron in water is a recipe for rust. If you need to remove sticky or stubborn stuck-on food, use a nylon scrubbing brush or a pan scraper and rinse under warm water. Be sure to thoroughly dry your pan.

/----/ I know, but I'm a wild and crazy guy who soaks his CI pans.

 

[progressive hunter]

Salt and oil for 3 minutes is more than I spend cleaning a stainless steel pan under worst case. Obviously 3 minutes isn't a big deal, but let's not pretend it is easier to care for cast iron when you're using salt and oil after every use.


I have! I've also eaten a steak cooked in a very host stainless steel skillet with all the oiled metal searing the steak. I don't need the pan to give flavor to my food, that is what prep is for.

View attachment 844224

Then you can make a pan sauce by deglazing by adding wine and shallots to the fund, reducing, then a pat of butter to emulsify. Risky move on cast iron, since scraping fond with something acidic like wine might mess up your pan's seasoning.

didnyt say you had to do it that way every time,,

most times I just give it a wipe with a paper towel and bobs your uncle,,

some people are born just to go against whats being discussed and never take time to really consider things,,

youre one of those people,,

 

[westwall]

didnyt say you had to do it that way every time,,

most times I just give it a wipe with a paper towel and bobs your uncle,,

some people are born just to go against whats being discussed and never take time to really consider things,,

youre one of those people,,

Yes, they are called contrarians, and they are generally unhappy people.

 

[Muhammed]

the difference comes when it holds the heat more evenly than a thin steel pan that cools off much faster,,

cast iron just needs slight adjustments to keep the heat distributed,, a steel one needs constant adjustments to keep it distributed,,

That sounds more indicative of the size of your burner how it's constructed etc. Also when cooking, the food itself can influence the heating pattern. When I cook in my iron pan, it seems to cook very evenly and the heat is much more steady than stainless steel. Also, as I mentioned, I would NEVER put cold butter, clarified butter or oil in a cold pan and THEN heat it up. You do realize that the oil plays a part in the cooking process?

The reason that a cast iron frying pan heats up so unevenly has absolutely nothing to do with my burner or the food. It has to do with the laws of physics. Cast iron has much lower thermal conductivity than copper or aluminum, therefore the heat does not dissipate from one area of the cooking surface to another nearly as quickly as it does on a copper bottomed stainless steel pan or those 3 ply and 5 ply cladded stainless steel pans with the disks of copper and/or aluminum encased in layers of stainless steel.

And a lot of the heat on the edges of a cast iron pan dissipates into the sides of the pan. Those sides are like fins on a huge heat sink and thus have a cooling effect on the edges of the cooking surface.

Like a said, there was a 187 degree difference between the middle of the cooking surface and the edge of the cooking surface. That's a HUGE difference. Personally I take advantage of that difference when I'm cooking. It's very convenient to be able to instantly raise or lower the heat applied to food by 187 degrees by simply nudging it a bit this way or that way. It gives me meticulous control over the cooking process. That characteristic of cast iron pans is especially useful when cooking scrambled eggs, something I do damn near every morning.

 

[progressive hunter]

The reason that a cast iron frying pan heats up so unevenly has absolutely nothing to do with my burner or the food. It has to do with the laws of physics. Cast iron has much lower thermal conductivity than copper or aluminum, therefore the heat does not dissipate from one area of the cooking surface to another nearly as quickly as it does on a copper bottomed stainless steel pan or those 3 ply and 5 ply cladded stainless steel pans with the disks of copper and/or aluminum encased in layers of stainless steel.

And a lot of the heat on the edges of a cast iron pan dissipates into the sides of the pan. Those sides are like fins on a huge heat sink and thus have a cooling effect on the edges of the cooking surface.

Like a said, there was a 187 degree difference between the middle of the cooking surface and the edge of the cooking surface. That's a HUGE difference. Personally I take advantage of that difference when I'm cooking. It's very convenient to be able to instantly raise or lower the heat applied to food by 187 degrees simply nudging it a bit this way or that way. It gives me meticulous control over the cooking process. That characteristic of cast iron pans is especially useful when cooking scrambled eggs, something I do damn near every morning.

and the fins on a steel pan are far thinner and wouldnt hold the heat as long,,

and lets not forget to rotate the pan to even out the heat opver a more consistant area,,

I can turn the heat off on cast iron long before the food is done cooking and it will continue to cook,, you cant do that with steel,,

 

[Cellblock2429]

I usually wash our cast iron skillet in cold water after use. Then I wipe it dry and apply a little oil. It is very seasoned.

I never use hot water or soap.

