In the NYT today was an article by Andrew Zimmer advising people to stop using Teflon-coated pans (gift link below), and pointing out that CA may ban the sale in a few years. I’ve been using such a pan for omelettes and fish for years, always over gentle heat with a window open and using silicone spatulas to avoid scratches. So hopefully I’m avoiding the worst dangers of PFAs. However I’m considering replacing it with what sounds like a more environmentally friendly alternative, a carbon steel pan. I also have an All-Clad skillet I use for searing meat, often searing and then putting in the oven with a temp probe to finish cooking.
Anyway, I was wondering if people who have carbon steel pans are happy with them and find them useful for sticky things like fish and omelettes? Also if I have an All-Clad skillet won’t that become unused since I could sear in the carbon steel as well?
I have a De Buyer 10 inch pan, recommended by Dorie Greenpan, and it’s our favorite pan to cook eggs every morning. It’s practically nonstick once it’s been seasoned properly. It’s also lighter than cast iron pan and heats up faster.
But I am going to buy an All Clad 12 inch pan to replace my large cast iron pan. I read that carbon steel is not recommended for tomato based or lemon sauce. The three most used items in my kitchen are, Le Creuset enamel dutch oven, the De Buyer carbon steel and a soon-to-be-replaced cast iron. Most important is they are induction cookware when we switch to induction cooktop.
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I have a MadeIn which distributes heat beautifully evenly – but it is a lot of work and upkeep to keep it seasoned. I’m not sure I would get one again, although I have a carbon steel tortilla pan that works just fine. I also have a GreenPan saucepan, and would never get one again – no matter how careful you are, over time the coating starts to chip away. Booooo.
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All Clad for the win here. We are very happy with all of our all clad.
We have a scan pan for eggs. Works perfectly.
Any chance you have a gift link for this article?
I thought I had used it, I guess I just pasted the ordinary link. Here is a gift link:
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Thank you for the gift link!!
I love my stainless steel all clad. I’m not a fan of carbon steel…but it’s because I’m lazy, and it does need to be dried quickly…I hate rust.
I have my old cast iron pans which I used a lot when I has a wood stove, or a gas stove. I have neither now…I have a glass smooth top now, and yes, I’m a use the cast iron, but the stainless is my preference.
I’m not ready to give up my little scan pan.
I thought I’d post a follow-up. I ended up buying the pre-seasoned OXO carbon steel pan recommended by the NYT Wirecutter product review team. And at first when I made egg dishes a few times it was amazingly non-stick right out of the box. Eggs and omelets slid around easily, I was happy!
Then, since one of the benefits of carbon steel is you are supposed to be able to sear I made pork chops, searing one side and then letting it finish in the oven. I had plenty of clarified butter in the pan (flavorful, easy to make at home, but that’s another post) To my dismay the seasoning seemed to have lifted away in a few places when the chops were done.
Since many carbon steel pans are sold unseasoned there are many websites with guidance on seasoning, so I tried that with very thin layers of oil. No luck. The upshot is that the pan is no longer non-stick for eggs. Online I’ve found a few videos and people seem to be able to cook eggs easily in carbon steel pans but they usually mention paying close attention to pan heat, often using an infrared thermometer to get it right. I don’t want to go to that much trouble, and maybe I just don’t have enough cooking skill.
So, disappointed, I’ve returned the pan to Amazon.
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I have NYT subscription and read that link the other day. So far I’m not convinced about moving away from nonstick pans. If we were younger and still had kids at home it would be a bigger priority. But it was a reminded that we bought a cast iron pan and should use it more.
I use cast iron and have for 40 years. Love that stuff. It is not 100% non-stick, but it is 90% non-stick and the 10% that does stick washes out super easily. People will say that you have to handle it carefully which is 100% BS. I use soap and water on it every time I wash it. I highly recommend it and have gifted it to my kids when they have gotten their own places. It’s just theeeeee best.
We got a teflon set when we got married and used that briefly, but hated it. Also got a cast iron frying pan for a wedding gift (and I had a small one I inherited prior) and still use it all the time. Cast iron can last 100s of years. The small pan I have was my grandmother’s.
I use the cast iron every single day and I just leave it on my glass top stove. The stove we have is black and I can’t tell that it has scratched it, but if it has it’s not very visible. I have dropped it on the stove, too, (lightly) without any damage. In fact the cast iron has been more durable than pretty much anything else in our house. I can put it from the stove into the oven. I can put it straight on the grill, in a campfire, or in the woodstove. Try that with any other pan. It’s almost impossible to destroy. I love it so much I got cast iron muffin tins, cast iron loaf pans, and cast iron everything. Only thing I don’t have cast iron are pasta and sauce pots.
And it is totally not finicky. People who tell you that are misinformed. I don’t wash it in the dishwasher, but that’s about the extent of my taking special care of it.
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Do you hand dry the cast iron? Or other recommendations to prevent subtle surface rust?
I put it back on a hot burner for 30 seconds or so.
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