Stainless steel vs cast iron page 2

[not on the rug]

One quick point - if cast iron pans give you extra iron then that's a very BAD thing from men's perspective.

Men don't usually need any extra and iron does in the body what it does outside, ie it rusts (oxidizes). I'd rather use Teflon.



AC

really? i mean, really?

[not on the rug]

used to be obsessed with trying to use cast iron for everything, before i broke down and admitted to myself that it's a huge, gigantic pain in the ass. still have a couple of pans, will use 'em occasionally, but really, the hype is just... overhyped.

tsk tsk... i'm disappointed in you jakey. i've used cast iron pans my entire life and find them to be the easiest type of cookwear to use. definitely no hype at all. they retain heat beautifully, clean in a snap, and are non-stick without being teflon. how is that overhyped?

[RichMahogany]

Men don't need extra iron, but we need polytetrafluoroethylene? I'll take my chances with the iron.

[Comma]

I have stainless steel pots with copper outside, and cast iron pans. Works really well for me. I love that I can put both pans into the oven or on the flame, keep heat forever...and I love the stainless steel ability to just not make trouble. My stainless steel pan is hoewever prety much out of service.

[Chris_H]

Pretty much the only pans I use anymore are cast. Good quality cast, when well seasoned, is a thing of beauty. Nothing sticks!

[jojohaligo]

Men don't need extra iron, but we need polytetrafluoroethylene? I'll take my chances with the iron.

And women don't need it either (I mean non-stick coatings). It wears off eventually, and guess where it went....

[workinprogress]

Get some of both. I like Revere Ware for stainless pots. Try finding old cast iron pans at yard sales and 2nd hand stores. The best were made more than 50 years ago.

[Chris_H]

Try finding old cast iron pans at yard sales and 2nd hand stores. The best were made more than 50 years ago.

The best old cast are Griswold and Wagner. The reason these were better is the that there were basically two levels of cast iron pans. The lower quality were sold directly out of the mold and were rougher on the cooking surface. The better pans were machined after they were cast. Its pretty easy to spot the difference.

With that said, the newer lodge cast irons that I have seen are being machined after the mold.