Read the full guide for more details: prudentreviews.com/cast-iron-vs-stainless-steel/ Want to know when brands like All-Clad, Made In, Demeyere, and Lodge go on sale? Join our free newsletter to get deal alerts: prudentreviews.com/newsletter/
Yeah but what about deep frying or shallow frying, and what about enamalled iron ? I need to get my sister something to cook with that A) She won't accidentally burn the house down with, B) doesn't contain teflon that she can scratch off and that leeches into the food, and C) that can get to high enough temperatures to sear, boil, fry and deep fry but not high enough (again) for her to forget on the stove and it burn the house down (she'd lose her head if it wasn't attached to her body... no joke)... I bought her a Staub 5ltr like 6 years ago and some pretty decent stainless steal cookware, ones that even I'd be happy to use... cannot find any of them in her cupboards today, she just uses Teflon coated Aluminum. I've looked at mineral infused ceramic cookware... but again, it's still Aluminum and not going to get quite as hot as she needs to cook a proper meal with. Any advice would be appreciated.
Continued: A big reason for why modern cast iron is so thick, heavy and crude compared to the lighter, slick and polished vintage brands like Griswold, Wagner Ware, Birmingham Stove and Range (BSR), Wapak, Wardway, Piqua Ware etc has to do with the manufacturing process. The sand used for the vintage molds was a lot finer which created respiratory problems for workers. Manufacturers also stopped polishing their pans to cut costs. When the molds changed the cast iron became a lot thicker and, in my opinion, uglier bulkier and unrefined. Vintage cast iron behaves a lot like carbon steel but with roomier cook surfaces and shorter, more compact handles.
I love how my steaks get seared in my cast iron pan, but I really hate the maintenance aspect. Its a pain to clean and re-season. Its just too much so im going to give stainless a try
That one scene in Gloria where she tries and fails to cook eggs is what instantly made me think steel pans suck, but after struggling and always failing to season cast iron, I don't know why on earth I looked past steel so easily
Vintage cast iron is polished smooth and no heavier than carbon steel. Eg my #10 vintage Wagner cast iron pan weighs 5.5lbs, my large block logo and small block logo #7 (10 inches) Griswolds are around 3.2-3.5 lbs (the small logo is 250g heavier than the large block logo). All aforementioned pans were made from the 1930-1960s and are absolutely great and smooth all around
As usual, another well done, informational, to the point review. What I do when I cook my steaks in cast iron is preheat it in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes and then do my cooking on the burner at medium high. The sear is outstanding and as you said, the temperature of the pan remains throughout the cooking process. The additional maintenance is well worth the results. Pan sauces are easy and pretty foolproof in my stainless steel pan. Matching the right cookware to the recipe you are making is truly the joy of stress free cooking. Thank you for your content!
Thank you for your videos. I don't cook meat or fish, only vegetables and tofu. Is cast iron good for that? Or does the moisture released from the vegetables makes it not the best choice?
I will use vintage cast iron pans over anything else period.Even newer cast iron pans will heat much more evenly than a thin stainless pan. The only reason to use stainless steel pans are for playing with the food (ie flipping in air etc). If you’re into cooking a great steak/chicken/ pork or fish learn how to use a cast iron pan as all Great chefs have used.
at home or in the camper i will use cast iron over ss every time i can. pancakes, eggs are not a problem for me. but yes lighter weight is great when needing the big skillet. 16 incher. or is it 18 inch?
I've heard of people taking sand paper to thier cast iron to smooth the surface even more, then re season and the pan turns into a slip and slide, well its better then factory. Lol. My lodge pan is pretty bad from factory and you can feel the roughness, so im going to sand away once I get around to it because no matter how I season it the pan is always sticky.
I’d be interested to hear how that goes. Alternatively, there are cast iron brands with smoother surfaces (like Stargazer), or you could get a carbon steel pan which has many of the same characteristics as cast iron but with a smoother surface. Here’s my cast iron vs carbon steel video fyi th-cam.com/video/DHh9FGRgrcQ/w-d-xo.html
Read the full guide for more details: prudentreviews.com/cast-iron-vs-stainless-steel/
Want to know when brands like All-Clad, Made In, Demeyere, and Lodge go on sale? Join our free newsletter to get deal alerts: prudentreviews.com/newsletter/
Yeah but what about deep frying or shallow frying, and what about enamalled iron ? I need to get my sister something to cook with that A) She won't accidentally burn the house down with, B) doesn't contain teflon that she can scratch off and that leeches into the food, and C) that can get to high enough temperatures to sear, boil, fry and deep fry but not high enough (again) for her to forget on the stove and it burn the house down (she'd lose her head if it wasn't attached to her body... no joke)... I bought her a Staub 5ltr like 6 years ago and some pretty decent stainless steal cookware, ones that even I'd be happy to use... cannot find any of them in her cupboards today, she just uses Teflon coated Aluminum. I've looked at mineral infused ceramic cookware... but again, it's still Aluminum and not going to get quite as hot as she needs to cook a proper meal with. Any advice would be appreciated.
