Cast iron or stainless?

I have been looking at Le Creuset. They are so expensive but they stand behind their product. I have bought those cheap non-stick pan sets that cost about $100 and they last about a year and half then the non-stick part seems to break down. I have cast iron but I am in a rental with an electric gas top stove and do not want to risk breaking the top if I drop. If I ever get back to a gas stove, I may invest in a Le Creuset.

 

Ive gotten most of my LeCreuset from TKMaxx (UK side of TJMaxx) usally at around 40-50% of the reg price. Keep an eye out every time I go in cause they usally have stuff & sometimes its stuff I want in the right colour

 

I would avoid bare aluminum cookware at all costs. Just a little paranoid about ingesting any of it. I don't even like to cover leftovers in the fridge with aluminum foil if the food is the slightest bit acidic.

A good quality (antique) cast-iron is my choice for a frying pan. It's a bonus if you can find one in an antique store already seasoned. You will be able to tell. No big deal if it's not, just make sure to season it properly before using it or you may be turned off on them forever because everything will stick to it horribly. Most of the newer Lodge type stuff is nowhere smooth enough for good non-stick cooking without some serious sanding. Don't buy into the hype of a pre-seasoned, new pan. They're not. There are instructions all over the interwebs, including some with videos on how to properly season them.

A couple of things though; Do not wash them with soap and water- ever. You will need to season it again if you do and it may end up rusting to boot. Another thing is to always use a stout, steel spatula with a straight leading edge. It is critical that the edge is straight to uniformly scrape the pan. Put some muscle into scraping any stuck food off of the pan while it's still hot. You will hate using cast-iron cookware if you try using a plastic spatula with it. I would argue that it can't even be done.

For final cleanup you may need to use a splash of water on the sizzling hot pan then using the spatula scrape the bottom and sides. Then rinse out the residue with water. Put the pan back on the stove to warm it up to evaporate all moisture, then wipe a bit of oil on it and hang it up. With proper care and use the non-stick attributes will continually improve over time. I'm getting hungry just thinking about chicken, deep-fried in lard on a cast-iron skillet. And I just ate. There's nothing quite like it.

 

I'm always tempted to buy more cast iron pans, even with a beautiful set of antique Lodge pan in the pantry. (Bless you Mr Battle.)

I have a newer Wagner skillet that I've been working on occasionally with a whiz wheel at work for about a year. It may never have a surface to match the old ground smooth Lodge pans. My observations of cast iron cookware are simple. Old = Good. New = Not so good.

I'd also encourage anyone who wants to cook with cast iron cookware to try a bamboo spatula. Mine are sharpened to a keen edge on fire bricks. I can scrape away at anything that sticks to the pan with no worries about the coating. A very natural, primal, style of cooking.

 

I finally got my cast iron egg pan seasoned just right. It took awhile so no one touches it or I will kill them!

 

I think the key is not over cleaning, and NO WATER nor meats with water . the water boils and steams out the oil .
Some markets soak the beef in water to cheat the customer on weight .
Iron pans are not washed ever ,some have a carbon surface that is never removed .
My egg pan is Teflon coated aluminum and it is never washed and the only implement I use is a plastic fork .At the very most I use is a paper towel to wipe it out and I have a glass lid for it while not in use . I also use bacon grease for cooking my eggs . every thing actually .
When it is cold enough to justify using the wood stove , the iron cook ware is then employed.
Wood heat is different than gas heat .
The flame on wood though cooler is longer than a gas flame .