Non-Stick Pans - the perfect pan

[carnivore]

well, NewGuy's post about his problems with his "stick" pan raises a question for me: What's so great about the stainless steel cookware? That's all I see "professional" chefs use, and while I've often dreamed about the 'perfect' cookware, I don't understand why non-stick doesn't fit the bill.
I have 2 cast iron skillets (one of them is about as wide as my oven!!) one non-stick 10" 'omelette' pan (which I use about 60% of the time), and an 8" non-stick saucepan. I have others, of course, but these are what I use 99.9% of the time. I love the non-stick pans because honestly, NOTHING sticks to them (and I've made some huge cooking "boo-boos"--usually while concentrating on pouring my next bourbon). What I love about the cast iron skillets is that for some reason, things seem to taste better when cooked in them. Could this somehow be true for stainless-steel cookware?

[kitchenelf]

Mmmmmmmm........... well, when I cook with my "stick" pans you get the bits of flavor that stick to the bottom and you can carmelize things IMHO much better. I deglaze a lot for flavor and in a non-stick pan that's not always possible.

How's that for taking a guess??? :roll:

[oldcoot]

Didja notice the pro's on TV always use brand spankin' NEW stainless pans? (You can tell they're new by the plish marks on them when they pour in the oil, etc.). The new SS pans are vastly more photogenic!

No question but that foods somehow manage to taste better from a well seasoned cast iron skillet or dutch oven. And, when properly seasoned and properly used, even eggs don't stick in them! (I have a 6 inch cast iron skillet tat's almost as old as I, and cooks egs just fine, any way I want 'em. In butter, of course!

Non-stick works well for lots of stuff, however. Mostly for things Carnivore doesn't eat.

[Coco]

I only just started using a non-stick pan, and I have to admit, I prefer using my regular old stainless-steel ones or cast iron. The non-stick is perfect for eggs, though, and making perfect crisp-fried potatoes without a lot of cleanup!

[plasma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnivore well, NewGuy's post about his problems with his "stick" pan raises a question for me: What's so great about the stainless steel cookware? That's all I see "professional" chefs use, and while I've often dreamed about the 'perfect' cookware, I don't understand why non-stick doesn't fit the bill. I have 2 cast iron skillets (one of them is about as wide as my oven!!) one non-stick 10" 'omelette' pan (which I use about 60% of the time), and an 8" non-stick saucepan. I have others, of course, but these are what I use 99.9% of the time. I love the non-stick pans because honestly, NOTHING sticks to them (and I've made some huge cooking "boo-boos"--usually while concentrating on pouring my next bourbon). What I love about the cast iron skillets is that for some reason, things seem to taste better when cooked in them. Could this somehow be true for stainless-steel cookware?

try this link [link removed]

[plasma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coco I only just started using a non-stick pan, and I have to admit, I prefer using my regular old stainless-steel ones or cast iron. The non-stick is perfect for eggs, though, and making perfect crisp-fried potatoes without a lot of cleanup!

Try this site [link removed]

[GB]

There are a few reasons that SS is better than non stick for certain things.
Non stick is not supposed to be used with very high heat. Most non stick pan manufacturers recommend that you do not go about med high heat on the stove or about a certain temp in the oven (I forgot what temp that is though). The non stick coating starts to break down when high heat is used (it actually evaporates). The fumes from this evaporation has been known to kill small animals like birds although no one has ever been able to show any conclusive proof that it is bad for humans to my knowledge. That is why you should not heat your non stick pans without anything in them for too long. The need food or something to draw the heat away so the coating does not break down.
As kitchenelf already mentioned, sometime you DO want things to stick to your pan. The little yummy bits (fond) that stick after you cook meat are some of the yummiest parts and are used to make pan sauces. You will not get the same thing from a non stick pan.
Non stick pans will also not give you the same color than SS will. SS will give you are better browning affect, while non stick browning will be a bit more splotchy (for lack of a better word).
Now none of these reasons are major, so if you are happy with your non stick pans and the way they preform then do not get rid of them just because the professionals use something different. If it works for you and you are happy then that is all that matters.
When properly used, SS can be almost non stick. Make sure to heat the pan before putting anything in it, then heat the fat (and use enough fat) once the pan is hot. Put your food in and do NOT touch it for a minute or two. If you follow these few rules then most things will not stick.

[hxy1998]

I also use the cast iron cookwares. I am a Chinese. Our village most use the cast iron cookwares. Our village have a factory that export the cast iron cookwares for cample and cooking , I have many cast iron cookwares in my living. I very like cooking use them. :P

[Bangbang]

I have ruined many Non-Stick Pans using heat that is to high.

Non-Stick Evils Revealed

Evil number one is high heat. A lot of people, me included, like to use high heat settings with their non-stick cookware. That is an absolute no-no, you should never use high heat because the heat will reduce the effectiveness of the non-stick coating which means you'll have to throw that pan away in 6 to 7 months. You want to get a great pan with high weight, the heavier the pan the better the heat distribution and the longer the life of the pan.

Non-stick pan Evil number 2, is abrasion. Any pan you have that is non-stick, you don't want to be scratching it, or especially cutting food items with a knife because you'll cut through the non-stick coating and you might as well throw the pan away after that. For the best results you'll want to use nylon cooking utensil in any non-stick pan, that's going to dramatically lengthen the life of any non-stick pan.

Now the third axis of evil for non-stick pans is non-stick spray. I used to think it was ok to use just a squirt or two of non-stick spray even in a non-stick pan. You're not supposed to do that. If you have a quality non-stick pan do not use non-stick spray because it’s going to build up oils that can't get out of there and you're going to wind up throwing away your pan.

To protect against build up you want to clean your pan after every use and with a non-stick pan, that doesn't mean just wiping it off. You want to use soap and water and maybe a brush or a Scotch Bright pad.

Some of the latest generation non-stick pans are dishwasher safe. So you can put it in the dishwasher for the best cleaning of all. If you follow these steps, your pans will last you for years and years.

[ethncis]

Has anyone had the experience of your food tasting like the pan? Recently my meals have been ruined and I don't know why. I cook with non-stick pans and have had the same set for about two years. I was making scrambled eggs and they came out tasting like burnt metal. I thought maybe the set was cheap and my pan was ruined so I tried a non stick pan from a different set and had the same problem. Overall, three of my pans have proven to ruin my food and I don't know what happened.

has anyone experience this?

I'm cooking on a gas stove using nonstick caphalon brand pans that are about a year old.

Thanks