The CFC Stove Cookware Poll

[Quintillus]

There aren't enough polls in the forum, so I thought I'd start another.

What type of dishware - pots and pans, basically - do you use on your stovetop or in your oven?

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I stick with stainless steel or cast iron for the stovetop. I've found that for most dishes, a decent quality stainless steel really doesn't stick that much, at least with sufficient stirring. But for dishes that do stick a bit more, I'll go with cast iron. Heavy, traditional, spreads heat well... why change what works?

I've considered trying copper for its top-notch heat distribution, but haven't sprung for the expense. Similarly with carbon-steel woks, it's a nice idea in theory but I'm not convinced I'd use it often enough to be worth it.

In the oven, I'll use Pyrex dishes for casseroles or baking, but also my cast iron skillet or a stainless steel skillet for savory dishes. My only skillet with a non-oven-safe handle broke a couple years ago, so now I can safely put any of my cookware in the oven if that's what the recipe calls for.

I've used ceramic at friend's houses and found it adequate, and have been horrified by the amount of chipping on the non-stick coating on some other friends' skillets (they've since acquired less-chippy cookware). But I haven't been convinced to switch to either of them.

What about you? Do you swear by a particular type of cookware, or just buy whatever's on sale at Target?

 

[Narz]

Stainless steel cuz we have one of those induction stoves so that's all that works.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Whatever works in the microwave.

 

[PhroX]

Non-stick frying pans, stainless steel for the rest of my pans and pyrex for dedicated oven dishes, though some of my pans are oven proof so I use them when it's something that needs to be cooked on the stove first then put in the oven.

 

[Zelig]

I stay away from non-stick coatings. Also don't have copper, and unlikely to get any for induction compatibility.

Stainless steel cuz we have one of those induction stoves so that's all that works.

Carbon steel, cast iron and nitrided iron all work equivalently to stainless steel. (Nitrided iron is cool and cheap, but low availability. I snagged a pan for like $20 at Canada's TJ Maxx equivalent.)

Practically speaking, some other options also typically work pretty well too. (Enameled cast iron, or other metal with a steel layer, e.g. aluminum-clad steel.)

 

[tjs282]

We have a glass hob, and all our saucepans are stainless steel. We have a couple of non-stick (presumably Teflon-coated) frying pans, but if I had my preference, we'd rather be using cast-iron -- both for durability and because seeing the non-stick coating start to flake off after 8-ish years is rather nauseating (just bought our third pan since setting up house in 2006). Our wok is one of those lightweight IKEA jobs, also bought in 2006: not sure what it's made of, but if it's also Teflon-coated(?), it's been a lot more durable than all our frying-pans to date.

Our (also electric) oven-trays are enamelled steel, but we always line them with baking-paper to minimise cleaning-effort. We mostly bake (pasta Auflaufs, etc.) in glass/ceramic dishes (also use those in the microwave, e.g for defrosting/ reheating), but my wife also recently bought a set of aluminium(?) baking tins which work really well for roasting e.g. veggies -- and are surprisingly easy to clean, even though they're not coated with anything, AFAICT.

 

[Arwon]

Always had electric resistance stovetops, ie the smooth glass, rather than gas. Gas is rare in rental properties, and induction is a pipe dream for them. I got a portable induction element for the specific things induction does best and conventional ceramic does badly - ie long simmering (also good for boiling a big pot quickly).

The things I regularly use are:

• wrought iron heavy pan largely for searing meat or a quick char on veggies, which is functionally like cast iron ie build seasoning and avoid acids and stuff
• heavy stainless steel pan for when I want a bit of sticking and browning, and to also to make a pan sauce from that
• flat bottom carbon steel wok, best tool I've found with relatively light care requirements (came pre-seasoned) for applying as much heat as possible to a stir fry
• couple of non sticks for general lower temp cooking
• stainless steel pots for general boiling and simmering (and they go quick on the induction)
• enamelled iron dutch oven for moving from stove to oven partway through, and for slow cooking in the oven
• tiny non-stick for eggs and for quick heating/reheating of small portions
• big ole stainless steel stock pot for stocks and soups

 

[Tee Kay]

I just use a... non-stick wok? I have other pots and pans but I don't know what they're made of, I'm assuming stainless steel.

