221–230 of 337 posts
Tangent, but given all the recent discussions around PFAS and Teflon and metal toxicity and all that, does anyone know of any kind of cookware that we can consider to be "safe" for cooking aside from cast iron? Or is that literally the only option left?
Earthenware pots are pretty specific but should be safe too.
Tangent, but given all the recent discussions around PFAS and Teflon and metal toxicity and all that, does anyone know of any kind of cookware that we can consider to be "safe" for cooking aside from cast iron? Or is that literally the only option left?
Also, now that air friers are all the rage and they all seem to have a non stick coating and they are heating said coating more than a skillet would, are they basically poisoning us?
One thing I've recently discovered with my cast iron pan (now 20 years old!) is cooking pan pizza at home with it. I follow the America's Test Kitchen recipe here and it comes out unbelievably good, just like Pizza Hut from the 80s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-srfPL5CWZs It's super trendy to obsess over getting the hottest pizza oven--something that gets up to 800 degrees, etc--so you can get super authentic res…
I've had the same experience. It's really a game-changer. Start the pizza in the cast iron pan on the stovetop first, then move it to the oven. You can get such a good crust that's any shade of brown you want.
Here are two methods that I used to get the crust to brown: a) Pre-topping: Prep just the crust by putting the pan into the oven for 5-minutes as the temp rises from 400 to 500-degrees. Top the crust with sauce, cheese, and toppings post the prep stage.
b) Post-baking: Once the pan is out of the oven, I put the hot pan on the stove for a few minutes if the crust needs some more cooking.
For what it’s worth, I use Kenji’s recipe for pan pizza [1]. I prefer his method of measuring ingredients using grams vs. other units of measure (teaspoons, cups) that I tend to get wrong.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What stovetop can reach 1465 °C (2669 °F)?
Maybe GP's mention of "boiling salt" does not refer to "table salt" but salt in the more general chemical sense. Perhaps they use Ethylammonium nitrate with a boiling point of 240 C (464 F).
Cast iron is far from perfect. I use it for steaks because they are hard to sear in other cookware. The cleanup and seasoning processes make cast iron hard to use for anything else. I plan to get a ceramic one (with iron core) but even if it solves the seasoning process and the cleanup process, it isn't the best to sear steaks in it. My point is that each tool has its use and in this specific case, cast iron is not t…
> they are hard to sear in other cookware To sear steak in any pan (not Teflon): Pat steak dry with paper towel. Brush with thin layer of high-heat oil. Season with coarse salt & fresh cracked pepper. Heat any pan (except Teflon) until Leidenfrost effect occurs. Put steak on pan, wait about 1 minute per 3 oz. Afterward, gently nudge steak with tongs; if it moves freely it's ready to flip, if not leave it on longer. H…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Carbon steel wok is only viable on a powerful gas stove. Right now where I live there is a campaign to get rid of gas stoves. And the existing ones are far, far from being powerful enough to use wok properly.
I actually just moved to a house with an all-electric range. We use the wok too often for that, so grabbed a butane burner for ~$50 on Amazon. Can also find them at camping supply stores. The one we got is 15,000 BTU, which is frankly too much. You can find 10,000 or 12,000 BTU options for cheaper, and will probably get some more fine grained control out of it. The butane lasts for quite a while in it for wok use as…
Mostly so that my house doesn’t stink. I can go hot hot hot just out the back door and not worry about the smoke.
A standard gas bottle (refill ~AU$40) lasts about 8 months.
[0]: https://www.bunnings.com.au/jumbuck-2-burner-hooded-bbq_p317...
Tangent, but given all the recent discussions around PFAS and Teflon and metal toxicity and all that, does anyone know of any kind of cookware that we can consider to be "safe" for cooking aside from cast iron? Or is that literally the only option left?
Enameled cast iron should be safe. Earthenware pots are pretty specific but should be safe too.
Is their ceramic glaze safe? Or do you mean unglazed only?
In general I find that cast iron is very overrated. > Here's a list of myths about cast iron skillets: (...) You can't cook with acidic foods (e.g. tomatoes) because it'll destroy the seasoning You might not destroy the seasoning but you will get metallic tastes in your food. I don't get why anyone would pick cast iron over stainless steel for an acidic sauce that needs to be cooked for a longer period of time. Also…
Wow I haven't read such a confidently wrong post in a while. > You might not destroy the seasoning but you will get metallic tastes in your food. I cook sauce in mine and it doesn't taste metallic. > Also not mentioned downside of cast iron - you need to dry it perfectly every time or it rusts very easily. Absolute horse apples. I treat my pan like garbage and give it a wipe ONCE and it never rusts. It is fine prefer…
This does miss one huge drawback of cast iron for cooking some dishes - heat control. Cast iron retains heat like crazy and doesn’t change quickly. Get that thing up to a searing temperature and it’ll be 10-15 minutes before you can get an egg anywhere near it for example. A thinner steel pan will heat up and cool down much rapidly allowing for a lot more control. Luckily there’s a fantastic non-nonstick option for t…