Yet another cookware question...

[noel]

So tonight I'm (finally) getting a 10 piece Calphalon Stainless Tri-Ply cookware set...

The set includes: 1 1/2-quart covered saucepan, 2 1/2-quart covered saucepan, 3-quart covered saute pan, 8-quart covered stockpot, 8" omelette pan and 10" omelette pan.

My question is this... Do I still want some kind of non-stick skillet/frying pan? Or can I do all of what I need to do in the omelette pans? If the answer is that I do want a non-stick skillet, when do I use the stainless stuff, and when do I use the non-stick? I've never had stainless before. I've read that I need to cook with lower heat, but are there any other caveats?

Thanks in advance.

[Aabidano]

My question is this... Do I still want some kind of non-stick skillet/frying pan?

I wouldn't bother, non-stick pans are a waste of money. Just put whatever sort of oil, spray or whatever you use in the pan beforehand and preheat it. Things very rarely stick when I'm cooking.

I've got a carbon steel wok I fry most things in, and use olive oil for just about everything I cook in it. If you preheat until the oil gets "squiggly" before adding ingredients things will very rarely stick. Cast iron and stainless don't act much different.

[Tenuvil]

I like having a nonstick omelette pan as well as stainless fry pans.

Nonstick is great for making eggs or a quick saute where you want to cook as fat free as possible. While the majority of my cookware is stainless with a copper clad base, I really use the heck out of a couple nonstick fry pans.

Oh FYI, Bar Keepers Friend scouring powder is excellent for keeping your stainless cookware looking great.

[Voronwë]

can stainless cookware cook a mother fucking incredible grilled cheese?

and is it dishwasher safe.

if answer is no to either question, i want this post rickshawed!

[noel]

Totally dishwasher safe, and yes you can do a grilled cheese.

Come out to California. I'll make a grilled cheese just for you!

[Pherr the Dorf]

I will just tell you, from my perspective, I have 2 nonsticks (different sizes) for VERY specific needs. I do things in them I can do in no other pan (parmesan tuiles, etc). I like having them around and properly cared for a nonstick can last, in a home for years.

[Moonwynd]

My question is this... Do I still want some kind of non-stick skillet/frying pan?

I wouldn't bother, non-stick pans are a waste of money. Just put whatever sort of oil, spray or whatever you use in the pan beforehand and preheat it. Things very rarely stick when I'm cooking.

I've got a carbon steel wok I fry most things in, and use olive oil for just about everything I cook in it. If you preheat until the oil gets "squiggly" before adding ingredients things will very rarely stick. Cast iron and stainless don't act much different.

A wok, if used for Chinese cooking would be used on extremely high heat. Olive oil should never be used for cooking at high heat as it has a relatively low resistance to burning. Peanut oil is the better choice for high heat cooking such as Chinese cuisine.

I learned how to cook Chinese from an older first generation Chinese couple that owns a restaurant near me. I too uses a carbon steel wok (hand hammered). However there is a difference between the way the wok works and the stainless steel pans. A carbon steel wok or even a cast iron pan is seasoned in such a way that it obtains a natural non stick surface. This surface becomes "better" over time with more use. A stainless steel surface needs to be kept clean and must rely on oil used each time to prevent foods from sticking.

I do not use non stick surfaces...but that is my choice. There are good non stick surfaces and they have their place.

Here are my rules for cookware:

1. Never scrub/clean any pan with any form of steel wool
2. Always have one pan that is of all steel construction and is oven safe
3. A good stockpot is indespensible for soups and stews
4. A good carbon steel wok will eventually look like it needs to be sandblasted...but you want that natural black nonstick coating that has formed with use.
5. Never ever use steel utensils on a non stick surface or an anodized surface
6. There are specific pans for specific uses and the resulting creating will fail or fly depending upon what pan you use

[Pherr the Dorf]

Add to above, a seasoned pan never EVER should have soap or water put in it...EVER!!!!!!

