Guest guest Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 I used to use cast iron pans all the time but I put them away a long time ago for stainless steel. The waterless stainless steel people at the craft shows changed my mind when they wiped them and wiped off black stuff! I didn't want to ingest that! What is that black stuff anyway? I just bought an enameled stock pot and look forward to using it this week. ~Del > I've got several enameled cast iron pots - they do not cook the same and sit > in my cabinet getting dusty. But you may be right that the other is not > good for you - I don't know for sure on that. > RE: Best frypan for frying in ? > > > - > > Certainly from a convenience and ease-of-cooking perspective, cast iron is > best, but I think the drawbacks -- the layer of oxidized fat caused by > seasoning, and the extra iron added to food -- are too serious, so I > prefer > enameled cast iron, even though it looses the non-stick quality. > > >I don't think anything compares either to cooking steaks, hamburgers or > >frying. They hold heat much better and more evenly. > > > > - > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 In a message dated 11/18/03 1:30:58 AM Eastern Standard Time, BrenRuble@... writes: > I suspect when people started tossing their cast iron cookware aside for > teflon is when we had to start fortifying everything with iron! Actually I think that was when they started taking iron out food ;-) (i.e. refining flour). I get lots of iron, but don't consider pans a good source of it. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2003 Report Share Posted November 18, 2003 ROFL........ well how many centuries did ppl cook with cast iron and were healthy as ? _____ From: BrenRuble@... [mailto:BrenRuble@...] Sent: Tuesday, 18 November 2003 4:29 PM Subject: Re: Best frypan for frying in ? I suspect when people started tossing their cast iron cookware aside for teflon is when we had to start fortifying everything with iron! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 - I'm in the same boat as you, except I just bought a cast-iron pan. It was $9.99 at Target for a 11 " or 12 " cast iron pan. I was a little hesitant to buy it because it was medium gray and I thought all cast iron pans were black. I guess iron really is gray to start out with. Anyway, the pan is great, and I did in fact season it with lard! The label said " don't use margarine or butter, oil only " but I said screw that, I'm not letting oil touch this--after all, the " seasoning " is mostly grease that coats the pan and lard will stand up to heat without going rancid longer than anything. (It wasn't actually lard lard, it was bacon drippings, which I collect and put into a container and keep in the fridge...so " smoked lard " .) Anyway, I scoffed at the seasoning instructions (put in oven at 300? degrees for an hour) and just fired up a burner on my gas range. Well after about 5 minutes the thing smelled REALLY bad. I don't know if it was just the lard or just the bare iron reacting with the flame, but it smelled almost chemically. So I took it off the burner and put it in the oven (later) and it fared better. Just a hint of that bad smell. Now it's still grey (although darkening a little) and it smells fine when I cook with it. Beware these things are VERY HEAVY. I lift weights and had trouble holding up the pan in one hand and tilting it to pour off juice...couldn't hold it there for more than a few seconds. Well, it will strengthen my wrist muscles to pump iron. I also saw the pre-seasoned cast iron pans (at Bed Bath & Beyond) and also stayed away from them. I'm positive they use non-animal oil, in this day and age (sad as it is). They were more expensive too. The only thing they had going for them was a little handle diametrically opposite the main handle, which is handy given the weight (two hands would be much easier). Look for a non-seasoned cast-iron pan with that kind of handle. Thanks to the others who posted about the ribbed cast-iron pans for searing meat. They had those at Target too, so I'm going to go back and pick up a second for $9.99.... Tom > > Lodge cast iron ribbed pan. They are very inexpensive. I think I paid > > around $15 for mine. I put it in the oven to warm it first then put it on the > > stove top on a high setting. Toss the steak on it, salt and pepper the top side > > and cook it until it gets the charcoal/black ridges on the down side (about a > > minute or so) flip it to the other side then finish it in the oven. You get a > > steak that's similar to that of steakhouses. Seared on the outside, while > > pink in the middle. > > I looked at this pan at the store, and it was pre-seasoned. I waited to buy it > because I was nervous what they preseasoned it with. Does anybody know? > All the cast-iron stuff also said to only use veg. oil to season with. Why is this? > I would think lard would work better, and not smoke when you heated it high. > Would olive oil work? or would it make everything taste like olive oil? Thanks > for any info you guys can give me... I really want to switch over to cast iron. > And not just because teflon may be dangerous. You just can't get a good sear > with non-stick, and I find that no matter how careful I am, I can't