Selecting Cookware
Aluminum, cast iron, stainless steel… which type of cookware is right for you? Well, you can cook food with any of these pans, but the difference is how the food interacts with the metal.
There are basically two things to consider in selecting cookware: the conductivity of the metal, and the reactivity of the metal.
Copper, cast iron, aluminum, and carbon steel are great conductors of heat, but they’re all also reactive. Acidic ingredients like tomato sauce and wine will react with the metal and cause an off-taste in the food.
Stainless steel is non-reactive, but a terrible conductor. Stainless steel pans do not heat evenly and do not hold heat like cast iron and aluminum.
The solutions – seasoned or enamel-lined cast iron, seasoned carbon steel, or stainless-steel-lined aluminum. Of these three, seasoned cast iron or carbon steel will conduct the best, but are harder to take care of (they can’t be washed with abrasives or soap, and have a tendency to rust if not used often). Enamel-lined cast iron aren’t too good because the enamel lining scratches too easily. My favorite type of pans are stainless steel-lined with a very thick (about 1/2 inch) base of aluminum. These will get super hot, maintain even heat, are easy to clean (abrasives are ok), and don’t need to be seasoned or used often.
What about non-stick pans?
Noooooooo! I hate non-stick pans, except for a very few things: cooking omelettes, crepes, etc – things that cook quickly and absolutely must not stick. For all other things, I think the disadvantages of nonstick outweigh the advantages. Their not such good conductors. You can’t get a good sear with nonstick, because meat must stick to the pan to sear well. This means no nice brown bits for making pan sauces. You can’t use metal spoons or spatulas, and unlike cast-iron or carbon steel, if you mess up the seasoning of a non-stick pan, its done – no way to reseason. Not such a good deal, in my opinion.
