New skillet: stainless steel or non-stick?

[Okra]

I will be getting a new 10 inch skillet soon.  Which is better?  Stainless Steel or Non-stick?  

 

 

[Missouri Okie]

For health reasons, definitely stainless steel or even cast iron. The non-stick skillets emit toxic fumes when heated at high temperatures. I went to William Sonoma a few years ago to buy a non-stick skillet. The sales person said not to worry about chemicals leaching from the non-stick skillet, because they were inert and would pass through my system. I wasn't reassured. I really enjoy both my stainless skillet and my 10-inch cast iron skillet (Lodge brand).

[Harriet Vane]

Definitely stainless steel. There is absolutely nothing good about nonstick. It is unbelievably toxic to produce, both to the environment and to the workers who make the products, and there is a real danger of chemical leaching, especially if there are scratches in the nonstick surface.

 

 

[Angie in VA]

Cast iron or stainless steel.

[nmoira]

I'm going all carbon steel for nonstick, with a stainless covered sautee pan and fry pan for acidic foods. I'm loving the carbon steel. So far I have 12" and 8" fry pans, and a 12" grill pan I picked up for a steal.

[wapiti]

I agree with Wendy - it depends on the cooking job in question.  I have all three (nonstick, cast iron and stainless and someplace I have some anodized aluminum).

 

It may also depend on the level of quality that you're willing to pay for.  While I like my Lodge cast iron very small pan, I don't care for the medium or large ones - they seem to not heat evenly.  I haven't gotten around to buying fancier cast iron (once in a while for fun, I shop around for old cast iron on ebay - older should be better quality, at least in theory).  I do like the Kirkland brand stainless steel - nice heavy bottom.  For nonstick, I buy T-Fal at Target and make sure not to use anything more abrasive than the blue scrub sponge to clean it.

[nmoira]

Yeah try frying an egg in a steal pan

They took some time to season, but fried eggs slide around in my carbon steel pans.

[MIch elle]

Yeah try frying an egg in a steal pan.  Eek forget it.  And I hate cast iron.  Sorry...just don't see the allure.  And I have nowhere to keep a greasy pan.

 

SS

I do it all the time.  It just takes practice - heat the pan well, add a liberal amt of butter and eggs cook without sticking. Omelets too!

[nmoira]

I notice they sell some that are pre seasoned. What does seasoning them involve? And once seasoned, can you wash them?

I did six treatments with flax oil in the oven, then was careful to use fattier foods for awhile, preseasoning with a bit of clarified butter.

 

Cleanup is usually only deglazing with hot water, three minutes tops... I usually pre-boil the kettle and clean the pan right away... gently scrape with a spatula, rinse, wipe, and coat with a thin layer of oil when dried. Every month or so (or if gunky), I gently scrub/sanitize with kosher salt and a bit of flax oil... rinse and finish as above.

[nmoira]

Lol... Just a thought... Seasoning involves bacon.... Right up your alley. :D

[Amy in NH]

A well-seasoned cast iron pan is better than nonstick because:

1) it doesn't give off toxic fumes when you heat it,

2) it provides a good source of iron in your diet, and

3) the nonstick doesn't scratch off.

 

And it doesn't stick.

 

Stainless steel sticks.

 

My cast iron is not greasy.

[Jackie]

I prefer nonstick. Specifically the versions of nonstick out currently that are able to be used with metal tools. I simply find them much easier to use.

 

I've tried cast iron and I'm another one that doesn't get the appeal. In the time it takes for the pan to heat well, I can have breakfast completely done in a nonstick frying pan.

[nmoira]

Ugh, this kinda sounds annoying to me.  I love to cook, but one thing I freaking abhor is cleaning pans.  LOL

 

No problem on the fatty food front.  :laugh:

 

It's not strenuous work. I promise. I'm not into therapeutic scrubbing either. The three minutes includes the deglazing and very gentle scraping, rinsing, drying (the pan is already hot) and oiling.  Now, therapeutic kneading, OTOH...

[Heidi]

I love my stainless steel pans. It's all I use. Truly they don't stick if you learn how to use them right. They have to be hot and the oil has to be hot.

[wapiti]

FWIW, I wash my cast iron with hot water and a plastic scrub brush, quickly.

