Common sense cookware.

[worth1]

I thought I would start a thread on cookware and my take on some of it.

The first one is the so called carbon steel skillet.
Just what is it and does it call for such a high price.
First off just what is carbon steel and what's the difference between it and cast iron.
The biggest difference is carbon steel doesn't have as much carbon in it as cast iron but not that much.
It doesn't take that much removed to make maliable iron or steel.
Both can have added ingredients in them during the pouring stage.

But here is my take on it.
There is what you call low carbon steel.
It's still carbon steel but another word for it is mild steel.
Now which one do you think would sell better?
Mild steel cookware.
Low carbon steel cookware.
Or carbon steel cookware.
There are no laws or guidelines regulating what you call this stuff.
The only reason you would want a high carbon steel pan is if you wanted to harden and temper it.
Like you would a knife.

The difference is minimal.
Low carbon is down around .25% or some such thing.
High carbon is around 1%.
Cast iron is I think around 2%.
I may be wrong but I'm really close.
Not that I'm going to go out and buy an expensive pan and hit it with a grinder but you can guage what kind of steel it is with a grinder and look at the sparks.
If it has carbon in it it will have little sparklers exploding in the air.

Low carbon hot rolled steel doesn't turn worth a hoot on a lathe.
But none of this really matters.

What does matter and what they are selling is two facts.
The steel skillets heat faster and more evenly.
Why?
Because low carbon steel conducts energy/heat better than cast iron.
Why?
The amount of carbon in the material.
The more carbon the less conductive it is.
In a nutshell carbon steel or low carbon steel will have a more even temperature throughout the surface.
Is it worth the 100s of dollars some of these people are charging for this stuff?
No way on earth.
The same goes for cast iron unless we're talking about some of the cheap Chinese stuff.

Beware what some manufacturers say about their products to justify the high price.
One actual chef came out on his video and asked these high end pan manufacturers if they could justify why their products were 100s of dollars more expensive than the lodge skillets.
As far as I know none have responded with an honest answer or if at all.
The few I watch use lodge skillets.
On the lodge site the 12 inch carbon steel skillet sells for $49.95.

Lastly the lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet weighs 3.74 pounds more than the 12 inch carbon steel skillet.
I consider the 12 inch skillet to be the workhorse of the kitchen.
Even though the carbon steel skillet has a slightly smaller cooking area.

[worth1]

I did some research and found that the carbon steel skillet thickness can range from 1/16 to 1/8 or some such thing.
The lodge is 12 guage which is .1046.
At this thickness a square foot weighs 4.267 pounds.

The area of a 12 inch circle is 113.0.
Basically what I'm up to is considering making my own steel skillet that has a true 12 inch cooking surface and figuring out what the weight is going to be at any given thickness.
I'll have to TIG weld the sides on and grind down smooth.
Not practical but something I've always wanted to do.

[CrazyAboutOrchids]

I use a variety of cookware but nothing with a factory made 'non-stick' surface. I cook with stainless steel, Le Creuset, Lodge cast iron. I do have one Big Green Egg cast iron pan that I have no idea who manufacturers but it makes a wonderful presentation for Ratatouille.

I own one carbon steel pan; it is a De Buyer Mineral B carbon steel pan. It is 10+ years old, looks 50+ years old, is wonderfully seasoned and I'd never want to be without one in my cooking arsenal.

[worth1]

The Big Green Egg is made in Monterey Mexico.
No idea about their cast iron and I can't find any information on it.
BGE says things like America and North America of which Mexico fits the bill on both.
But zero information on the cast iron.
It could come from South America or some place besides China.
Some of my cast iron comes from South America like my wok and enameled cast iron dutch oven.

[CrazyAboutOrchids]

The Big Green Egg is made in Monterey Mexico.
No idea about their cast iron and I can't find any information on it.
BGE says things like America and North America of which Mexico fits the bill on both.
But zero information on the cast iron.
It could come from South America or some place besides China.
Some of my cast iron comes from South America like my wok and enameled cast iron dutch oven.

BGE - the company, not the product - is known to copycat successful accessories with their own label - made to cheaper standards than the successful originals and market them at higher prices. For example, Ceramic Grill Store - which hails from your lovely state of Texas - came up with the original racking systems which BGE eventually replicated and sells for a far higher price. I assume the cast iron pan I speak of is a Lodge copycat. It is sold simply as a cast iron skillet - I have the 10.5 inch one and it is a great all-around accessory. It's probably the only BGE labeled product that isn't grossly overpriced although the price has increased since I purchased it. It is not as heavy duty as Lodge cast iron though.

[karstopography]

Anything accessory wise BGE brand seems highly marked up. Even their lump charcoal is double many of the competitors prices and BGE charcoal is cut way too fine for what I normally like. Bigger lump charcoal burners hotter and cleaner, in my experience.

I haven’t heard about low carbon steel cookware. I’m not a big fan of stainless steel for some uses as it tends to scorch food more easily, but perhaps that is my fault.

