Differences between different types of skillets?

[voultsi]

Attention:It is going to be a long,long question

Hello everyone , i have a question about skillets once again.In just 3 days , the things i learned about different types of skillets is overwhelming.I cant categorize them in my head , THEY ARE SO MANY . So... i want a skillet to do all the jobs and to be healthy too.Ill present you my finding and PLEASE correct my mistakes and tell me your opinion.

Cast Iron : good for everything except tomatoes,wine , can get from stovetop to oven, heavy and needs a LOT of caring My first choice: Amazon.com: Lodge LCS3 Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Chef's Skillet, 10-inch: Cast Iron Skillet: Home & Kitchen Second choice : Amazon.com: Lodge L8SK3 Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet, 10.25-inch: Cast Iron Skillet: Home & Kitchen

Stainless steel : again good for everything just needs more oil .My choice : Cuisinart 722-24C Chef's Classic Stainless 10-Inch Open Skillet at Amazon.com

Non Stick : good for low temperatures and Eggs( i cook a lot of eggs) but it has some very dangerous things for us on its nonstick surface .Here i searched for pans that claimed to be PFOA FREE . First choice : T-fal E9380884 Professional Total Nonstick Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Oven Safe Dishwasher Safe PFOA Free Cookware Fry Pan / Saute Pan, 12-Inch, Black at Amazon.com
Second choice ( wich is PTFE? safe also ) : Amazon.com: The 12" Green Earth Frying Pan by Ozeri, with Textured Ceramic Non-Stick Coating from Germany (100% PTFE and PFOA Free): Omelet Pans: Home & Kitchen

As i know untill now, these are the basic types of skillets .But then during my research i found pans like this : Seasoned Steel Griddle 11" wich i have not a single idea what it is , or like that : 9 1/2" Nonstick Shallow Fry Pan | Le Creuset or even non stick stainless steel : 8" Nonstick Stainless Steel Fry Pan | Le Creuset
I also found some skillets that are called hard anodized : Cuisinart 622-20 Chef's Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 8-Inch Open Skillet at Amazon.com witch for some reason i particularly like . I also would like to know the le Creuset pans i reffered to( 9 1/2" Nonstick Shallow Fry Pan | Le Creuset ) , that say that they are non stick , they are so expensive but yet they dont say if they are PFOA free but they dont seem to be the same non stick surface like the other traditional non stick pans .
P.S. i am only 15 so i dont know a lot of things about 'em sry

 

[Aunt Bea]

If I could only have one skillet on your list, I wouldn't choose any!

This is the closest I could find that would suit me.

Amazon.com: Cuisinart 722-30G Chef's Classic 12-Inch Skillet with Glass Cover: Kitchen & Dining

I like the fact that it could be used to store food, go into a very hot oven, have a lid to expand the range of uses and is not overly expensive. I wish it was a little deeper, I'm never satisfied!

I hope I haven't added to the confusion!

Good luck!

 

[luvs]

I personally love lodge- it's pre-seasoned, versatile, & can be used to cook many items.
I love my calphalon, too. that, though, that, for me, is most often used to fry food in. I'm not much a friend of Teflon.
all-clad would be my 1st pick. they make very solid equipment in many various types & styles. that was equipment I was taught to use to cook with, & its very versatile.

 

[Mad Cook]

Attention:It is going to be a long,long question

Hello everyone , i have a question about skillets once again.In just 3 days , the things i learned about different types of skillets is overwhelming.I cant categorize them in my head , THEY ARE SO MANY . So... i want a skillet to do all the jobs and to be healthy too.Ill present you my finding and PLEASE correct my mistakes and tell me your opinion.

Cast Iron : good for everything except tomatoes,wine , can get from stovetop to oven, heavy and needs a LOT of caring My first choice: Amazon.com: Lodge LCS3 Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Chef's Skillet, 10-inch: Cast Iron Skillet: Home & Kitchen Second choice : Amazon.com: Lodge L8SK3 Pre-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet, 10.25-inch: Cast Iron Skillet: Home & Kitchen

Stainless steel : again good for everything just needs more oil .My choice : Cuisinart 722-24C Chef's Classic Stainless 10-Inch Open Skillet at Amazon.com

Non Stick : good for low temperatures and Eggs( i cook a lot of eggs) but it has some very dangerous things for us on its nonstick surface .Here i searched for pans that claimed to be PFOA FREE . First choice : T-fal E9380884 Professional Total Nonstick Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Oven Safe Dishwasher Safe PFOA Free Cookware Fry Pan / Saute Pan, 12-Inch, Black at Amazon.com
Second choice ( wich is PTFE? safe also ) : Amazon.com: The 12" Green Earth Frying Pan by Ozeri, with Textured Ceramic Non-Stick Coating from Germany (100% PTFE and PFOA Free): Omelet Pans: Home & Kitchen

