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I have carbon steel and cast iron but lately I can't lift the heavy pans. I am using only stainless Calphalon now and find them easiest to clean and I can cook eggs with no sticking in mine. Aging and arthritis have changed things but I still love to cook!
I just bought a set of All Clad D3 Cookware and I absolutely love it. There definitely has been a learning curve after years and years of using cheap cookware but I absolutely love using them. What I love about Stainless Steel cookware is it forces you to become a more skillful cook. As for Carbon steel, this video along with others has made me realize that it is a good alternative to Cast Iron. In fact, it’s probably best to have BOTH stainless steel and carbon steel pans in your kitchen.
I have some very expensive SS skillets (Olavson) and some cheap CS ones (De Buyer) and I love both. The SS can do everything and are easy to clean, but seasoning a cheap CS pan into something that is so easy to use is very satisfying. I will say this, I learned proper cooking on SS before I got my first CS and I will say that a well-seasoned CS is a lot more forgiving. But only after proper seasoning, of course.
@@yakitzu9252 SS requires very diligent temperature control or you will end up in stick city. CS has actual nonstick properties thanks to the seasoning which makes it a little easier to work with.
Respectfully disagree with the soap suggestion. I have many cast iron pans and I always use soap. The soap doesn't strip the seasoning. Soap removes oil not polymerized coatings
Same, my cast iron and carbon steel work great after using soap and hot water to clean. Leaving bumpy and sticky oil from cooking messes up the seasoning for me.
Modern dish soaps will not affect seasoning at all. That advice dates from way back when soaps were much harsher and typically lye-based. I wash my CS pans with soap and water all the time, and the seasoning is just fine.
@@tommielif Eh, there's always a chance of some bits sticking, depending on what you're cooking (eggs, fish) or how you're cooking (high-heat searing of proteins).
I have a set of All Clad that I got in 1999, I use it daily and it is perfect! Worth every penny! I just bought my 1st carbon steel (Ballarini) and seasoned it last night. Trying to get away from non-stick.
Just a note that carbon steel frying pans warp on induction hobs turning them into spinners. As soon as they cool down they are flat again. I took my De Buyer and put it up side down on a workbench and bashed the centre a bit with a wodden log. So now when reaching the cooking temperature of steak it is flat. When increasing the heat too much it turns back into a spinner. There is one brand that also pre-deforms them so they are flat when cooking. Since my house move, i am back on Propane cooking and this seems to work better allround for me. Also back using my copper pots!
@@farstrider79 Hi. No two pans are the same. And the same is valid for the induction hubs. So you can never tell how they will perform. But if not apply my tip above... Good luck.
It doesn't take induction to do that. It happens on my electric stove. I have one smaller pan that is okay, but this occurs with my 12 inch pan. For my spinner, I flipped it on cardboard on a big work bench, and smacked it all around are the rim and lighter in the center with rubber mallet. So far, two rounds of this, it might take more so it stabilizes. If you have a gas range with prongs to hold the pan, the gap in the center means it probably won't spin. That is, very flat surfaces this is found, but not radial iron prong stoves.
My DeBuyer warps slightly inward, lifting in the center and letting the fat flow to the edge... I always liked that feature! I had some cheaper steel pans before and some also did that on an electric cooktop.
Pretty much spot on. Although the result of all those arguments for me is that I don't like stainless at all. For the rare acidic cases that I can't use my "carbon steel" pan, I have a teflon coated pan somewhere in the back of my pantry... Because in every regard where stainless is good, plain steel is better. I just don'T like the "carbon steel" designation. That means different things in different domains. When talking about knives, "carbon steel" means what you say here with the 1% carbon. Pretty much all steel pans are made from very low carbon steel (~0,1%), virtually technical grade pure iron. In the pan domain "carbon steel" means more of "nothing but carbon" like no further alloying.
@@jubeerkauwsar3871 The only advantage of SS is the compatibility with acidic foods. Other than that, CS is usually lighter, cheaper, has better heat conduction, develops a decent and self-healing anti stick coating, I also like the rustic used look when they get used, is inherently suitable for induction cooktops without any layering... Just my opinion.
I've heard from other that with CS, the degradation from acidic foods is minimal when you've built up a good seasoning layer. Assuming you use yours constantly, it not not hurt to give it a try.
@@axeavier I have tried it. It's okay for quick work. Like splashing fish wil lemon juice right before serving. Or adding some tomatoes to a pan sauce, or deglasing the fonds with some wine. But if you leave the food in the CS pan for while after that, it makes the seasoning peel off and it eventually develops a rusty nail taste of iron ions in solution.
I'm guessing carbon steel isn't really suitable for making tomato based stews then? I'm currently looking to get some roommate proof pans since they keep using metal utensils in the non-stick ones or overheating them and destroying them within a week. A good stainless pan would be the way to go here, or just get both? Carbon steel pans are pretty cheap.
@@Jesuswillbeback Yeah I have both now, prefer the CS for anything non-acidic and SS for all the rest or when I need a decent pan sauce. Not going back to non-stick coatings ever again.
