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.

http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Ray-11...7918316&sr=1-8

Are they just effective in transferring heat and searing meats?
Thanks

wrote:
> 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.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Ray-11...7918316&sr=1-8
>
> Are they just effective in transferring heat and searing meats?
> Thanks

If plain cast-iron skillets are a chore for you to maintain, you must be
doing something the hard way. Have you read the admittedly idiosyncratic
bit at http://users.erols.com/jyavins/season.htm ?

I have and use two enameled cast-iron Le Cruset skillets, one the size
of a Wagner #3, the other, a #6. They are enameled white, and so
particularly useful when I need to judge color, as with a roux. They
stain a bit, but periodix bleaching with Chlorox fixes that, and they
are lightly scratched, which doesn't seem to impair their usefulness.
They're nice, but not special. Eggs stick more than in plain cast iron.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

> 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.

On Aug 26, 10:42 pm, wrote:
> 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.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Ray-11...nd/dp/B000IXOO...
>
> Are they just effective in transferring heat and searing meats?
> Thanks

Cast iron skillets and cast iron grill pans are two different thangs.
Coated or uncoated.

"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

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:40:07 -0400, Jerry Avins > wrote:

>If plain cast-iron skillets are a chore for you to maintain, you must be
>doing something the hard way. Have you read the admittedly idiosyncratic
>bit at http://users.erols.com/jyavins/season.htm ?

"If it is very fresh, refrigerated and unprocessed, linseed oil is suitable for
human consumption..."

It's like mineral oil in that regard -- I wouldn't trust any container
(especially from a hardware store!) that does not state "food quality" or
something similar.

-- Larry

On Aug 27, 9:03?am, "Dee Dee" > wrote:
> "Giusi" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
>
>
> > > ha scritto nel messaggio
> oups.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.

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. The only cast
iron cooking professional cooks do is on one of those large griddles
that short order cooks use, but those are never seasoned, in fact
they're scrubbed down to bare metal after each shift, usually with a
block of lava stone. 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.

Sheldon

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

My cast iron pieces are easier to clean after anything done at high
heat (searing, blackening, etc.) than any of my All Clad or French
copper/ss-lined pans.

>Sheldon

Ah, yes -- old Sheldon, who thinks with a bag of rocks.

(How'd you ever get out of the killfile on this laptop??? {plonk})

-- Larry

pltrgyst wrote:
> 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.
>
> >.... 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.
>
>
> Cast iron retains heat better than any other material -- and thus
> reaches higher temperatures

Neither statement is true.

Dee Dee wrote:

...

> 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.

Most of the skillets I see on TV are never-before-used stainless steel.
I bet the production staff people have closets full of used-once cookware.

...

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

pltrgyst wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:40:07 -0400, Jerry Avins > wrote:
>
>> If plain cast-iron skillets are a chore for you to maintain, you must be
>> doing something the hard way. Have you read the admittedly idiosyncratic
>> bit at http://users.erols.com/jyavins/season.htm ?
>
> "If it is very fresh, refrigerated and unprocessed, linseed oil is suitable for
> human consumption..."
>
> It's like mineral oil in that regard -- I wouldn't trust any container
> (especially from a hardware store!) that does not state "food quality" or
> something similar.

I don't use it on salads as cheap flax-seed oil, but I season pans with
it. Once it oxidizes to varnish, it's even more neutral than my dining
room table. Would you avoid eating a bit of food from table finished in
linseed or tung oil?

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Sheldon wrote:
> On Aug 27, 9:03?am, "Dee Dee" > wrote:
>> "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.
>
> 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. The only cast
> iron cooking professional cooks do is on one of those large griddles
> that short order cooks use, but those are never seasoned, in fact
> they're scrubbed down to bare metal after each shift, usually with a
> block of lava stone. 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.

Wow! Those large griddles in diners are seasoned, and if you stone one
down to the point that it looks like freshly-machined metal it will need
to be seasoned again. What's more, many of them are rolled steel plate;
it makes no difference. What matters is that the metal can rust. The
"seasoned" finish of either consists of oxidized and polymerized fat
incorporating black iron oxide. Ask the short-order cook in your
favorite diner.

Professional chefs who have burners as large as pan bottoms prefer the
thinner stamped carbon steel because it heats and cools more quickly.
Home cooks tend to prefer thicker cast iron because it heats much more
easily on our smaller burners.

Read what Mark Bittman, a well known chef and food writer wrote about
cast iron: http://tinyurl.com/c4e6h

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

> wrote in message
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.
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Ray-11...7918316&sr=1-8
>
> Are they just effective in transferring heat and searing meats?
> Thanks
>
Having used both side by side, I don't think the porcelainized cast iron is
quite as good at searing as seasoned cast iron. I think, however, for
searing and deglazing meat the stainless steel cladded copper saute pan is
hard to beat. When we started using that, all the porcelain coated cast iron
saute pans went to Goodwill. We still use the Le Crueset and the Copco cast
iron casserole items for baking.

Kent

constantly struggling with my level of ignorance

"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
>

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:39:08 -0700, "Kent" > wrote:

>> 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].

Agreed. But since all commercially available cast iron pans have greater mass
than available equivalently sized pans of any other material, that distinction
is of pedantic interest only. Cast iron pans retain more heat.

>>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.

Heat retention is just a colloquial term related to heat conductivity. A cast
iron pan has greater thermal mass and thus retains more heat energy than an
equivalently sized pan of aluminum or copper. But with the same surface area,
cast iron will lose heat to the surrounding air at no more than the rate of the
other pan. Thus the cast iron pan will also suffer a smaller temperature drop
for any given cooking load.

It will take cast iron a considerably longer time to reach a given temperature;
that's the primary tradeoff.

-- Larry