To season na pan, get it hot, I mean fucking outargiously hot, then get it hotter, so it smokes despite having nothing in it, remove it from the source of heat (we don't want fires here people) and toss a tbsp of salt in the bottom and a 1/4 cup of oil and with a rag you don't mind ruining, rub the salt and oil into the bottom and sides of the pan hard, just work it around until the pan starts to cool down. wipe it clean and do it again, 3 times total. From now on just wipe the pan clean with a paper towel, it'll never need to be washed again. I have one pan that hasn't seen water or soap in 5 years...

[Chidoro]

We use a carbon steel wok and I pretty much concur with what Moon said. Peanut oil is very high in fat so we don't use it as often as we should, but it does give the best results. It's no coincidence that a lot of chinese cooking uses peanut oil.

We have a non-stick caphylon grill pan we like to use. The non-stick surface really helps when we use rubs. Our meat is usually lean so there's little fat to provide slickness. Just grilled up some center cut pork chops w/ herbs de provence last night. I cut up some apples and red peppers and reduced some triple sec for the hell of it. It was good to have a non-stick surface for that.

Lastly, you may want to get a stoneware roasting dish. The meats and spices from years of use get into the pores of the dish so everything tastes better and better as you use it more. just don't ever wash it with soap, it gets soaked and scraped down w/ a plastic nubby thing. You don't want to taste soap in your meals since that will also get into the pores heh.

[Aabidano]

I don't care for peanut oil, if something calls for it I usuallly use canola with a bit of sesame for taste.

To initially season a pan I put it in a 400 deg oven to heat it up, remove it, wipe down liberally with oil and put it back in the oven for 15 (ish)minutes. That gets a good coat going and it'll self sustain itself for the most part after that. Pherr's method sounds more effective, not going to strip down a pan to try it though

We've got one of those sandwich presses for making grilled cheese. Pretty handy and much easier than doing it in a pan. I hate frying with cheese.

Good for homemade corn dogs, eggs, etc.. too

[noel]

Add to above, a seasoned pan never EVER should have soap or water put in it...EVER!!!!!!

To season na pan, get it hot, I mean fucking outargiously hot, then get it hotter, so it smokes despite having nothing in it, remove it from the source of heat (we don't want fires here people) and toss a tbsp of salt in the bottom and a 1/4 cup of oil and with a rag you don't mind ruining, rub the salt and oil into the bottom and sides of the pan hard, just work it around until the pan starts to cool down. wipe it clean and do it again, 3 times total. From now on just wipe the pan clean with a paper towel, it'll never need to be washed again. I have one pan that hasn't seen water or soap in 5 years...

Any specific kind of oil used for this? I was under the impression that only cast-iron cookware needed to be seasoned... Guess I was wrong.

Thanks for all the advice!

[Aabidano]

Carbon steel and cast iron only.

[Xatrei]

Peanut oil is very high in fat so we don't use it as often as we should, but it does give the best results.

It's off topic, but I wanted to point out that this statement is a bit inaccurate. Ounce for ounce, peanut oil has the same amount of calories and fat as any other cooking or salad oil. The nutritional differences between various oils has to do with the ratio of staturated and mono/poly unsaturated fats and cholesterol content. Per tbsp, peanut oil has 2.5/4.5/7 grams of saturated/poly-/mono-unsaturated fats. This compares favorably to olive oil with a 2.0/1.5/10.5 or canola oil with a 1.0/4.5/8.5 breakdown.

The oils I use the most frequently are, in order: canola, olive, peanut and corn (2.0/8.0/4.0).

[noel]

Oh btw, we ended up getting the contemporary Tri-ply instead of the standard. They're almost too pretty to use.

[Chidoro]

Peanut oil is very high in fat so we don't use it as often as we should, but it does give the best results.

It's off topic, but I wanted to point out that this statement is a bit inaccurate.

I'll take your word for it. I know peanut oils are generally considered good fats (and the reason why people should eat a little on a daily basis) but I always assumed there was a stigma attached. I stand corrected.

