Gravy's Cooking Thread

Seriously, I'd check out the thrift stores first. You can find them for $5 and a little elbow grease makes them good as new.

You might also want to consider carbon steel. It is similar to cast iron when it comes to care and seasoning, but since it is forged the surface is already smooth and with less material they are much lighter. There are some disadvantages though. Since they are thinner they retain less heat and are more prone to warping. However, a good pan mitigates those problems and I've almost entirely switched over to using them with no problems. They also tend to be cheaper at the high end.

I have the debuyer mineral b paella pan and use it for almost everything, it has a huge cooking surface but the smaller handles mean it still fits in the oven. It is also 100% steel so you can use it at any temperature. For the regular pans with long handles I would recommend the Carbone Plus instead of mineral b. The mineral b has a silicone epoxy on the handle that is supposed to protect against heat (it doesn't) so it can't stand temperatures as long and high in the oven. The Carbone Plus is the same pan without the epoxy and not as nicely finished.

Think I'm gonna pick up this one.

Amazon product ASIN B071FPN11K
No idea why there are 4-5 different Lodge 12" cast iron skillets but this is the only one that comes with a cover.

I'm also accepting recommendations on a cooking torch.

Alex said:

I'm also accepting recommendations on a cooking torch.

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Don't use a cooking torch, they are expensive and they suck. Just use a regular propane torch. Like half my cooking equipment is from the hardware store instead of the kitchen store, it is usually better and cheaper.

chaos said:

Yeah I just bought a map torch from the hardware store. I rarely use it, wouldn't buy it again, but I'm cooking for ungrateful children not people or anything.

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Do you mean you wouldn't buy a map torch instead of a cooking torch or you wouldn't buy one at all?

lurkingdirk said:

Seriously, I'd check out the thrift stores first. You can find them for $5 and a little elbow grease makes them good as new.

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I'm super leary of thrift store cast iron these days. Most of the good thrift stores know it's worth money so you don't really save much over buying new. Also, you can never be sure if a used cast iron pan was used to melt lead.

chaos said:

I don't really know the terminology all that well. Reading here: Cast Iron Cookware Finishing - The Cast Iron Collector: Information for The Vintage Cookware Enthusiast

That says that people confuse "milling" with polish grinding. I've seen a "how it's made" on the lodge skillets though, they form them in a mold and then "scrub" them, basically just shake them on an iron surface. I think Astrochuckincreepguy is the right person to ask, he had a hobby of collecting vintage cast iron as I remember. My understanding was that people go after the vintage models because the milling (or "milling", i use the best words) process made a much smoother surface and the modern mold process doesn't create that same smoothness, you have to basically create it over time with the patina that naturally forms on it as you cook and season it.

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Old cast iron was cast, but then chucked into a lathe and the insides milled smooth, like stainless cookware smooth. You can do the same thing with a modern bumpy lodge through a variety of methods. I did mine with palm orbital sander (this method doesn't really touch the sides, but how often do you need the sides to be smooth?) but I've seen video's of people using a wire wheel on a dremmel or drill, or using an angle grinder, or even just a stupid amount of steel wool and elbow grease. That said, you'll want to stop when you think it's smooth, and not take it down to mirror polish. Cast iron *needs* a certain amount of microscopic and larger (?macroscopic?) roughness for the finish to stick. If you some how got it too polished, your seasoning would never take.

Denaut said:

You might also want to consider carbon steel. It is similar to cast iron when it comes to care and seasoning, but since it is forged the surface is already smooth and with less material they are much lighter. There are some disadvantages though. Since they are thinner they retain less heat and are more prone to warping. However, a good pan mitigates those problems and I've almost entirely switched over to using them with no problems. They also tend to be cheaper at the high end.

I have the debuyer mineral b paella pan and use it for almost everything, it has a huge cooking surface but the smaller handles mean it still fits in the oven. It is also 100% steel so you can use it at any temperature. For the regular pans with long handles I would recommend the Carbone Plus instead of mineral b. The mineral b has a silicone epoxy on the handle that is supposed to protect against heat (it doesn't) so it can't stand temperatures as long and high in the oven. The Carbone Plus is the same pan without the epoxy and not as nicely finished.

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I heartily agree with this post. Once I got my Debuyer pan, my cast iron's been shelved. faster heating, more even. lighter, longer restaurant style handles Only slightly less thermal mass than cast iron. One "drawback" Well used and seasoned cast iron *looks* great. Well used and seasoned carbon steel looks awful, at least until you have years into it and the entire thing gets 100% seasoned.

newly seasoned carbon steel

Is a torch not necessary if you have the cast iron? I can see that being completely redundant. It's not like I make desserts. So I wouldn't be using this for creme brulee or anything.

Ninen said:

I heartily agree with this post. Once I got my Debuyer pan, my cast iron's been shelved. faster heating, more even. lighter, longer restaurant style handles Only slightly less thermal mass than cast iron. One "drawback" Well used and seasoned cast iron *looks* great. Well used and seasoned carbon steel looks awful, at least until you have years into it and the entire thing gets 100% seasoned.

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Interesting. I'll look into carbon steel as well. I'm itching to use my sous vide so I want to purchase one today.

Alex said:

Is a torch not necessary if you have the cast iron? I can see that being completely redundant. It's not like I make desserts. So I wouldn't be using this for creme brulee or anything.

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I assumed you wanted the torch for brûlée and other things it is generally used for. Some people use a torch to brown sous-vide meat, but you really don't need it. And if you are cooking in a pan already it it totally pointless.

Alex said:

Interesting. I'll look into carbon steel as well. I'm itching to use my sous vide so I want to purchase one today.

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If you want to do some more research first in order to decide you can brown the meat with your broiler for now. Or a stainless steel pot/pan if you have one.

BrutulTM said:

Carbon steel pans are great for sauteing, but to sear steaks you want cast iron. You want the bulk to hold heat and transfer it to your meat quickly. Also, once you get the hang of cooking your steaks in cast iron, you don't really need the sous vide either.

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The thermal properties of both are extremely similar and while I wouldn't disagree with you that cast iron is probably better I don't think it makes much of a difference as long as the heat source is gas or induction which put heat into a pan very efficiently. The thermal mass of a good carbon steel pan (like the debuyer) is more than enough to recover from a steak hitting it. With electric the extra mass might make more of a difference, but I'd have to do more research on that. I think the versatility of CS more than makes up for the possibility it is slightly worse at searing meat.

I agree with you about Sous-vide. More delicate stuff like fish benefits much more from the gentle cooking than meat does. The major advantage of sous-vide is the ability to manage large amounts of food and control timing, which is why restaurants and catering like it so much. I considered buying one but after doing a decent bit of research I actually came to the conclusion that it wouldn't provide me much value.

Finishing sous vide fish and chicken is really the only use I'd have for a torch. All that albumin on salmon is kind of off putting and torching it makes it look way more appetizing.