keep my > expensive non-sticks from getting scratched and deteriorating. (I'm not the only > one who uses them...:-) ) > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 How do you like the Scanpan? Does it heat evenly and cook well? Is it truly non-stick? I just checked their website and it sounds pretty neat. Must be light, with the aluminum and titanium, unless there's a high proportion of ceramic in the pan. Tom > Cast iron is what we use. We also use Scanpan which is a titanium pan. > > Elainie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 The layer of oxidized fat (although if you don't use vegetable oils, I'm not sure how oxidized it gets) is very hardened and probably doesn't leach into the food any more than synthetic non-stick materials leach into food, which is very little. Probably on the order of milligrams. Secondly, that layer of grease is in between the iron and your food. I wouldn't worry about the iron. I did just buy a cast-iron pan and the food has a hint of iron, which actually tastes good. Maybe it would taste bad it my body was overloaded on iron... Tom > - > > Certainly from a convenience and ease-of-cooking perspective, cast iron is > best, but I think the drawbacks -- the layer of oxidized fat caused by > seasoning, and the extra iron added to food -- are too serious, so I prefer > enameled cast iron, even though it looses the non-stick quality. > > >I don't think anything compares either to cooking steaks, hamburgers or > >frying. They hold heat much better and more evenly. > > > > - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 --- In , " Tom " <cassiusdio@g...> wrote: > - I'm in the same boat as you, except I just bought a > cast-iron pan. > > It was $9.99 at Target for a 11 " or 12 " cast iron pan. I was a > little hesitant to buy it because it was medium gray and I thought > all cast iron pans were black. I think the chemical coating they put on the cast iron pans to keep them from rusting while on the store shelf tends to make them look grayer. I'm not sure though. > I guess iron really is gray to start out with. Anyway, the pan > is great, and I did in fact season it with lard! The label said > " don't use margarine or butter, oil only " but I said screw that, They're actually only precluding butter or margarine because those contain water and non-fat solids which will splatter and burn, not because they're particularly opposed to solid fats being used for seasoning. > I'm not letting oil touch this--after all, the " seasoning " is > mostly grease that coats the pan and lard will stand up to heat > without going rancid longer than anything. There's probably little oxidized fat left in the seasoning, if any. The seasoning is made up of _carbonized_ fats and other substances from the food cooked in the pan. Remember that steel is iron with carbon added. You're creating your own little non-stick alloy on the surface of the pan. > Anyway, I scoffed at the seasoning instructions (put in oven at > 300? degrees for an hour) and just fired up a burner on my gas > range. Well after about 5 minutes the thing smelled REALLY bad. > I don't know if it was just the lard or just the bare iron > reacting with the flame, but it smelled almost chemically. Many manufacturers coat their iron pans with a chemical sealant to protect them from moisture, and thus rusting while on the store shelf. The instructions usually warn you to thoroughly scrub this coating off before attempting to season them. This may be what was stinking. The easiest way I've found to season new pans is to start out using them for deep frying only. I leave the fat in the pan after the frying is done, and until the next time I use it. I only pour it out when the fat becomes too dirty and damaged for any further use. Even then, I only wipe it out with a paper towel, without any water, and certainly never any soap. After two or three months of being used this way, it's well-seasoned and ready for other uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 > What does " fauna from heaven " mean? Do you mean it tasted > something like meat or poultry? I think the phrase should have been " manna from heaven, " a biblical reference. Lynn S. garden variety pagan who knows a number of sacred texts... ----- Lynn Siprelle * Writer, Mother, Programmer, Fiber Artisan The New Homemaker: http://www.newhomemaker.com/ Siprelle & Associates: http://www.siprelle.com/ People-Powered ! http://www.deanforamerica.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 UGH. That's what I feared--a chemical coating. Well, I did clean well with soap as directed, but it still smelled awful. The label mentioned nothing about a coating. It stopped smelling after the second or third heating. Come to think of it, I've had a few minor headaches the past week since I started using the pan...who knows? Thanks for the info, . That's very interesting about carbonized fats...I'll have to read up on that! Tom > > - I'm in the same boat as you, except I just bought a > > cast-iron pan. > > > > It was $9.99 at Target for a 11 " or 12 " cast iron pan. I was a > > little hesitant to buy it because it was medium gray and I thought > > all cast iron pans were black. > > I think the chemical coating they put on the cast iron pans > to keep them from rusting while on the store shelf tends to > make them look grayer. I'm not sure though. > > > I guess iron really is gray to start out with. Anyway, the pan > > is great, and I did in fact season it with lard! The label said > > " don't use margarine or butter, oil only " but I said screw that, > > They're actually only precluding butter or margarine because > those contain water and non-fat solids which will splatter > and burn, not because they're particularly opposed to solid > fats being used for seasoning. > > > I'm not letting oil touch this--after all, the " seasoning " is > > mostly grease that coats the pan and lard will stand up to heat > > without going rancid longer than anything. > > There's probably little oxidized fat left in the seasoning, > if any. The seasoning is made up of _carbonized_ fats and > other substances from the food cooked in the pan. Remember > that steel is iron with carbon added. You're creating your > own little non-stick alloy on the surface of the pan. > > > Anyway, I scoffed at the seasoning instructions (put in oven at > > 300? degrees for an hour) and just fired up a burner on my gas > > range. Well after about 5 minutes the thing smelled REALLY bad. > > I don't know if it was just the lard or just the bare iron > > reacting with the flame, but it smelled almost chemically. > > Many manufacturers coat their iron pans with a chemical > sealant to protect them from moisture, and thus rusting > while on the store shelf. The instructions usually warn > you to thoroughly scrub this coating off before attempting > to season them. This may be what was stinking. > > The easiest way I've found to season new pans is to start > out using them for deep frying only. I leave the fat in > the pan after the frying is done, and until the next time > I use it. I only pour it out when the fat becomes too > dirty and damaged for any further use. Even then, I only > wipe it out with a paper towel, without any water, and > certainly never any soap. After two or three months of > being used this way, it's well-seasoned and ready for other > uses. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 Tom- Scanpan is the very nicest teflon pan you could ever get -- it heats evenly, you can use metal utensils because of the titanium, etc. But it still has just about all the drawbacks of teflon. >How do you like the Scanpan? Does it heat evenly and cook well? Is it >truly non-stick? I just checked their website and it sounds pretty >neat. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 In a message dated 11/18/03 11:40:35 PM Eastern Standard Time, liberty@... writes: > There's probably little oxidized fat left in the seasoning, > if any. The seasoning is made up of _carbonized_ fats and > other substances from the food cooked in the pan. Remember > that steel is iron with carbon added. You're creating your > own little non-stick alloy on the surface of the pan. What is a " carbonized " fat? I guess I haven't gotten that far in orgo yet. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 In a message dated 11/19/03 10:12:21 PM Eastern Standard Time, liberty@... writes: > nything organic, when burned at sufficiently > high heat, leaves mostly carbon as a deposit. > When I read your question though, I wondered > if there wasn't something other than what I > was talking about, known as " carbonized fat " , So then it's not so much that the fat has become " carbonized " as the fat has left carbon in another form? Like, dehydrogenated then? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 > > What is a " carbonized " fat? I guess I haven't gotten that far > in orgo yet. Anything organic, when burned at sufficiently high heat, leaves mostly carbon as a deposit. When I read your question though, I wondered if there wasn't something other than what I was talking about, known as " carbonized fat " , and if I wasn't using the term incorrectly. So I did a google search and I'm glad I did, because in the process I came across a very informative article about seasoning cast iron at http://www.melindalee.com/Cast-Iron.html . It seems that I was wrong about there being no difference between solid fats and liquid oils for seasoning. Apparently liquid vegetable oils _are_ better for this purpose. Here's a quote from the page " Rub a relatively thin coat of oil all over the piece with the fingertips. Animal fats are not really suitable, as the carbon formed is usually quite soft, not nearly as hard as vegetable oils. " There's alot more other detailed information about seasoning and using cast iron pans on the page too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 - This strikes me as highly improbable, since cast iron cookware was being seasoned and used long before vegetable oils were widely available. >Animal fats are not >really suitable, as the carbon formed is usually >quite soft, not nearly as hard as vegetable oils. " - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 > > So then it's not so much that the fat has become " carbonized " > as the fat has left carbon in another form? Yes, that's _my_ understanding, but I thought you were the chemist here. I think saying " carbonized fat " is like saying " fossilized dinosaur " . The fossil's not really a dinosaur anymore, just minerals in the shape of one. I assume that carbonized fat is likewise completely, or at least mostly, carbon without any actual fat left. > Like, dehydrogenated then? Well, as I understand it, it's not a fat of any sort anymore, hydrogenated or otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 --- In , Idol <Idol@c...