Still, my wife's Italian, so we put olive oil in nearly everything anyway

[Tenuvil]

Oh btw, we ended up getting the contemporary Tri-ply instead of the standard. They're almost too pretty to use.

pics!

[noel]

From Calpahlon's website

[Marbus]

My wife got me that 13" Chefs Covered Skillet from Calphon for Christmas this year and it freakin' kicks ass. If you don't have at least one BIG covered skillet, you need it., don't hesitate... buy it now and thank me later Of course I got the non-stick Calphon, which is the best non-stick IMHO... I have no problem washing it by hand and NOTHING sticks, I would never put expensive cookwear in the dishwasher anyway.

Check it out...
http://www.calphalon.com/calphalon/cons ... LPAT000002

Marb

[noel]

Gorgeous, sir.

[Arborealus]

Meh maybe buy a 10 inch non stick for shits and giggles...I have one...somewhere...

Oh and i always season my Cast Iron at 500ish...i just use a light coat of canola spray it on...wipe it off heat to 500 never really used the salt technique...

You can, by the way almost always find totally rusted cast iron pieces at a rummage sales and junk shops cheap...hit them with naval jelly remove all the rust wash them well to remove the acid residue reseason them and bamf good as new...

I would not be without my cast Iron Skillet (for Corn Bread), Griddle (Pancakes and Gorilla Cheese Sammiches), and Dutch Oven (Cajun Recipes requiring a dark roux, Deep Frying for One or Two, and Yams in Rootbeer and Fruit Syrup)...

[Tenuvil]

beautiful cookware bro!

[Pherr the Dorf]

Few things

The salt is an old trick to literally fill the pores while they are open with salty oil, so that when they contract they cannot squeeze the oils back out so to speak, it holds the oil in there for the first few seasonings till nature takes over.

Unsaturated oils are flat out superior tasting and lightyears better for you inside and out. I cannot begin to stress that hard enough, your skin will clear up and look better, you will feel better and have more energy, saturated oils are insanely clogging for your entire system.

I love this thread... keep going!

[Xatrei]

Unsaturated oils are flat out superior tasting and lightyears better for you inside and out. I cannot begin to stress that hard enough, your skin will clear up and look better, you will feel better and have more energy, saturated oils are insanely clogging for your entire system.

I totally agree, which is why I mostly use canola and olive oils. I was mainly just trying to clarify that the amount of fat calories in a given unit of any oil is constant, and that the important distinction lies with the types of fats that compose the whole. The fact that peanut oil has only a marginally higher saturated fat level than olive oil was just a side point. The really bad oils are things like palm or coconut oil, animal & dairy fats. While I try to minimize the amounts of these fat sources as much as possible, there are some things that just aren't the same without the "bad fats" (There's just no such thing as healthy soul food ), so moderation is the key. As long as they're a minimal part of your overall intake, all is well.

[Pherr the Dorf]

Also stainless doesn't season, get some good carbon steel pans, you'll thank me

[Moonwynd]

In parts of Italy (and in my home as well), butter is not spread on bread...but olive oil is used instead. We usually have a nice homemade rosemary foccacia that we dip into an extra virgin olive oil that we have seasoned wtih some freshly ground black pepper. Add a nice glass of red wine and you have a perfect evening.

The "good" fats like those found in olive oil are a whole world better than just about anything you can find in the supermarket that you will spread on your bread or melt in a pan. Nothing worse than hydrogenated oil...it becomes like plastic in your arteries.

[Aabidano]

Some dishes, like blackened redfish\triggerfish (/drool) require butter to taste right. Knock a few days off my life expectancy, it's well worth it

[Xouqoa]

We have a couple of these that we got through Amazon..

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... n&n=507846

My question is, how the hell do they list for $100+ and Amazon sells them for like $30!?? wtf.

[Pherr the Dorf]

Don't dis on teh butter, I'll hurt you!