Ask Lemmy

I lack the subtlety to tell you if my cast iron pan cooks better or makes anything taste better, but I can assure you it regularly survives abuse that would ruin a Teflon pan in days.

Yes. Cast iron is best. It and high carbon steel are the only real "non stick" because thyre the only ones you can season. Dont use "nonstick" pans they are just pollutants and give you cancer. Seasoning cast iron is easy (really... Do less! Stop reaming it and scrubbing it to death... just get it really hot and wipe it). Cast iron last forever... these other things become garbage in 1-5 yrs

No one with a cast iron pan would ask this question

They're all fine with some extendent. It really depends specifically what and how you're cooking. I like cast iron for steak because you can heat it up a helluva lot, even without fat, while trying that with non-stick pans can damage the coating and make some weird smells. Similarly, I prefer it for frying eggs because I like to use a metal slice to flip eggs, and worry about scarcjing my non-stick. But I have both and happily use both.

Ceramic non-stick is pretty great. I've used cast-iron and it's fine, but it's kind of fussy when it comes to cleanup.

I have Lodge cast iron and De Buyer carbon steel and I definitely prefer the carbon steel. I do have non stick for things like eggs or pancakes but they don't last forever, I get a few years of use. I recently replaced my old Tfal PTFE with Blue Diamond and I'm quite happy with them.

Cast iron flavors the dish some. A seasoned one adds the oils and other stuff used to season it as well.

I love my cast irons, I have a carbon steel one, that is even more work to care for, but gets really hot and is great for searing. I would like a stainless one for more of a nonstick option though.

Define "better".

It's heat- when preheated properly- is much more even and it holds it quite a bit better. This of course, requires preheating (and that takes a long moment.)

when properly seasoned and oiled, the pan is genuinely nonstick to the same degree as most PTFE pan out there (without all the nasty plastics flaking off, and able to be get up to a proper temperature for searing in the first place...) But of course, this means keeping your pan properly seasoned.

I'm not a fan of lodge cast iron, though, IMO its too much work to develop and maintain that level of seasoning (because of it's surface. Victoria is a better inexpensive option if you're looking to buy new.) But I also rock a lodge when camping (Because I don't want to subject my really nice, inherited stuff to campfire cooking.) but cast iron can take the abuse of cooking right on coals and other campfire torture (like being cleaned with sand.)

Of course, you have to clean up/care for that camp pan after the fact.

The point being made is that everyone has a different understanding of what is "best", cast iron does require a significant investment in maintenance and care. For me, the effort is worth it. for many it's not.

for what cast iron does well, it's amazing. And really, the biggest problem is that it's not so good for acidic things (which eats away the seasoning, but that's more like 'don't try and make a pasta sauce' rather than "don't splash in some citrus."

Induction > glass ceramic (infrared) > gas > cast iron electric > fire

Why ceramic over gas? Because gas is a bit more responsive but

1. Needs extra infrastructure
2. Safety risk
3. Not sustainable and climate warming

And btw, why is induction still more expensive than ceramic? It's not that new a tech anymore.

I like it. I got rid of all my non stick pans. They eventually get scratched and at that point they leak toxins. I have two very old pans and a hundred year old lid that I got for nothing. They were being thrown away from a camper that was being scrapped. They work well and after I finally learned the ins and outs of seasoning them they dont stick, much.

I agree with the wife. Cast iron for steaks and searing red meats, non-stick for everything else.

At the end of the day, what you should care about most is the fact that you're lucky enough to have a wife who knows how to cook. In my house, I have to handle all the cooking and dishes. But at least she does the dusting and the laundry—both of which I hate doing—so it evens out I guess.