What is your frying pan of choice?

[Mike]

Several of our old cheaper frying pans have seen much better days. Looking at either the Made In (non-stick) or HexClad pans.

Have you tried either or those or have a brand you'd suggest?

 

[Greg Jones]

I have two Le Creuset non-stick pans that are wonderful, although I don’t use them often. Omelets are about the thing I cook in them. I have a Made In plancha (not non-stick) that I’ve been happy with. No experience with HexClad but the opinions on it seem to be love it or hate it, not a lot of opinion in the middle.

 

[Lager1829]

Lodge cast iron.

 

[SmokeZilla]

1908 Griswold 14” deep cast iron. Number 2 is a 70 year old Wagner Sidney-0 cast iron 12” chicken fryer with cover.

 

[SmokeZilla]

By the way, if you are into newer cast iron lodge also makes a chicken fryer that has a cover that is very economical in price. I realize not everyone collects vintage cast iron. (It was a bad habit I picked up years ago and haven’t gone for treatment yet, lol). Amongst things that cast iron brings to the table (pun intended) is the ability to retain heat consistently once up to temp. This flattens our the swings that occur when you load it up with proteins. It does take a little more maintenance than stainless steel or other materials but I can guarantee you that the 5 year replacement cycle will be gone forever.

 

[Greg Jones]

I have personal knowledge that Mike has at least one very nice cast iron skillet.

 

[SmokeZilla]

Sounds like someone was a secret Santa with your knowledge. I also have a number of Le Creuset enamel coated cast iron pieces. I don’t like to use them for fried chicken as I would hate to incur any damage to them cooking one of the cheapest dishes I make. I also like the deeper seasoning I get for the CI anytime I can fry in it. French fries, potato chips, and fried anything over 350F keeps the seasoning in pristine condition so my eggs slide around during cooking.

 

[Gonefishin]

Costco has a deal on La Creuset.

Cookware

 

[Greg Jones]

Costco has a deal on La Creuset.

Cookware

I saw that-sold out in no time IIRC. If I were honest with myself, I’ve probably spent that much on Le Creuset and Staub combined, but I don’t have that many pieces! This Le Creuset Signature pan just arrived to its new forever home yesterday.

 

[Greg Jones]

Sounds like someone was a secret Santa with your knowledge…

No, not that. Mike and I live fairly close to one another, so I’ll let him share what happened if he is so inclined.

 

[SmokeZilla]

I saw that version but was apprehensive about purchasing them. Although old, my Le Creuset pieces have the same material (porcelain or enamel?) inside and out. The interior of the Costco versions seem to be the newer enamel coating that I heard is inferior to the porcelain versions. Can you confirm what it is?

From Le Creuset:
“Similar to our sand enamel, the black satin enamel requires no pre-seasoning. It is ideal for grilling, searing, and other dry cooking methods and results in a lovely brown caramelised crust on your food.”

I heard this was done as a cost reduction (although they are still at a premium price) and they won’t hold value like the classic “all porcelain” covered cast iron pieces (see some of my items below. (Note: I know they look dirty but I use the heck out of them on my grills and the wife has her own set that she keeps them in pristine condition and I‘m not allowed to touch them, hehe.)

 

[Mike]

Sounds like someone was a secret Santa with your knowledge.

I have a couple Griswold's (#6 and #8) as well as two Field's, #4 from my wife as a Christmas gift last year as well as a #10 due to a huge thanks to @Greg Jones on an incredible deal. He's an amazing guy for sure!

Thanks for the input on the other options guys. Much appreciated. I think I'm leaning more towards Made In Non-stick at the moment.

 

[Chevys10zr2003]

Sorry @Mike, I don't want to hijack the thread, but this seems like a great thread to ask the question.

What are the pros and cons to cast iron, stainless and non-stick? What are the maintenance and cleaning for each?

I've always just gone to Target and bought a $30-40 non-stick pan and when it starts peeling in 2 years, throw it and buy a new one. I never use metal utensils and always handwash with Dawn dish soap and a wash cloth and plastic bristle brush. Figure I should find out the pros and cons before buying my next one and maybe buy a nice one that will last more than 2 years.

