April 8, 2008
dear clusterflock
I have to purchase new kitchen cookware. On things like this, I don’t like to mess around. I’m all badass. I will buy quality and reliability over low low super Sunday discount pricing or the trend du jour.
So, assuming I really don’t want to get a bunch of professional non-stick cookware because I don’t dig what I’ve been reading about high-temp cooking with Teflon, I am looking for other pro/high-end options. I don’t want stainless steel because I am a hack cook and will fuck things up on a regular basis, so I’m torn between cast iron and enamelized cast iron.
Thoughts, opinions, anecdotes and rebuttals welcome.
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we got one a them frenchie enamelized cast iron thingies and you can’t fuck it up nohow. on the other hand, we also have a few all-clad (sp?) stainless steel pans and they rock. I don’t know that you can fuck them up. MGS may have a thing or two to say in this regard.
my dad cooks everything with seasoned cast iron and stone pots purchased in our years in Yemen. those things are incredible.
Jeff…if you use oil, the stainless probably won’t be a problem, and I, like deron love my All-clad stainless steel pans.
That said, if you really don’t want stainless, get a set of the enamelized, the Le Creuset ones sure are pretty (one of my cooking buds loves hers), and one cast iron skillet – that will give you the best of both worlds.
While you’re at it, I could use a few things…
I was tricked into buying a $200 all-clad stainless steel saute pan once, and it was best (most beneficial) trick ever played on me. It is a solid piece of cookware, that.
If you are going to burn things until they stick to stainless steel, you’ll do the same thing with cast iron or enamelized – its a problem of technique, not equipment. That’s not a dig at you, I am a hack, too, but my s/o is a professional cook and she manages not to burn stuff regardless of whether she is using a $400 hand hammered copper/stainless skillet or using a $3 tin pan from Walmart over a campfire. The point being – consider taking some cooking classes.
That said, I would go heft the All Clad Ltd. stainless with the dark anodized exterior. The burns and scratches don’t show up as much on the bottom as they do with other exterior surfaces and the interior stainless stell will let you scrape away with metal utensils (which will eventually scratch away enamel surfaces)
enamel cast iron. if you are looking for something that is non-stick and you can leave in the sink overnight full of soap water and dont have the time or the energy to re-season a regular cast iron…enameled pans will provide the same results as stainless steel or non-enameled cast iron. they may take a little bit of adjusting to because they retain heat so g-d well, though.
and, yes, they are pretty.
and no, the enamel will not become scratched. sorry if you think thats whats is happening, the marks you see on the bottom of the pan are actually your metal utensils coming off onto the pan.
We’ve had a Le Creuset Dutch oven for 20+ years and it’s great for stewing or baking. Absolutely like the non-porcelein kind as far as durability and “cookability”, but easy to maintain.
Having said that, I also have a 12″ or 14″ Le Creuset skillet that I never really got the hang of. Funny, though, I’ve been thinking about giving it another go.
I really, really like Calphalon commercial cookware, but it’s become crazy expensive, and their budget stuff (which is what I can afford) is only so-so. Their professional-quality anodized aluminum pans heat evenly, are almost as non-stick as Teflon once seasoned, and last forever. I love the way the cleverly designed metal handles never get hot.
Like a lot of other things besides cooking, great gear will flatter the moderately talented, but I agree that a real master can achieve impressive results even with inferior tools. I think I fall into the first category more than the second.
My main pots are a set of Meyer anodized aluminum pans that I got at a tag sale in 1993. They have been just plain great. Best $14 I ever spent. I don’t think Meyer makes them anymore, but they’re very similar to Calphalon. I have a few Calphalon pans, too, and though I don’t like them as much, they’re pretty close. Heavier, with more of a fingernails-on-blackboard texture, but close.
The one pan I really couldn’t stand and finally gave to the Sally Ann? A little All-Clad stainless skillet. Water would stick to that thing, man. I couldn’t do nothing with it.
