Stainless Steel Vs. Cast Iron Vs Non Stick

[Maggyie]

So my intended and I are registering at Bed Bath and Beyooooond in preparation for our wedding. I suspect most people will give cash, but there is a "registry completion" discount, oh yeah. It's fun because I forgot people give gifts for weddings until my sister reminded me. A nice surprise for a change but it makes sense since I have NOTHING for setting up a good home.

I am a very ignorant girl and I don't know what is the best kind of cookware to get. My mother doesn't really cook much at all, you see she's bats and it makes things hard. I googled and everybody seems to have a different opinion. Some people are very ferocious about it (nonstick is the devil etc).

Is cast iron too heavy? I have no upper arm strength. Does traditional nonstick really give you cancer? Supposedly there is a new kind of hard anodized aluminum cookware that is non-teflon and therefore non-cancer-causing? Right now I have a whole bunch of stainless steel Calphalon stuff on my registry but that is just because it was so shiny at the store and I know Calphalon is a good brand. However I read that if I use stainless steel all my food will stick and it will be a disaster. So much of it is so expensive.

I also read that cast iron pans can last a hundred years and I thought that would be cool, to pass down my wedding pans...

But it's not worth it if it's so heavy I drop it on my feet all the time.

Advise me Phatmass cooks!!!

Edited May 3, 2011 by Maggie

[Laudate_Dominum]

I voted cast iron as I think it rocks, but it is heavy. A good stainless steel set would be pretty BA too. I can't stand the non-stick stuff. Ideally I'd say some stainless steel plus a cast iron skillet or two. Maybe I should have voted for the combination opinion.

Edit: spelling error.

Edited May 3, 2011 by Laudate_Dominum

[AccountDeleted]

Cast iron skillets are great, and maybe one large casserole pot, but for everyday use, non-stick is best - just remember to use the right utensils and scrubbers so you don't scratch them.

[MIKolbe]

cast iron

[Archaeology cat]

I'd go with cast iron. Non-stick just doesn't hold up well, IMO.

[MissScripture]

Cast iron and/or stainless steel. Non stick gets ruined easily and you have to be picky about what utensils you use and how you wash it, and it's just generally more trouble than its worth!

[Cherie]

I voted cast iron, but you can't use them on those new glass-top stoves, so if you're ever planning on getting one of those stoves in the future or moving into a house that does, you'll have to ditch all your cast iron. It IS heavy (if you don't have upper arm strength, you'll get it gradually by using it!), but I love it. I remember being told as a girl that you actually get the elemental iron from the pan into your food, so you get a little bit of iron with whatever you cook in it. I think that notion has been debunked as of late, but I still feel like I'm getting "extra iron" in my diet whenever I use it.

Stainless steel is a good alternative. I wouldn't go with nonstick for everything - no matter HOW "perfectly" you care for them, even Calphalon, they STILL get messed up and the coating comes off the pan. I don't know about you, but I sure don't fancy eating Teflon! However, I prefer having a nonstick pan or two ready when I really want to use it. So I'd suggest having at least ONE handy. Otherwise, I just use my cast iron all the time.

[regina_coeli]

What LD said!!!

[IcePrincessKRS]

Cast iron AND stainless steel. Cast iron are great frying pans, but pots and pans for everything else nice stainless is pure win. I put both on my registry and got both. Each has it's place in your kitchen, there are things I only use cast iron for, and things I only use my stainless for. You won't regret getting both types.

I don't like teflon types, they get scuffed, chipped, and damages way too easily. It's creepy and gross.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1304409122' post='2236253']
Cast iron skillets are great, and maybe one large casserole pot, but for everyday use, non-stick is best - just remember to use the right utensils and scrubbers so you don't scratch them.
[/quote]


unless you make homemade pizza, then cast iron is great

[ardillacid]

both

[RezaMikhaeil]

I think that non-stick. Experienced cooks would have better luck with cast-iron and stainless steel but for beginners non-stick otherwise you might blow your brains out. Thou you might not like his frequent "F Bombs", Gordon Ramsay's show "The F Word" really is helpful for new cooks. Has many recipes that are elequent and sophisticated but not difficult to figure out. This comes from someone who cooks quite frequently, everything from fried chicken to rib eye steak, to Steak Fillet wit gremolata, etc.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

+JMJ

We have some anodized pots and pans that we use often and like, but stainless sounds like the most awe.some. I know my mom is dying to get her mom's copper bottom pots...

[CatherineM]

I buy all my stuff from the restaurant supply store. Outrageously cheaper, and you can't break them. Mostly aluminum. I use a spray that is 100% canola oil. It's like pam but not toxic. Spray of that, and it won't stick unless you burn it. It something does stick, just put water in the dirty pan and heat it on the stove. No elbow grease required.

[Cherie]

Tip for scrubbing off stuff that's stuck on a cast iron pan: fill it with water, add a bunch of salt, then boil it for a few minutes. Dump the water then use a scrub brush with a handle to get it all off. Works like magic. Don't forget to reseason your pan, though - oil it, then heat it on low for about 5 minutes.Voila!