[nmoira]

Yeah I did this with a cast iron griddle and it rusted. : /

 

I hated that god forsaken griddle. I threw it out.

I once had a wonderfully seasoned 10" cast iron skillet. Pounds of bacon that took...

 

DH decided to be helpful out-of-the-blue and left it soaking overnight (and after I'd already cleaned it). A lesser man would have then been in contention for being ex-DH, but I kept him. :tongue_smilie:

[nmoira]

Oops...

 

I wonder how those ceramic pans are.

The green ones? I've heard mixed things especially about browning, but I like browned, not browned enough. KWIM?

 

My problem with nonstick is temperature... I want pans I can heat to at least mid-high without shortening the life span, and I don't have storage space for three sets. I wonder how hot the green fry pans go.

 

Not a pan, but I just ordered an Emile Henry ceramic Dutch oven... been coveting one for years and there's a good promotion right now on the 4.2 qt size (perfect for 4lb chicken). These supposedly will take substantial heat, even empty.

[Desert Strawberry]

Cast iron. Best thing ever. Mine are predestined, wash up so easily. I leave it on the stove till I am ready to wash it. Scrape out any bits.  20 second scrub with hot water. Done. Dry it right away and put it away. That is it. So easy. 

The trick is not to soak it. Don't leave it in the sink overnight, it won't rust.

[Laurie4b]

I recently bought a ceramic nonstick pan. I don't think they release toxic fumes, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Up till now, I've been a cast-iron girl, but I cook a lot of eggs and they do stick on my cast iron. So the ceramic pan is my new egg pan.

 

My iron level tends to be at the very top of normal. Too much iron is bad for you, so I actually wish the cast iron didn't give off iron into the food, but it does.

[Harriet Vane]

Right, but butter that is too hot burns.  And I don't know about you, but I don't like my eggs cooked in oil.

 

I cook the majority of my food in stainless pans, but there are a handful of things that are just better in something nonstick.

 

I do not cook my eggs in oil. I use real butter, in my stainless steel pans. I make sure the pan is hot, the butter well heated (not browned, just hot), and I use a thin, metal spatula. Sounds like you needed more practice.

[happypamama]

Stainless steel, if cast iron were not a choice.  But I adore my cast iron and use it pretty much exclusively, even for omelets.

[G5052]

I once had a wonderfully seasoned 10" cast iron skillet. Pounds of bacon that took...

 

DH decided to be helpful out-of-the-blue and left it soaking overnight (and after I'd already cleaned it). A lesser man would have then been in contention for being ex-DH, but I kept him. :tongue_smilie:

 

Yes, mine "really cleaned" mine one night, and then put it away.  When I took it out several days later, it was all rusty.

[Pawz4me]

I love my cast iron pans.  I have several pieces that belonged to my great grandmother!  But a year or so ago DH was found to have hemochromatosis (iron overload) and his doc said no cooking in cast iron.  So I switched to stainless steel.  And there was a  learning curve, but now that I've gotten used to SS pans I really like them.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Non stick, but I could be persuaded by some really bangin; stainless.  I suppose If the money fairy flew into my chimney, I'd splurge for something like Allclad, but without such skinny handles.

[Amy in NH]

Yes, mine "really cleaned" mine one night, and then put it away.  When I took it out several days later, it was all rusty.

 

Scrub it good with water and a plastic stiff bristled brush, dry it, coat it in a thin layer of vegetable oil, and bake it in the oven for an hour at 350. 

All better.

 

[Joanne]

I was thinking of posting a similar thread. My pots and pans are wedding gifts from marriage #1. That means they are over 20 years old.

I haven't gotten any answers from the thread, though. :lol:  :confused1:

[Ravin]

Stainless all the way. I like cast iron, too (we have a cast iron wok), but day in day out, stainless.

[kitten18]

I think I'm going to get an enameled cast iron skillet for Christmas. There is not a lot of them out there (looking on amazon). I'm looking at a 10" by Fancy Cook but not really any reviews, hmmm.

 

I have a small cast iron that I use for eggs that I like very much.

I really LOVE my enameled cast iron Dutch ovens and I think I would like an enameled skillet.