Renting and my electric stovetops are terrible so no use investing in anything fancy

 

[Remorseless1]

We have exactly one cast iron skillet among the dozen or so of ceramic, glass, and Teflon pans. It's only used to make cornbread and chicken fried chicken. Those are rare instances. It also filled in when I broke my first wok.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Cast iron fry pans
Carbon steel small skillet
Cast iron Dutch oven
Carbon steel woks
Stainless steel saucepans
Glass baking pans

They are all 40 to 50 years old.

 

[Plains-Cow]

I ACTUALLY LOVE THIS TOPIC.

I only cook with stainless steel and used to experiment A LOT with cast iron and some ceramics, and I've come to the conclusion that uncoated stainless steel is the ideal cooking vessel in 99% of the cases. Baking, frying, sauteing, making sauces, boiling, etc.

Stainless steel can also take a seasoning, so even the cast iron meme can be applied to stainless steel cookware to make them less stick-y. You can't do anything with cast iron that stainless steel can't do better. Camping included, and if you're going ultralight, then you're not even looking at stainless steel, you're looking at titanium.

 

[bene_legionary]

My dad uses Le Crueset pans almost exclusively (I don't know why, it just seems to be his thing and he really likes cooking), but we also have some copper saucepans that see the stove sometimes and a little non-stick pan for eggs that I don't like using. We also have a crock pot but I couldn't tell you what it is made of.

My mum likes to break out a stainless steel pot with two halves for hot pots. When my dad isn't cooking something, she likes a cast iron wok as well. Also (stainless steel?) pots / crock pot for soup or congee.

Pyrex or a metal plate for almost anything in the oven, like roast vegetables, meat, or making focaccia.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I remember when we got a wok. My grandmother discovered a new talent for Chinese food.

But we had to talk around calling the wok a 'wok'.

The dog went nuts, every time someone uttered the word, and couldn't understand why I wasn't getting out my coat and his leash, already. To him, we weren't talking about a wok. We were talking about a WALK.

 

[Quintillus]

I got a portable induction element for the specific things induction does best and conventional ceramic does badly - ie long simmering (also good for boiling a big pot quickly).

Is induction a lot better for simmering, for instance? I think I've read that it's more efficient, and there are times I simmer something for a long time. Is it better temperature control, or just more efficient in terms of electric use? Sounds like it can heat up more quickly as well? That would be handy for those times the sauce is coming together more quickly than expected and the pasta water hasn't boiled yet.

I've had the opportunity to cook on ring-based electric and gas as well, but as a renter, I've never had the opportunity to cook on induction. About half of my cookware says it'll work on induction. The rest is also stainless steel, but maybe not electromagnetic enough? Or maybe it's just not certified for it, induction is more common now than when I bought my older cookware.

I just use a... non-stick wok? I have other pots and pans but I don't know what they're made of, I'm assuming stainless steel.

Most likely it's a carbon steel wok, maybe cast iron. Non-stick coatings don't do well with heating the pan up to high temperatures without food in it, which is the traditional way of using woks, so it's rare to see a non-stick coating on a wok. More specifically the coating can burn off into the atmosphere, which is bad as the coatings aren't safe to inhale.

Carbon steel doesn't really stick if it's used for that style of cooking, so effectively it does wind up being non-stick, just in a more safe manner.

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I'm slightly surprised by the number of woks - they appear to have caught on. I haven't bought one in part due to storage space, and in part because I could practically only use the non-traditional flat-bottomed wok on my stove.

Stainless steel can also take a seasoning

It can? This is new to me, I've always treated stainless steel as "wash after cooking, maybe apply some Bar Keeper's Friend if something got scorched to the bottom of it".

I'm largely on the same page overall though, on the stovetop, 95% or more of the time I use stainless, although it was 50% today, split with cast iron. Haven't found a great way of making pancakes on stainless without having them stick.

 

[Arwon]

Is induction a lot better for simmering, for instance? I think I've read that it's more efficient, and there are times I simmer something for a long time. Is it better temperature control, or just more efficient in terms of electric use? Sounds like it can heat up more quickly as well? That would be handy for those times the sauce is coming together more quickly than expected and the pasta water hasn't boiled yet.

