best pans for which uses?

[saraha]

What is the best uses for the following pans- cast iron skillet, non-stick skillet, stainless steel skillet.

 

I have all three of these and use the stainless steel for making gravy, the nonstick for everything else, and the cast iron when the other two are dirty because things tend to stick in it. Can you help me broaden my horizons?

[gardening momma]

I use cast iron for camping and non-stick for everything else.

[saraha]

So what is the best use for stainless steel?

[Cinder]

I use my cast iron for frying meats--not deep frying, just pan frying. I use stainless steel for most everything else--steaming veggies, making sauces, etc. Dh likes a nonstick skillet for frying eggs, but I've found that if you heat your pan well and add the fat right before you add the eggs the stainless steel doesn't stick. We also bought a nonstick griddle for cooking pancakes or garlic toast. It's also a handy cook surface for traveling.

[LostSurprise]

If your cast iron is seasoned correctly, it shouldn't be sticking. You may want to look into seasoning it again/checking its seasoning on a more regular basis.

 

How I understand it: cast iron heats slowly and keeps steady heat longer. The others heat faster, but less steadily. That means for quick browning stainless/non-stick and for slower, longer cooking the cast iron.

 

Personally I use cast iron for everything, but that's only because I got tired of straining to clean the stainless steel every time we made eggs and I worry about the non-stick coating getting scratched off and onto our food.

[Parrothead]

cast iron skillet - everything

non-stick skillet - nothing

stainless steel skillet - when one runs out of clean cast iron

[happypamama]

I use cast iron for almost everything -- frying meat, omelets/fried eggs/scrambled eggs, sauteing vegetables, frying pancakes and french toast, soups and stews, etc. I've got cast iron pans, a dutch oven, a big skillet that covers two burners, even cast iron waffle irons, and I use at least one of them every day, usually at least two. I have non-stick nothing (except for a couple of specialty bake pans, like for bundt cakes and edge brownies). The cast iron just needs to be seasoned very well, but it has replaced any non-stick pans as well as my crockpot.

 

I use stainless saucepans for boiling eggs or vegetables like lima beans and peas, cooking beans, and for making sauces. I suppose cast iron would work fine for those too, but I don't have pans in the right sizes/shapes for those. I do have big stainless stockpots that I use for some soups, making stock, stuff like that, but the dutch oven might suffice for those too.

 

I bake in Pyrex or Corelle casseroles some too, when the cast iron isn't the right size/shape. And while I happily cook beef and pork roasts in the cast iron dutch oven, I prefer chicken roasted in a stainless roasting pan.

 

ETA: I do have a stainless steel frying pan still, but I haven't used it in years. Partly that's because it's not big enough for my family anymore, but mostly it's because I like the cast iron better. Stuff doesn't stick to the cast iron nearly as much as it did with the stainless.

Edited April 5, 2012 by happypamama

[fairfarmhand]

cast iron skillet - everything

non-stick skillet - nothing

stainless steel skillet - when one runs out of clean cast iron

:iagree: