Cast iron vs. stainless steel pans

[melissel]

I think I have to get rid of my cast iron frying pan. We cannot seem to keep a seasoning coating on it, mainly because my mom and my DH keep burning things onto it that I then have to scrub off, and then off comes any seasoning I managed to cook onto it. It's just becoming too much work for too little reward, and after a year, food's still sticking to the darn thing anyway!

 

So my question is, does anyone use stainless steel and manage to keep too much stuff from sticking horribly? I've heard that if you just preheat the pan fully, then add your butter/oil/whatever, food (namely, eggs) come off just fine. Can anyone share their experiences? I know thin, lower-quality stainless is probably not so great, but I'm thinking more along the lines of our current, heavy-bottomed set.

 

TIA!

[Spy Car]

I think I have to get rid of my cast iron frying pan. We cannot seem to keep a seasoning coating on it, mainly because my mom and my DH keep burning things onto it that I then have to scrub off, and then off comes any seasoning I managed to cook onto it. It's just becoming too much work for too little reward, and after a year, food's still sticking to the darn thing anyway!

 

So my question is, does anyone use stainless steel and manage to keep too much stuff from sticking horribly? I've heard that if you just preheat the pan fully, then add your butter/oil/whatever, food (namely, eggs) come off just fine. Can anyone share their experiences? I know thin, lower-quality stainless is probably not so great, but I'm thinking more along the lines of our current, heavy-bottomed set.

 

TIA!

 

With stainless, that "thickness" is vitally important, as is the steel being an inner jacket bonded to a more conductive metal exterior such as aluminum, or preferably thick copper.

 

The downside is, this kind of cookware is *very* expensive. And thin cheap stainless is not worth owing (except for water based cooking). Thin stainless will scorch food and you will use far more fat than need be to combat this tendency.

 

Are you sure you want to give up on the cat iron? It's economical, and a good source of dietary iron. Have you been using detergents and really soaking/scrubbing the cast iron? Sometimes a light rub with a little coarse salt (or sand) or the back of a wooden spoon can knock off burned stuff. Or you can just burn it more. Just don't use detergents.

 

I'd really try another round or two of seasoning efforts, like a good slow bake in the oven, before you give up on the cast iron.

 

If you really want to splurge look at the heavy French-made Bourgeat copper cook-ware with the cast iron handles. Very costly. But I can tell you there is nothing else that compares (I'm spoiled). But I also appreciate and use (and consider almost as good for many purposes [but not all] my drastically less expensive well-seasoned Lodge cast iron. Nothing is a better value than cast-iron as few alternatives cook better. Certainly not "cheap" stainless.

 

Bill

[Jumping In Puddles]

I have the opposite problem. I really hate my stainless skillets because stuff always tends stick. My cast iron is completely, 100% non stick. I was just thinking that I would like to replace all my pans but one with cast iron.

 

When you cook on cast iron or SS, you should get the pan very hot, salt the meat, and use oil.

 

I have All Clad stainless and I'm not that impressed but mostly because I love my cast iron so much! :tongue_smilie:

[Ria]

All-Clad is wonderful (stainless inside and out with an aluminum core in between) but, as Bill said, it's wickedly expensive. I love mine, but beware - the 12" frying pan is $135:

 

All-Clad Frying Pan

 

Ria

[PeterPan]

Melissa, I'm trying to think how to put this nicely, but are you sure the problem is the pans? LOL Maybe you didn't season your cast iron properly in the beginning? Put it in the dishwasher, run it through a cycle (yes, this is hard on it and removes part of the season), then re-season it. I don't have the instructions, but you can google or go to Lodge's website or someplace and find out how. Basically you coat it in shortening and bake. If you do this on both sides and bake till it's fully seasoned, they're going to be so non-stick, I don't get how you could be having these problems.

 

If these relatives aren't able to cook better than that, then you DON'T want to give them expensive pans, mercy! I have expensive pans (Le Cruset, etc.) and they're not for people who can't cook. If you are the type to ruin a $10 cast iron pan, you don't want to do that to a $150 one, kwim? That's insane. And no, stainless is a big pain in the pittootee... BIG PAIN compared to a properly seasoned cast iron pan. (Shaking head again.) Something is wrong with how they're cooking. Are you sure you seasoned the cast iron properly? If you season them fully, you shouldn't even have to scrub. All you do is soak for a few minutes in hot water and it comes off with a nylon hairy scrub brush.

 

Not everything should be cooked in cast iron anyway. You could get some corningware or visionware (ebay). Walmart sells some really decent, moderately priced stainless steel pots and pans that have tri-clad bottoms. I got the steamer/double boiler of one, and it's really nice.

[Spy Car]

I just noticed eggs. This may take a little searching out as it is not a "usual" item. There are pans made of "carbon steel" that have cast iron handles like the fancy French copper cookware. These are great for eggs (far better than even the French copper [which are at their worst with eggs].

 

As an alternative (and far easier to find) their are crepe pans made of "carbon steel" they have a steel handle rather than cast iron and tend to run smaller than the others I mentioned. But these are great for eggs too. They are usually made in France of Canada.

 

Both these options are fairly inexpensive too. Finding them is the trick. Like cast-iron, "carbon steel" can rust so it needs seasoning too, but the good news is "carbon steel" seasons *much* more easily. You just wouldn't want to leave it sitting in soapy water. But in no time they get black. Carbon steel is one of the great "undiscovered" (except my me :D) cook-wares out there. I don't understand why. But I think you'd love it.

 

Bill (who owns more pots than any man should :tongue_smilie:)

[Spy Car]

The Le Creuset (enameled cast-iron) that OhElizabeth mentioned is far better for eggs than even the most expensive stainless frying pans, if that is going to be the most important use.

 

Bill

[amy g.]

I was having trouble with my cast iron too. It was so frustrating. Then I saw my husband scrubbing it with Dawn, no less. No wonder I was having trouble with the seasoning!

 

Now, we all wash with hot water and salt. We dry it on the stove turned to Hi. When it is dry, but still hot, we add a light coat of peanut oil. This keeps a nice non-stick surface.

[Jumping In Puddles]

I just noticed eggs. This may take a little searching out as it is not a "usual" item. There are pans made of "carbon steel" that have cast iron handles like the fancy French copper cookware. These are great for eggs (far better than even the French copper [which are at their worst with eggs].

 

As an alternative (and far easier to find) their are crepe pans made of "carbon steel" they have a steel handle rather than cast iron and tend to run smaller than the others I mentioned. But these are great for eggs too. They are usually made in France of Canada.

 

Both these options are fairly inexpensive too. Finding them is the trick. Like cast-iron, "carbon steel" can rust so it needs seasoning too, but the good news is "carbon steel" seasons *much* more easily. You just wouldn't want to leave it sitting in soapy water. But in no time they get black. Carbon steel is one of the great "undiscovered" (except my me :D) cook-wares out there. I don't understand why. But I think you'd love it.

 

Bill (who owns more pots than any man should :tongue_smilie:)

 

Carbon steel is what is used in restaurants (without the heavy handles, carbon steel handles are the best because they are lighter but VERY hard to find)

 

I make eggs in my small cast iron pan but mine are all non stick. I wouldn't make eggs in anything but cast iron unless I had to... then I would use the steel pan, if I couldn't use that either, I would go non-stick but I wouldn't want to. I'd never cook eggs in stainless.

 

Those carbon steel (which we call black steel in restaurants) pans are great for almost everything but will discolor some foods.

Edited March 14, 2009 by Jumping In Puddles

[Ellie]

I have stainless steel waterless cookware. Yes, sometimes things stick but not usually too bad. I confess that I do have a nonstick pan for things like scrambled eggs, but even when I cook bacon and eggs in the stainless steel, it's really not that bad.

 

I quit using cast iron many years ago after reading the Supermarket Handbook. The authors pointed out how that there are *years* of cooked-in foods/oils in those pans, which surely can't be healthy (ditto with wooden salad bowls; I don't use them, either). Of course, nonstick coatings are supposed to not be all that healthy, so there you go. :-)

 

At any rate, I'm quite happy with my stainless.

