"pltrgyst" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:46:44 -0700, Sheldon > wrote:
>
>>Professional cooks don't use any kind of cast iron cookware, except on
>>TV shows. When professional cooks want that kind of seasoned surface
>>they use carbon steel cookware, never ever cast iron.
>
> Paul Prudhomme, Mario Batali, Rick Bayless: a few quick
> counter-examples.
>
>>.... Cast iron cookware is like a baby step above the
>>stone age, people who use cast iron are really not cooking food,
>>they're abusing food. Compared with modern cookware cast iron is like
>>going to war with a wooden club and a bag of rocks.
>
> The right tool for the right job is a useful maxim.
>
> Cast iron retains heat better than any other material --

Cast iron skillets retain heat more because of their mass rather than the
specific heat retention properties of the metal[cast iron, aluminum or
copper].

and thus
> reaches higher temperatures -- useful for cooking things in batches at
> high heat, searing, or for deep frying.

Heat retention doesn't have anything to do with reaching a higher
temperature. Head conductivity does.
Copper conducts heat more than aluminum or cast iron.
>
Kent
>