[Cinder]

We recently bought a Cuisinart Green Gourmet after MIL raved about hers and how great it was for cooking eggs. It really has been great. We've been careful to use only a soft cloth to clean it. (I wonder if using a scrubbie caused micro-abrasions on previous nonsticks we owned and eventually led to their ruin.) And recently I stopped using soap on it because it makes the eggs taste soapy. (I'm the only one who can taste this though. And I've tried rinsing and rinsing and I can still taste the soap, so no more soap). So just hot water and a cloth gets the pan clean--grease doesn't even stick to the pan.

 

One caution--the ceramic layer is very thin and dh has damaged the edges by banging the spatula handle on it. It's a plastic spatula but with a metal handle. I usually just use a silicone spatula but dh prefers the egg-turner type.

[Snow]

I was also just researching new pans for Christmas so this is a timely thread. Do you all use wood or steel utensils with SS pans?

[Spy Car]

I'm going all carbon steel for nonstick, with a stainless covered sautee pan and fry pan for acidic foods. I'm loving the carbon steel. So far I have 12" and 8" fry pans, and a 12" grill pan I picked up for a steal.

I'm with you. I think carbon steel skillets are one of the great and "almost undiscovered" cookware options out there.

 

They are relatively inexpensive, require seasoning (like cast-iron), and give people a professional grade pan that can take anything you throw at it heat-wise.

 

For some reason almost no one (but you and I) have them in home kitchens.

 

Bill

[Sun]

SS

I do it all the time.  It just takes practice - heat the pan well, add a liberal amt of butter and eggs cook without sticking. Omelets too!

 

The key is to heat the pan really well first. Hot pan, cold fat over the whole pan bottom, and eggs will slide around without sticking at all. That's how I make eggs every morning, and cleaning the pan takes about 5 seconds. I even make crepes in a stainless pan using this method, and they also don't stick at all and flip easily.

[Sun]

I'm with you. I think carbon steel skillets are one of the great and "almost undiscovered" cookware options out there.

 

They are relatively inexpensive, require seasoning (like cast-iron), and give people a professional grade pan that can take anything you throw at it heat-wise.

 

For some reason almost no one (but you and I) have them in home kitchens.

 

Bill

 

We have a carbon steel griddle, and it's amazing.

 

Can you post a couple of links to carbon steel skillets? A big gift-giving season is approaching!

 

[Tammyla]

Stainless steel pots and pans.  I've used a Cuisinart set for 10+ years and learned to love them.  There was a learning curve, esp with eggs, but after I got the temperature right I grew to love cooking with them. 

 

I was worried about the non-stick toxins, but concerned about things sticking and the mess of clean ups of ss.  Well, I grown to love ss cookware, because they are so easy to clean up.  I like to soak for a few minutes and then scrape them with whatever I have on hand... metal, a knife, green scrub-pad, sos pad etc. and wala clean as new.

 

ymmv

[nmoira]

I'm with you. I think carbon steel skillets are one of the great and "almost undiscovered" cookware options out there.

 

They are relatively inexpensive, require seasoning (like cast-iron), and give people a professional grade pan that can take anything you throw at it heat-wise.

 

For some reason almost no one (but you and I) have them in home kitchens.

 

Bill

 

I only acquired my first carbon steel piece last winter and haven't looked back. I've learned that I can cook sea scallops to perfection with the right pan. :drool:  Except for a couple good pots picked up on clearance and my bakeware (and I don't even like to bake), everything else in the kitchen was crap. The goal for the next couple years is to transition completely to heavy duty grownup cookware. 

[Spy Car]

We have a carbon steel griddle, and it's amazing.

 

Can you post a couple of links to carbon steel skillets? A big gift-giving season is approaching!

 

 

 

The ones I have are several decades old. They came from Sur La Table, but carry no "brand" mark, but are French made. I love them because they have heavy cast iron handles like good copper cookware. But Sur La Table has not carried these for a very long time.

 

You may need to search around. I know Du Buyer sells skillets they call "Mineral steel" that seem sweet. Malfer also sell them. They can go by "black steel," or carbon steel, or mineral steel.

 

If you have a big restaurant supply near you, you might try there. Chefs love these. 

 

I wish I had a better answer for you but mine are almost 30 years old. 

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

I only acquired my first carbon steel piece last winter and haven't looked back. I've learned that I can cook sea scallops to perfection with the right pan. :drool:  Except for a couple good pots picked up on clearance and my bakeware (and I don't even like to bake), everything else in the kitchen was crap. The goal for the next couple years is to transition completely to heavy duty grownup cookware. 

