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How to Choose Cookware (2014)

centurylife.org

41–50 of 68 posts

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#41
I looked into these choices in detail from a heavy metal contamination point of view recently.

* Cast iron: this site implies that cast iron may not be safe, but it is the safest option if you need a little iron in your diet- most people do and an iron panel will tell you if your iron levels are too high. Safer than cast iron may be wrought iron- it is less likely to have accidental contamination issues [1]. Darto sells wrought iron pans at a reasonable price [2].

* Stainless steel- also a great option and this site does mention concerns of nickel leaching out. Nickel is not as concerning as lead contamination, but it is a concern for cooking acidic food. This site refers to all low nickel stainless steel as low quality, but there's a potential health advantage here to having a no nickel or low nickel pan even if it doesn't hold up as well.

* Rivets and other issues. I just bought a Noni no nickel stainless steel pan. It's made from a single piece of stainless, including the handle. [3] Rivets in pans can be contaminated with lead.

More details from XRF testing of cookware are here [4]. I also saw some other Century Life articles. They recommend silicone utensils but most silicone is contaminated with low levels of cadmium [5]. Undecorated wood is a safer bet. Century Life also mentions Le Creusset and enameled products without a discussion of lead contaminated. [6]

[1] https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=302979 [2] dartointernational.com [3] https://www.solidteknics.com/solid-products/ [4] https://tamararubin.com/2021/01/i-want-to-buy-some-nontoxic-... [5] https://tamararubin.com/?s=silicone [6] https://tamararubin.com/category/le-creuset-cast-iron/

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#42
This read like pan recommendations for people that never intend to learn to properly cook. In which case, there is no point. All pans will perform equally badly.

See the section on cast iron:

>I can’t really recommend cast iron and carbon steel for most people. Cast iron/carbon steel pans are heavy (heavier than any other cookware of comparable size and thus an automatic “no” for anyone with weak wrists/arthritis/etc.), require seasoning and sometimes re-seasoning by burning oil onto its surface (seasoning can wear off, and for those of you trying to escape Teflon nonstick, I’ve found no scientific studies about the long-term health effects of eating tiny particles of seasoning), require care to avoid rust (will all members of your household treat it right, including kids who might decide to soak the pan in water?), unevenly heat up and thus require more babysitting on the stove (constant stirring), can’t be used with acidic foods or the iron leaches and give off-tastes/colors (unless you get enameled cast iron pans but those cost a lot of money and still have the other disadvantages of cast iron, plus enamel is brittle and can chip), typically have horrible handle comfort that also get hot during cooking much faster than stainless handles would, can take longer to clean since you can’t just use abrasives or scour like you could with stainless steel, and takes a long time to heat up and cool down (which can hurt unaware pets/kids and also means higher energy bills). Cast iron is fine for low-heat stovetop cooking or oven use, but it’s not all-purpose the way other pans can be. You don’t even need a cast iron pan for searing: it’s a myth that only cast iron/carbon steel hold enough heat to sear meat without collapsing in temperature. Sure, thin aluminum nonstick pans crash hard in temperature. But thicker aluminum and copper pans can match or even beat cast iron, and the aluminum/copper-based pans also spread heat much more evenly. That’s not to say that you can’t cook with cast iron on the stovetop, but if the objective is to make cooking easier so that you’re more likely to eat healthy home cooking, then most people would be better off with something lower-maintenance and easier to use

It's tough to put into words how wrong this is. I'll agree on comfort, but I'll follow it up by saying it matters little. If you can't maintain cast iron because it's too complicated, you probably aren't an accomplished enough cook to be hand tossing things in the pan. Use both hands to move it, and a wooden spoon to stir with.

The list goes on: requires seasoning (yes, put it upside down in a hot oven for an hour with a thin layer of oil - simpler than cooking even the most basic of recipes), re-seasoning (with non-stick this is the point where you'd throw the pan out), there have been scientific studies that show health benefits, they heat unevenly and slowly, so just add 1-2 minutes preheating,

The great thing about cast iron for new cooks is that you cannot ruin them. Throw cold water in. Leave it to soak in the sink. Try your best to scratch it with a metal spatula. Leave tomatoe sauce in it overnight. In a year when your non-stick teflon pan is sticking, and your stainless steel tri-ply is coming apart, and your alumimun pan warped, get out the scrubber, scrub the rust off your cast iron, put a thin coat of vegetable oil on it, flip it over and bake it in the oven for an hour. Good as new.

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#43

Non-stick pans are massively overrated. For starters most foods don't stick much - it's mostly eggs that are a problem - and only then if your pan isn't preheated. For that small benefit, non-stick pans have become almost the default. They last a couple of years depending on care which means that your cookware is now a consumable as well was difficult to recycle. A decent stainless steel pan costs about twice what a…

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Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only reason people prefer cast iron is an affectation for "old school" things. There is no practical, objective reason to use them over stainless steel. Advocates seem to enjoy the new hobby of cookware maintenance. Similar to how to some Reddit guys are really into shaving with straight razors as a hobby, when it performs worse than a Mach 3.