Incidentally, you might want to also check out this old post which you’d never find unless you knew it was there, because our archives is all brokened: The No-Frills Kitchen.
If you have done some research into metals and their effects on the body you most likely will want to go with the highest quality on the market. I experienced bad cramps after eating out of aluminum cookware years ago so we invested in Saladmaster cookware. The best investment we ever made. I have used it for over 18 years and even if I burn stuff in it I still serve it because it don’t taste bad. It is a pure surgical stainless steel. Easy to clean (if burnt just soak in hot soapy water and it comes out great) I have never had another stomach cramp since using it. All my food tastes great and has given me a “good cook” name.
Wow! What a persuasive comment advocating a product sold through multilevel marketing!
“I can change my life by cooking healthier; and help change other lives by sharing saladmaster healthy cooking solutions.”
it’s like an amway cult. I love it.
For a frying pan, get a used (but not rusted) cast-iron pan at a garage sale or antiques store, and re-season it really well before you start using it (and don’t ever use soap on it, just wipe it down and coat it lightly with oil after using).
For a stewpot or dutch oven, get an enameled iron pot like Le Creuset (but you can probably get a different brand that’s just as good for less money — I think Calphalon makes them for under $100). Get a big one (8 quart), leave it on or near the stove (unless you need the exercise), and only get a smaller (and lighter) one if you really feel a need.
I like your thinking even if it is not totally informed. The cast iron is the hardest to really mess up and it can always be scrapped clean if you really burn things to a crisp. The enamel coated cast iron is a good alternative. Both of these are fairly heavy so do not expect a lot of help in the kitchen from your girl friends.
On the other hand, there are some really good aluminum clad items (see all clad) which are good but can be expensive. Also three clad stainless steel when properly conditioned is hard to beat and offers a lot more flexibility than cast iron. In addition, depending on how good of a cook you want to be, you might consider one small copper sauce pan which is a much better alternative for those special sauces and for melting chocolate and such things.
As a wrap, if all you want to do is cook up some pot roast, some great stews, or boil some pasta the cast iron choice will work. If you want to cook, then get one or two really good stainless steel skillets and some special items.
yogiwan
consider your health first and DONT buy aluminum pots – both can leach metal at high temperatures that you don’t need. Iron pots also can leach some iron – but that’s good for you. Teflon pots can leach chemicals into the food and air that the USEPA is investigating still (and there are several lawsuits in the works about the chemical in water supplies and over 90% of the adult population in this country – an animal and likely human carcinogen and endocrine distruptor, miscarriages, etc.). Dr. Mercola and other websites sell quality enamelized cast iron cookware and even unseasoned iron cookware can last a lifetime unlike the nonstick cheaper and deadlier alternatives. The less ingredients in cookware the less likely they will come off into our air or body. Amazon has some great reviews on brands and types………
Wait a second — need to reply to this statement: “Iron pots also can leach some iron – but that’s good for you. ” No, it’s NOT good for everyone and, in many cases, it’s deadly. The human body does not expel iron as it does other supplements and minerals. Hemochromatosis (casually known as “iron overload”) is a serious illness and is worsened in our society of overly-fortified breads and cereals, etc. Wikipedia it and you’ll see. It’s extremely common in those of Northern European descent yet most folks don’t even know they have it until years later during autopsy, when it’s determined as the root cause of their heart/liver/pancreatic failure or cancer. Also, it’s a common root cause of liver cirrhosis. My son was just diagnosed with this (in his twenties) and it’s genetic — i.e., there’s a DNA marker that confirms it. The ongoing/lifelong treatment is not fun, and you must avoid iron in every way you can. So, cast iron would be a huge no for many people. Medical science is only now realizing how iron-overloaded our society is, so if you’re in doubt get your ferritin levels checked in your next routine blood test. It’s really disturbing how common this is, yet so few know about it.
thank you for the comment on hemochromatosis. I am wondering if an enamel coated skillet would be safe for one with this disease?