[Spy Car]

Carbon steel is what is used in restaurants (without the heavy handles, carbon steel handles are the best because they are lighter but VERY hard to find)

 

I make eggs in my small cast iron pan but mine are all non stick. I wouldn't make eggs in anything but cast iron unless I had to... then I would use the steel pan, if I couldn't use that either, I would go non-stick but I wouldn't want to. I'd never cook eggs in stainless.

 

Those carbon steel (which we call black steel in restaurants) pans are great for almost everything but will discolor some foods.

 

Sharon, why do you think carbon steel (or black steel) pans are so uncommon in house-hold use? I love mine, although as you say there are a few things they can discolor. I like 'em better than most stainless and they are fairly cheap, but I've never known a *civilian* to use one. Why?

 

BTW "Black steel" was a good add for Google searches.

 

Bill

[melissel]

Melissa, I'm trying to think how to put this nicely, but are you sure the problem is the pans?

 

NO!!!!! :banghead: Frankly, I'm not at all sure! I've tried and tried and tried different ways of seasoning this thing. I've baked it in the oven. I've used high heat on the stove top and low heat on the stove top. I've used every kind of oil or butter that passed through my house. I've baked/cooked the seasoning on until it's dry and only warmed it so that there was an oily coating on it afterward. I do know that we went through a couple of months where it looked great, worked great, eggs slid off with no problems, etc. Then I entered the kitchen one morning to discover that DH had cooked burgers in it the night before and the burnt-on leftovers were rock hard (for some reason, he thinks everything needs to be cooked on medium-high--I dread when he cooks anything oily because I have to scrub down the whole kitchen the next day :smash:). I had to scrub it down and soak it, and that was the end of that :sad: I do use my kitchen sponge, but it has a plastic scrubby side (not metal), and I always make sure it's soap-free, and that when I run hot water off the inside of the pan, I can see the water sort of bead up and slide off.

 

Can someone give me completely idiot-proof instructions for seasoning the bloody thing??? I do happen to have shortening in the house for the first time...well, ever :001_huh: Would that work best? What temperature do I bake the thing at? For how long? What should it look like when it's done? Should it feel gummy at all? Should it still feel oily? Should it be smooth and black and shiny and not oily at all?

 

And there might one one other possibility. This is a no-name pan I bought at Marshall's. It's enameled on the outside. Could the quality or type of cast iron, or the enameling on the bottom, be playing a part here? Not long after I bought my pan, my BFF bought a Lodge pan, and she LOVES hers. By all accounts, we treat ours pretty much the same way after we use them, yet hers is getting better with use, and mine is making me want to throw it out a window.

 

I've told DH that he has start using a lower flame and preheating the pan properly if he wants to keep using it. I'm willing to give the whole thing a go again, because I'd really rather not invest more money, for many of the reasons you all suggested. But I've just about reached the end of my rope :(

 

Thank you for all the other advice as well. I'll keep it in mind if my follow-up attempts don't work out.

[Jumping In Puddles]

Sharon, why do you think carbon steel (or black steel) pans are so uncommon in house-hold use? I love mine, although as you say there are a few things they can discolor. I like 'em better than most stainless and they are fairly cheap, but I've never known a *civilian* to use one. Why?

 

BTW "Black steel" was a good add for Google searches.

 

Bill

 

Good question, and I really don't know why they are not more popular. I wonder if it is because media companies such as Food Network and food magazines showcase the "nicer" looking, more expensive cookware and it is probably more profitable for kitchenware companies to sell the more expensive stuff. So because they are not seen a lot or pushed as hard in retail stores there is not a big demand.

 

Just wondering... :tongue_smilie:

[Spy Car]

Melissa, I would never feed my family shortening (in a million years) but it works well for seasoning cast iron. While oil works well for maintenance, grease [like lard or bacon if you're into treif :tongue_smilie: ] or shortening seems to work much better for initial seasoning in my experience.

 

Two tips:

 

1) Since you are going to re-season, first take some steel wool and give a good scrub. Especially on the inside, and you have some fine grade try (to get your husband to) really work it a bit and get it "smooth". Most people don't do this, but knocking down the "pitting" that is natural with cast iron will give you a smoother surface and a better, more non-stick patina.

 

But at this point the "naked" cast-iron is very vulnerable, so get some grease/oil on it without delay.