@@Drinkyoghurt haha, my wife is mad at me becouse i spend 160€ for Fiskars fully clad, De Buyer 11inch mineral B Pro 70€ and 25€ for cast iron and i am looking to find another 100€ to change my teflon coated wok with carbon steel🤣
@@Jesuswillbeback I mean, it doesn't have to be expensive. My Tramontina full clad SS was €55 and my Gräwe cast iron was only €20 including a silicone handle. The shape of the Gräwe is also nicer than deBuyer imho and fits more easily in the oven. These kind of pans don't have to be super expensive, especially a wok or skillet from CS.
@@Drinkyoghurt i agree but it is not wok to be expensive but shiping to Slovenia🤣 fiskars have some kind of mineral coating that is why is a little bit more expensive😉
wow a 10 out of 10 review lmao so rare on the internet.. Its a flood of bad content on youtube that i cant bare watching. This was so strait to the point and informative.
If I could cook with one pan for the rest of my life I’d stick with my Matfer carbon steel! I own both Matfer CS and All Clad five layer stainless and my Matfer is my number one! I can cook tomato sauce tonight and no stick Sunny side eggs in the morning without issue! Cleanup on the Matfer is 90% easier too! Look at what the majority of professional chefs use and woks! Matfer all day everyday!🙏 Awesome video too brother thanks 🙏
@@bern8378 great idea I can strongly recommend the smaller 7” base 9 1/12” top! Light perfect size for four eggs up no stick and easy to clean! I’ve cooked beautiful ribeyes in it too! Easily a lifetime purchase; an heirloom pan!🙏
Cast Iron cooks the best. Weights a ton and is hard to maintain. Carbon Steel cooks very well, it weights less, it is hard to maintain. Stainless Steel is way easier to maintain. I can cook eggs without sticking in all. If you get stainless steal, ensure is at least a 3 layer clad.
"When cladding is only on the base, pans won't heat evenly." Totally false. Nothing makes the side heat well. Further, you don't want hot sides so you have control of pan temperature quickly and easily. But since I have a copper outside, stainless inside pan with the copper shell up the side, there is no relevant heating of the sides anyway with that. It doesn't work. It was done for looks and bonding by crimping at the side lip or rim. The only pan that may heat the sides is a cast iron pan.
I never did get why you’d want the sides to be hot anyway. All the heat should be from the bottom of the pan only. Hot sides will just burn a ring (if cooking liquids) and it’s more work to scrub off later.
@@davidyoung1610 I get told the sides should get hot, but they don't. So there is no debate about hot pan sides. Why would you want hot sides? You are using cast iron to use as your plate and want your food kept hot. For example, all the fixings for fajitas.
That residue in the stainless pan right at 5:49 has always been my experience when using stainless steel. That residue seems to always be near impossible to cleanly get off. Is this just a function of stainless steel or does it mean I am doing something wrong?.
You can also heat up vinegar in the pan then give it a quick scrub. The acid in the vinegar will work better at heat, and all together with a scrub will make the stainless steel shine like new. This is for the build up in the pan over time, but shouldn’t be necessary after every use.
If you have dull spots or discoloration after cleaning, Barkeeper's Friend will shine it right up. A little goes a long way and make sure to rinse it really well after using it.
It's called fond. It's a leftover of the browning process. As another commenter said, deglazing with liquid is a great way to get it off, but I wouldn't use water. Wine or stock are the go-to's that we use in restaurants for deglazing. If you're just looking to clean it off, then yes water works.
This may be an unusual question: I have a MADE IN brand 5 qt stock pot. It can go to the oven up to 800F according to the manufacture. Since I don’t have an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, can I use my MADE IN stock pot for baking sourdough bread like I would with a cast iron Dutch oven?
One question: Is a highly seasoned carbon steel skillet inferior or even incapable when it comes to developing a fond for a pan sauce compared to stainless steel?
In my experience, stainless steel is the best for fond development. You need a little sticking for that to happen and proteins will stick a bit more to SS than carbon steel
My carbon steel is more nonstick than the nonstick pans. Never have issues with washing cast iron and carbon steel with soap. If the cast iron and carbon steel at work were cleaned as you suggested, the health department would shut us down for good.
@@donaldkasper8346 No, actually a really good stainless steel pan is better at that. When it's thick enough for proper heat retention, searing is basically identical, but the stainless enable you to deglaze the pan afterwards and make a nice sauce with the tiny stuck on bits.
@@lgolem09l Carbon steel 10-12 inch pans fairly cheap and you need just 1.... its tool to have for just incase gatherings .So what you need to season it.... it is lighter than Cast Iron and does 95-98% of Cast Iron
I keep taking my new carbon steel pan to the garage, flipping it over on cardboard on a table, and smacking it with a rubber mallet as it warps during heating, and goes back flat when cool, so I have to pound it slightly concave so I am not heating just the central 5 inches of a 12 inch skillet when hot. This has gone on several times and may not be over yet. For your clad base pan, that is a thick heat sink to take cold food and not cool much, compared to your slender all over clad pan. That is why it was made with the thick base, to hold its heat because cooking only occurs from the pan bottom unless you put the pan in an oven.