Well actually, Cast iron heats more evenly and with more thermal mass retains the even steady temperature more readily against swings as you add ingredients. You can get this benefit without the cleaning weirdness by getting an enamel covered cast iron cookware. Great for dutch ovens! Stainless is pretty mediocre about this which is why aluminum cored steel pans can be nice. That's what all the annoying weight buys y…

I'm fully on the cast iron train but it definitely heats less evenly. Nothing 1-2 minutes pre-heating can't solve, though. That said, as you mentioned, it will hold temperature a lot better.

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#45
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People always complain about stainless steel when they come to my house Tough audience. Of all the people who have ever come to my house none has ever had a thing to say about cookware.

You probably don’t make them cook like that other guy does rofl

If I do, though, I will brutally enforce the all stainless requirement. mgaunard and I don’t pussyfoot around. We know what’s what.

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#46
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"True" foodies are largely being converted to induction, albeit they sometimes drastically overpay for it [0]. The control is better than gas on all but the cheapest of models, and indoor air quality is dramatically better. Nobody wants to pay to heat outside in the winter, but if you don't crack a window or turn on the venthood, you're sucking in tons of CO2. 0: https://www.sousvidetools.com/eu/thepolysciencecontrol…

That particular overpriced product is truly excellent. Njori tried, and utterly failed, to compete. Impulse Labs is working on something.

Sure, it is a good product, but for most cooks, I would argue it’s absolute overkill. Even skilled chefs likely don’t need that much control for “creative” cooking, though I can easily accept an argument for consistency in a commercial/professional kitchen.

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#47

I appreciate the work that went into this, but it might be overthinking it to the point of turning some people away. If someone wants to get into cooking their own meals to save money, the advice I would give is: go to Goodwill, or a store like TJ Maxx or Ross, where they sell this stuff for almost nothing. Buy the heaviest skillet and saucepan they have. Then buy a colander, some spatulas, scrapers, and tongs, and a…

+1 on TJ Max, I have brought many cooking utensils from them. Another place was Costco, they had multi-clad Kirkland signature 13 piece cookware set. It has really great quality, I am using it for 7-8 years and they almost look as good as new.

Same with knife set. I had this Amazon basic knife set for long time with regular sharpening it seems to have lasted longer than I'd expect for a 40 dollar knife set.

I am cook everyday, eat out few times a year type of person. So cooking utensils and knives do get use heavily in house.

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's fairly safe to recommend a nonstick to beginner cooks, but with the caveat that you should only use it cook eggs and something like a grilled cheese sandwich (where any leaking cheese sticking would lead to further problems cooking). It should also only ever be used with a rubber spatula or plastic utensils. For any other food, stainless steel is great for beginners. It's oven safe, easy to clean if/when…

> cookware with tight fitting lids Not sure what you mean? Lids should cover the top, but they need to rest loosely so that steam building up pressure can escape. I don't even know what a "tight fitting lid" means (unless you're talking about a pressure cooker). Or why you would want one.

I mean a lid that fits snug in the pan it’s designed for. Unless you’re cooking at insane temperatures, most steam will hit the lid and then condense and fall back into the food. The tight lid is to help prevent liquid from being lost during braising or boiling. If you only want to use the lid to reduce splatter, then a snug fit is not important.

I apologize for my inaccuracy when describing the “tightness” of the lid. Sometimes I get caught up in jargon that is common amongst veteran cooks.

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#49
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's fairly safe to recommend a nonstick to beginner cooks, but with the caveat that you should only use it cook eggs and something like a grilled cheese sandwich (where any leaking cheese sticking would lead to further problems cooking). It should also only ever be used with a rubber spatula or plastic utensils. For any other food, stainless steel is great for beginners. It's oven safe, easy to clean if/when…

>It should also only ever be used with a rubber spatula or plastic utensils. Why not? Nonstick cookware scratches easily, aren't heat resistant silicone utensils a good way to avoid damaging them?

I thought “rubber” included silicon as well. Yea, silicon is great for nonstick, although it can absorb aromas and oils from food easier than plastic (even food grade silicon).

Re: How to Choose Cookware (2014)

#50
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People always complain about stainless steel when they come to my house and that's what I usually give them as that is the one I'm least worried about them damaging. I just don't think normies are interested in something which requires technique and understanding. Stainless steel requires some level of temperature control.

How does stainless require more temperature control than something like non-stick or cast iron? If anything, stainless will cool on-par or faster, especially when compared to cast iron. If people don't know how to cook to the point where they are burning food based on what type of pan they are using, then I would argue they don't know how to cook... very few everyday dishes need to start on a ripping hot pan.

It needs to be in the right range to prevent food from sticking.
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