As i know untill now, these are the basic types of skillets .But then during my research i found pans like this : Seasoned Steel Griddle 11" wich i have not a single idea what it is , or like that : 9 1/2" Nonstick Shallow Fry Pan | Le Creuset or even non stick stainless steel : 8" Nonstick Stainless Steel Fry Pan | Le Creuset
I also found some skillets that are called hard anodized : Cuisinart 622-20 Chef's Classic Nonstick Hard-Anodized 8-Inch Open Skillet at Amazon.com witch for some reason i particularly like . I also would like to know the le Creuset pans i reffered to( 9 1/2" Nonstick Shallow Fry Pan | Le Creuset ) , that say that they are non stick , they are so expensive but yet they dont say if they are PFOA free but they dont seem to be the same non stick surface like the other traditional non stick pans .
P.S. i am only 15 so i dont know a lot of things about 'em sry

You get what you pay for and my Le Creuset have been going strong since the 1970s. As regards the non-stick coating contact the manufacturers or their agents in your country:-Greece: ROCKWELL leonidas.pourikas@gmail.com

 

[Dawgluver]

Good for you for doing all this research! I really like my Cuisinart SS pans. When I was closer to your age, in college, I had a mishmash of hand-me-down pans, mostly beat-up aluminum. Since then I've acquired much better cookware. SS is multipurpose.

 

[Addie]

If I could only have one skillet on your list, I wouldn't choose any!

This is the closest I could find that would suit me.

Amazon.com: Cuisinart 722-30G Chef's Classic 12-Inch Skillet with Glass Cover: Kitchen & Dining

I like the fact that it could be used to store food, go into a very hot oven, have a lid to expand the range of uses and is not overly expensive. I wish it was a little deeper, I'm never satisfied!

I hope I haven't added to the confusion!

Good luck!

I am with you on this one Aunt Bea. I want a vessel that can multi task. Fewer pans to wash. I have the one you mentioned and I love it. Received as a gift. Great for making frittatas, and so many other dishes. A small 8" non-stick anodized pan is great for sautéed eggs and ideal when cooking for one person. I received one as a gift and use it all the time for personal meals.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I have given up on buying expensive pots and pans. I have a collection of every tri-ply pot and pan that were sold by Le Gourmet Chef, which were the exact same composition and weight as the corresponding All-Clad, at 1/3 the price! Out of the three different size non-stick skillets, two are now totally useless. They are strictly for decoration on my pot rack now.

I also have 8-inch and a 10-inch Lodge cast iron fry pans, which are quite versatile. But the pans I use the most are the ones I pick up at the restaurant supply store for around 10 to 20 bucks each (the smaller the cheaper). When the non-stick gets scratched or wears out, I toss it into the recycle bin and buy a new one. They are made of something called auminized steel, which means they will work on gas, electric, and induction burners. Now I own pans I can trust, and have enough money to buy something to cook in them!

 

[voultsi]

The thing is ,i cook so many eggs , mostly scrambled , like 3 times per week because i live in a village and everything is from my home , so we have douzins of eggs . But i want to stay away from traditional non stick pans because they are unhealthy, teflon and stuff. If anodized on the other hand is non stick and healthy , i will probably get one of that too

 

[Dawgluver]

As long as Teflon is not heated on high heat, and is not badly scratched, it should be fine. At the temperature you would normally cook eggs, the pan will not get hot enough to cause toxic fumes.

 

[Andy M.]

The thing is ,i cook so many eggs , mostly scrambled , like 3 times per week because i live in a village and everything is from my home , so we have douzins of eggs . But i want to stay away from traditional non stick pans because they are unhealthy, teflon and stuff. If anodized on the other hand is non stick and healthy , i will probably get one of that too

Teflon pans are perfectly safe if used properly. Teflon releases gas that causes flu like symptoms at 680ºF (360ºC). This level of temperature occurs only if you have left an empty pan on a burner for an extended period.

This temperature is much higher than normal cooking temperatures. Initiating the Maillard reaction and browning of foods (caremelization) occur at temperature below 400ºF.

There is no danger at all from ingesting Teflon fragments that may get scraped off the pan's surface. It is entirely inert and passes through your system unchanged.

So if you want to cook a lot of eggs in a Teflon pan go ahead and do so confident that you are not endangering anyone.

