Mom-ninja. Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I'm replacing my non-stick cook/bakeware. Should I get cast iron or stoneware. Obviously the stoneware would just be for baking. Any particular brands that you recommend? At the moment I really need a loaf and muffin pan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I have cast iron pans and I have several stoneware pieces. For baking muffins and bread you can't beat stoneware. It bakes evenly, doesn't need to be greased (but I do spray oil for muffins, they come out perfect!) Cast iron is nice. I've baked cornbread in my pans, but I think the stoneware is just a little nicer. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 :iagree: Stoneware is fantastic for baking. I don't know what I ever did without my Pampered Chef unglazed stoneware. I just made the most perfectly puffy dinner rolls last night in my PC deep dish baker. Yum! I just recently purchased my very first cast iron skillet. I love it too. My mother-in-law tells me cast iron makes the best cornbread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Cast iron is at least as good as stoneware for baking, though harder to come by in loaf pans and bunt cake forms. It can cost a fortune. The benefit to cast iron is that it performs for generations without breaking. Stoneware is usually less expensive, but a lot less forgiving. Further, high performance unfinished stoneware retains odors and chemical contaminants like insecticides and soap. I have broken one cast iron skillet. My family considers this hilarious, and they make jokes about my husband's hard skull. I have broken countless pieces of porcelain, stoneware and corning-ware items, and grown thoroughly disgusted with the performance of more than a few inexpensive metal cooking sheets and pans. For my money, cast iron is where it's at. I found a simply gorgeous heavy cast iron tea kettle with a blue enamel finish at a thrift store last year. It was coated with years of grime, and marked down to nothing. I got it home and scoured rusted inside with a hand drill and wire disk attachment, then scrubbed the outside with jeweler's rouge until it hollered for help. When I was done it was fully restored. I gave it to a good friend as a gift, and she cherishes it still. Cast iron weathers the test of time and abuse with amazing fortitude, and tends to increase in value over time. It's worth the investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 SO for stoneware is Pampered Chef pretty much what to get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 "Pampered Chef - what to get" Yes and no. It's nice, and it's expensive. They will replace things, as long as you keep receipts. Do you keep receipts? If you don't keep receipts, then the extra money isn't worth it. Everything they sell can be bought from other sources less expensively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I love cooking and baking in my stoneware. I also love my cast iron (which was one of my grandmothers). Sometimes the cast iron is more convient for baking certain things. There are only 3 of us, so if I'm making corn bread or something small, the cast iron does a great job and is smaller. I wanted to LOVE my PC muffin pan. Really I did. And I do love how it cooks muffins. But it is the hugest pain to clean. Stoneware is very easy to clean. Just scrape and use hot water. But the muffin pan is a pain. You have to scrape each individual cup, and due to the size, it's just not easy to do, and there are 12 of them to clean. I actually cut a brown scraper in half just for the muffin pan. It's a whole lot easier if you use paper muffin cups, but then I just feel like that defeats the purpose of cooking it in stone ware. Yes I spray the muffin cups, but between the price and the clean up hassel that is the one piece I regret getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 I love cooking and baking in my stoneware. I also love my cast iron (which was one of my grandmothers). Sometimes the cast iron is more convient for baking certain things. There are only 3 of us, so if I'm making corn bread or something small, the cast iron does a great job and is smaller. I wanted to LOVE my PC muffin pan. Really I did. And I do love how it cooks muffins. But it is the hugest pain to clean. Stoneware is very easy to clean. Just scrape and use hot water. But the muffin pan is a pain. You have to scrape each individual cup, and due to the size, it's just not easy to do, and there are 12 of them to clean. I actually cut a brown scraper in half just for the muffin pan. It's a whole lot easier if you use paper muffin cups, but then I just feel like that defeats the purpose of cooking it in stone ware. Yes I spray the muffin cups, but between the price and the clean up hassel that is the one piece I regret getting. Good to know! I was specifically thinking of getting that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 "Pampered Chef - what to get" Yes and no. It's nice, and it's expensive. They will replace things, as long as you keep receipts. Do you keep receipts? If you don't keep receipts, then the extra money isn't worth it. Everything they sell can be bought from other sources less expensively. Nope, I don't. I hate clutter. I'll look around I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 What I like about my cast iron skillets is that I can use them on the stove top and in the oven. Yes, they make great cornbread, but it takes some time to get used to them. They heat so evenly that I