Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/09/05/fantastic-deal-on-14-pc-non-st.html
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Is there much variation in ceramic cookware?
I’m constantly seeing commercials for Gotham Steel, but apparently it’s a bit lacking when it comes to eggs, which would be my primary interest.
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I feel like eggs are a special case, since you don’t always need that level of non-stick. For eggs, I use anodized aluminum, which is non-stick without the scary coatings, but some people still worry about anything aluminum. Alternatively, ceramic-coated cast iron, or just a nicely seasoned cast iron is great for eggs… I like my ceramic-coated dutch oven, it’s not perfectly non-stick, but more like stainless steel, which is good for stews and sauces. I don’t know anything about this Gotham Steel, sorry.
Side-note: I recently learned that you can buy high-end pans at Marshals/TJ Max for around half the price… Thinking about picking myself up a couple all-clad stainless pans soon (not for eggs!).
I’ve never found a pan that eggs stick to when you use properly low heat and sufficient butter.
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I have a set of All-Clad pots and pans that I’ve used and replaced a few pieces of since around 1999, when I bought my first home. They are good but I far prefer my Wagnerware #9 cast iron pan for almost everything I make in a skillet.
The All-Clad double boiler, the saucier pan (I do not know a better name for it) are great tools to have around.
I use ceramic coated cast iron Le Cruset French (oval) and dutch (round) ovens for roasting and baking – and sous vide with my Joule.
As I said in the post, these were largely purchased for the pots – but the pans will be great when camping. Last month folks were really rough on the all clad 9" non-stick pan.
Every few years I buy some new miracle non-stick pan but it quickly becomes encrusted with black carbon despite my best efforts to keep it clean.
Thanks for the info! I think I will stick to cast-iron for most stuff, but I do want an all-clad pan for searing meat and sauce-making. Like you say, for pots you can’t beat $80 for the set you featured, and unlike anodized aluminum, they’re safe for machine dishwashing.
IMO cooking gear is much like camera gear… If you’re into it, you tend to be way into it.
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We’ve had All-Clad for decades; they’re great for sauces but terrible for searing. My go-to pan for nearly everything except sauces these days is a Turk forged iron pan.
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Hmm, interesting! Never seen that kind of pan… the quest continues!
These pans are somewhere in heft and behavior between cast iron and carbon steel. Another surface that is just a delight to cook on, but people are afraid of because of the bogus links to dementia, is Magnalite (especially the vintage stuff).
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At roughly $13.33 per pan. Seems appropriately priced for non-stick. Seem to be the consistent thickness aluminium ones. Which is where I go with this. Cheaper way cheaper than tri-ply. And little worry about evenness like with the disc bottle steel pans.
Ceramic is typically less non-stick than teflon across the board. And it loses its non-stick ALOT faster. Various brands seem to hang onto it shorter or longer. With little consistency. The one ceramic I bought lost its non-stick in a couple months. I’ve stuck with Teflon since. I know I’ll have to replace this shit regularly. But I can’t be doing that every few months. Though the ceramics seem to see less flaking of the coating over time (you should be replacing the pans before that point though).
IIRC, and its been a while since I read up on it. The Turk pans are carbon steel. Just perhaps a lower carbon, or different formulation than used with the stamped pans. The added weight is down to the thickness. With thicker carbon steel pans generally being better at heating evenly and avoiding warping. And no rivets, so easier to clean. Its seems pretty common for European manufacturers of carbon steel pans to refer to them as “iron”. Distinction gets blurry as the two cross over.
The only real difference between carbon steel and cast iron as materials is in the percentage of carbon, with cast iron having 2-3 times as high a percentage. I’m sure the Turk is on this scale towards the “carbon steel” end. It does have to my mind a quality feel and heft compared to, say, the usual DeBuyer steel pans.
It’s also in how its formed. Cast iron can’t be forged out. My best guess is the “iron” pans are lower carbon mild steel.
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