I had that same problem. But I noticed it was because I was heating the pan too hot too fast. If I bring it up to temp slowly and start cooking as soon as it gets to temp I don't warp the bottom.
@@JWimpy Cast iron buckles, but real slow over a decade or more. Then you can grind it flat with 100 grit wet grinder and start again. This may be a reason for cast iron lovers as carbon steel is misbehaved, really made for gas stoves and open fires.
Good video explaining the differences. I’ll only add that the uglier a carbon steel pan gets, the better it is 😊…I hope to get my de buyer totally black some day!
A shiny pan tends to reflect the heat from a flame or electric element. It's physics: something called emissivity. There's a lot of be said for an ol' timey cast iron skillet.
I appreciate your videos, but I only like watching them at 1.25x playback speed. I’m not suggesting that you should change your natural rate speech of speech, but I suggest you speed up your presentation during video editing (be cautious, some TH-camrs go too fast). I appreciate who you are and what you do. I hope you find my constructive criticism helpful. Regards. Bob ❤
Respectfully disagree about acidic foods. I cook multiple times daily w carbon steel and the seasoning has never stripped no matter how acidic. I’ve made lasagna, marinara sauce, and the seasoning stayed bonded. The seasoning also introduces lots of subtle flavor complexity and is naturally non-stick. I’ve even made eggs and it just slides around the pan. Stainless steel is very sticky and - contrary to what the video claims - it is not a question of technique - stickiness is just a basic property of stainless steel and it isn’t always a bad thing - I love what the stickiness does to chicken breasts, etc - they’re different tools and neither is better than the other - I find carbon steel to be the go-to all-around pan - but I don’t have a dishwasher and I don’t care about looks - if you care about looks, and you have a family that will forget to dry your pans or clean them right, then stainless all the way - they’re both good tools, and it comes down to lifestyle, and whatever gives you joy when you reach for it
@@ArmadilloGodzilla oh interesting, what temperature do you use? I confess my range is literally 73 years old (1950 Frigidaire “thrifty 30” electric), so temperature control is unfortunately out of the question for me 😂 - but I’m curious about how you do it - I wonder if doing it every day has seasoned your pan enough for it to be nonstick?
If you regularly wash your cookware in the dishwasher, the harsh detergents, high temperatures, and contact with sharp utensils will tarnish and degrade the metal. Also, All-Clad recently settled a class action lawsuit because they claimed the cookware was dishwasher safe but it caused the bonded layers to delaminate and the edges to become sharp. Sure, you can get away with it, but cleaning it by hand is pretty simple so I always recommend that. More info: Easiest Way to Clean All-Clad Stainless Steel Pans (Stains, Brown Spots, Burnt Oil) th-cam.com/video/bnSPCGFBiOM/w-d-xo.html
@@PrudentReviews I hate washing the dishes by hand... Even if it slowly degrades the metal I'm sure they will last 10+ years even if you wash 5 times/week in a dishwasher.....
If you gently soak your stainless steel pans for a little bit in light soap and warm water, then it won't be as hard to wash. Also, heat up the pan before putting the oil/butter on it. And don't cook food that's too cold on the pan. Let your meats warm to room temperature from the fridge/freezer right before cooking.
@@ms_cartographer I always make a pan sauce so it would be easy to wash... But it's even easier to put it in a dishwasher... I've put my pan 5 times/week in a dishwasher in the last 4 years and it still looks like new (except some fat is polymerized on the outside...).... At this rate of use it costs me a few cents per use...
There are pros and cons. Here’s my full review but the short story is that you’re better off getting one stainless steel and one non-stick pan prudentreviews.com/hexclad-review/
Very expensive. I got one of those $25 diamond dust and nonstick 12 in Costco pans. Man, works great, but I still use only wood or plastic spoons or spatulas on it.
@@lgolem09l The aluminum buckled up so only the rim heats. But, the conduction is so efficient, the whole pan sears anyway. I tapped it flat, may not stay that way, but doesn't matter.
@@donaldkasper8346 Take care to heat pans slowly on induction. Otherwise you will not just get warping, but also liekly wear off your non stick coating faster.
I use all types of frypans. Stainless, carbon, nonstick, cast iron. I use whatever seems to fit what I am doing at the moment. Stainless is great for acidic foods. Cast iron is my favorite for frying eggs. Nonstick comes out when I need to cook some delicate fish, sometimes an omelet. Work wise, I find it harder to keep stainless looking pretty than it is to keep carbon steel seasoned. Besides, I don't care if cookware is pretty. That doesn't make the food taste any better. When I buy, I am extrememly price conscious and I won't waste money on beautiful looking cookware. Most of the time that lovely cookware is in a storage area where nobody can see it. One other thing, nonstick coatings are going to fail no matter how much you pay for the cookware. Which is fine, that life cycle is baked into my budget. So I am not going to spend $175 on a nonstick pan no matter how gorgeous it is or how impressive the brand is. When the coating fails in 5 years, so be it. I'll replace it.