 

 

Having the right tools makes cooking a lot more fun. It's nice when you can pick up bargains too.

 

I have more "heavy duty grownup cookware" than any mans should, but my carbon steel skillets (while far from the most expensive) are very well prized. i hope than one day grand children or great-grand children will still be cooking with them (because they will last forever).

 

Bill

[boscopup]

The key is to heat the pan really well first. Hot pan, cold fat over the whole pan bottom, and eggs will slide around without sticking at all. That's how I make eggs every morning, and cleaning the pan takes about 5 seconds. I even make crepes in a stainless pan using this method, and they also don't stick at all and flip easily.

 

I was just searching pan options, and yes, I search WTM first. :D This is how I cook my eggs, BUT... I need to cook a dozen eggs at one time, and with that many, they do start to stick toward the end of cooking. If I'm only doing 6 eggs, I can have a nice non-stick experience. But doing a dozen... they don't stick at first, but once I start to scramble a bit, they start sticking like mad. It's easy to scrape it up with the spatula as I'm cooking, so not hard to clean up, but still annoying.

 

So I'm looking for an alternative. Same thing happens with cast iron - doesn't stick at first, but toward the end it does, due to the number of eggs. I've tried doing a dozen eggs in the oven, but they start to turn green on the edges, and my kids don't like that. :tongue_smilie: I think they're getting overcooked on the edges in the oven.

 

I have a love/hate relationship with cast-iron. My pans are nicely seasoned and produce really good food. They are just so HEAVY. And again, the egg thing... the SS seems to be easier to use for a dozen eggs.

 

What pan should I use for a dozen eggs? I have been seriously thinking about getting a non-stick pan just for eggs. All of my other cooking is done with SS or cast-iron.

[Chris in VA]

Love my cast iron because it's heavy enough to never warp; my ceramic "green" frying pan warped. It won't rest flat on the burner anymore, so I'm chucking it. It's not the green-colored one, though--it's white inside. I found it also stays brown inside, unless I super-clean it by simmering baking soda and water (a good 1/4th cup of baking soda) for a couple minutes, then plastic scrubbie-ing it. 

 

We don't treat our cookware very well, I'm afraid. I have a son who cooks eggs every night--I don't think he uses the correct spatula, so things get scratched up. (Sometimes I don't, either.)

 

With cast iron, I never have to worry about which spatula to use, and can even cut up chicken and such right in the pan (I know, I still shouldn't, but I do). 

 

Mine is well-seasoned, enough so that I don't have to put it away greasy or even oil it up very often. Plastic scrubbie-thing, even a tiny bead of soap, hot water in hot pan--easy-peasy cleaning.

 

FWIW, Frugal Gourmet used to say, "Hot pan, cold fat, foods won't stick!" 

[Amy in NH]

We have a carbon steel griddle, and it's amazing.

 

Can you post a couple of links to carbon steel skillets? A big gift-giving season is approaching!

 

 

Lodge has a carbon steel line. 

[emzhengjiu]

I have a carbon steel wok that I love.  Once seasoned, it can't be beat.  For corn bread, nothing is better than my very old cast iron skillet.

[Ausmumof3]

Haven't read all replies but I have the ceramic ones and mostly love them. you do have to heat the large ones for ages if you want food to brown and I find steak cooks better in the electric stainless steel pan.

[Sun]

I was just searching pan options, and yes, I search WTM first. :D This is how I cook my eggs, BUT... I need to cook a dozen eggs at one time, and with that many, they do start to stick toward the end of cooking. If I'm only doing 6 eggs, I can have a nice non-stick experience. But doing a dozen... they don't stick at first, but once I start to scramble a bit, they start sticking like mad. It's easy to scrape it up with the spatula as I'm cooking, so not hard to clean up, but still annoying.

 

So I'm looking for an alternative. Same thing happens with cast iron - doesn't stick at first, but toward the end it does, due to the number of eggs. I've tried doing a dozen eggs in the oven, but they start to turn green on the edges, and my kids don't like that. :tongue_smilie: I think they're getting overcooked on the edges in the oven.

 

I have a love/hate relationship with cast-iron. My pans are nicely seasoned and produce really good food. They are just so HEAVY. And again, the egg thing... the SS seems to be easier to use for a dozen eggs.