> wrote: > > > " Animal fats are not really suitable, as the carbon formed > > is usually quite soft, not nearly as hard as vegetable oils. " > > - > > This strikes me as highly improbable, since cast iron cookware > was being seasoned and used long before vegetable oils were > widely available. That only means that cast iron was probably _originally_ seasoned with solid fats, or whatever fats people were using, not that it was the _best_ thing with which to season them. Although olive oil may well have been the first fat to go into iron pans in some places. The way of doing something discovered first, doesn't often turn out in the long run to be the best way of doing it. As I understand it, it's purely a matter of chemistry. If the page I cited is correct, then burning vegetable oils results in a harder and smoother layer of carbon for seasoning pans than burning solid fats does. Also note that since the fat is reduced to nearly pure carbon, any concerns about consuming one type of fat or another don't really come into the picture. Don't think of the fat being used for this purpose as a food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 Considering how often a skillet / frypan is used in the kitchen I can think of few things worse than vegetable oils and iron oxide as the base used to cook on. DMM --- In , " wtsdv " <liberty@p...> wrote: > --- In , ChrisMasterjohn@a... wrote: > > > > What is a " carbonized " fat? I guess I haven't gotten that far > > in orgo yet. > > Anything organic, when burned at sufficiently > high heat, leaves mostly carbon as a deposit. > When I read your question though, I wondered > if there wasn't something other than what I > was talking about, known as " carbonized fat " , > and if I wasn't using the term incorrectly. > So I did a google search and I'm glad I did, > because in the process I came across a very > informative article about seasoning cast iron > at http://www.melindalee.com/Cast-Iron.html . > It seems that I was wrong about there being no > difference between solid fats and liquid oils > for seasoning. Apparently liquid vegetable > oils _are_ better for this purpose. Here's a > quote from the page > > " Rub a relatively thin coat of oil all over the > piece with the fingertips. Animal fats are not > really suitable, as the carbon formed is usually > quite soft, not nearly as hard as vegetable oils. " > > There's alot more other detailed information > about seasoning and using cast iron pans on the > page too. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 > > Considering how often a skillet / frypan is used in the kitchen I > can think of few things worse than vegetable oils and iron oxide as > the base used to cook on. But again, unless you fear getting a " homeopathic " dose of vegetable oil or iron oxide, you're not likely to get a significant amount of either one. What you're in fact getting is _carbon_, the same substance you get in much larger amounts when cooking over a camp fire or charcoal. Although, unless your eggs, or whatever, are coming out black, or even just grey, you're getting no significant amount of that either. Keep in mind too, that ancient pottery used for frying, or even the flat stones that were propped over a fire for the same purpose, would have quickly develop a similarly carbonized surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 While this may or may not be theoretically true. It seems that since there are clearly choices that do NOT present ANY downside such as I have mentioned that simple avoidance of said materials would be simple and wise. If a pan were made of cyanide or botulism and there were a proven and reliable way to neutralize their effects so one may use said pan I'd still probably avoid such a pan anyway. Why court a problem that can be completely avoided with total ease. Considering that this is a tool that has my food in it every single day I'd prefer to simply use one that has no downside no matter what I do to it. DMM > > > > Considering how often a skillet / frypan is used in the kitchen I > > can think of few things worse than vegetable oils and iron oxide as > > the base used to cook on. > > But again, unless you fear getting a " homeopathic " dose > of vegetable oil or iron oxide, you're not likely to get > a significant amount of either one. What you're in fact > getting is _carbon_, the same substance you get in much > larger amounts when cooking over a camp fire or charcoal. > Although, unless your eggs, or whatever, are coming out > black, or even just grey, you're getting no significant > amount of that either. Keep in mind too, that ancient > pottery used for frying, or even the flat stones that were > propped over a fire for the same purpose, would have quickly > develop a similarly carbonized surface. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 - Regardless of whether or not the layer is mostly pure carbon, I'm sure there are still plenty of impurities, and I'm sure a little of the coating is absorbed into every meal. >Also note >that since the fat is reduced to nearly pure carbon, - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 > > While this may or may not be theoretically true. It seems that > since there are clearly choices that do NOT present ANY downside > such as I have mentioned that simple avoidance of said materials > would be simple and wise. If a pan were made of cyanide or > botulism and there were a proven and reliable way to neutralize > their effects so one may use said pan I'd still probably avoid > such a pan anyway. I don't really see there being any down sides to cast iron. I've never heard that a trace amount of iron oxide was harm- ful, and almost everyone occasionally fries with vegetable oil of some sort, if only olive oil. Although even if one uses only solid fats, those aren't 100% saturated fat either. There's a fraction of fats in them no less damaged at frying temperatures than vegetables oils. Refer to our discussion of the liquid fraction of ghee, and that about the practice of hydrogenating grocery-store lard, (commercially) necessary for that small fraction of the lard that isn't already naturally saturated. The amount of damaged fat from this source alone is astronomically larger than the few molecules of oxidized fat that might linger in the surface of the pan from seasoning. > Why court a problem that can be completely avoided with total ease. > Considering that this is a tool that has my food in it every single > day I'd prefer to simply use one that has no downside no matter > what I do to it. But which kind of pan would that be (I'm sorry if you already mentioned and I didn't notice)? People worry about tin from tin-lined copper pans, nickel from stainless steel pans, lead from ceramics, and teflon goes without saying. Also, besides the teflon, most of these other materials, and enamelled metal as well, create problems with sticking. What do you use, stone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 - >I've never heard that a trace amount of iron oxide was harm- >ful, Excess inorganic iron is clearly linked with heart disease. >and almost everyone occasionally fries with vegetable oil of some sort, if >only olive oil. So what? Almost everyone regularly eats hydrogenated oils. >Although even if one uses only solid fats, those aren't 100% saturated fat >either. There's a fraction of fats in them no less damaged at frying >temperatures than vegetables oils. This is just an argument against using seasoned cast iron at all. >But which kind of pan would that be (I'm sorry if you already >mentioned and I didn't notice)? People worry about tin from >tin-lined copper pans, nickel from stainless steel pans, lead >from ceramics, and teflon goes without saying. Enamel works very nicely for almost everything, though not, I admit, for scrambled eggs. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 --- In , Idol <Idol@c...> wrote: > - > > >I've never heard that a trace amount of iron oxide was harm- > >ful, > > Excess inorganic iron is clearly linked with heart disease. That's one for you then, but how much iron is excessive, and are iron pans really the source of it? People have been using cast iron for centuries with no apparent problems. > > and almost everyone occasionally fries with vegetable oil of > > some sort, if only olive oil. > > So what? Almost everyone regularly eats hydrogenated oils. My point is that someone who even occasionally frys with vegetable oil, gets astronomically more damaged fats than could ever be got from the seasoning on a cast iron pan, and so shouldn't worry on this point. Though see below about solid fats as well. > > Although even if one uses only solid fats, those aren't 100% > > saturated fat either. There's a fraction of fats in them no > > less damaged at frying temperatures than vegetables oils. > > This is just an argument against using seasoned cast iron at all. No, if anything it would be an argument against cooking with _fats_ at all. The damage to the small unsaturated fraction of solid fats mentioned here happens in any kind of pan. So if one does fry with solid fats, and isn't concerned about consuming the small amount of damaged fat which that entails, then it makes no sense that they would fear the few molecules possibly left over from the vegetable oil used for seasoning, which happened, depending on how long one has owned the pan, often years before. > Enamel works very nicely for almost everything, though not, I > admit, for scrambled eggs. Well that's good for you then if you like enamel. I hate it. It chips far too easily and then you get all kinds of iron oxide, unless the food in it is constantly monitored and kept moving, it sticks and burns almost instantly, and it's not heavy enough for even heating and thus the proper cooking of many sorts of things. If you can make it work for you though, I'm glad to hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 If we were discussing a pan that was used 3 times a year your points would be well taken however at least in our house this is the MOST used pan every day. I see no reason to for there to be ANY downside at all for the most popular pan in the house