I bought the very expensive demeyere pans you also see in this video. Totally worth it for the thick material, and induction optimized layers. I basically don't use anything else, but I have to admit, I only ever make fried eggs, never omelettes. Never had any problems with keeping them clean. White stains go away with the next tomato sauce.
Stainless steel is like a painter's fresh canvas. There is no chance of the pan's 'seasoning' imparting flavor to a dish or flaking off if it has been allowed to form an actual crust inside the pan. Here's a test -- take your favorite "seasoned" pan be it cast iron or carbon steel. Pour a glass of clean water from your tap into the pan. Bring the water to a hard rolling boil and let it boil for two minutes. Take the pan off the heat, let the water cool a little, then pour it back into a clear glass. Let it cool completely. Look at the water. Smell the water. Would you drink it? Probably not. Do the same thing in a clean stainless steel pan. You'd drink that water. Seasoned pans impart a flavor to food, and not always necessarily a good one, usually an acrid oil taste combined with the stale aromatics and herbs you tend to use in your cooking.
Look how much oil/fat he used in the egg test. This whole hype about carbon steel pans being non stick is a joke. Use that much oil/fat in the stainless and you would have the exact same results.
The only real downside of fully clad stainless steel is you can’t use it on a campfire but it outperforms any cast iron and carbon steel in all aspects.
Stainless is the perfect pan..eggs and other food can be cooked with little or no greasy mess and NO sticking..stainless retains no odors from previous cook..
It's not really. I use stainless for absolutely everything. You just need to learn the heat up time, and how hot your stove makes the pan at a given setting. I dread the maintenance of carbon steel way more.
@@lgolem09lWhich is faster to have ‘ready to cook’ with? Whenever I use stainless steel it takes several minutes to heat up. If I get carbon steel, do I need to still wait all that time?
I still find the name "stainless stell pan" dumb. It's all about the materials between in inner and outer layer. The stainless steel is just the "coating" to make it non-reactive and resistant. It's basically like calling a cast iron pan, a "patina pan"
Read the full comparison for more details: prudentreviews.com/carbon-steel-vs-stainless-steel/
Want to know when brands like All-Clad, Made In, HexClad, and KitchenAid go on sale? Join our free newsletter to get deal alerts, giveaways, and exclusive content: prudentreviews.com/newsletter/
Great overview. We got rid of our non-stick pans a couple of years ago and now only have stainless steel and carbon steel pans.
You are very smart. Try a cast iron also and learn it's abilities and you will love them.
Same, returned my hex clad garbage and getting cs.. Been using cast iron and love it.
This is my goal. Just got my 1st cs!
I have carbon steel and cast iron but lately I can't lift the heavy pans. I am using only stainless Calphalon now and find them easiest to clean and I can cook eggs with no sticking in mine. Aging and arthritis have changed things but I still love to cook!
This might be helpful prudentreviews.com/best-lightweight-cookware/
I just bought a set of All Clad D3 Cookware and I absolutely love it. There definitely has been a learning curve after years and years of using cheap cookware but I absolutely love using them. What I love about Stainless Steel cookware is it forces you to become a more skillful cook. As for Carbon steel, this video along with others has made me realize that it is a good alternative to Cast Iron. In fact, it’s probably best to have BOTH stainless steel and carbon steel pans in your kitchen.
I never thought I would enjoy a pan video. Thanks answered my question.
This video was excellent, probably more than I wanted to know but one of the best videos on any subject.
I have some very expensive SS skillets (Olavson) and some cheap CS ones (De Buyer) and I love both. The SS can do everything and are easy to clean, but seasoning a cheap CS pan into something that is so easy to use is very satisfying.
I will say this, I learned proper cooking on SS before I got my first CS and I will say that a well-seasoned CS is a lot more forgiving. But only after proper seasoning, of course.
I which ways is a cs-pan more forgiving?
@@yakitzu9252 SS requires very diligent temperature control or you will end up in stick city. CS has actual nonstick properties thanks to the seasoning which makes it a little easier to work with.
@@44Bigs Ah ok, i see!
Respectfully disagree with the soap suggestion. I have many cast iron pans and I always use soap. The soap doesn't strip the seasoning. Soap removes oil not polymerized coatings
100%
It's a myth that does the rounds regarding cast iron.
I often don't need to use soap, but I know that I can if need be 👍🏻
True. Soap used to be bad for cast iron because old soap contained lye but modern soap doesn't so it's okay to use soap.
I agree 100%. Using soap on my cast iron pans has had zero negative effects.
@Eric G Does this also apply to carbon steel pans?
Same, my cast iron and carbon steel work great after using soap and hot water to clean. Leaving bumpy and sticky oil from cooking messes up the seasoning for me.