I know very little about cookware which is kind of sad since we cook so much.

[worth1]

Anything accessory wise BGE brand seems highly marked up. Even their lump charcoal is double many of the competitors prices and BGE charcoal is cut way too fine for what I normally like. Bigger lump charcoal burners hotter and cleaner, in my experience.

I haven’t heard about low carbon steel cookware. I’m not a big fan of stainless steel for some uses as it tends to scorch food more easily, but perhaps that is my fault.

I know very little about cookware which is kind of sad since we cook so much.

If you look hard enough they sell big 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick mild steel griddles.
AKA low carbon steel.

[Danny]

Too many people tout themselves as experts on things when they are not at all. Personal preference in cooking tools is a major point. I have disliked the Lodge brand for a long time, finding the products they offer to be cheaply or poorly made, not
priced well. I use old Griswold mostly and stuff from the 1800's for my cast iron. Staub, old Staub, is my preference for enameled CI . Carbon steel, SS, and cheaper enameled fry pans all have a use in my kitchen too.

Lodge once ( maybe still does) made a line of CI with wooden handles-- very poorly thought out design. Wood shrinks and they had trouble with broken handles or splits, leaving people with an item that was not useful. I have had one Lodge skillet, ci, and will not bother with them again. I was cooking on a campfire and the darn thing broke in two sitting on the rack and ruining dinner.

[worth1]

I can't remember ever seeing a lodge skillet with wood handles.
But regardless it just doesn't seem compatible for use as an option for a skillet.
Birmingham stove and range made good stuff but all this stuff isn't made anymore.
And since the big fad for old cast iron is in full gear the prices aren't worth it.

One expert I know of that uses Lodge is Rick Bayless.
You really can't argue with that.

Probably the skillet went through thermal shock and cracked.
Who knows?
Bad casting?
I've been using them all my life and have never had one crack.
Probably have close to 20 Lodge pieces hanging up and in use.
One thing I never do is heat anything up from cold fast.
I let it slowly heat up.
And the same with cooling off.
HEB has a brand of enameled oval dutch oven I'm going to purchase tomorrow if they have the right color.
Under a hundred bucks.
Been wanting one for some time now.

[bower]

I don't know much about cookware either. Cast iron is great but mine are old and need an overhaul to go back into service.
Most of my pans are stainless steel, no special brand.
I bought a couple of no-PFAS nonstick pans called Blue Diamond recently. I think it's a type of ceramic. They don't stick and they heat up really quickly, so using a light burner for those. Not a bad pan.
At the wholesale grocery, they have a lot of aluminum cookware at reasonable prices.
I remember when there was some kind of aluminum scare, we were all getting dementia or something from the pans? I wonder whatever happened with that... Seems like the nonstickery turned out to be the worst of all. As usual...

[Danny]

Yup, Bower, we were all getting dementia from the aluminum and poisoned by the copper pans and bowls, too ! I still have two larger copper bowls that we use often, best for making a quick and fluffed meringue. I usually have one or two non stick pans, but they are cheapies that get replaced more often. For us, the old Wagner and Griswolds, some SS and carbon steel do just fine.

[Rockporter]

I have cast iron too, but my most used is the stainless steel pots and pans I have. They are lighter than the cast iron but that cast iron is my favorite for sure and the best for things like roasting, bread, fried eggs, and pancakes. I have in the past had the nonstick and it is awful stuff for sure. I still use aluminum baking sheets and things but use parchment paper when I do, it sure makes cleanup much easier.

[bower]

Well until recently I had a small nonstick frying pan for making my quick breakfast. It was a 'good' brand (afaik) Paderno but still, all the recent news about PFAS 'forever chemicals' and being bad health news even in tiniest amounts. Well this is why I grabbed the Blue Diamond when I saw it on special - two fry pans one tiny one large for about $35. The small one is just big enough for my two fried eggs.
All my bakeware except for a couple of aluminum pizza pans is coated with the evil stuff so parchment is necessary. Even then you have to watch out for coatings on the parchment itself.
I used to be much more strict about cookware when I had a child in the house, and it was cast iron all the way then. But somehow fell into disuse over the years.
@worth1 I was looking at enameled cast iron which they had a big display of in the grocery store, and I thought I would love to have some of this. But very expensive, so will have to wait til I have a budget for that. I'd love to know what you think of it.

[worth1]

Well until recently I had a small nonstick frying pan for making my quick breakfast. It was a 'good' brand (afaik) Paderno but still, all the recent news about PFAS 'forever chemicals' and being bad health news even in tiniest amounts. Well this is why I grabbed the Blue Diamond when I saw it on special - two fry pans one tiny one large for about $35. The small one is just big enough for my two fried eggs.
All my bakeware except for a couple of aluminum pizza pans is coated with the evil stuff so parchment is necessary. Even then you have to watch out for coatings on the parchment itself.
I used to be much more strict about cookware when I had a child in the house, and it was cast iron all the way then. But somehow fell into disuse over the years.
@worth1 I was looking at enameled cast iron which they had a big display of in the grocery store, and I thought I would love to have some of this. But very expensive, so will have to wait til I have a budget for that. I'd love to know what you think of it.

