Cast iron or non stick ?

grumpyoldman

grumpyoldman

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i think we have 8-10 cast iron skillets ,
ranging in size from 4 inch to 15 inch
plus a couple of cast iron duch ovens
and only about 2 non stick frying pans
which to you like better and why ?



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i love to watch those non stick TV commercials the way they like to swirle a fried egg around in the pans ..shucks i can do that with any cast iron skillet we own haha
 
I consider my cast iron to be nonstick, so that’s what I usually use, even for eggs, except omelettes, because I have to lift the pan to get the omelette plated, so that’s nonstick.

I have two cast iron - one about 5-6 inches, one about 12 inches. The smaller one is a Wagner from the 1930’s, it was my grandmothers, and the other is a modern Lodge, maybe 25 years old.

I also have two nonsticks, both All-Clad, and that hard anodized stuff.
 
Yeah, I love them equally but for different things. I go through phases where I will use one type more often than the other. I have 4 cast iron skillets and some enameled cast iron pots as well, plus a few non-stick skillets. Like TastyReuben, omelets always go in the non-stick (mine are also All-Clad). My wok and another non-stick skillet I have are both Calphalon. I've also got some ceramic coated cookware...

I think I need to go through everything sometime soon and donate what I am not using. My oldest daughter is always a willing recipient to whatever I don't want anymore.
 
i was reading on some older posts somewhere on here about the discussion/argument about the right way to "season" cast iron some told about how to heat it and spread oil on the hot surface and get it smoking hot then let it cool and then the more you use it the more non stick it would get . well i don't quite agree with that entirely , so lets look at what we all do agree on
1cast iron is porous
2 at some point its going to need to be stripped down to the bare metal
3 it will then need to be reseasoned
now we start to disagree!!
we disagree on how to strip it
how hot it needs to be
what kind of oil to use
how long to leave it in the pan
and just how non stick it will be
 
the way I do it is this : they need to be taken down to bare metal about once every 10 years
the way I do that is , during winter after a good snow fall , i build a nice big fire and put the skillet on the fire and then pile more wood on top of the skillet , then i leave it until the next day by then all the built up crud has burned off and it's cool , then i will wipe it clean and fire up my Blackstone griddle and put the skillet on it at full heat when it gets the skillet as hot as its ever going to get i will soak a wad of paper towels on vegatable oil and using a pair of metal tongs wipe down the skillet and let her smoke till it gets cool to the touch , used a clean dry paper towel to wipe off any oil on the skilllet and its good to go for another 10 years, and for those of you wondering how non stick it is at this point , well its slicker than a piece of ice on a hot sidewalk !!!
 
Here’s a pic of my baby one frying some sausage bits:

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I’ve stripped them three ways:

1. With a grinder attached to a drill
2. Overnight treatments with Easy-Off
3. Run it through a self-clean oven cycle

Number three is my preferred method. Easy and no fuss, takes three hours, burns everything off.
 
I honestly don't notice much difference between cast iron and non-stick. In fact I only have one small cast iron pan (a Staub which I bought mainly for food photography). Its nice enough to cook in and came pre prepared as non stick. But the non stick pans I have are fine.
 
badjak said:
I've yet to see a self clean oven....
I've heard of them, but never owned, seen or used one :wink:
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your kidding right ? we won't have any other kind , saves a lot of work when its finished all we do is wipe it with a damp paper towel and its done
 
i wasn't paying attention where she was from , i guess it does make a difference where we live huh
 
grumpyoldman said:
i wasn't paying attention where she was from , i guess it does make a difference where we live huh
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Yeah it really does. We've got quite a lot of international folks here. I like to read about what they cook, how they do it, where they're from, etc.

Badjak is a bit of a badass, in my opinion. She grows a garden, brews beer, has a cool Indonesian and Dutch heritage, and can speak/read more than one language. She's got lots of posts about her food and I've noticed she likes to grill and smoke food outdoors frequently. So cool.
 
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