I got rid of all of my non-stick pans and bought expensive stainless pots and pans. I hate them. They are so difficult to clean. I have tried high heat, low heat, etc. I did end up buying one small non stick for eggs. I want really want to just go back to non stick.
I did buy some Bar Keeper's Friend to use on the stainless, and that helps a bit, but still not as easy as the non stick.
I have never tried copper or ceramic though.
You're doing it wrong then.
My stainless are 10 years old and look as good as they did when we got them. I never use anything more abrasive on them than a sponge.
i'll own cleaning my pans wrong. the inside where i cook is fine but the outside has that "been cooking for a century in a professional kitchen" orange-ish coating to them that NOTHING well get off.
i use barkeeper's friend as a last resort and it's always worked on the insides. i lurve that stuff.
I have a set of stainless. I think from Kitchen Aid? I find I don't have to use high heat on them and they clean up with barkeeper's friend.
I also have a nice big le creuset cast iron/enamel skillet I do most of my cooking in. This would actually work way better if I ever cooked meat because it would become seasoned better/more quickly. But I still love it. I got a le creuset grill pan, too. (My MIL will drive to the outlets in NH and buy me le creuset every Christmas, so I'm planning on having a good amount someday...)
We also have a non-stick for eggs. My husband is down with not having non-stick for everything else, but just wanted a little one for eggs.
By the way. I read about seasoning cast iron with flaxseed oil and how it is apparently the best oil to use. I broke down and bought a bottle of it and tried it out. My cast iron is basically non-stick now. It's fucking amazing.
Awesome tip; thanks!
In addition to everything everyone else has posted, we do have an anodized aluminum skillet that is more non-stick than stainless steel (almost as good as teflon, just not for eggs). For those who just don't want to deal with cast iron or ceramic it's a reasonable compromise.
I need to use our cast iron more - for eggs that sounds amazing. Ours is pretty well seasoned and I bet it would work. We (meaning DH since he does 95% of the cooking) use stainless, All Clad mostly. BUT, we were in the market for a larger sautee pan and got a great one at Sur La Table (their brand) for about 50% the price. It's performed incredibly well.
As for the orange-y grime from burned grease, like others have said, Barkeeps Friend will clean that right up.
I need to use our cast iron more - for eggs that sounds amazing. Ours is pretty well seasoned and I bet it would work. We (meaning DH since he does 95% of the cooking) use stainless, All Clad mostly. BUT, we were in the market for a larger sautee pan and got a great one at Sur La Table (their brand) for about 50% the price. It's performed incredibly well.
As for the orange-y grime from burned grease, like others have said, Barkeeps Friend will clean that right up.
Know why stainless will, for me, always trump cast iron or non stick? Because at the end of a long day, when I look at the pile of pans in the sink, I can say "Fuck it." and throw them in the dishwasher.
I have a ceramic pan for eggs and All Clad stainless steel for everything else.
Cast iron pans are awesome, but after dislocating a shoulder picking one up I decided they're just too heavy. Lol I think they're a good option for a normal person, though.
I haven't had problems getting the stainless steel pans clean. Dawn and Barkeepers Friend for tough messes work just fine. I've also thrown them in the dishwasher when I'm tired, but I always soak them first.
The only thing I hate washing off is caramel when I make caramel sauce. That's a pain in the ass.
We have moved to only using cast iron for all of our pans. They are fabulous - we need less oils and they are easy to keep clean (after a few months). And they will last us a lifetime, if we take care of them, unlike non-stick ones. The only other one we have is a copper plated steel one that is amazing and huge, and also easy to clean.
Post by tacosforlife on Mar 7, 2015 7:08:48 GMT -5
We have stainless. I like it. But I don't use it much anymore because we do 90 percent of our cooking on cast iron. Or maybe with our enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
I do fried eggs on cast iron, but in still have one nonstick for scrambled eggs. I have never gotten scrambled eggs to not stick on anything else.
All my pots are Le Creuset or All-Clad with the copper core with the exception of my wok and omelet pan. Non-stick is just superior for omelets, imo. When people say stay away from non-stick, they really mean stay away from PFOA and there are PFOA-free pans. Scanpan is probably the most popular manufacturer.
Cast iron is actually best for omelets, IMO. Stainless is garbage, but cast iron is awesome. Nonstick for scrambled eggs, though.
I have issues with seasoning sticking to my cast iron. Not the meat itself, just whatever blend I put on the meat. They're Lodge so they're supposed to be preseasoned but I have seasoned them myself too and still have that issue.
Is this normal or do I just need to season them 20 more times?
non-stick is not great. aluminum might be also not good? I don't remember. It kinda just sucks anyway.
