I want to cook steak on my new stainless pan

[NetWareHead]

Speaking of quality:

anyone care to point me to a *machined* cast iron pan, something of decent size (12"?) and absolutely smooth?

I have a, what, $20 10" pan from Target (Cephalon), and it's rough cast - as in, taken out of the sand mold and that's it; it has a rough texture to every square inch. Definitely doesn't lend a hand to quality seasoning, cleaning, or perfect anti-stick properties.

I've heard most new pans out there aren't getting the machined surface treatment, and my quick searches haven't turned up anything.

Especially if I'm going to be getting an induction single-burner hot-plate-device, I want to have a really good cast iron to work with.
And that also makes it easier for me to not worry about roughing up the one I have now.

Which, I think I have definitely noticed a center ring of weaker seasoning - thus far, it's only ever known super hot heat from a gas range burner, with it's concentrated heat right in the center.

I don't think you can find that anymore. What made the old pans like griswold so good was how smooth they were. Coupled with a nice seasoning, you were on the road to non-stick heaven faster than CI produced today.

I supposed you could always strip the pan and then machine it with a grinder of some sort.

Your seasoning is opposite my experience. My pans are heavily seasoned in the center and I'm noticed the edges of the pan are not as good as the center. Sometimes the edges get a little gummy if I don't season the pan long enough on the burner and give the edges time to polymerize. Also cooking on a gas stove.

 

[silverpig]

What you say is true, but I can't recall seeing an aluminum pan that's significantly thicker than a cast iron pan. For others, specific heat is based on mass, not volume. While the specific heat of aluminum is about double that of stainless steel & cast iron (which are pretty close to the same), the density is cast iron is nearly 3 times the density of aluminum. Thus, the aluminum pan would have to be significantly thicker than a cast iron pan to contain the same amount of heat.

About 50% thicker... and 50% lighter.

That's why I check how good a pan is by weight. You can get some pretty thick aluminum pans. If I find an aluminum core stainless steel pan that is heavier than my cast iron pan, that's a winner.

 

[jaedaliu]

Speaking of quality:

anyone care to point me to a *machined* cast iron pan, something of decent size (12"?) and absolutely smooth?

I have a, what, $20 10" pan from Target (Calphalon), and it's rough cast - as in, taken out of the sand mold and that's it; it has a rough texture to every square inch. Definitely doesn't lend a hand to quality seasoning, cleaning, or perfect anti-stick properties.

I've heard most new pans out there aren't getting the machined surface treatment, and my quick searches haven't turned up anything.

Especially if I'm going to be getting an induction single-burner hot-plate-device, I want to have a really good cast iron to work with.
And that also makes it easier for me to not worry about roughing up the one I have now.

Which, I think I have definitely noticed a center ring of weaker seasoning - thus far, it's only ever known super hot heat from a gas range burner, with it's concentrated heat right in the center.

Cast iron has pits. You aren't going to find machined cast iron because when you mill off a layer, there will be pits underneath.

You may be able to find something that's bead blasted?

I think your best bet for a good finish is to find one at a yard sale that's been taken care of.

 

[destrekor]

the seasoning will be burnt off at 800 degrees. seasoning is the same stuff as that crud that is burnt off in a self cleaning oven.

Well, it's the same concept (polymers and carbonized gunk), but not every polymer is the same. And I doubt much of an oven is covered in polymers from drying oils like flaxseed, or even the polymers of canola, olive oil, etc.

800ºF might work on some pans to strip seasoning, but is probably not enough for every pan. People season with different things, some even wrongly choosing animal fats like butter (pure butter fat might not be bad, but butter has other things in it you don't want on the pan), or others stuff like Crisco (I did that - I think my next seasoning job will be with flax). And each of those fats create different polymers with heated and oxidized, and most of them should have different breakdown temperatures, at least within a range.
I thoroughly expect no seasoning to survive 1100ºF or more - but if you also regularly use fats while cooking in a seasoned pan, you've probably got enough seasoning to spare that a campfire producing a glowing-red pan won't strip the pan until you've left it at that temperature for hours.

it's anodized aluminum.

How is this to cook with? I'm still getting myself up to speed with all the possibilities in and out of the kitchen, and I've only ever worked with non-stick (teflon or similar) or cast iron now. I could be wrong, and perhaps some of my parents' pans were anodized aluminum, but I doubt it.