I'm a material scientist and I think you did a great job on the material explanations!
Thank you!
Modern dish soaps will not affect seasoning at all. That advice dates from way back when soaps were much harsher and typically lye-based. I wash my CS pans with soap and water all the time, and the seasoning is just fine.
Just because you use trash soap does it mean everyone else does
@@zotyhd8052 no one is using lye-based soap these days. Absolutely no one.
@@zotyhd8052 Mans tried to brag about his dish soap 💀
If you cook right it will do with a paper towel to clean it
@@tommielif Eh, there's always a chance of some bits sticking, depending on what you're cooking (eggs, fish) or how you're cooking (high-heat searing of proteins).
Love that Demeyere Atlantis. Great pan! Super thick!
One of the best I’ve used. I’ll be posting my comparison of Demeyere Atlantis vs Industry next week.
@@PrudentReviews yes what is the difference between the 2?
@@anarchyamp here’s the comparison th-cam.com/video/QkX7c3c83j4/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for the information. I learned so much watching your channel
Just perfect explanation! Many thanks for this great video.
I have a set of All Clad that I got in 1999, I use it daily and it is perfect! Worth every penny! I just bought my 1st carbon steel (Ballarini) and seasoned it last night. Trying to get away from non-stick.
Love the made in stainless. Have a carbon steel made in and a matfer. I use cast iron too. All better than any non stick pan.
Just a note that carbon steel frying pans warp on induction hobs turning them into spinners. As soon as they cool down they are flat again. I took my De Buyer and put it up side down on a workbench and bashed the centre a bit with a wodden log. So now when reaching the cooking temperature of steak it is flat. When increasing the heat too much it turns back into a spinner. There is one brand that also pre-deforms them so they are flat when cooking. Since my house move, i am back on Propane cooking and this seems to work better allround for me. Also back using my copper pots!
Interesting, I have a dubuyer pan that I use everyday and have been thinking about induction.
@@farstrider79 Hi. No two pans are the same. And the same is valid for the induction hubs. So you can never tell how they will perform. But if not apply my tip above... Good luck.
It doesn't take induction to do that. It happens on my electric stove. I have one smaller pan that is okay, but this occurs with my 12 inch pan. For my spinner, I flipped it on cardboard on a big work bench, and smacked it all around are the rim and lighter in the center with rubber mallet. So far, two rounds of this, it might take more so it stabilizes. If you have a gas range with prongs to hold the pan, the gap in the center means it probably won't spin. That is, very flat surfaces this is found, but not radial iron prong stoves.
@@jwestrik9308 Has nothing to do with induction. Occurs on glass stove surfaces.
My DeBuyer warps slightly inward, lifting in the center and letting the fat flow to the edge... I always liked that feature!
I had some cheaper steel pans before and some also did that on an electric cooktop.
Thank you, exactly what I was looking for
Pretty much spot on. Although the result of all those arguments for me is that I don't like stainless at all. For the rare acidic cases that I can't use my "carbon steel" pan, I have a teflon coated pan somewhere in the back of my pantry... Because in every regard where stainless is good, plain steel is better.
I just don'T like the "carbon steel" designation. That means different things in different domains. When talking about knives, "carbon steel" means what you say here with the 1% carbon. Pretty much all steel pans are made from very low carbon steel (~0,1%), virtually technical grade pure iron. In the pan domain "carbon steel" means more of "nothing but carbon" like no further alloying.
I understand the argument about the term "carbon steel" but it is used primarily to identify the type of steel over stainless and other steels.
How is CS better than SS?
@@jubeerkauwsar3871 The only advantage of SS is the compatibility with acidic foods.
Other than that, CS is usually lighter, cheaper, has better heat conduction, develops a decent and self-healing anti stick coating, I also like the rustic used look when they get used, is inherently suitable for induction cooktops without any layering...
Just my opinion.
I've heard from other that with CS, the degradation from acidic foods is minimal when you've built up a good seasoning layer. Assuming you use yours constantly, it not not hurt to give it a try.
@@axeavier I have tried it. It's okay for quick work. Like splashing fish wil lemon juice right before serving. Or adding some tomatoes to a pan sauce, or deglasing the fonds with some wine. But if you leave the food in the CS pan for while after that, it makes the seasoning peel off and it eventually develops a rusty nail taste of iron ions in solution.
Thanks, I'm buying both :P
Would you recommend stainless or carbon steel for flat grill / griddle ?
Pls do a full review for Kirkland 5 ply, copper core cookware set. $300 only.
I'm guessing carbon steel isn't really suitable for making tomato based stews then? I'm currently looking to get some roommate proof pans since they keep using metal utensils in the non-stick ones or overheating them and destroying them within a week. A good stainless pan would be the way to go here, or just get both? Carbon steel pans are pretty cheap.
Get both SS and CS and maybe CI-cast iron too👍🏼
@@Jesuswillbeback Yeah I have both now, prefer the CS for anything non-acidic and SS for all the rest or when I need a decent pan sauce. Not going back to non-stick coatings ever again.
