ISO pan information?
- Thread starter pacanis
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
You are in good shape to make the transition to SS then. Once you get used to cooking in SS you will really love it!
My fry pan came in yesterday. I don't know why I didn't get the other two pans, they were all in stock, but Amazon had emailed me saying my order was being shipped separate 
so I consider myself lucky to get the SS fry pan and not the non-stick one.
I've got some pork chops thawing and we'll be giving this baby its maiden voyage tonight. I may even add some chicken stock and flour to the drippings and attempt to make a gravy of sorts
my first try at that, too.
The picture doesn't do it justice. It's heavy, shiny and by far the most beautiful piece of cookware I've ever seen to date. It appears to be very functional.
The 12" Chef's Classic by Cuisinart
so I consider myself lucky to get the SS fry pan and not the non-stick one. I've got some pork chops thawing and we'll be giving this baby its maiden voyage tonight. I may even add some chicken stock and flour to the drippings and attempt to make a gravy of sorts
my first try at that, too.The picture doesn't do it justice. It's heavy, shiny and by far the most beautiful piece of cookware I've ever seen to date. It appears to be very functional.
The 12" Chef's Classic by Cuisinart
First, for non-stick pans. They cannot be used for high heat searing--they don't sear, and the surface breaks down. You need a stainless steel or cast iron to do adequate searing/browning of meat.
I have a cast iron grill pan that I got at Target for $11. It does a great job, as well as my cast iron frying pans.
It is pretty easy to go to Costco or Sam's and get a budget set of stainless steel pans that will perform VERY well, similarly to AllClad, for a fraction of the price.
You can also shop on Amazon for sets of pans such as KA or Cuisinart that are very serviceable. Look in the "Outlet" section of Amazon.
Non-stick coatings (Silverstone being very "fragile" in my opinion--supermarket variety pan) are not forever, so buy an inexpensive pan and replace it in 5 years.
I don't put any of my pans in the dishwasher. It just isn't an issue. Most of mine are anodized aluminum so it is not possible, but even SS just get washed and put away.
I have a cast iron grill pan that I got at Target for $11. It does a great job, as well as my cast iron frying pans.
It is pretty easy to go to Costco or Sam's and get a budget set of stainless steel pans that will perform VERY well, similarly to AllClad, for a fraction of the price.
You can also shop on Amazon for sets of pans such as KA or Cuisinart that are very serviceable. Look in the "Outlet" section of Amazon.
Non-stick coatings (Silverstone being very "fragile" in my opinion--supermarket variety pan) are not forever, so buy an inexpensive pan and replace it in 5 years.
I don't put any of my pans in the dishwasher. It just isn't an issue. Most of mine are anodized aluminum so it is not possible, but even SS just get washed and put away.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
Candocook said:
I respectfully disagree with both of these statements. I know you are not supposed to use high heat with non stick, but I have done it many times with no ill effects. The food does sear and brown. Granted it is not as good as using SS or CI, but saying that they don't sear is just incorrect.Candocook said:
As for the coatings not lasting forever, well technically that is true, but they can and do last a very very long time. The coatings these days are much different than the coatings from a few years ago even. Even at that, I have a number of Calphalon non stick pans that get very heavy use. They are over 5 years old and they are about 95% as good as the day I took them out of the box. If you are going to use non stick pans (not just have them around for the occasional egg, but actually use them) then my recommendation would be to get a quality pan, not a cheapo one. Most of the quality ones have lifetime warranties anyway so even if the coating starts to degrade the companies will replace it with a new one. The difference between the cheap and quality non stick pans is weight. The better pans have some weight to them so you do not get hot spots like the cheaper ones.
I agree with GB. You can sear meat on a nonstick surface and even tho it's not quite the same as fond that brown sludge that's left in a nonstick pan can be used to make a pan sauce. You may need to reduce it a little more compared to when using CI or SS but you can still make some good gravy using nonstick.
My cookware is 90% nonstick and 10% SS with a few vintage Dansk pieces also and no cast iron and I very seldome use the SS but it's there when I need it.