 

[jabbur]

Personally, I have all 3 types of skillets and they all get used for different things. The cast iron is used to brown beef, fry chicken and pork chops. The stainless steel is used for tomato based sauces (marinara etc) and the non-stick for scrambled eggs. I do fry eggs in my cast iron without sticking but find the eggs stick to the sides if I try to scramble in my cast iron. Cast iron is pretty easy to care for. Don't get scared off of them because of that. Remember, these kinds of pans have used for over 200 years! Good luck with your choice. BTW, my cast iron is from my mother-in-law so it is well seasoned. My stainless steel is Revereware aluminum disc on bottom and my non-stick is from Sam's club. None are "high end" but all work well.

 

[voultsi]

A last question, do stainless steel skillets have to be tri ply or clad in order to be good?(can they be clad and tri ply , but not say it ?)

 

[Andy M.]

Stainless steel on its own is a poor conductor of heat. It allows food to scorch/burn easily. The use of an aluminum layer between layers of SS distributes the heat evenly and provides a much better result.

So, YES, SS has to be clad to be good. If a pan is clan it will say so. It's a great selling point.

Consider the two different ways to include aluminum into a SS pan. In one instance, a tir-ply disk is attached to the bottom of a plain SS pan. This disk bottom provides the heat distribution needed. If you use a gas stove, the flame can extend beyond the edges of the disk to the plain SS and cause food scorching in the pan.

The alternative is a fully clad pan where the layer of aluminum betwen the SS layers is part of the entire pan. The tri-ply material extends from the bottom to the top of the pan.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

One more thing. If you do buy Teflon coated pans, do not use cooking spray on them. It will not all wash out and eventually the pan will turn brown with gunky cooking spray leftovers and will not only look ugly, but will no longer be non-stick. When cooking eggs in Teflon, a little bit of butter will do.

 

[CWS4322]

I have had LeCreuset since the late '70s. I use a size 6 cast iron pan for eggs--well seasoned. I do not use the pan for anything else. I like my LeCreuset pans. If I were to replace them, I would get a combination of the LeCreuset CI enameled and SS. A friend loves her LeCreuset stock pot. There is another company in France that makes similar pans--little less pricey. There is also Staub. TL, do you remember the name of the company that made that pan we saw at the cooking store? The one where the gentleman melted the sugar?

 

[voultsi]

Stainless steel on its own is a poor conductor of heat. It allows food to scorch/burn easily. The use of an aluminum layer between layers of SS distributes the heat evenly and provides a much better result.

So, YES, SS has to be clad to be good. If a pan is clan it will say so. It's a great selling point.

Consider the two different ways to include aluminum into a SS pan. In one instance, a tir-ply disk is attached to the bottom of a plain SS pan. This disk bottom provides the heat distribution needed. If you use a gas stove, the flame can extend beyond the edges of the disk to the plain SS and cause food scorching in the pan.

The alternative is a fully clad pan where the layer of aluminum betwen the SS layers is part of the entire pan. The tri-ply material extends from the bottom to the top of the pan.

So the cuisinart that i was recomended earlier is not good ( http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-722-30G-Classic-12-Inch-Skillet/dp/B0078P9D8U ) , as it is not tri ply?

 

[Andy M.]

So the cuisinart that i was recomended earlier is not good ( Amazon.com: Cuisinart 722-30G Chef's Classic 12-Inch Skillet with Glass Cover: Kitchen & Dining ) , as it is not tri ply?

No. The pan you linked is SS with multi-ply disk attached to the bottom of the pan that provides the same type of protection as a tri-ply. The difference is that the 'disk on the bottom' type of pan only provides this protection on the flat bottom part of the pan. In skillets, the flat part of the bottom is relatively small to allow for the sloping sides so it's possible for a gas flame to extend beyond the edge of the disk and burn food in the pan.

Tr-ply is three layers of metal, SS-aluminum-SS, making up the entire pan, not just a disk on the bottom. As a result, you get even heat all over.

 

[taxlady]

...TL, do you remember the name of the company that made that pan we saw at the cooking store? The one where the gentleman melted the sugar?

Nope, sorry, I don't remember the brand. That was an impressive demo, eh?

 

[voultsi]

thanks for the help, although the negatives would you recomend that skillet/pan(still learning the difference) ? I will not be using it everyday , probably 2-3 times a week since cooking is still a hobby to me

 

[Andy M.]

thanks for the help, although the negatives would you recomend that skillet/pan(still learning the difference) ? I will not be using it everyday , probably 2-3 times a week since cooking is still a hobby to me

As I said, a disk bottom pan can be a problem on a gas stovetop. If you have an electric stove, it will be fine. I don't think it would be the best choice for a gas stove.