@@Drinkyoghurt haha, my wife is mad at me becouse i spend 160€ for Fiskars fully clad, De Buyer 11inch mineral B Pro 70€ and 25€ for cast iron and i am looking to find another 100€ to change my teflon coated wok with carbon steel🤣
@@Jesuswillbeback I mean, it doesn't have to be expensive. My Tramontina full clad SS was €55 and my Gräwe cast iron was only €20 including a silicone handle. The shape of the Gräwe is also nicer than deBuyer imho and fits more easily in the oven. These kind of pans don't have to be super expensive, especially a wok or skillet from CS.
@@Drinkyoghurt i agree but it is not wok to be expensive but shiping to Slovenia🤣 fiskars have some kind of mineral coating that is why is a little bit more expensive😉
wow a 10 out of 10 review lmao so rare on the internet.. Its a flood of bad content on youtube that i cant bare watching. This was so strait to the point and informative.
Thank you! That’s our goal :)
If I could cook with one pan for the rest of my life I’d stick with my Matfer carbon steel! I own both Matfer CS and All Clad five layer stainless and my Matfer is my number one! I can cook tomato sauce tonight and no stick Sunny side eggs in the morning without issue! Cleanup on the Matfer is 90% easier too! Look at what the majority of professional chefs use and woks! Matfer all day everyday!🙏
Awesome video too brother thanks 🙏
I might get the Matfer too, since I’m looking for a carbon steel frying pan just for eggs. It’s not so pricy I just checked on Amazon
@@bern8378 great idea I can strongly recommend the smaller 7” base 9 1/12” top! Light perfect size for four eggs up no stick and easy to clean! I’ve cooked beautiful ribeyes in it too! Easily a lifetime purchase; an heirloom pan!🙏
And what is that seasoning made of?
Great channel! Could you review Granite Stone cookware? That'd be amazing! :D
Nicely done video!
really enjoying your videos! what are your thoughts on the Ikea Vardagen carbon steel pans?
Sorry but I haven’t tested it yet so can’t say
But, why is the glass doored cabinet wasting counter space?? Thanks for the review!
We have plenty of space on the island, so the extra cabinet space works out.
Cast Iron cooks the best. Weights a ton and is hard to maintain. Carbon Steel cooks very well, it weights less, it is hard to maintain. Stainless Steel is way easier to maintain. I can cook eggs without sticking in all. If you get stainless steal, ensure is at least a 3 layer clad.
"When cladding is only on the base, pans won't heat evenly." Totally false. Nothing makes the side heat well. Further, you don't want hot sides so you have control of pan temperature quickly and easily. But since I have a copper outside, stainless inside pan with the copper shell up the side, there is no relevant heating of the sides anyway with that. It doesn't work. It was done for looks and bonding by crimping at the side lip or rim. The only pan that may heat the sides is a cast iron pan.
I never did get why you’d want the sides to be hot anyway. All the heat should be from the bottom of the pan only. Hot sides will just burn a ring (if cooking liquids) and it’s more work to scrub off later.
@@davidyoung1610 I get told the sides should get hot, but they don't. So there is no debate about hot pan sides. Why would you want hot sides? You are using cast iron to use as your plate and want your food kept hot. For example, all the fixings for fajitas.
That residue in the stainless pan right at 5:49 has always been my experience when using stainless steel. That residue seems to always be near impossible to cleanly get off. Is this just a function of stainless steel or does it mean I am doing something wrong?.
Put in some water right after searing to make a delicious pan sauce or just to easily clean the pan
You can also heat up vinegar in the pan then give it a quick scrub. The acid in the vinegar will work better at heat, and all together with a scrub will make the stainless steel shine like new. This is for the build up in the pan over time, but shouldn’t be necessary after every use.
If you have dull spots or discoloration after cleaning, Barkeeper's Friend will shine it right up. A little goes a long way and make sure to rinse it really well after using it.
It's called fond. It's a leftover of the browning process. As another commenter said, deglazing with liquid is a great way to get it off, but I wouldn't use water. Wine or stock are the go-to's that we use in restaurants for deglazing. If you're just looking to clean it off, then yes water works.
@@NolanRainaldipretty sure they aren’t talking about fond. It’s the brown spots that come after oil gets burned onto the pan
This may be an unusual question: I have a MADE IN brand 5 qt stock pot. It can go to the oven up to 800F according to the manufacture. Since I don’t have an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, can I use my MADE IN stock pot for baking sourdough bread like I would with a cast iron Dutch oven?
I'd say you could, because the sourdough will likely bake at around half the temp that the Made In can tolerate
One question: Is a highly seasoned carbon steel skillet inferior or even incapable when it comes to developing a fond for a pan sauce compared to stainless steel?
In my experience, stainless steel is the best for fond development. You need a little sticking for that to happen and proteins will stick a bit more to SS than carbon steel
@PrudentReviews Thanks for the reply. I kind of assumed as much but thought I would ask someone more knowledgeable. Best regards.