/---/ Quickest way to anger a Southerner

 

[toobfreak]

This is incorrect, there are many (most?) professional kitchens that don't have any cast iron because it is heavy, takes a long time to get to temp, and not responsive to heat changes. Cast iron doesn't cook as evenly as stainless steel, that is a myth that people just keep repeating despite countless examples proving otherwise.

You don't know what you are talking about. You literally just proved yourself wrong and your comments proved the advantages of iron and you don't even realize it. It is a choice, and if you don't want to use cast iron, that is your choice, but you ignore the reasons why many do, especially for searing steaks and meats.

 

[Blues Man]

Your anecdote doesn't make a cast iron pan indispensable to anyone, since as you pointed out restaurants can turn out great food without them.

If you don't want to but one don't buy one. No one really cares what pans you use.

 

[JohnDB]

restaurants can turn out great food without them

Ummmmm....highly debatable since 2020. Not much in the way of great food. Edible? Mostly edible...but not always. Great? Not very often and few and far in between.

 

[AveMarica]

some people are born just to go against whats being discussed and never take time to really consider things,,

youre one of those people,,

Yes, they are called contrarians, and they are generally unhappy people.

I'd counter that unhappy people are the ones who decide personal attacks is their only move when they're unable to make a reasonable argument.

I have owned a cast iron pan, I stopped using it because I like stainless steel better, and I nobody has given me a reason to use a cast iron pan other than it makes corn bread better and allusions to how food just magically tastes better in cast iron. Am I just supposed to throw my hands up anyway so that I don't get accused of being a contrarian? I don't think so.

Stainless steel can cook everything that cast iron can cook. It can sear, it can braise, it can fry, it can go in the oven, it is durable, lighter, and easy to care for. I don't make cornbread. These are facts, not being contrarian.

 

[progressive hunter]

I'd counter that unhappy people are the ones who decide personal attacks is their only move when they're unable to make a reasonable argument.

I have owned a cast iron pan, I stopped using it because I like stainless steel better, and I nobody has given me a reason to use a cast iron pan other than it makes corn bread better and allusions to how food just magically tastes better in cast iron. Am I just supposed to throw my hands up anyway so that I don't get accused of being a contrarian? I don't think so.

Stainless steel can cook everything that cast iron can cook. It can sear, it can braise, it can fry, it can go in the oven, it is durable, lighter, and easy to care for. I don't make cornbread. These are facts, not being contrarian.

BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!

 

[AveMarica]

/----/ I never said they were indispensable. Besides, someone else just posted their friend, who is a chef, uses them in his home but not in his restaurants. Different applications require different tools.

You're right, I apologize. I confused you with another commented who declared them indispensable. However I've yet to hear an application that required cast iron.

I can turn the heat off on cast iron long before the food is done cooking and it will continue to cook,, you cant do that with steel,,

This can be solved by leaving the heat until done cooking if cooking with stainless steel. The aluminum in clad stainless steel does hold heat, that is why you can put such a good sear on a fat steak in a good stainless steel pan, when the protein is added to the pan the aluminum stores enough heat that the temperature doesn't drop too much to inhibit maillard reaction.

Cast iron holds more heat because it is thicker in most products, usually about 3mm versus, for example, 1.7mm of aluminum in an All Clad pan. You can buy stainless steel pans like Demeyere Atlantis with a 3.7mm thick aluminum layer that will hold far more heat than a cast iron pan. Too heavy and expensive for me though.

 

[AveMarica]

You don't know what you are talking about. You literally just proved yourself wrong and your comments proved the advantages of iron and you don't even realize it. It is a choice, and if you don't want to use cast iron, that is your choice, but you ignore the reasons why many do, especially for searing steaks and meats.

You provided no useful information here to counter anything I've said.

You can sear steaks and meats just fine on stainless steel, so that is hardly a reason to own a cast iron pan. Here is from a youtube video where they compare searing one steak in cast iron and one in stainless steel, clearly any claim that you need cast iron to sear a steak is quite misguided.

The video for above comparison is here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5m2bfZ8AVs

 

[progressive hunter]

You're right, I apologize. I confused you with another commented who declared them indispensable. However I've yet to hear an application that required cast iron.


This can be solved by leaving the heat until done cooking if cooking with stainless steel. The aluminum in clad stainless steel does hold heat, that is why you can put such a good sear on a fat steak in a good stainless steel pan, when the protein is added to the pan the aluminum stores enough heat that the temperature doesn't drop too much to inhibit maillard reaction.

Cast iron holds more heat because it is thicker in most products, usually about 3mm versus, for example, 1.7mm of aluminum in an All Clad pan. You can buy stainless steel pans like Demeyere Atlantis with a 3.7mm thick aluminum layer that will hold far more heat than a cast iron pan. Too heavy and expensive for me though.

or I can just keep doing what I have done for 40 yrs and turn it off and save energy,,