Is that a good all-around pan to work with? It seems to be a good steak producer. If it can do everything, I'm game.

 

[destrekor]

Cast iron has pits. You aren't going to find machined cast iron because when you mill off a layer, there will be pits underneath.

You may be able to find something that's bead blasted?

I think your best bet for a good finish is to find one at a yard sale that's been taken care of.

The machining and pits made seasoning even more effective. The more porous the metal is at first, the better it will accept and hold onto seasoning. They used to do it. Now manufacturers skip that step it seems.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Speaking of quality:

anyone care to point me to a *machined* cast iron pan, something of decent size (12"?) and absolutely smooth?

I have a, what, $20 10" pan from Target (Calphalon), and it's rough cast - as in, taken out of the sand mold and that's it; it has a rough texture to every square inch. Definitely doesn't lend a hand to quality seasoning, cleaning, or perfect anti-stick properties.

I've heard most new pans out there aren't getting the machined surface treatment, and my quick searches haven't turned up anything.

Especially if I'm going to be getting an induction single-burner hot-plate-device, I want to have a really good cast iron to work with.
And that also makes it easier for me to not worry about roughing up the one I have now.

Which, I think I have definitely noticed a center ring of weaker seasoning - thus far, it's only ever known super hot heat from a gas range burner, with it's concentrated heat right in the center.

Everyone loves cast iron, well most people do and for some very good reasons. It's durable and cheap and virtually indestructible if not abused. What you are asking for is something which is mutually exclusive in today's world. Good AND cheap? No. That's why getting an old cast iron skillet, and I mean old, is a good option. Griswold is the name people toss about and they are good, but you are looking for functionality, not investment. If you so a search you'll find other companies which made pans at least equal in quality, when the "q" word wasn't just a marketing gimmick.

I've been pimping carbon steel for some time now since I did the experiment and bought a set. DeBuyer is what I have, but there are other companies. They won't be cheap as cast iron, but less than quality clad stainless. Seasoned properly they are as non stick as the best prepared cast iron, and being supremely smooth perhaps better. They are also induction friendly.

 

[waggy]

I always laugh when people who are trained or at least have experience cooking bitch about Alton brown. His shows are not aimed at you.

He is not going to teach you to be a elite cook. he is not going to teach you to be a great cook.

He does introduce you to cooking. he tells the how and why. he gives you the basics of cooking and techniques.

Without AB i wouldn't enjoy cooking as much as i do now. I can sit down and watch a show and understand it. I have tried a few of his cooking recipes and have made some good dish's.

When cooking a steak i prefer the outside webber. The size of the steak decides how i cook it.

IF i want a steak and really don't want to go outside i use the cast iron method and its great. Though i prefer cooking it outside


Ramsey has a youtube show where he shows cooking. its great too! though the types of things he does vs AB is diffrent. AB seems to do more "comfort food" where ramsey does some more higher end type stuff. Both are great!

 

[waggy]

Warping hasn't been an issue. And, I don't take my Griswolds camping with me; just a cheap cast iron pan from wallyworld.

When camping i have a cast iron pan and Had (someone stole it while i was hiking!) a dutch oven. I picked them up at a flee market over 20 years ago (no clue how old they actually are). The set doesn't have a name on them. But over years of abuse of they are still great.

though i want to get another dutch oven. i miss the one i had.

 

[destrekor]

Everyone loves cast iron, well most people do and for some very good reasons. It's durable and cheap and virtually indestructible if not abused. What you are asking for is something which is mutually exclusive in today's world. Good AND cheap? No. That's why getting an old cast iron skillet, and I mean old, is a good option. Griswold is the name people toss about and they are good, but you are looking for functionality, not investment. If you so a search you'll find other companies which made pans at least equal in quality, when the "q" word wasn't just a marketing gimmick.

I've been pimping carbon steel for some time now since I did the experiment and bought a set. DeBuyer is what I have, but there are other companies. They won't be cheap as cast iron, but less than quality clad stainless. Seasoned properly they are as non stick as the best prepared cast iron, and being supremely smooth perhaps better. They are also induction friendly.

Carbon steel... since it's another type of pan that requires seasoning, I'm going to out on a limb and guess it's not a pan type you want to use for anything acidic?

 

[Howard]

Carbon steel... since it's another type of pan that requires seasoning, I'm going to out on a limb and guess it's not a pan type you want to use for anything acidic?