regardless of how small. There are plenty of other " bad " things we cannot control. Using a 100% safe piece of cookware daily is one of them. Vegetable oil compared to the amount of pufa in butter or lard or coconut oil is an absurd comparison. We as a culture have MASSIVE overexposure to Iron from all of the mandated " enriched " foods. Few if any modern westerners are in need of any more iron. Excess iron is a great way to rust. DMM > > > > While this may or may not be theoretically true. It seems that > > since there are clearly choices that do NOT present ANY downside > > such as I have mentioned that simple avoidance of said materials > > would be simple and wise. If a pan were made of cyanide or > > botulism and there were a proven and reliable way to neutralize > > their effects so one may use said pan I'd still probably avoid > > such a pan anyway. > > I don't really see there being any down sides to cast iron. > I've never heard that a trace amount of iron oxide was harm- > ful, and almost everyone occasionally fries with vegetable > oil of some sort, if only olive oil. Although even if one > uses only solid fats, those aren't 100% saturated fat either. > There's a fraction of fats in them no less damaged at frying > temperatures than vegetables oils. Refer to our discussion > of the liquid fraction of ghee, and that about the practice > of hydrogenating grocery-store lard, (commercially) necessary > for that small fraction of the lard that isn't already naturally > saturated. The amount of damaged fat from this source alone > is astronomically larger than the few molecules of oxidized > fat that might linger in the surface of the pan from seasoning. > > > Why court a problem that can be completely avoided with total ease. > > Considering that this is a tool that has my food in it every single > > day I'd prefer to simply use one that has no downside no matter > > what I do to it. > > But which kind of pan would that be (I'm sorry if you already > mentioned and I didn't notice)? People worry about tin from > tin-lined copper pans, nickel from stainless steel pans, lead > from ceramics, and teflon goes without saying. Also, besides > the teflon, most of these other materials, and enamelled metal > as well, create problems with sticking. What do you use, stone? > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 what kind of Pan do u use DMM? does it make any diff if your steak is on the pan no more than liek 3 mintues ? ( making it VERY rare ) _____ From: Dr. Marasco [mailto:mmarasco@...] Sent: Friday, 21 November 2003 7:33 AM Subject: Re: Best frypan for frying in ? If we were discussing a pan that was used 3 times a year your points would be well taken however at least in our house this is the MOST used pan every day. I see no reason to for there to be ANY downside at all for the most popular pan in the house regardless of how small. There are plenty of other " bad " things we cannot control. Using a 100% safe piece of cookware daily is one of them. Vegetable oil compared to the amount of pufa in butter or lard or coconut oil is an absurd comparison. We as a culture have MASSIVE overexposure to Iron from all of the mandated " enriched " foods. Few if any modern westerners are in need of any more iron. Excess iron is a great way to rust. DMM > > > > While this may or may not be theoretically true. It seems that > > since there are clearly choices that do NOT present ANY downside > > such as I have mentioned that simple avoidance of said materials > > would be simple and wise. If a pan were made of cyanide or > > botulism and there were a proven and reliable way to neutralize > > their effects so one may use said pan I'd still probably avoid > > such a pan anyway. > > I don't really see there being any down sides to cast iron. > I've never heard that a trace amount of iron oxide was harm- > ful, and almost everyone occasionally fries with vegetable > oil of some sort, if only olive oil. Although even if one > uses only solid fats, those aren't 100% saturated fat either. > There's a fraction of fats in them no less damaged at frying > temperatures than vegetables oils. Refer to our discussion > of the liquid fraction of ghee, and that about the practice > of hydrogenating grocery-store lard, (commercially) necessary > for that small fraction of the lard that isn't already naturally > saturated. The amount of damaged fat from this source alone > is astronomically larger than the few molecules of oxidized > fat that might linger in the surface of the pan from seasoning. > > > Why court a problem that can be completely avoided with total ease. > > Considering that this is a tool that has my food in it every single > > day I'd prefer to simply use one that has no downside no matter > > what I do to it. > > But which kind of pan would that be (I'm sorry if you already > mentioned and I didn't notice)? People worry about tin from > tin-lined copper pans, nickel from stainless steel pans, lead > from ceramics, and teflon goes without saying. Also, besides > the teflon, most of these other materials, and enamelled metal > as well, create problems with sticking. What do you use, stone? > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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