 

What pan should I use for a dozen eggs? I have been seriously thinking about getting a non-stick pan just for eggs. All of my other cooking is done with SS or cast-iron.

 

Could you do them in batches? Half in the first batch, then dump, rebutter the hot pan, and cook the second batch? That's basically what I do when I do crepes. After four or five crepes, they start to stick a tiny bit in the center, so I have to scrape well with a metal spatula, and then rebutter that spot in particular. Otherwise, I rebutter a tiny bit after every two crepes.

 

 

[nmoira]

Anyone looking for carbon steel pans might want to check out Chef's Cyber Monday sale. They have a set of 12", 10" and 8" de Buyer skillets for $120. The 8" is the perfect size for one burger, two fried eggs, two small sausage patties,etc. These are solid pans.

 

http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/25200-de-buyer-mineral-fry-pan.aspx

 

And Amazon is selling de Buyer's weird Eiffel Tower handled 11" pan for $55. (This might be the regular price.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/BUYER-5670-28-Mineral-Frypan-11-Inch/dp/B00B8KMSR4

[nmoira]

How heavy are the pans?

 

I'm 5'3". The 12" is heavy enough I need to lift it out of the oven with the (conveniently long) handle partially supported by my arm for stability... with a long oven mitt of course. There's a better way to describe that... but the words aren't coming. I'm able to do four strip steaks or boneless pork loin chops in it... seared on medium high and finished in the oven. The 10" is easier to handle, and the 8" is small. Each are made from the same gauge of steel, thick enough to retain the heat to sear the flip side properly.

 

I wish I'd purchased them as a set because I could have done their initial seasonings simultaneously.

 

ETA: I think those are just the "Mineral" pans, not the newer "Mineral B," but I think the only difference is that you have to strip a beeswax coating off the latter before starting to season.

[Spy Car]

How heavy are the pans?

Generally speaking, these type of steel pans (being desirably thick gauged) are heavy. Not as heavy as a cast iron skillet of the same size (I would imagine), but still not "light."

 

If one has physical issues with heavy pans these are not a great choice. I have seen some pans of this sort made from thinner gauges, but these would negate the thicker pans advantages of evening out hot spots and really standing up to the most intensly hot sort of flames/temps superbly.

 

While relatively inexpensive these pans are aimed primarily at use in professional kitchens and are serious heavy-duty implements. The down-side, for some, is that they are relatively heavy.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

Yeah I don't like heavy.

 

Yesterday I went to Bed Bath and Beyond. I was comparing various pans. I really don't like insanely heavy pans. I mean no I don't want them to be T-fals, but really I can't stand the thought of having to break my arms and back to lift a pan.

 

I lifted up a cast iron dutch oven and I thought if it was any heavier I wouldn't be able to lift it. So that would be stupid.

They are not as heavy as enabled cast-iron. I would not call them "break my arm (or back)" heavy, but they are not light (especially in the larger sizes). They might not be your thing.

 

Bill

[nmoira]

I lifted up a cast iron dutch oven and I thought if it was any heavier I wouldn't be able to lift it.  So that would be stupid. 

 

My Emile Henry cocotte came last week... sooo light compared to cast iron (something like 30% lighter). Made Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk yesterday and I'm doing a slow cooked pork loin roast in it for tonight. I have a 6qt enamelled cast iron dutch oven, and I don't think I could confidently lift anything heavier.

[nmoira]

Generally speaking, these type of steel pans (being desirably thick gauged) are heavy. Not as heavy as a cast iron skillet of the same size (I would imagine), but still not "light."

 

Definitely lighter than comparably sized cast iron skillets.

[Spy Car]

Definitely lighter than comparably sized cast iron skillets.

Doing a very quick search, the first comparisions I saw indicated a 12.6 inch De Muyer Mineral skillet weights 4.8 lbs, where the slightly smaller 12 inch Lodge cast-iron pan comes in at 7.5 lbs. That is significantly lighter for a pan that will perform the same duties (and maybe better) than cast-iron. They still aren't light, but lighter than cast-iron.

 

My personal carbon steel skillets have very heavy iron handles that up the weight (relative to the lighter handles on the De Buyer pans, but these do not seem to be on the market anymore.

 

Bill