My cookware is 90% nonstick and 10% SS with a few vintage Dansk pieces also and no cast iron and I very seldome use the SS but it's there when I need it.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
The pan surface does not sear the meat and give it that nice dark brown crust. Heat does.
The primary difference between CI or SS vs. non-stick is that there is less fond left on the pan with non-stick. I guess it's all on the meat. Not a bad thing.
The primary difference between CI or SS vs. non-stick is that there is less fond left on the pan with non-stick. I guess it's all on the meat. Not a bad thing.
elcameron
Cook
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2007
- Messages
- 89
I have a Cast Iron saute pan, not skillet, and it is nearly non-stick. I use it all the time, in fact it's normal home is on the burner. i have no problem frying eggs in it, nor is it a problem to crispy fry potatoes, with very little fat. I ablolutely love cast Iron.
BTW, I have seen those cuisinart pans in the store and they look very nice. Let us know how it performs, i.e. even heat, cleanable etc.
BTW, I have seen those cuisinart pans in the store and they look very nice. Let us know how it performs, i.e. even heat, cleanable etc.
Cuisinart CHef's CLassic ( top line) should serve you well over the years. Enjoy the results!
elcameron said:
I think it went well for my first attempt cooking with SS. The pork chops were just a tad overdone (could have been juicier), probably because I did not reduce the heat like I usually did with non-stick, but I didn't cook them as long either..... Something I'll get the hang of. They were all done evenly and looked identical, so I'd have to say the pan doesn't have any cold spots.
After putting two chops in the pan, I realized I had frozen four instead of three and wasn't going to have room for the last one to sit flat on the cooking surface. It curled up slightly on the pans side and I was surprised it realeased just like the rest that were all the way in the oil. No residue at all.
The gravy was edible. It had a good flavor, but I didn't like the texture. I should have thinned it out more, but wasn't sure how far I could go and still have the flavor. Again, something I'll get the hang of.
Cleanup was easy considering I let the extra gravy sit in the pan while I ate. It had thickened up even more, so I cut it with some chicken broth before putting it in a container. I put some water in the pan, heated it up, loosened up the gravy residue and rinsed it out. Then I washed it with Scotch-brite pad and soap and it cleaned right up.
After it dried I noticed it has a cloudy look on parts of the cooking surface. Is this something to worry about next time I use it? Is this what that Barkeeper's Friend (?) is for?
Anyway, all in all I was pretty happy with its first outing.
I'm so happy with my SS fry pan I just ordered one in the 10" size.
I used the 12", which seems really big for some reason, to make some loose meat sandwiches for lunch. Rachel Ray's 30 minute recipe. It's the first time I fried burger in it. Even though olive oil was used I noticed a little fond appearing on the bottom as the burger was done frying. It was very lean burger, btw. After I added the chicken broth and brought things up to a boil the fond completely disappeared on its own from the bottom of the pan .
However, after I was completely done there was some brown "fry residue" on the sides of the pan. I was thinking, uh-oh .... Some dish soap and a scotch-brite cloth and the stuff wiped out as if the pan were a non-stick. I probably could have used a paper towel to wipe it out even.
SS cookware rocks
I used the 12", which seems really big for some reason, to make some loose meat sandwiches for lunch. Rachel Ray's 30 minute recipe. It's the first time I fried burger in it. Even though olive oil was used I noticed a little fond appearing on the bottom as the burger was done frying. It was very lean burger, btw. After I added the chicken broth and brought things up to a boil the fond completely disappeared on its own from the bottom of the pan
. However, after I was completely done there was some brown "fry residue" on the sides of the pan. I was thinking, uh-oh .... Some dish soap and a scotch-brite cloth and the stuff wiped out as if the pan were a non-stick. I probably could have used a paper towel to wipe it out even.
SS cookware rocks
yes barkeepers friend or revere stainless polish will take up those cloudy mineral stains in your SS pan.
I had forgotten I asked that. Thanks for the answer!So do the cloudy stains affect the cooking surface? Do they provide a better place for food to grab hold, although it appears things don't stick near as bad as a lot I've read anyway.
