The best pan for very hot frying

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#2809730 9-Nov-2021 07:55

I have a copper bottom stainless steel pan, it is a pain to get the temp just right, It is very non stick if you season it correctly ( salt and oil )

Same with cast iron but I dont know about the enameled ones. These are probably not suitable as they may scratch the cook top but excellent tips here. https://www.ironcladpan.com/pages/use-and-care

My grandmothers cast iron pan is still going strong and I know there will be a family scrap over it when my uncle passes on.

You have to care for the pan, which ever one you choose. There is no set and forget.

John

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andrewNZ

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#2809742 9-Nov-2021 08:51

As I said, I've had cast iron for about 20 years and it has cooked on every heat type now except wood flame.
It doesn't matter what cook top type I have now, I'll stay with cast iron.

I'm currently using it on induction and it works well. Mine is uncoated.
I do have to be careful how hard I put it down, it's really heavy. The induction hobb is 6 years old now, there are a couple of scratches on it, but I cant be certain where they came from.

Cast iron does take a long time to cool down, and it can get the glass top pretty hot too.

Yoban

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#2809773 9-Nov-2021 10:12

Following with interest.

I have been keen to get my hands on https://www.solidteknics.com/ pans which come in cast iron and stainless to run on my induction hob - both only 3mm thick...

Just waiting to travel again as postage from Australia could be a fair wack....

Currently have https://www.circulon.com.au/circulon-21-25-28cm-skillet-triple-pack.html Also a couple of tefal that are on last legs of which do not work that well on induction and hence on the hunt, especially for a wok/deep pan style.

timmmay

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#2809779 9-Nov-2021 10:32

I had some of the non-induction Circulon pans too - stuck them in a box somewhere. We replaced them with induction compatible models. They wore out only slightly slower than cheaper Tefal.

I suspect best solution for induction is enamel base with cast iron, so it doesn't scratch, but they seem rare. When you find them they're expensive. This one on Amazon AU is $300, but shipping is cheap at about $10. They do have standard cast iron, cheap shipping to NZ, but the base looks like it will scratch the heck out of a glass stove.

fearandloathing

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#2809786 9-Nov-2021 10:45

Is scratching really an issue? I use cast iron on a ceramic cooktop, clean it with a scarper, it’s fine.

timmmay

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#2809789 9-Nov-2021 10:49

fearandloathing: Is scratching really an issue? I use cast iron on a ceramic cooktop, clean it with a scarper, it’s fine.

I don't know. Someone mentioned it earlier in the thread.

fearandloathing

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#2809798 9-Nov-2021 11:12

timmmay:
fearandloathing: Is scratching really an issue? I use cast iron on a ceramic cooktop, clean it with a scarper, it’s fine.

I don't know. Someone mentioned it earlier in the thread.

I wouldn’t worry about it, I don’t think it’s a thing.

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timmmay

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#2809800 9-Nov-2021 11:19

fearandloathing: I wouldn’t worry about it, I don’t think it’s a thing.

I think opinions vary. This page says

"Though cast iron skillets are induction-compatible, their rough and porous bottoms can easily scratch the glass-ceramic surface of your induction cooktop. A better choice of cookware would be induction-friendly stainless steel or non-stick."

I also read this:

"You can use some sandpaper to smooth the skillet out. However there is another problem, assuming as the metal heats up, some of the seasoning oil becomes liquid again, this leaves hard to remove stains on the glass cooktop"

mdf

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#2809812 9-Nov-2021 11:55

timmmay:

<snip>

I suspect best solution for induction is enamel base with cast iron, so it doesn't scratch, but they seem rare. When you find them they're expensive. This one on Amazon AU is $300, but shipping is cheap at about $10. They do have standard cast iron, cheap shipping to NZ, but the base looks like it will scratch the heck out of a glass stove.

You can get Le Creuset from a lot of places - it's a really good brand. It's even available via Fly Buys if you have points to offset the cost.

We've got a few and can confirm that the bottom is as smooth as anything else. The are some words stamped in to the bottom so maybe that could eventually become a sharp edge if you weren't careful? Glass is pretty tough to scratch though. As someone said earlier, you do need to be careful about putting them down gently though. There is quite some heft to them and I'd imagine dropping one on the cooktop due to burny fingers probably wouldn't end well.

mdf

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#2809814 9-Nov-2021 11:59

Gee, you're right, shipping is dirt cheap from Amazon AU! Which is a surprise, because they weight a lot! The Lodge stuff is dirt cheap on Amazon but was always prohibitively expensive to ship last I checked. This is the brand of choice for Youtubers buying a c. $50 - $100 cast iron skillet and polishing it up themselves to a c.$500 product.

timmmay

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#2809824 9-Nov-2021 12:41

@mdf Le Creuset has cast iron with enamel bottom? Or something else? Can't see on Flybuys, just non-stick and SS. Shipping from Amazon AU is pretty great value, cheaper than shipping from NZ places. I'm finding that they take 2 - 5 days to prepare the order, then it arrives in NZ 2-4 days later.

andrewNZ

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#2809867 9-Nov-2021 13:48

Cast iron does bake some oil onto the glass, but it's easy to remove with a razor scraper. It doesn't bake it in anywhere near as badly as a ceramic cooktop does.

mdf

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#2809950 9-Nov-2021 16:40

We've got the ribbed equivalent of this one (for steaks). Enamelled exterior and cast iron interior: https://store.flybuys.co.nz/store/le-creuset-cast-iron-26cm-signature-skillet

From what others have said in this thread, this might not be great for something acidic like tomatoes. We only use this one for steak and similar.

We've also got a larger version of this one: https://store.flybuys.co.nz/store/le-creuset-cast-iron-signature-saucepan. Larger one doesn't seem to be available on Flybuys though. Though it says a saucepan, I use this to happily fry onions, garlic etc. before adding stuff to make a sauce in a single pot.

Handle9

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#2809953 9-Nov-2021 16:50

timmmay:

@mdf Le Creuset has cast iron with enamel bottom? Or something else? Can't see on Flybuys, just non-stick and SS. Shipping from Amazon AU is pretty great value, cheaper than shipping from NZ places. I'm finding that they take 2 - 5 days to prepare the order, then it arrives in NZ 2-4 days later.

Farmers look to have some baccarat pans that look the part.

Baccarat Le Connoisseur Round Frypan, 26cm, Red $139.99

mortonman

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#2809962 9-Nov-2021 17:41

my 2 cents worth

Bought 2 new circulons when we remodelled the kitchen a couple of years ago. Moved from gas to induction.

The circulon set was about $250 and both sizes started sticking within months. The lady at stevens where i bought them said you cant heat them up too much but whats the point of a frying pan if it sweats food rather than fries it.

We picked up a cheap kmart frying pan for $26 when we stayed in a bach one weekend. Its now been our go to ever since. After a year its starting to stick slightly but at $26 who cares. We already have another waiting in the wings. The kmart one has a nice heavy base and metal handle so it can go in oven if needed.

I also bought a cast iron a few months ago ( about $60 from Stevens) but the centre of the pan has risen so the heat is mainly round the sides so its not as good as expected but just use it for steak when the bbq is out of action in the winter months.

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