"Giusi" > wrote in message
...
> > ha scritto nel messaggio
> ups.com...
>> In the past I have used cast iron skillets, however even with
>> seasoning, they are still a chore to maintain. One alternative I would
>> like to consider is a porcelain coated iron skillet.
>> Are they just effective in transferring heat and searing meats?
>> Thanks
>
> You are doing something wrong. Maintaining a cast iron skillet is one of
> the easiest kitchen chores. Immediately after searing meat in it, put a
> little water in the skillet. When ready to clean it, use a soap free
> metal scrubber to loosen any cooked on juices, rinse, dry, heat on a low
> flame. Cool it and put it away. Are you sure yours is properly seasoned?
>
> The enameled cast iron is much less stick-free. You can use soap on it,
> but without some fat in the pan the meat will stick like crazy. You'll
> leave the crust behind quite often. The big advantage is that you (must)
> use a low flame but you get a regular and high heat all over the pan.
> Quick sauces can often be made with residual heat after turning off the
> flame.

Another side to this cast-iron vs. coated that I notice is that all the
cooks on the foodnetwork use coated. I know they are selling stuff, making
things look pretty, but the only time I see them using cast iron is when
there is a program featuring it, or maybe 1% of the time when they say it is
best for a certain dish.

I haven't seen them used in the chef's kitchen when go on-site either.

I'd buy a Batali pot --
Fan of Mario, tho, so I'm prejudiced.
Dee Dee