Go stainless. Something with some heft to it when you pick it up. There's a bit of a learning curve with shit sticking to it if you're used to non-stick, but you get used to it quickly and never look back. The only thing nonstick I have at this point is one little sauté pan that I use exclusively for frying eggs.
THIS! I splurged a few months back and bought this set from Amazon: Cooks Standard 12-Piece Multi-Ply Clad Stainless-Steel Cookware Set. BEST PURCHASE EVER. I love these pans. It's really not hard to learn how to cook with them if you're used to non-stick. They are worth the money.
Oh we've done this a few times, and cleaned it up. 000 steel wool to scrape out light rust, easy off for bad stuff (http://www.panman.com/cleaning.html).
Lol at everyone with a "small nonstick pan" for eggs. We got a 12" ceramic. We don't make less than 7 eggs at a time, and that will only increase.
Know why stainless will, for me, always trump cast iron or non stick? Because at the end of a long day, when I look at the pile of pans in the sink, I can say "Fuck it." and throw them in the dishwasher.
I know I'm hella late on this but I need to come back to this. Is this really ok? It took me years to save up my fun monies for a set of all-clad and I'm paranoid that they'll fall apart in the dishwasher.
Know why stainless will, for me, always trump cast iron or non stick? Because at the end of a long day, when I look at the pile of pans in the sink, I can say "Fuck it." and throw them in the dishwasher.
I know I'm hella late on this but I need to come back to this. Is this really ok? It took me years to save up my fun monies for a set of all-clad and I'm paranoid that they'll fall apart in the dishwasher.
Absolutely. All clad even says so which means if something did go wrong you would be safe under the lifetime warranty.
Post by demandypants on Apr 4, 2015 9:15:11 GMT -5
I was non-stick for life for eggs, but after this thread perhaps I am willing to try my stainless or cast iron pans again. But I don't have egg sized skillets in either material right now. Cause as I said before, non-stick egg pan for life.
Know why stainless will, for me, always trump cast iron or non stick? Because at the end of a long day, when I look at the pile of pans in the sink, I can say "Fuck it." and throw them in the dishwasher.
I know I'm hella late on this but I need to come back to this. Is this really ok? It took me years to save up my fun monies for a set of all-clad and I'm paranoid that they'll fall apart in the dishwasher.
Carl is a fucking annoying rule follower and doesn't believe is cutting corners for convenience, plus he's a metals/materials nerd and knows exactly how everything can get fucked up, and even he will put them in the dishwasher. Most of the time he finds some excuse to hand wash them. "Oh, the dishwasher was full". Yeah, well I don't see you washing any of the rest of this shit that didn't fit.
I love, love, love my cast iron pans. It's all we have. And they will last forever as long as we treat them right. We have three in different sizes and use them for everything.
What I am getting from this is that 1) I need to use my cast iron skillet for more than just cornbread and 2) my lazy ass should have bought stainless years ago. WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THAT THEY'RE DISHWASHER SAFE?!?!?!?
What I am getting from this is that 1) I need to use my cast iron skillet for more than just cornbread and 2) my lazy ass should have bought stainless years ago. WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THAT THEY'RE DISHWASHER SAFE?!?!?!?
I'm not going to lie - this thread has made me seriously consider going out and buying a brand new set in stainless steel.
I'm trying to decide if my DH's frugal side would object more than his kitchen-cleaner side would welcome it.
I can't make eggs in my cast iron. I don't know what I'm doing wrong with my cast iron. It's not at all nonstick and I use it frequently. I "clean" it with hot water and occasionally salt, because if I don't, I feel like it takes on this sort of rancid oil smell. :-\
"Not gonna lie; I kind of keep expecting you to post one day that you threw down on someone who clearly had no idea that today was NOT THEIR DAY." ~dontcallmeshirley
And I also love cast iron, I used that to supplement my tri-ply set.
I have these, and they are great but I am not a fan of sets as they supply things I don't need and not enough of those I do. I have 2 x 2 quart saucepans and 2 x 3 quart saucepans and these, along with my Le Creuset seems to cover most of my needs.
If you look at these, make sure that you go with the tri-ply as there are cheaper versions out there too.
I can't make eggs in my cast iron. I don't know what I'm doing wrong with my cast iron. It's not at all nonstick and I use it frequently. I "clean" it with hot water and occasionally salt, because if I don't, I feel like it takes on this sort of rancid oil smell. :-\
You need to strip it (I run mine through the dishwasher, some people use oven cleaner) and reseason with a better oil. If you can find it, flaxseed is the best. It's a PIA to season, but it's completely worth it. With the flaxseed, my cast iron is basically non-stick now. I do 5 coats, which takes all fucking day, but then I'm good for months. Which oil are you using? Because poor quality oils can definitely go rancid.