Except acidic foods carbon is the better choice. It is almost non-stick and easier to clean than stainless.
My carbon steel is more nonstick than the nonstick pans. Never have issues with washing cast iron and carbon steel with soap. If the cast iron and carbon steel at work were cleaned as you suggested, the health department would shut us down for good.
Get Both
Carbon steel is for higher heat to sear meat.
@@donaldkasper8346 No, actually a really good stainless steel pan is better at that. When it's thick enough for proper heat retention, searing is basically identical, but the stainless enable you to deglaze the pan afterwards and make a nice sauce with the tiny stuck on bits.
@@lgolem09l I have no problem deglazing with cast-iron or carbon steel.
@@lgolem09l Carbon steel 10-12 inch pans fairly cheap and you need just 1.... its tool to have for just incase gatherings .So what you need to season it.... it is lighter than Cast Iron and does 95-98% of Cast Iron
Are pans measured from the top or bottom?
Top from rim to rim prudentreviews.com/how-frying-pans-are-measured/
Great info!
I keep taking my new carbon steel pan to the garage, flipping it over on cardboard on a table, and smacking it with a rubber mallet as it warps during heating, and goes back flat when cool, so I have to pound it slightly concave so I am not heating just the central 5 inches of a 12 inch skillet when hot. This has gone on several times and may not be over yet. For your clad base pan, that is a thick heat sink to take cold food and not cool much, compared to your slender all over clad pan. That is why it was made with the thick base, to hold its heat because cooking only occurs from the pan bottom unless you put the pan in an oven.
I had that same problem. But I noticed it was because I was heating the pan too hot too fast. If I bring it up to temp slowly and start cooking as soon as it gets to temp I don't warp the bottom.
@@JWimpy Thick base might also heat up slower, so doesn't buckle. But, will try your approach.
Darn, I have no garage...
@@usernamemykel Porch for you.
@@JWimpy Cast iron buckles, but real slow over a decade or more. Then you can grind it flat with 100 grit wet grinder and start again. This may be a reason for cast iron lovers as carbon steel is misbehaved, really made for gas stoves and open fires.
Good video explaining the differences. I’ll only add that the uglier a carbon steel pan gets, the better it is 😊…I hope to get my de buyer totally black some day!
A shiny pan tends to reflect the heat from a flame or electric element. It's physics: something called emissivity. There's a lot of be said for an ol' timey cast iron skillet.
the only video on this topic. Perfect! Thank you! i wish i watched before i bought the carbon steel one... buy stainless steel
I appreciate your videos, but I only like watching them at 1.25x playback speed. I’m not suggesting that you should change your natural rate speech of speech, but I suggest you speed up your presentation during video editing (be cautious, some TH-camrs go too fast). I appreciate who you are and what you do. I hope you find my constructive criticism helpful. Regards. Bob ❤
Respectfully disagree about acidic foods. I cook multiple times daily w carbon steel and the seasoning has never stripped no matter how acidic. I’ve made lasagna, marinara sauce, and the seasoning stayed bonded. The seasoning also introduces lots of subtle flavor complexity and is naturally non-stick. I’ve even made eggs and it just slides around the pan. Stainless steel is very sticky and - contrary to what the video claims - it is not a question of technique - stickiness is just a basic property of stainless steel and it isn’t always a bad thing - I love what the stickiness does to chicken breasts, etc - they’re different tools and neither is better than the other - I find carbon steel to be the go-to all-around pan - but I don’t have a dishwasher and I don’t care about looks - if you care about looks, and you have a family that will forget to dry your pans or clean them right, then stainless all the way - they’re both good tools, and it comes down to lifestyle, and whatever gives you joy when you reach for it
No, eggs do not stick in SS pans when you have proper temperature control. I do fried eggs most mornings.
@@ArmadilloGodzilla oh interesting, what temperature do you use? I confess my range is literally 73 years old (1950 Frigidaire “thrifty 30” electric), so temperature control is unfortunately out of the question for me 😂 - but I’m curious about how you do it - I wonder if doing it every day has seasoned your pan enough for it to be nonstick?
What are you cooking at over 500F?
Why wouldn't you recommend dishwashing stainless steel pans?
If you regularly wash your cookware in the dishwasher, the harsh detergents, high temperatures, and contact with sharp utensils will tarnish and degrade the metal. Also, All-Clad recently settled a class action lawsuit because they claimed the cookware was dishwasher safe but it caused the bonded layers to delaminate and the edges to become sharp. Sure, you can get away with it, but cleaning it by hand is pretty simple so I always recommend that. More info: Easiest Way to Clean All-Clad Stainless Steel Pans (Stains, Brown Spots, Burnt Oil)
th-cam.com/video/bnSPCGFBiOM/w-d-xo.html
@@PrudentReviews I hate washing the dishes by hand... Even if it slowly degrades the metal I'm sure they will last 10+ years even if you wash 5 times/week in a dishwasher.....