Is there a link?

[bower]

Well until recently I had a small nonstick frying pan for making my quick breakfast. It was a 'good' brand (afaik) Paderno but still, all the recent news about PFAS 'forever chemicals' and being bad health news even in tiniest amounts. Well this is why I grabbed the Blue Diamond when I saw it on special - two fry pans one tiny one large for about $35. The small one is just big enough for my two fried eggs.
All my bakeware except for a couple of aluminum pizza pans is coated with the evil stuff so parchment is necessary. Even then you have to watch out for coatings on the parchment itself.
I used to be much more strict about cookware when I had a child in the house, and it was cast iron all the way then. But somehow fell into disuse over the years.
@worth1 I was looking at enameled cast iron which they had a big display of in the grocery store, and I thought I would love to have some of this. But very expensive, so will have to wait til I have a budget for that. I'd love to know what you think of it.

Is there a link?

No, I didn't get the brand name either. I meant in general, how it turns out for you and if there is a reliable brand. I know being the latest thing, there are bound to be knock-offs that don't make the grade.

[worth1]

Well until recently I had a small nonstick frying pan for making my quick breakfast. It was a 'good' brand (afaik) Paderno but still, all the recent news about PFAS 'forever chemicals' and being bad health news even in tiniest amounts. Well this is why I grabbed the Blue Diamond when I saw it on special - two fry pans one tiny one large for about $35. The small one is just big enough for my two fried eggs.
All my bakeware except for a couple of aluminum pizza pans is coated with the evil stuff so parchment is necessary. Even then you have to watch out for coatings on the parchment itself.
I used to be much more strict about cookware when I had a child in the house, and it was cast iron all the way then. But somehow fell into disuse over the years.
@worth1 I was looking at enameled cast iron which they had a big display of in the grocery store, and I thought I would love to have some of this. But very expensive, so will have to wait til I have a budget for that. I'd love to know what you think of it.

Is there a link?

No, I didn't get the brand name either. I meant in general, how it turns out for you and if there is a reliable brand. I know being the latest thing, there are bound to be knock-offs that don't make the grade.

Well they had the right color but I didn't get it.
It wasn't bright red but dark red.
I pulled one out enough to see it wasn't actually oval but square oval.
Something weird with the under side of the lid.
Plus the thing was really thick beyond need.
I'm looking for one with a dark ceramic coating on the inside too.

If anything I'll go with Lodge.

[bower]

Definitely worth waiting @worth1 to find one exactly as you wanted.
I have enough experience with cheap cookware to know what goes wrong and can make a pot useless. Warped bottoms... surface that soon cracks, yeah I have had some junk around the kitchen for sure.
My last disappointment was a ceramic set that I bought because the large one actually just barely fit in the toaster oven, and could manage to make dinner for three when my son and DIL were arriving to quarantine here.
It worked and still does, but the smaller square I busted by putting it on the stovetop hoping to make a bit of gravy on low heat. Whoops, a big crack across the bottom. My fault I guess for not reading or remembering instructions? IDK.

[bower]

I was just re-reading what you had to say about the carbon steel. IDK actually if I even have any of that. The old pots for sure are 'stainless steel' but a couple of my bake pans are heavier and better quality.
When I think about that ceramic cast iron stuff, for some reason I keep remembering the axe I got that was made in China. Now that was 'mild steel' for sure. It nicked really easily and couldn't hold a sharp edge well ie not properly tempered.
In the workshop, there are carbon steel bits for dremel and such. Because the material can be tempered and made very hard, tool hard and lasting.
So I'm just imagining that a softer pot might be more prone to warp out?
Or as you mentioned, heat unevenly.
And of course uneven heating might tend to promote warping as well.

[worth1]

@Bower .
Most if not all drill bits are made today of high speed steel.
Not carbon steel.
HSS was invented years ago by two engineers that broke the rules and dreamed it up experimenting.
HSS can be heated up past the color changing from straw up past purple on a grinder without losing it temper.
This made for a huge jump in production in the machine industry.
I have some that has cobalt added as well.
This has been replaced with carbide inserts.

I guess my comment got mixed up a little.
I meant to say that mild steel would heat more evenly than high carbon steel by possibly a tiny bit.
The differences are in the 1 to 2 percent range total carbon anyway and something I wouldn't even consider unless I was tempering the stuff.

[worth1]

I was so disgusted with the oval dutch oven not being oval I had to buy something from the cooking section just to help me get over from my disappointment.

Been desperately needing new measuring cups and spoons after years of using plastic ones.
Obviously with all the chili powders and things I use the old ones look horrible and are stained beyond anything you could imagine.
So I picked up some nice stainless ones.
Naturally I'll lose them within a week.