 

2) Easy on the oil/grease/shortening. Light coats. A series of light coats. Too much and it will be "gummy". Gummy is not good. You can do it in the stove or stove-top, either works. Not too hot (stove is easier). You could grease, bake for an hour or so. Check it to see if a tiny bit more grease is in order (or not) and repeat till you are bored, or the pan is seasoned.

 

3) Do not apply grease with paper towels. Use cloth. The lint from paper towels mucks up the process (no matter what anyone says :D). Paper towels if you must once seasoned, I prefer NOT.

 

4) Cook something "fatty" the first time (or two).

 

Good luck.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

Good question, and I really don't know why they are not more popular. I wonder if it is because media companies such as Food Network and food magazines showcase the "nicer" looking, more expensive cookware and it is probably more profitable for kitchenware companies to sell the more expensive stuff. So because they are not seen a lot or pushed as hard in retail stores there is not a big demand.

 

Just wondering... :tongue_smilie:

 

Oh yea, I forgot about "capitalism" :lol:

 

Bill

[Ruthie]

Melissa,

It could very well be the cast iron. The cheap ones (made in China) are exactly that, cheap. You'd think iron is iron, but the cheap ones just LOOK cheap. They thinner, lighter and just plain uneven looking. Lodge is very good and very inexpensive. Walmart has them. I burn stuff in mine all the time and it's fine. Your dh does have to lower the heat though:)

Good Luck,

Ruthie

[Rosie_0801]

You know, the solution might be to hide the pan from your hubby and get him his own. I bought an expensive (for me anyway) knife and hid it in the top of the pantry for months because I didn't trust them to treat it with respect! Turns out I should have kept it hidden because they didn't.

So, have any of you fry pan experts ever tried cooking injera in your pan? I only have two icky teflon fry pans which are horrible, horrible, horrible for cooking pancakey things in. My one and only attempt at injera was an awful mess. I think it was the pan rather than my cooking ;)

 

Rosie

[Arch at Home]

When something gets cooked on, I find that filling either my cast iron skillets or my carbon steel wok and simmering them awhile loosens the food without loosing my seasoning.

[Gretchen in NJ]

I have the opposite problem. I really hate my stainless skillets because stuff always tends stick. My cast iron is completely, 100% non stick. I was just thinking that I would like to replace all my pans but one with cast iron.

 

When you cook on cast iron or SS, you should get the pan very hot, salt the meat, and use oil.

 

I have All Clad stainless and I'm not that impressed but mostly because I love my cast iron so much! :tongue_smilie:

:iagree:One thing to keep in mind also is even if you do burn something in an iron pan, you do not need and should not use soap. I was given my grandmother's iron pan. I love it. I do not use it for everything. I find it to be the easiest pan to clean.

 

The regular All Clad is okay. Doesn't quite hold the heat like the iron does. The Copper Core All Clad is great, but $$$$$.

[Tammyla]

I have a cuisinart ss set. Clean up is simple, hot water and scrub them with anything you like...SOS, Brillo, green pad a knife (lol) because you wont harm them. They also clean up with a cloth after a good soak with little to no elbow grease.

 

:iagree:Heat them up before dropping in your egg and they don't stick. Imo, they are less prone to stick than non-stick pans and I've grown to love em. Add in the no worry clean up and I'm a happy camper in the kitchen.

 

 

Cast iron doesn't work well on my stove top and without a super talented cook caring for them....they rust here. SS was my best option.

[Harriet Vane]

You've gotten some great advice about cast iron.

 

I personally LOVE my stainless steel pots/pans. My dear mil bought me a really nice set with super-thick bottoms, and they are wonderful. Both dh and I agree that clean-up is just not that big a deal, even when the kids burn the food.

 

If you choose to go with stainless, I beg you to please buy a good set with thick bottoms, even if that means you slowly accumulate one piece at a time, as you can afford it. Those thick bottoms make all the difference!

[JFSinIL]

My Revereware copper-bottom stainless from my wedding shower 20 years ago included two big frying pans that I STILL use weekly - no matter how much food is stuck to the pans, filling them with water and letting them soak for an hour so makes 99% of the food removable with a sponge. Anything else a plastic scouring pad takes care of.

