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We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

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Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#91

Post by mplanchard »

thegabez wrote: post #50

How are you suppose to cook an over easy egg on anything other than non-stick? Only thing I keep my non-stick around for.

Buy a good metal spatula with a sharp edge and a slightly flexible business end. This is my favorite spatula by far: https://products.radacutlery.com/collections/kitchen-utensil...

I’m convinced that 90% of people’s problems is they don’t have a good spatula that they can really scrape the pan with. Metal pans deserve metal spatulas.

On my cast irons, I only need to use a tiny pat of butter. In stainless, I use a bit more, or add some oil. Don’t overheat the pan.

Excepting when the egg comes out broken, my success rate is essentially 100%.

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#92

Post by mplanchard »

Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #90
dredmorbius wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wash mine after use. Most frequent task: scrambling eggs. Also baking (bread, rolls, pizza), frying, saute. Wash: a few drops of detergent and hot water immediately after cooking. Let sit while I eat. Scrub out with a brush, invert to dry. Wipe with oil (I prefer flax, there are many other options). Store on lower oven rack when not in use, inverted. Seasons whilst baking generally. Once a month or two, or when the…

Ok but you described a lot of work for a pan that gets used 3 times a day (in terms of time). I do have a cast iron,but we prefer the stainless steel because of how much work is the cast iron.

That’s way more than I do with mine: hot water, nylon brush, throw it on the heat till dry, wipe with paper towel already oiled from constantly doing this.

First use is always over easy egg, which doesn’t really even dirty the pan enough to worry about if I’m going to just cook again later.

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#93

Post by mplanchard »

darkstar999 wrote: post #27
Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cast iron is a pain to maintain though

It really isn't. I stopped trying to keep it looking perfectly seasoned and it performs just as well.

I stopped being precious about mine after stripping and reseasoning some real gnarly ones from thrift stores. Knowing that I can always start fresh from zero made me worry less, and ironically worrying less has led to better seasoning over time.

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#94

Post by dredmorbius »

Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #90
dredmorbius wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wash mine after use. Most frequent task: scrambling eggs. Also baking (bread, rolls, pizza), frying, saute. Wash: a few drops of detergent and hot water immediately after cooking. Let sit while I eat. Scrub out with a brush, invert to dry. Wipe with oil (I prefer flax, there are many other options). Store on lower oven rack when not in use, inverted. Seasons whilst baking generally. Once a month or two, or when the…

Ok but you described a lot of work for a pan that gets used 3 times a day (in terms of time). I do have a cast iron,but we prefer the stainless steel because of how much work is the cast iron.

The only work that's added over any of aluminium, stainless, or teflon, is the oil wipe, which takes a few seconds. For daily use.

Again, once a month or so, usually when I'm baking something else, I'll add a coat and leave the pans in the oven whilst I'm making bread, rolls, pizza, etc.

The benefit: a utensil which only improves with age, over decades if not centuries.

If stainless works for you, have at it. What I've described works very well for me.

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#95

Post by Fire-Dragon-DoL »

mplanchard wrote: post #92
Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok but you described a lot of work for a pan that gets used 3 times a day (in terms of time). I do have a cast iron,but we prefer the stainless steel because of how much work is the cast iron.

That’s way more than I do with mine: hot water, nylon brush, throw it on the heat till dry, wipe with paper towel already oiled from constantly doing this. First use is always over easy egg, which doesn’t really even dirty the pan enough to worry about if I’m going to just cook again later.

That's what I do. Still a lot of effort, but it's more acceptable, we kept using it (forgive me, when it comes to cleaning the kitchen I'm clearly the laziest)

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#96

Post by petronic »

Cider9986 wrote: post #75
petronic wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My current favorite pan is the best of all worlds - stainless clad outer layer, aluminum internal layer for efficiency in spreading heat and a carbon steel interior to develop non-stick seasoning with use. Strata makes them, they're priced competitively with standard carbon steel pans. Chris Young turned me onto them in his video about a $4,200 silver frying pan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdORIBH3R88

I like his videos but they are all also advertisements which is unfortunate. I wanted to get that pan but it was sold out. I'll have to check again. You really like yours? It seems they're back in stock. Iirc the advantage compared to cast iron is gonna be the evener heat spreading and lightness.

It's basically lived on my stovetop since arriving. It weighs nothing compared to my previous favorites (carbon steel skillets from Made In) while basically performing like a Ducati on my induction range.

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#97

Post by dzhiurgis »

SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #83
dzhiurgis wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personal opinion - deep fried eggs are goated. It's either runny scrambled (pretty hard on cast iron/stainless) or deep fried. Anything in-between is incompetence.

Runny scrambled (French omelet) isn't too bad on carbon steel IME. And certainly possible on cast iron, since that was the type of pan used when Carême wrote his cookbook. By Escoffier's time carbon steel was more common. Neither of them is famous for having invented a time machine, both predate non-stick cookware, and they're the most famous French chefs in history.

French omelet is completely different thing. I do use my cast iron for this, it's okay if you go hard with silicone spatula. But still, more work than nonstick. I keep meaning to get carbon steel!

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#98

Post by xtiansimon »

vaylian wrote: post #4
cdemer wrote: post #2

I’m the founder of RTINGS.com. A few notes about this investigation: - For each piece of cookware, we purchased and tested three separate units - Before taking the “new” measurement, each unit was washed three times with dish soap and rinsed with isopropyl alcohol - Oil blanks and uncoated cookware were included as controls - We did not chemically identify the particles that were released - This investigation measure…

Thank you for doing this. The conclusion from the text is: > For consumers who wish to minimize potential exposure to PTFE coating particles, the simplest approach may be to treat nonstick cookware as a specialized tool rather than a default choice. Instead, reach for uncoated cookware, such as stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel, or glass, whenever practical. If we follow that advice: For which type of food/dis…

Eggs. Chef says don’t touch my omelet pan on pain of death.

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#99

Post by Zigurd »

clickety_clack wrote: post #85
Zigurd wrote: post #46

My observations from experience: - Nonstick helps, but don't use it instead of a fat. - Ceramic works well enough that I'm shocked Teflon nonstick still exists. No reason to risk it. - Use real food. Real butter, real olive for most things, real peanut oil for high temp. - If you don't overeat or or eat junk or indulgences too often, you can eat anything you want, just not every day. - Variety and exploration inheren…

The thing about “ceramic” is that it’s not actually defined or regulated as a term so it could still be some kind of PTFE.

I've definitely seen brands of cookware that obfuscate their use of PTFE nonstick. The brands that use Kyocera ceramic coatings often specify that by name. Even cheap brands like Green Pan play it straight. So you have to do a little bit of due diligence, but it's pretty easy to avoid the hidden PTFE. Some kind of trustworthy certification would be an improvement no doubt.

Re: We Tested Nonstick Cookware: Coatings Don't Need to Look Worn to Shed Particles

#100

Post by SAI_Peregrinus »

dzhiurgis wrote: post #97
SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Runny scrambled (French omelet) isn't too bad on carbon steel IME. And certainly possible on cast iron, since that was the type of pan used when Carême wrote his cookbook. By Escoffier's time carbon steel was more common. Neither of them is famous for having invented a time machine, both predate non-stick cookware, and they're the most famous French chefs in history.

French omelet is completely different thing. I do use my cast iron for this, it's okay if you go hard with silicone spatula. But still, more work than nonstick. I keep meaning to get carbon steel!

By "runny scrambled" I mean a folded omelette with a runny center, just-set exterior, and no browning. Classic French style, not just slop on a plate.
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