 

[Greg Jones]

YouTube @Mike, this was just posted today. The only thing of All-Clad I have experience with is a waffle maker, but many believe they are number one in stovetop cookware.

 

[Jim6820]

A few months back, Costco had a Zwilling/Henckels sauté pan set (3 pans) on sale for just over $100 and I picked one up. They are the ceramic-coated non-stick version. My wife loves them; they heat evenly and clean up easily. I had never considered Zwilling/Henckels kitchen ware previously, but am very pleased with these pans.

 

[SmokeZilla]

I hope this helps with the buying decision. I fortunately/unfortunately have most, haha,.

 

[Mike]

Sorry @Mike, I don't want to hijack the thread, but this seems like a great thread to ask the question.

What are the pros and cons to cast iron, stainless and non-stick? What are the maintenance and cleaning for each?

I've always just gone to Target and bought a $30-40 non-stick pan and when it starts peeling in 2 years, throw it and buy a new one. I never use metal utensils and always handwash with Dawn dish soap and a wash cloth and plastic bristle brush. Figure I should find out the pros and cons before buying my next one and maybe buy a nice one that will last more than 2 years.

I'm not a cooking pan expert, but this would be my quick and dirty pro's and con's off cast iron vs non-stick.

Cast Iron Pros:
- Retains heat better
- Food taste better
- Lasts forever if taken care of
- Can be used pretty much anywhere, stove top, in the oven, in your Req Teq grill, over a fire, etc.

Cast Iron Cons:
- Heavy
- Cleaning "could" be more complicated
- Maintenance to keep it seasoned and prevent rust.


Non-Stick Pros:
- Lightweight
- Heats up very quickly
- Cleaning "could" be easier

Non-Stick Cons:
- Typically can only be used stove top as most can't handle high heats
- Durability, they don't have the lifespan of a good, well-maintained cast iron
- More likely to have uneven cooking temps compared to cast iron

For simple day to day tasks, like making eggs in the morning before I head to work I prefer non-stick skillets. They heat up quick, don't stick and I can have my eggs done in no time at all.

When I'm not rushed, then I prefer to use cast iron and have several cast iron skillets and rounded bottom pots that I use all the time. Mostly either in my RT-700 grill or over my fire pit.

 

[Greg Jones]

@Mike I saw an ad on Instagram that said HexClad is having a big sale.

 

[Chevys10zr2003]

I'm not a cooking pan expert, but this would be my quick and dirty pro's and con's off cast iron vs non-stick.

Cast Iron Pros:
- Retains heat better
- Food taste better
- Lasts forever if taken care of
- Can be used pretty much anywhere, stove top, in the oven, in your Req Teq grill, over a fire, etc.

Cast Iron Cons:
- Heavy
- Cleaning "could" be more complicated
- Maintenance to keep it seasoned and prevent rust.


Non-Stick Pros:
- Lightweight
- Heats up very quickly
- Cleaning "could" be easier

Non-Stick Cons:
- Typically can only be used stove top as most can't handle high heats
- Durability, they don't have the lifespan of a good, well-maintained cast iron
- More likely to have uneven cooking temps compared to cast iron

For simple day to day tasks, like making eggs in the morning before I head to work I prefer non-stick skillets. They heat up quick, don't stick and I can have my eggs done in no time at all.

When I'm not rushed, then I prefer to use cast iron and have several cast iron skillets and rounded bottom pots that I use all the time. Mostly either in my RT-700 grill or over my fire pit.

Thanks for the response @Mike. I'm thinking of going cast iron as I don't do much cooking where I am rushed. What do you mean by cleaning "could" be more complicated? I'm assuming you don't want to clean them very aggressively or put in the dishwasher but not sure as I've never had cast iron. Once seasoned are they as non-stick as a non-stick pan?

 

[Greg Jones]

Once seasoned are they as non-stick as a non-stick pan?

If you add enough fat, cast iron is pretty good at being non-sticking for most foods. I use butter with eggs and I can slide them around pretty well once the whites have set. Some foods like bacon are more of a challenge even though bacon is high in fat, because as the bacon shrinks while it cooks, it tends to grab the pan’s surface. I use cast iron, and it’s cousin carbon steel, for most of my cooking. They aren’t perfect for everything, but with a little experience you’ll get along fine.