Weekend Cooking- Now This Is a Frying Pan!

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I am sure we all have a variety of frying pans in our kitchens and, no doubt, a couple of them may be nonstick pans. Great when they work..not so great when they start not to. I remember when nonstick pans first appeared and they were pretty bad. Very easily scratched, and after a time the nonstick surface would start to peel off. Yes, peel off. Not to worry, the manufacturers said, it is not dangerous. Really?? Oh really??
Now, they have come a long way since those early days, but regardless, even with state of the art new materials, the nonstick surface start to deteriorate from the first time you use it. In fact, according to a manufacturers group, a nonstick surface can only be expected to last a year and a half to two years. So what to do?

Well, my friends at Cook's Illustrated, who love to test and rate kitchen equipment, have a suggestion. Buy a good nonstick pan, but a not too expensive one and realize you will have to trash it after awhile. The pan they have recently recommend is the T-Fal Professional Total Nonstick. I looked around and you can find them in the $25-$40 range depending on size. So 2 years for $40..not too bad I guess.
Of course, there is also the issue of a very hot pan giving off deadly fumes..enough that they can kill a pet bird....but don't worry...probably won't hurt you...probably...

Even though I don't have a bird, I am cheap and hate to spend $40, knowing I will have to replace that pan is a relatively short period of time. I have enough suggestion, one that I have starting using, or actually reusing,since I read that article.

Cast iron.

You see that pan in the picture? It was my mom's. That is one of the pans she used all the time when I was a kid. That pan is at least 50 years old and as good today as it was then. To quote my friends at Cook's Illustrated again....

"Over the past 30 years, nonstick skillets have taken the place of cast iron in most homes. But with disturbing reports about the effects of nonstick coatings on the environment and our health, we decided to take another look at cast iron to see if it's worth bringing back into the kitchen.

Cast iron has always been known to have a few advantages over other types of cookware. Its material and weight give it excellent heat retention for high-heat cooking techniques such as frying and searing. You can use it on the stovetop or bake with it in the oven. Its durability is legendary—many people are still cooking with cast-iron pans handed down for generations. Unlike most consumer products, cast-iron pans actually improve with time and heavy use."

Nothing holds heat like cast iron, nothing sears like cast iron. Nothing last like cast iron. Use it on the stove, or the oven, or a grill...or even an open fire. They are pretty cheap. You can probably get a good size pan...Lodge is the most available brand I think...for about $15-20 bucks. And remember, it will last forever.

Yes, it is a bit heavy. I also have a cast iron Dutch oven and it is substantial. You could hit someone with a cast iron pan and most likely kill them..
And yes, cast iron requires a bit of maintenance. You have to keep it from rusting, by keeping it dry and 'seasoned'. But the funny thing is, the more you use it, the better it is and easier to take care of. 
The surface needs to be 'seasoned', but if you use it regularly, and wash it properly, it will be fine. Don't use soap or very hot water when washing it. Once the pan has cooled and is just warm, I wash it with warm water and a scrubby sponge. If the surface seems too dull, re-season every once in awhile by heating it, applying some solid shortening and sticking in a warm oven for 1/2 hour and then wipe it dry or any excess oil. I will probably always keep a small, not too expensive nonstick pan for things like eggs..or crepes, if I even make a crepe. But for 95% of the times I need a frying pan, I will reach for my trusty old cast iron.

And I promise you that you will have a great pan that you can hand on in your will when you are long gone.

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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