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Kids, also get a wok. Woks are so good for so many things. It's a bowl that's also a frying pan, obviously stir fries and shit like that, but great for pasta as well (If you don't add noodles to your veg and sauce in the pan you're wrong)
You can get smaller ones. Mine is about the size of a small burner at the base, doesn't weigh much more than an average frying pan.
There's a bunch of bougie cook stores and supermarkets where I live where I keep seeing cast iron woks, and I know I'm going to break and buy one. I don't even have room for it
That makes sense, but I mostly plan to use it outdoors over campfires or charcoal beds where I think the heat retention will be useful. Not sure if that's actually the case though.
I got a nonstick wok from Ikea for $10 and it's fucking awesome
Correct. It's a common misunderstanding about cast iron seasoning that comes from people thinking you cant wash your skillet with soap.
I looked this up. Old soaps made with lye would strip all the oils off the metal and then aggressively rust the metal. Modern soaps are much less aggressive and less corrosive so you're not really going to ruin your pan with a quick wipe down and a rinse. Just remember to dry it and oil it before storing.
By "store it” you must mean "put out back on the stove" right?
Because, uhh, that shit gets used for everything that doesn't need a saucepan or large volume boiling water.
I do need to replace my saucepans with stainless or copper, instead of the (relatively nice) nonstick we've had forever.
honestly i just eat the flakes. it's fine. i have a lump behind my left nut. not stressing.
I've cooked on both for years (even restored 60 year old Cast Iron pots and skillets), and hands down Stainless Steel is better at non sticking, even cooking, cleaning and maintaining. It's not even close. Every man, woman, and child should be distributed at least one stainless steel skillet and pot.
I generally agree, I just cook over wood fires a lot and I like the heat retention
looks fine.
imagine spending extra time reseasoning your pan because you like the way it looks
Stainless steel is great! It's hard to cook eggs in stainless unless you're making british style scramble.
It’s hard to cook eggs in stainless unless you’re making british style scramble.
It's really easy if you use butter. Otherwise yea it's hard, but only teflon outperforms it in that regard
Sounds like you're overheating the pan or using an oil with a low smoke point. Olive oil is fine for low to medium heat but if you're searing or stir frying you might want to try canola oil.
If they're talking about cast iron being smoky, they're comparing it to other pan material with likely the same oils.
Can the oil they use in the patina itself also smoke off during cooking? Im kinda worried about that
A lot of people treat their cast iron different, and I'll personally not use it for tomato or heavily spiced things like curry. I got sauce pans and pots when I need something more practical, but for everything else, the cast iron can't do you wrong
I've made shashuka in my skillet a few times and it was fine. I'm sure all tomato and no fatty meats would damage it in the long run. I typically will buy bacon regularly for about 2 months out of the year and put a decent protective seasoning on it like that, and save the bacon grease, then go back to my heart working until the pan needs some love again.
Yo also shoutouts to carbon steel pans. Half the weight, similar heat retention, same seasoning process...I got one about a year ago and it's going to last a lifetime. I also have a lot of love for enameled cast iron, the heat retention is absolutely insane and they bake really well too.
Just got an enameled cast iron dutch oven for my bday and it is one of the best pieces of cooking equipment ive had to pleasure to use.
Feel like it’s pointless to own as a vegan tbh, everyone just talks about how great it is for steak or whatever
This is incorrect. I fry tofu, seitan, onions, garlic, kale, bell peppers, mushrooms and the deglaze process is so fucking good. Got an insulated handle cover for Christmas even because my mother in law knows how much we love the cast iron path.
Food thing
You pour some liquid (usually stock or wine) into the pan to loosen up and dissolve the fond (bits of the food and residue stuck to the pan)
It adds a lot of flavour to things like sauces
No way, I cook my tortillas in my cast iron. Great for sauteeing or baking vegetables. Plus they retain heat beautifully well, anything you cook in there will stay nice and warm if you go back for a second helping. And they really do last a lifetime.
Cast iron is definitely best for searing meats, but I've gotten a lot of use out of mine as a vegetarian. You can find a decently sized skillet at any thrift store for like $10 and it'll last longer than you will. If you've already got some nice steel cookware there really isn't a point but it's definitely worth upgrading from nonstick
Don't listen to these people, cast iron takes longer to heat up, longer to clean, is way heavier, and the seasoning process is hell and a half, I used to use it.
Just bought a new t-fal pan for christmas and it's wonderful. Half these people replying aren't even vegan, they don't give a shit about reducing consumption or whatever. People love hyping up cast iron because it's some hipster vintage aesthetic but if you cook vegetables a lot they stick and it's a pain, then you end up cooking less as a result.
I use stainless steel for every pot, but the nonstick skillet is god tier.
You bought a teflon pan? Gross.
Maybe I'm just traumatized by my old roommate's non-stick pan that was ragged and almost furry from being used with metal utensils. I think I got lymphoma just from being in the same room as that thing.
Also, as a lifelong vegetarian I'll take a little extra iron anywhere I can get it.
Aside from meats, cast irons are very nice for baking certain dishes, nice for anything that needs consistent heat too. You don't need to season them with meat, you can use a vegetable oil and be fine.
I personally like my cast iron because of how it holds heat once up to temp. I can front load heat then roll it back to be more predictable rather than the pan being too hot then too cold.
Preach! I wanted a copper sauce pan too, but they're expensive as fuck.
I wish I could upgrade my cookware but I don't have much money and I also don't trust myself to actually take care of it well.
My main skillet is a deep bottomed porcelain coated cast aluminum thing I got on sale. It gets the job done but like teflon shit you can't use metal with it. I've accidentally scratched it a couple times but afaik it's not unsafe like a scratched up teflon pan is. I've got a tiny stainless steel skillet but it's like 7 inches across and an inch deep so it's not ideal. And I've got mostly stainless steel pots but a couple teflon ones as well. Could be worse.
Good cookware costs too damn much.
You can find cast iron pans and skillets at Goodwill all day long for 2 dollars.
My girl got me a bunch for Christmas. Gonna season and reseason this weekend
Fuck you bouge fucks, yes ofc cast iron is better but some of us live in poverty
Cast iron maintenance isn't the wizardry that people make it out to be. A lot of people like to worry about cooking acidic foods on them or washing them with soap, but the fact is that it's basically indestructible technology. The big difference between CI and regular cookware is that to dry it after washing, it's best to heat it dry on the stove (and if you're feeling zesty, rub a thin layer of oil on it with a towel)
