how different is a cast iron pan from normal pans?
By katemeow
@katemeow (847)
Singapore
December 17, 2008 8:28am CST
I've read somewhere that the best pans to cook with are cast iron pans. Is this true? And how is it different? Right now we only have aluminum and teflon coated pans at home. Aside from the material used in making it, how different is a cast iron pan from normal pans?
2 people like this
5 responses
@momiecat (997)
• United States
17 Dec 08
My mother, who is a great cook, has used cast iron pans forever. She uses them to fry foods as they get very hot and retain the heat in an even distribution. Also, they last forever. My mom has had other types of pans including aluminum and the handles always end up breaking. The only thing I don't like about cast iron is that it is so heavy and may be harder to clean than Teflon. PS I like your kitty picture!
2 people like this
@katemeow (847)
• Singapore
17 Dec 08
yes, i think it's because of how sturdy they are built that makes them last forever :) i was just looking at how crooked my teflon pan has become because of how thin it is!
thanks for your comment on my pic- it is of my cat, nugget :) I like yours too :)
2 people like this
@sparky252 (8)
• United States
17 Dec 08
What the previous post said is true cast iron is a much better pan,although there are some expensive pans of other metals,but cast iron is my choice nothing like an egg cooked in cast iron.
2 people like this
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
17 Dec 08
If I could only have one kind of pan, I would choose cast iron. They spread the heat evenly so even if the burner doesn't cover the whole pan you may get a little "hot spot" in the center, but the food cooks all the way out to the edges.
Clean-up is a breeze. If there's stuck food on the pan, pour in some water, bring it to a boil, then scrub. It comes off easily. Rinse well, put on a burner to dry. If it needs it after being treated so roughly, coat the inner surface with a very, very light film of oil and heat it til a little smoke begins to waft off the pan. Take it off the burner. It's clean, seasoned and ready to cook in again.
I used to cook in aluminum and teflon (silverstone actually). I found the aluminum doesn't cook foods to taste like cast iron does. Coated pans eventually get scratched and start to flake and peel, but I have 2 cast iron skillets that I got in my wedding shower 50 years ago that are a little crusty on the outside, but still are superior cooking vessels.
@katemeow (847)
• Singapore
17 Dec 08
wow, that is amazing :) I think I will get a cast iron pan soon when i can afford it :) btw, I saw in an article that you are not supposed to use soap on a cast iron pan because it may affect the taste of the food. Is this true? If yes, the how do you disinfect it? I think I am a bit of a soap freak sometimes :)
2 people like this
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
17 Dec 08
Cast iron is porous, so when you wash it with soap it is absorbed into the metal, which can make your food taste like soap. It also cuts the oil that you've seasoned your vessel with, so foods may stick after you wash with soap. You always heat your cast iron vessels to the point that they smoke in order to dry them and keep them seasoned so food doesn't stick. In my opinion that's more of a disinfectant than soap.
1 person likes this
@grandpa_lash (5225)
• Australia
18 Dec 08
Rather than wash them with soap, or scour them, put some salt in the pan and rub it around with paper towel until the pan is clean. You should probably oil it until it builds up a black covering, but after that it only needs drying. Once it is properly seasoned, it is near enough to no-stick. Also, they last forever. The only drawback is that they can be heavy, so if you have to lift them up to pour into something else, it can be a little difficult. They are also quite cheap, at least here, and you will probably find them easiest in a camping or army disposals store.
Lash
@rocketj1 (6955)
• United States
17 Dec 08
They are currently wondering if teflon coated pans are harming us. If your pan has scratches or is peeling at all, they are recommending tossing them away. I have heard that cast iron and stainless steel pans are the best as far as there not being any leakage into our foods. Cast iron gives off a little iron but we need iron in our systems. Stainless steel does not leak at all . I'm not sure about aluminum. I use aluminum foil all the time and I've heard some similar rumors about foil too.
As far as heat dispersal, the steel and iron pans disperse the heat more evenly to your food causing more even cooking and less burning. Glass is bad for that and I think aluminum and teflon are not as good either.
@camomom (7535)
• United States
22 Dec 08
I have used all different types of pans and I don't like cast iron at all. I don't know the difference but I don't like using them. My favorite is teflon.