IME acid damages seasoning, or at least vinegar does. I won't say that it will fully remove seasoning though.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Ramsay is allowed to be narcissistic because he's won they 2nd largest amount of Michelin Stars of anyone in history.

None of which he shares with you. The nice thing about Brown is that he does something which was rather unique and that was not to give a list of "do this", but to bring in reasoning to the cooking process. Why does one do a thing? Well, heck, let Ramsay be your brain! Well, that's nice if you go in for that sort of thing, but I've taken time to teach a few people how to do basic things like make an omelette, but not in the way Ramsay did in his video. What I did was to teach the why's and how"s that could be built upon. I didn't teach how to make a dish, I gave a skill set and an understanding which were applied to an omelette and much more. If you understand something you can build on it and that was what Brown does, not run a restaurant. To be fair to Ramsay his preparation and approach was to dumb a thing down to the lowest common denominator, the "wait, food doesn't have to come from a drive through or a box" people, who hopefully will be encouraged to go further, or if not teaching the stupid and lazy how to make a passable piece of meat at home. Ramsay and his restaurants, his stars, his TV shows, and his bank account have absolutely nothing to do with what was shown in that short video and he didn't attempt to present restaurant quality food. That would be beyond the scope of the video and anyone who is a competent cook with experience would know that.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

IME acid damages seasoning, or at least vinegar does. I won't say that it will fully remove seasoning though.

It can damage, however I've found that the addition of an acid as a reduction has not harmed the finish so far. I do not just toss in a tumblerful of vinegar though. That's where stainless is better. There's no finish to ruin and unlike true "non stick" pans supports the formation of a fond. Different tools for different purposes.

 

[uhohs]

They changed their design at some point, I can't tell if these are the same way (not showing the inside of the pan) but they ended up having a very tiny interior flat cooking surface. No larger than a regular 10" pan.

At this point, the Emeril pan looks like the best bet: http://www.amazon.com/Emeril-All-Cla...dp/B001B2NA4E/

And interestingly enough, Amazon offers it for $40, but a 1-2 month delay...hmmm, could be worth the wait if you don't need it ASAP to save $40 off the price.

thanks for the info, my tramontina pans are the 8" and 10" ones from the walmart set, not sure which design they are. I bought that 12" Emeril All-Clad pan last month from amazon for $25, haven't had a chance to use it yet though.

 

[Fritzo]

None of which he shares with you. The nice thing about Brown is that he does something which was rather unique and that was not to give a list of "do this", but to bring in reasoning to the cooking process. Why does one do a thing? Well, heck, let Ramsay be your brain! Well, that's nice if you go in for that sort of thing, but I've taken time to teach a few people how to do basic things like make an omelette, but not in the way Ramsay did in his video. What I did was to teach the why's and how"s that could be built upon. I didn't teach how to make a dish, I gave a skill set and an understanding which were applied to an omelette and much more. If you understand something you can build on it and that was what Brown does, not run a restaurant. To be fair to Ramsay his preparation and approach was to dumb a thing down to the lowest common denominator, the "wait, food doesn't have to come from a drive through or a box" people, who hopefully will be encouraged to go further, or if not teaching the stupid and lazy how to make a passable piece of meat at home. Ramsay and his restaurants, his stars, his TV shows, and his bank account have absolutely nothing to do with what was shown in that short video and he didn't attempt to present restaurant quality food. That would be beyond the scope of the video and anyone who is a competent cook with experience would know that.

Ramsay DOES explain why he does everything he does. What I hate about Brown is he takes the most simple concept and over complicates it with goofy methods and hack ideas. I think this is why the geek crowd likes him so much. I abide by "fresh and simple", and Ramsay's methods fit right in with that.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Brown doesn't pretend he's cooking for customers in a restaurant or use cooking methods that were developed in the 1890s and taught to a million chefs in assembly line culinary schools and kitchens for the past century.

I can't stand Ramsay. Add a pound of butter and everything tastes better. No, it just tastes like butter. He can't cook a damned scrambled egg without adding cream and butter.

 

[destrekor]

Ramsay DOES explain why he does everything he does. What I hate about Brown is he takes the most simple concept and over complicates it with goofy methods and hack ideas. I think this is why the geek crown likes him so much. I abide by "fresh and simple", and Ramsay's methods fit right in with that.