Continued: A big reason for why modern cast iron is so thick, heavy and crude compared to the lighter, slick and polished vintage brands like Griswold, Wagner Ware, Birmingham Stove and Range (BSR), Wapak, Wardway, Piqua Ware etc has to do with the manufacturing process. The sand used for the vintage molds was a lot finer which created respiratory problems for workers. Manufacturers also stopped polishing their pans to cut costs. When the molds changed the cast iron became a lot thicker and, in my opinion, uglier bulkier and unrefined. Vintage cast iron behaves a lot like carbon steel but with roomier cook surfaces and shorter, more compact handles.
Ya which is why I took an orbital sander to my lodge and now i have amazing results
Crude can have a varying definition ... in the eye of the beholder 🤔
I love how my steaks get seared in my cast iron pan, but I really hate the maintenance aspect. Its a pain to clean and re-season. Its just too much so im going to give stainless a try
That one scene in Gloria where she tries and fails to cook eggs is what instantly made me think steel pans suck, but after struggling and always failing to season cast iron, I don't know why on earth I looked past steel so easily
Vintage cast iron is polished smooth and no heavier than carbon steel. Eg my #10 vintage Wagner cast iron pan weighs 5.5lbs, my large block logo and small block logo #7 (10 inches) Griswolds are around 3.2-3.5 lbs (the small logo is 250g heavier than the large block logo). All aforementioned pans were made from the 1930-1960s and are absolutely great and smooth all around
As usual, another well done, informational, to the point review. What I do when I cook my steaks in cast iron is preheat it in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes and then do my cooking on the burner at medium high. The sear is outstanding and as you said, the temperature of the pan remains throughout the cooking process. The additional maintenance is well worth the results. Pan sauces are easy and pretty foolproof in my stainless steel pan. Matching the right cookware to the recipe you are making is truly the joy of stress free cooking. Thank you for your content!
Preheating in the oven is an excellent technique, thanks for sharing! And thanks for the kind words!
Thank you for your videos. I don't cook meat or fish, only vegetables and tofu. Is cast iron good for that? Or does the moisture released from the vegetables makes it not the best choice?
Stainless steel pan can cool perfect egg without sticking, the key thing is you should cook egg when the pan reach enough high temperature
I will use vintage cast iron pans over anything else period.Even newer cast iron pans will heat much more evenly than a thin stainless pan. The only reason to use stainless steel pans are for playing with the food (ie flipping in air etc). If you’re into cooking a great steak/chicken/ pork or fish learn how to use a cast iron pan as all Great chefs have used.
at home or in the camper i will use cast iron over ss every time i can.
pancakes, eggs are not a problem for me.
but yes lighter weight is great when needing the big skillet. 16 incher. or is it 18 inch?
I've heard of people taking sand paper to thier cast iron to smooth the surface even more, then re season and the pan turns into a slip and slide, well its better then factory. Lol. My lodge pan is pretty bad from factory and you can feel the roughness, so im going to sand away once I get around to it because no matter how I season it the pan is always sticky.
I’d be interested to hear how that goes. Alternatively, there are cast iron brands with smoother surfaces (like Stargazer), or you could get a carbon steel pan which has many of the same characteristics as cast iron but with a smoother surface. Here’s my cast iron vs carbon steel video fyi th-cam.com/video/DHh9FGRgrcQ/w-d-xo.html
Amen.👍.
Lol 😂 you had me when you said slip and slide. Love cast iron. I don’t worry about seasoning it. It gets seasoned each time I cook with it. ❤
How bout a forever pan test?
Great channel! Could you review Granite Stone cookware? That'd be amazing! :D
Great information!
Very good.
Great info!!! Thanks!!!
You can cook eggs in the other one let the pan get out first
Cast Iron is the best. Stainless cannot help with anemia.