 

My cast-iron skillet is in the back of a closet - too hard to clean/keep seasoned. I do have a porcelain-coated cast iron dutch oven I use a great deal - but for skillets, giver me my Revereware!

[jojomojo]

.....Then I entered the kitchen one morning to discover that DH had cooked burgers in it the night before and the burnt-on leftovers were rock hard (for some reason, he thinks everything needs to be cooked on medium-high--I dread when he cooks anything oily because I have to scrub down the whole kitchen the next day :smash:). I had to scrub it down and soak it, and that was the end of that :sad:

 

This happened to one of my beautifully seasoned lodge pans too! I had to dedicate one cast iron pan to hamburgers. We've since got the lodge pro griddle (double sided griddle/grill). The grill side is only used for burgers and the griddle side is used ONLY for pancakes, french toast, tortillas, etc (and the seasoning is awesome on that side!). After burgers, I have to let it soak for a few hours in the sink and then the burnt bits come off with a light scrubbing (cloth rag). The pan that used to be used for burgers - it looks great now! So there is hope! Just find one pan for burgers, and to clean, just let it soak in the sink to cut down on the amount of scrubbing ;)

 

We also have a small cast iron skillet dedicated to eggs. It's still not seasoned all that great (its not black black), but the eggs don't stick. We just use a fair amount of coconut oil when cooking (my kids need the fat anyway lol). I can't remember the last time anything but eggs was cooked in that pan.

 

Once my SIL came over and cooked scrambled eggs in one of my lodge skillets....I was almost in tears watching. Instead of just letting the eggs cook & set on their own, she stirred and stirred and stirred. It took a long time to reseason that pan. You might want to designate a mom pan, and a dh pan :laugh:). I :001_wub: cast iron, it is definitely worth the "trouble". All of the cast iron I have is lodge, and I've got about 30 more pieces of lodge in my Amazon shopping cart (most of which I'll probably never be able to afford! lol).

[Gretchen in NJ]

Scambled eggs in a cast iron skillet!:ohmy: Never!:svengo: IMHO, they do not taste good.:tongue_smilie:

[Peek a Boo]

cooking dunce here.

 

even after being given a "properly seasoned" pan we still couldn't keep the darn thing seasoned right. :glare:

 

I hate scrubbing stainless steel and i hate re-seasoning cast iron. Life's too short. I use teflon ::insert smack from Bill:: ;)

 

good luck!

[melissel]

I hate scrubbing stainless steel and i hate re-seasoning cast iron. Life's too short. I use teflon ::insert smack from Bill:: ;)

 

:lol: Well, I don't mind doing the scrubbing, but I DO mind doing the scrubbing and constant re-seasoning!!!

 

Coincidentally, after I posted my last post last night, I walked out of my bedroom to find my mom...cooking cheeseburgers in my cast iron pan :crying: So today will be a good day to start over with this pan. I completely forgot that I already own a stainless steel saute pan with a good, heavy bottom (I LOVE my Macy's cookware). So if this last seasoning attempt doesn't work, I may give eggs a try in that. Then? I don't know! Maybe I'll give a Lodge pan a try just to make sure the pan is not the problem. It is indeed made in China, though it feels pretty heavy. I'll be sure to report back here on my results.

 

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate the help. I want it to work out, but right now it's just so much effort that I don't see any benefit to the thing! But I'll do my best. Off to season...

 

:leaving:

[Kathy in MD]

I use cast iron, heavy stainless steel and a lighter, but good with a thin conducting core, stainless steel. All three work well for this chronic food burner.

 

For cast iron, when we burn food in it, we can usually just use a metal spatuala and scrape the burnt food off and don't need to reseason the pan. Or I use a towel to wipe down the pan and remove loose burnt food. Periodically the cast iron does get scrubbed and reseasoned. Reseasoning consists of warming the pan on the stove, adding a vegetable oil, wiping the oil around, and leaving it on a warm burner for 5 minutes or so.

 

For the light-weight stainless steel, I just pre-warm the pan, add oil and wipe it around. The biggest problem I have occasionally is with oxidizing oil.