Calling all cooks!

[drinva]

Lets talk frying pans a little.

I love the ease of a non-stick pan. My wife bought some rather expensive NS fry pans off HSN. 4 of them from small to dang near too big for one stove eye. NS surface is this baby blue color, suppose to be the chit, well, its not. They work great for a while then they stick like MAD after 6 months of use. Drives me insane to try and cook in them. Most of the time I have started to go back to my ole black cast iron pan to be honest.

My question, Is it better to just buy the cheapo NS pans and throw them out the door in 6 months? Or do you own a NS that is the greatest pan on the planet? Just something I've been kicking around in my head.....

DR

 

[P&R Fan]

My Brother-In-Law sells cookware. It is apparently an MLM and he has alienated a lot of people with his sales tactics. The set costs several grand. This company (I don't even know the name) tells people that their product has wonderful health benefits. Apparently, if you use department store cookware it will kill you dead, but this stuff will make you unbelievably healthy.
My BIL, by the way, looks like he is about 8 months pregnant, and has other health issues, but never mind that.

I'll just stick to good old (paid for) pots and pans.
Jim

 

[Gunslinger808]

Once you use well seasoned cast iron you'll never go back to regular overhyped "non stick".
Heck, good cast iron is a legacy that can be passed on for generations.

 

[cavsix]

Face it - cast iron works!

 

[duppie]

A well seasoned cast Iron pan is indeed an asset in the kitchen,on the grill and trail but for some members of the family may prove to be too heavy.
I've been using Nordic Ware teflon frying pans for many years with great success. It's restaurant quality,very well made and lasts with a little care for a decade or more.
I do love my Stainless steel All Clad skillets also but it does take some practice to use them effectively.

 

[Smithsrevenge]

I just use stainless.

That junk that's in non stick really is bad for you, especially if you eat it. Cooking on it wont harm you but if it scrapes of and you ingest some.......that is NOT good, Causes cancer and a bunch of other things.

Key to true "non stick" , flip often! and i mean OFTEN. Cooks just the same without getting stuck :-D

 

[duppie]

I just use stainless.

That junk that's in non stick really is bad for you, especially if you eat it. Cooking on it wont harm you but if it scrapes of and you ingest some.......that is NOT good, Causes cancer and a bunch of other things.

Key to true "non stick" , flip often! and i mean OFTEN. Cooks just the same without getting stuck :-D

I beg to differ....flip often?. Ever try to put a nice golden crust on a fish fillet or pork chop by flipping often?
In a Stainless,heat and fat is the key, definitely not flipping often and that's why non stick is so popular and handy, it's very forgiving of heat,fat and lack of skill.

 

[Smithsrevenge]

I beg to differ....flip often?. Ever try to put a nice golden crust on a fish fillet by flipping often?
In a Stainless,heat and fat is the key, definitely not flipping often and that's why non stick is so popular and handy, it's very forgiving of heat,fat and lack of skill.

I bake my fishes :-D Probably why I didnt think of that haha

 

[M&P Freak]

Cheap pans make great targets but that's about all they are good for. Once you cook on something like All-Clad there's no going back. Expensive but well worth it.

 

[diamonback68]

I tried those ceramic Orgrenic pans and have cooked every day with them for about a year and half now and they have NEVER stuck with anything. They do what the ad says they will do. Two minor cautions, season first time and don't us any metal utensils, they scratch easily.
BTW, I also have my cast irons too.

 

[drinva]

You couldn't give me a stainless pan, I have a set of VERY high quality and the best thing they could ever do is boil water Everything sticks like super glue unless you float your frying food.

Yep....cast iron is what I use most, but like stated it's way too heavy and the wife just doesn't get along with that factor. Ease of clean up is a big factor too.

Most of the NS pan use is for very few things: pancakes, eggs, fish. The cast iron gets the rest 100% of the time for me, but not for her.

Flipping over and over? Never! Less is BEST 100% of the time, the less you muck with frying food or grilling, the better, ESPECIALLY FISH. Flipping prevents browning and induces lack of flavor and dull food. I dont do lack of flavor or dull

I'm not planning on cooking in the cheapo's long enough for the coating to come off, that's the whole purpose of a cheapo: replacement and new pan every 6 months. For what the pricey stuff goes for and how poorly it works....well....cheapo is an option I was just pondering.

DR

 

[Maddog 521]

Another vote for the "old" cast iron cookware. Most of mine are pre-1950. I have a WC Davis skillet that is pre Civil War and it still fries eggs to perfection.

 

[timn8er]

I have pretty good luck with T-Fal. You just have to make sure your utensils won't scratch them. If that happens its all over. I've got some cast iron somewhere...I'm hoping I'll find them when I move!

 

[wbraswell]

You get what you pay for. I love cast iron, but there are uses for a really good non-stick. I bought a stainless steel non-stick with the think copper core bottom, and that thing rocks. Holds heat like cast iron, and heats evenly all across it. You just have to be a little careful, and use non-stick utensils. It's a Paula Deen brand, so all you PC types need to go buy elsewhere. I love it.

 

[Smith357]

The main difference between the cheap non-stick pans and the good ones is the thickness of the pan. The better thicker pans heat more evenly. As a a cook who worked in professional kitchens for many years I prefer good seasoned cast iron cookware, if I need a thin pan for something like crepes I like plain carbon steel. A few reasons for the cast iron is they heat evenly, and retain heat better than anything else. With proper care the non stick seasoning never wears out, if your wife does put it in the dishwasher and strips the seasoning it can be redone. Clean-up is a snap, just rinse it out with water, wipe it out with a towel and oil it, then heat it up before you use it again. I do use a small non-stick pan for eggs, it is disposable, when it starts to go south I pitch it and get a new one.

 

[therevjay]

I agree about the cast iron, and when I cook I always use it. My wife however doesn't like cast. (the weight probably)

She bought a set of the green non stick pans they advertise on TV. I hate to admit this but the damn things really work, just like on TV.

I still like my cast iron for some things . But quite often I find myself grabbing the new green ones.

 

[A10]

Another vote for a well seasoned cast iron pan, though we did get a set of the Costco nonstick pans a few month ago and man, they work like a charm! Easy clean up, and as with any nonstick don't overheat them and don't use metal.

 

[diamonback68]

She bought a set of the green non stick pans they advertise on TV. I hate to admit this but the damn things really work, just like on TV.

That's exactly what I said. No Teflon flaking in your food. Heavy aluminum and cool metal handle. They work and after a year and half mine look as new as the day I took them out of the box.

 

[mkk41]

Once you use well seasoned cast iron you'll never go back to regular overhyped "non stick".
Heck, good cast iron is a legacy that can be passed on for generations.

Hmmmm , they both have their pluses and minuses..

I've been eating out of and cooking in iron skillets like my Ma and Grandma. In fact , it's their Wagner and Griswold skillets.

I also like the quick no stick cooking with a non-stick aluminum. I got a nice set (Tramontina) at Costco and they're much thicker and hold up better than the $10 supermarket pans.

 

[snubbyfan]

Don't mess around with that new fandangled stuff. Cast Iron is proven technology, there's a reason it's been around for centuries. Yeah it's heavy but if you like properly cooked food, you'll learn to deal with it.
By the way, flip once. Cook it on one side, flip it then finish cooking. Done.