like them for almost everything. You also are not supposed to wash them with soap and water once you season them out unless they really need it, and then the soap is a minimum. No dishwasher. If they are well seasoned, they are way better than nonstick IMO. You can also buy cast iron in a variety of styles and for a variety of functions. I have bought some used pieces at thrift stores for almost nothing (just no rust or lots of rust) and seasoned them back out without problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Lynn Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Good to know! I was specifically thinking of getting that one. I will agree that it is a pain to wash, but most muffin tins are. I guess the nonstick pans might be pretty easy at the beginning, but then they are going to need replaced after a while. A wad of nylon net or something like that without any soap can get in there and clean it out pretty well and fast after just a little soaking. I had had a lot of trouble burning the bottoms of my muffins, while the tops were not yet done. Maybe I just had a bad muffin tin, but with the PC muffin pan, the muffins are great. I will put up with the trouble of washing, if I get to eat good muffins. If I really need a quick clean up day, I can always use the paper baking cups with the pan. The paper cups don't defeat the purpose of using stoneware for me. My main purpose was to stop the burning and that has stopped. I have a Wilton mini muffin tin that is nice, but I still have to watch those muffins so closely to prevent burning. I love mini muffins, but they don't come out as well as the muffins from the stoneware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naturalmom Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 What are the pros and cons of glazed and unglazed stoneware? I just ordered some of PC's stoneware, but only 2 pieces. I found some glazed stoneware at Target, and I know Le Creuset makes glazed pieces also. Could I get similar results from them for bread? Or is it specifically the unglazed that bakes especially well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricia Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I've used cast iron for years and love it. I have never used it for muffins though. I can imagine stoneware would be far better for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 If you do cast iron, you can sometimes get it at the Good Will or used stores...Look for Made in the USA. There are a couple of well known names.... G?? and W?? that's what I remember...others can tell you the whole name:-) I have muffin ones (with 11 muffin spots) and 4 other pans...and some other stuff. My mom just payed about $50 for one from ebay...She loves it. Just find out how to take care of it:-) Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Lynn Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 What are the pros and cons of glazed and unglazed stoneware? I just ordered some of PC's stoneware, but only 2 pieces. I found some glazed stoneware at Target, and I know Le Creuset makes glazed pieces also. Could I get similar results from them for bread? Or is it specifically the unglazed that bakes especially well? I don't know if I can answer your question properly, but I think that stoneware is great for baking and so are ceramic pans. I am not sure about glazed stoneware per se, but I would guess it would do fine. I have a ceramic pie pan and a stoneware pan. They are both better than the metal pans. One is a deeper dish than the other so I use them both according to the size I need, otherwise I don't think I have a preference. I just had to look up the Le Crueset to see what they have. The glazed stoneware looks really nice. I would not think that you would have any trouble at all with either the glazed or unglazed. One of the main differences would be the way you wash them. I would wonder how easily the glazed coating would chip. I just got a ceramic covered cast iron dutch oven that I like. I know it can chip, too, so I am careful with it. So far, so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest halfiepint Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I just had my second pampered chef stoneware crack in half in the oven. I haven't had either of them a month yet! Good thing I had my receipt. I won't be buying any more. I found cast iron pretty good for baking, and virtually indestructible, not to mention cheaper. I don't know how much better or worse it is than stoneware, which is why I searched and found this forum. I do know, however, that it's pretty good, and not going to crack in the oven within a month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I have never used stoneware, but I have quite a few cast iron pans and a griddle. I absolutely LOVE them! I will never go back to non-stick again! Nevermind the toxic chemical issues there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I use stoneware for baking and cast iron for cooking on the stove, baking cornbread, and cooking on the campfire. I use silicon pains for muffins and mini-muffins, though, because they are *so* easy to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom22 Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I like to use these: http://www.lodgemfg.com/ Lodge Logic castiron skillets. They come already seasoned, which is great for me.:D You can get them at Amazon.com or even Wal-Mart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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