I've had the opportunity to cook on ring-based electric and gas as well, but as a renter, I've never had the opportunity to cook on induction. About half of my cookware says it'll work on induction. The rest is also stainless steel, but maybe not electromagnetic enough? Or maybe it's just not certified for it, induction is more common now than when I bought my older cookware.


Most likely it's a carbon steel wok, maybe cast iron. Non-stick coatings don't do well with heating the pan up to high temperatures without food in it, which is the traditional way of using woks, so it's rare to see a non-stick coating on a wok. More specifically the coating can burn off into the atmosphere, which is bad as the coatings aren't safe to inhale.

Carbon steel doesn't really stick if it's used for that style of cooking, so effectively it does wind up being non-stick, just in a more safe manner.

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I'm slightly surprised by the number of woks - they appear to have caught on. I haven't bought one in part due to storage space, and in part because I could practically only use the non-traditional flat-bottomed wok on my stove.


It can? This is new to me, I've always treated stainless steel as "wash after cooking, maybe apply some Bar Keeper's Friend if something got scorched to the bottom of it".

I'm largely on the same page overall though, on the stovetop, 95% or more of the time I use stainless, although it was 50% today, split with cast iron. Haven't found a great way of making pancakes on stainless without having them stick.

Temperature control - there's no tick on my conventional stove that puts out the right amount of heat to maintain specifically a simmer, it goes straight from a rolling boil to no bubbles at all so I was having to adjust every few minutes.

The portable induction coil cycles on and off as needed to maintain its heat, so with trial and error I found there's a setting where it bubbles, recedes, bubbles, recedes quite happily and that's good enough for stock and slow simmered dishes.

 

[Plains-Cow]

Is induction a lot better for simmering, for instance? I think I've read that it's more efficient, and there are times I simmer something for a long time. Is it better temperature control, or just more efficient in terms of electric use? Sounds like it can heat up more quickly as well? That would be handy for those times the sauce is coming together more quickly than expected and the pasta water hasn't boiled yet.

I've had the opportunity to cook on ring-based electric and gas as well, but as a renter, I've never had the opportunity to cook on induction. About half of my cookware says it'll work on induction. The rest is also stainless steel, but maybe not electromagnetic enough? Or maybe it's just not certified for it, induction is more common now than when I bought my older cookware.


Most likely it's a carbon steel wok, maybe cast iron. Non-stick coatings don't do well with heating the pan up to high temperatures without food in it, which is the traditional way of using woks, so it's rare to see a non-stick coating on a wok. More specifically the coating can burn off into the atmosphere, which is bad as the coatings aren't safe to inhale.

Carbon steel doesn't really stick if it's used for that style of cooking, so effectively it does wind up being non-stick, just in a more safe manner.

People in the west rarely even use woks correctly because they don't have the heat capacity on the stove or the right attachments to do so. Wok cooking is supposed to be quick with a jet of intense heat unless you're just using the wok like a deeper pan.

It can? This is new to me, I've always treated stainless steel as "wash after cooking, maybe apply some Bar Keeper's Friend if something got scorched to the bottom of it".

I'm largely on the same page overall though, on the stovetop, 95% or more of the time I use stainless, although it was 50% today, split with cast iron. Haven't found a great way of making pancakes on stainless without having them stick.

Of course. Take a look at stainless steel cookware that has a browning from oils, like fry pans. This is the seasoning forming. Stainless steel still has pores like cast iron, just much smaller, and cheaper stainless steel that's thinner is more likely to warp before becoming hot enough for long enough to take a seasoning. The point is though, that seasoning is redundant for stainless steel since it doesn't need it. I don't even think people really respect the seasonings of cast iron since they have to baby it to death. Imagine not being able to even boil plain water in cast iron without ruining weeks or months of seasoning.

I also see people (often on YouTube) just throw in enough oil in cast iron pans to make it seem like they're almost shallow frying whatever they put in there and then declare it "non-stick." Geez, they could do that on any surface texture or material with enough oil lol