Brown doesn't explain anything with hack ideas. He'll do goofy ideas to demonstrate how you can utilize the fundamental sciences to accomplish similar results in unexpected ways.

Give one example of a hack idea. I guarantee you anyone interested in the science of cooking will be able to find sources that demonstrate how it is reality.

Knowing how proteins respond, how fats respond, how certain tricks with sugar works, how certain additives like lemon interact, what salt does to raw egg, etc etc... it's all there.
It's about giving you the tools to get the most out of less ingredients, for the most part. A lot of it is also simpler, in the grand scheme of things, but it's also not demonstrating how to cook the definitive, four-star winning meal. It's about giving you the knowledge so that you may be able to work with more complex meals without fretting and without getting overwhelmed, while keeping pace with everything.

 

[Bird222]

The machining and pits made seasoning even more effective. The more porous the metal is at first, the better it will accept and hold onto seasoning. They used to do it. Now manufacturers skip that step it seems.

As far as I know, nobody is making smooth cast iron anymore. You will have to find an old used pan from somewhere.

 

[Sulaco]

Hey, I'm just doing to him what he did to me. Fair, no? I'm not about to engage in some meaningful conversation with someone who can add nothing useful.

Um, no. It isn't. And if you believe it is, you're seriously mentally deficient.

I called you out for poo-pooing the technique of an internationally renowned chef with a dismissive and pompous tone , as if you somehow knew better.

At which point it was worth pointing out that in such a case, your credibility comes into question.
Sorry about your fragility.

 

[Howard]

Um, no. It isn't. And if you believe it is, you're seriously mentally deficient.

I called you out for poo-pooing the technique of an internationally renowned chef with a dismissive and pompous tone , as if you somehow knew better.

At which point it was worth pointing out that in such a case, your credibility comes into question.
Sorry about your fragility.

So tell me why you're upset: because you can't refute my earlier statements, or because I don't necessarily hold Ramsay in the same regard as you?

 

[Fritzo]

Brown doesn't pretend he's cooking for customers in a restaurant or use cooking methods that were developed in the 1890s and taught to a million chefs in assembly line culinary schools and kitchens for the past century.

I can't stand Ramsay. Add a pound of butter and everything tastes better. No, it just tastes like butter. He can't cook a damned scrambled egg without adding cream and butter.

I think you're thinking of Paula Deen.

 

[notposting]

For the cast iron, we have some crappy Chinese set we picked up several years ago. Always had trouble seasoning, then when I would get them decently seasoned, I would come home and a guest would be scrubbing the shit out of them with steel wool, soap and hot water (they aren't allowed to cook here anymore).

However, I am very pleased with the flaxseed oil treatment: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

I think you're thinking of Paula Deen.

Well, the butter and cream *are* white, after all.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Ok so I decided that I'm willing to spend a bit more as a long term investment. Is there a huge difference worthy of the price between all clad and emeril ? There's a three piece all clad set for about $300 while $200 can get a 12 piece emeril pro clad set.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Ramsay DOES explain why he does everything he does. What I hate about Brown is he takes the most simple concept and over complicates it with goofy methods and hack ideas. I think this is why the geek crowd likes him so much. I abide by "fresh and simple", and Ramsay's methods fit right in with that.

I don't share your opinion of Brown, but Ramsay doesn't push my angst buttons so the comparisons aren't meaningful to me. You d say Ramsay explains? OK, but in this case no.

 

[CountZero]

Ok so I decided that I'm willing to spend a bit more as a long term investment. Is there a huge difference worthy of the price between all clad and emeril ? There's a three piece all clad set for about $300 while $200 can get a 12 piece emeril pro clad set.

Just went through this and the advice I was given did ring very true. Don't buy sets. Unless you are absolutely sure you will use every pan in a set don't bother with it. A few better pieces you know you'll use is much better than a lot of ok pieces of which you only use a few.

All-clad tends to win out in every category but price. However the difference between all-clad and a step down (but still tri-ply aluminum core) isn't apparently massive. Can't speak to the Emeril set.

 

[mizzou]

I wish people would stop quoting that hack.

Let Mr. Ramsay show you how to cook a steak in 2:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmC9SmCBUj4

wtf, this is a totally different way from another video lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEx9gPhtjzs


Don't turn it! Turn it once

vs

Turn it often to cook it evenly