201–210 of 231 posts
Just to birds, of course. We have nothing to worry about until 15 years from now that we learn burning teflon causes some poorly understood conditions the maker knew about all along. Ban it already. https://theintercept.com/series/the-teflon-toxin/
What could be a better alternative to non-stick pans?
non-stick is suchs a weird concept considering you don't require it for nearly any dish, and non-stick pans get damaged very, very easily by utensils.
Ha - I had a line cook show me to get a pan fuming hot, no oil, before throwing mushrooms in, the moisture from the mushrooms create a ledenfrost effect and you get as close as you can to having some browning on the mushrooms (while keeping a lot if moisture in). Can't burn em! I'm unhappy that I've done this exclusively with t-fal non stick pans over the years. Going to get myself a nice 3 ply stainless pan today! E…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
We use seasoned cast iron for eggs with very few issues. We used to use butter which led to some sticking, however recently we've been using olive oil and it's much better, with little to no sticking depending on what style we're cooking the eggs.
yeah I use my hexclad or well seasoned cast iron for eggs. An unsung hero is also carbon steel, as it's lighter and smoother (unless want to pay arm and a leg for super smooth bottom ground cast iron). Stainless is great for sauces or something that has a lot of acid (which can eat away at your seasoning in in cast/carbon steel). Carbon steel is super easy to season as well because it's extremely smooth.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I usually use stainless and cast iron but with green chef meals I’m often tasked with searing chicken or fish in a pan and cleaning those types of pan after a cook like that gets mighty old. So I bought a Tramontina non stick exclusively for those cooks. I suspect it may last a bit longer since it’s a secondary pan I only use for those cases so it feels less wasteful as a purchase.
Huh. Stainless steel is like the perfect cooking surface for searing chicken and salmon. Cleanup is super easy, ten seconds with a steel wool and/or, unique among pans, you can put it in the dishwasher with zero worries.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I usually use stainless and cast iron but with green chef meals I’m often tasked with searing chicken or fish in a pan and cleaning those types of pan after a cook like that gets mighty old. So I bought a Tramontina non stick exclusively for those cooks. I suspect it may last a bit longer since it’s a secondary pan I only use for those cases so it feels less wasteful as a purchase.
you can deglaze that on the stove. heat a very shallow layer of water in the pan, the stuck layer will soften and dissolve. push a roux spoon gently around the bottom and then simply pour it out. beyond that, if you are using stainless, go ahead and clean it with steel wool. a bundle of small chain is a good equivalent for cast iron.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I usually use stainless and cast iron but with green chef meals I’m often tasked with searing chicken or fish in a pan and cleaning those types of pan after a cook like that gets mighty old. So I bought a Tramontina non stick exclusively for those cooks. I suspect it may last a bit longer since it’s a secondary pan I only use for those cases so it feels less wasteful as a purchase.
Can you sear with a non stick? Searing requires preheating the pan hot, which isn’t recommended with Teflon I think
At first I didn't listen and cleaned the pan with hot water and dish soap; don't do that. Just take a piece of suitable paper (I'm keeping a toilet paper roll around for that kitchen to avoid wasting the kitchen paper which is overkill here IMO) and get rid of the excess fat after use; after using butter, I warm the pan a bit first. It's just swipe swipe swipe, done and the paper goes to the compost. A very satisfactory state of affairs. Of course one can also re-use the fat or oil if deemed not too over-used; in that case just get out any bits the messy cook left in from the previous meal.
When you get a new pan then the first burn-in may seem intimidating but it's not rocket science; you're even allowed to let the oil smoke a bit nd if you don't believe me search for Adam Ragusea on YouTube who did a great video specifically on burn-in (of cast iron pans but no difference with forged ones AFAICT).
Hardly anything gets stuck in my pan, ever; even the sunny-side-up eggs just lift off. Before the iron pan I had a white ceramic one; that love lasted but a few months before the ceramic had one tiny dent and, worse, some micro-scratches and, presumably, many more nano-scratches that subtracted from its ability to repel stuff; it's been hanging for months on its hook, unused because why would I. It's not quite clear to me what caused the scratches because I was quite religious with only using a wooden spatula with this pan, although in some occasions I neglected that and sometimes the only thing that worked would be a thin metal lifter (orwhachamaycallit); I am not at all careful in that regard with the iron pan and it just bears with me, thank you pan.
To the people out there with slight eating disorders challenges and those inexperienced in cooking slash unwilling to cook—getting the right, mostly fairly cheap tools is an essential step because it lowers the entry fee to getting shit done. Even if it's just another sunny-side-up, well if it always sticks to the pan and / or if your pan forbids you to use that very capable flat-metal lifter, then it's just that much more frustrating each and every time.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks for the replies everyone. I've loved and cooked on my cast iron and carbon steel pans for years but recently life got busy and I went back to non stick for some things (like scrambled eggs or salmon skin). I think we just forget how low maintenance a non stick pan is for normal people who don't care about cooking. To normal folks, the idea of preheating a pan slowly, or wiping some oil on with a piece of paper…
Do you mean just salmon skin? How do you prepare it?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Good lord. > You MUST use flaxseed oil to season your pan. Then > You MUST NOT use flaxseed oil to season your pan. Just season the fucking pan with some cooking oil and be done with it. I swear, the internet has made some of the simplest things into this relentless pursuit of perfection.
flaxseed has an atrociously low smoke point (225 F). You really shouldn't be using it for cooking whatsoever, let alone seasoning cast iron. In general I agree with your sentiment though. Find something that works for you and go with it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can’t season it like cast, but you can definitely get a really nice anti-stuck surface on it. A lot of people will treat their woks with oil to get that type of low stick surface.
Usually woks are carbon steel rather than stainless though, and definitely need an oil seasoning.
It certainly isn't as resilient as my cast iron, but it works and is super easy.