@@99999me1 that’s fair. Plenty of people do it without much issue. Hand washing is playing it safe.
If you gently soak your stainless steel pans for a little bit in light soap and warm water, then it won't be as hard to wash. Also, heat up the pan before putting the oil/butter on it. And don't cook food that's too cold on the pan. Let your meats warm to room temperature from the fridge/freezer right before cooking.
@@ms_cartographer I always make a pan sauce so it would be easy to wash... But it's even easier to put it in a dishwasher... I've put my pan 5 times/week in a dishwasher in the last 4 years and it still looks like new (except some fat is polymerized on the outside...).... At this rate of use it costs me a few cents per use...
You never mention if either of them will work on a induction surface! But I'm guessing they both will!
5:50 approx
That’s correct, they both work on induction
Is "HexClad" a good option?
There are pros and cons. Here’s my full review but the short story is that you’re better off getting one stainless steel and one non-stick pan prudentreviews.com/hexclad-review/
Very expensive. I got one of those $25 diamond dust and nonstick 12 in Costco pans. Man, works great, but I still use only wood or plastic spoons or spatulas on it.
If you want something that you will inevitably throw away, yes.
@@lgolem09l The aluminum buckled up so only the rim heats. But, the conduction is so efficient, the whole pan sears anyway. I tapped it flat, may not stay that way, but doesn't matter.
@@donaldkasper8346 Take care to heat pans slowly on induction. Otherwise you will not just get warping, but also liekly wear off your non stick coating faster.
I use all types of frypans. Stainless, carbon, nonstick, cast iron. I use whatever seems to fit what I am doing at the moment. Stainless is great for acidic foods. Cast iron is my favorite for frying eggs. Nonstick comes out when I need to cook some delicate fish, sometimes an omelet. Work wise, I find it harder to keep stainless looking pretty than it is to keep carbon steel seasoned. Besides, I don't care if cookware is pretty. That doesn't make the food taste any better. When I buy, I am extrememly price conscious and I won't waste money on beautiful looking cookware. Most of the time that lovely cookware is in a storage area where nobody can see it. One other thing, nonstick coatings are going to fail no matter how much you pay for the cookware. Which is fine, that life cycle is baked into my budget. So I am not going to spend $175 on a nonstick pan no matter how gorgeous it is or how impressive the brand is. When the coating fails in 5 years, so be it. I'll replace it.
I bought the very expensive demeyere pans you also see in this video. Totally worth it for the thick material, and induction optimized layers. I basically don't use anything else, but I have to admit, I only ever make fried eggs, never omelettes. Never had any problems with keeping them clean. White stains go away with the next tomato sauce.
Stainless steel is like a painter's fresh canvas. There is no chance of the pan's 'seasoning' imparting flavor to a dish or flaking off if it has been allowed to form an actual crust inside the pan. Here's a test -- take your favorite "seasoned" pan be it cast iron or carbon steel. Pour a glass of clean water from your tap into the pan. Bring the water to a hard rolling boil and let it boil for two minutes. Take the pan off the heat, let the water cool a little, then pour it back into a clear glass. Let it cool completely. Look at the water. Smell the water. Would you drink it? Probably not. Do the same thing in a clean stainless steel pan. You'd drink that water. Seasoned pans impart a flavor to food, and not always necessarily a good one, usually an acrid oil taste combined with the stale aromatics and herbs you tend to use in your cooking.
Look how much oil/fat he used in the egg test. This whole hype about carbon steel pans being non stick is a joke. Use that much oil/fat in the stainless and you would have the exact same results.
Why does soap ruin carbon steel but not cast-iron
It doesn't, it's totally fine to use soap on any type of pan, just don't put carbon steel or cast iron pans into a dishwasher
Stainless steel seems to leech into acidic foods.
The only real downside of fully clad stainless steel is you can’t use it on a campfire but it outperforms any cast iron and carbon steel in all aspects.
Stainless is the perfect pan..eggs and other food can be cooked with little or no greasy mess and NO sticking..stainless retains no odors from previous cook..
It's just plain easier to cook in a carbon steel pan.
It's not really. I use stainless for absolutely everything. You just need to learn the heat up time, and how hot your stove makes the pan at a given setting. I dread the maintenance of carbon steel way more.
@@lgolem09lWhich is faster to have ‘ready to cook’ with? Whenever I use stainless steel it takes several minutes to heat up. If I get carbon steel, do I need to still wait all that time?
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I still find the name "stainless stell pan" dumb. It's all about the materials between in inner and outer layer. The stainless steel is just the "coating" to make it non-reactive and resistant. It's basically like calling a cast iron pan, a "patina pan"
2:16 min : that pan doesn’t look more uniform than new !? All blotchy and looking terrible imho.
Those pans need to be re-seasoned. They look horrible. Not a very good representation of a carbon pan.
Carbon steel gets so ugly.
How can something retain heat well and be responsive to temperature changes at the same time
I love making eggs in my carbon steel pan.