Safe and environmentally respoonsible non-stick skillet-Do they exist?

[kayte]

I had great hopes for the Green Pan I had heard so much about but it seems there are lots of problems with the shallow coating (peeling, etc)... I guess I am lucky the Macy's was always out of stock when I was there to buy one.

So is there anything else? I need a skillet for bacon, eggs, french toast--that kind of stuff....

TIA

[kayte]

I found this article form the NYTimes

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/dining/07pans.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=burros%20creuset&st=nyt&scp=2


It recommends Le Creuset enameled cast-iron. Anyone have an enamled cast iron skillet?

[ThreeofUs]

I found this article form the NYTimes

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/dining/07pans.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=burros%20creuset&st=nyt&scp=2


It recommends Le Creuset enameled cast-iron. Anyone have an enamled cast iron skillet?


Try http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/08curi.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=pans&st=cse

This is a little newer and really goes into the pans now available on the market.

The author's basic recommendation:
"So what to do about getting pots and pans that work best? Choose the ones that you like, for their heft or their lightness, for cachet or economy, for finickiness or ease. Mind the rippling oil. And cook with them often."

I have an enamelled cast iron Le Creuset, and I love it. It does, however, share the same issue with my cast iron and other, supposedly not-bad-for-you "non-stick" pans that are currently on the market. They all have some stickiness problems when over-cleaned.

Good luck! :)

[ohiomom1121]

PLEASE do not buy Green Pans! They are the biggest waste of money. I just sent a letter to Good Housekeeping to request a refund since they somehow have the Good Housekeeping Seal. They are such a joke and I made the mistake of wasting $200 on them. UGH. I actually have a set of Martha Stewart hard anodized non stick pans that works much better. And I have heard great things about the Costco hard anodized pans too. Unfortunately I have no idea about the environmentally friendly aspect, just that Green Pans are not the answer!!!

[clb]

I have several cast iron pans though not Le Creuset 's enameled cast-iron. Once they are seasoned, they need very little if any additional oil.

We clean it using boiling water, no soap.

[brittone2]

I have several cast iron pans though not Le Creuset 's enameled cast-iron. Once they are seasoned, they need very little if any additional oil.



:yeahthat:

We use hot water and a little pampered chef plastic scraper thingie to clean, or if there is really some stuck on stuff, we scrub a little with a damp cloth and some coarse sea salt or Kosher salt. It sounds tougher than it is.

I find most stuff does not stick to seasoned cast iron. We have a two burner griddle that works fine with pancakes, etc. if you just add a little oil to the surface first. There's a bit of a learning curve but it works great. We don't own any Teflon anymore and I honestly don't miss it.

[JTsMom]

We love our non-enameled cast iron here. I haven't tried enameled yet, but I'm telling you, you couldn't pry our cast iron out of my hands if you tried. LOL

[Sillygirl]

I know the cleaning recs for cast iron - no soap, scrub with salt, etc. But I never feel as though I'm getting them clean enough. Why would it be okay to leave a residue of stir-fry in the pan?

[brittone2]

I know the cleaning recs for cast iron - no soap, scrub with salt, etc. But I never feel as though I'm getting them clean enough. Why would it be okay to leave a residue of stir-fry in the pan?

I think it is because cast iron gets so, so, so hot. You shouldn't leave any *food* residue, but the seasoning comes from the buildup of oil over time.

Our favorite is a family one passed down from DH's grandparents...it is super, super slick. THe new Lodge ones (we have one of those) have more texture to the surface. The family one we have is like glass...super slick.

My parents had one cast iron skillet when I was growing up and I used to flip out about how gross it was to not use soap. LOL. Now I don't use soap on mine.

[kijip]

We love our non-enameled cast iron here. I haven't tried enameled yet, but I'm telling you, you couldn't pry our cast iron out of my hands if you tried. LOL

:yeahthat:

Ours are well seasoned and nothing ever sticks.

[JBaxter]

My favorite is my cast iron my grandmother gave me. The pan is probably older than I am

[gatorsmom]

I have a few of the Le Creuset enameled pots and pans and love them. I find that when I"m frying something it WILL stick a bit more so I add some chicken broth or an eighth cup of water and that does the trick. If however, I let something burn on there (which, unfortunately is an all-too-frequent occurance), I let them soak overnight and the food comes right off.

The thing that sold me on these pots, though, is their lifetime guarantee. Another drawback, though, is how heavy they are. Takes some muscles to use them for sure.

[niccig]

I got a Green Pan on super sale when Linens and Things closed down. It's been fine so far and DH likes it for scrambled eggs. I do expect to replace, but it was cheap, so I don't care too much. For Christmas I got a Mario Batali enameled cast iron skillet. I want to see if I like cooking with it before investing in a Le Creuset skillet or other cast iron pans. The Batali was $80 I think.

[citymama]

We are cast-iron devotees here. Most of our pans are of the grandma generation, and work fabulously, but that doesn't help you. So here's an option: IKEA. We recently bought a cast-iron skillet at IKEA for under $15, and it works just fine. It's a small sized one, but they have a whole line of inexpensive cast-irons and some Le Creuset knock-offs as well. My MIL has Le Creuset, and I've used it when I cook at their place - I like it, but actually prefer the regular (seasoned) cast-iron.

[ThreeofUs]

I know the cleaning recs for cast iron - no soap, scrub with salt, etc. But I never feel as though I'm getting them clean enough. Why would it be okay to leave a residue of stir-fry in the pan?


That was *exactly* my question a long time ago. Then I did some experiments and read some books on it - which took a LONG time! - and found out that, as Beth said, the cast iron will incinerate all residues except oil.

If you want to be sure of this, after your next meal, get all the foodies out and heat your pan to just smoking. After it's cooled, all that's left will be a carbon coating under a thin layer of oil. And that's a good cooking surface.

But don't take my word for it; read the NYT article I posted. The author finds almost exactly the same thing - for all pans, the less you clean them the better they perform.

For me, raised on "thou shalt not allow germs to live" as the 11th commandment, this raises cognitive dissonance issues. But the always-good performance of my pans has gotten much better since I started keeping to the "lite scrub" doctrine. :)