Frying Pans

Friends who have cooked at the house are always not sure about my frying pans. You won’t find any non-stick or new age engineered pans. The selection is cast iron and carbon steel pans. Many of my pans are over 50 years old, in great shape and could easily continue to create great dishes for another 50 or more years. They range from small 6″ to 14″ pan to large pizza/smash burger pan I use on my Green Egg. I have tossed out or given away all of my non-stick or stainless steel pans because they failed many times and required much to much care.

Reasons I like cast iron and carbon steel are

• Durable. No special requirement of utensils and can go from cooktop, to outdoor grill to oven.
• All temps. No concern about getting the pan too hot.
• Easy care. My cleaning tools are a brush and stainless steel chain mail.
• Non-stick. Most people would not agree but keeping the pan smooth and clean creates a perfect non-stick surface.
• No chemicals. The pans are just iron with no added coating.

Manufacturers

Cast iron pans I have are either Wagners or Griswold, both manufacturers no longer exists. You can find these pans at Etsy, Ebay or a local thrift stores and maybe garage sales. Even if the pans are in rough shape with signs of rust, with not too much work they can be recovered and ready for more cooking. I have a good friend who is an expert at taking an ugly, pan in rough condition then creating a master piece. His techniques include using an oven’s cleaning setting, electrolysis and sanding.

Following are few active manufacturers I like.

• Smithey Ironware Company Smithey is a new manufacturer creating cast iron carrying on the tradition of Griswold and Wagner. The pans are beautiful, clean and very smooth surfaces. They offer a variety of cast iron as well as carbon steel. Fabulous cookware that will last many cook’s lifetimes. I have purchased these pans as gifts and would buy more.
• Field Company Field is another new manufacturer carrying on the old tradition of creating great cast iron pans. Surfaces are smooth and pans tend to be a bit lighter than Smithey. Selection includes small to dutch ovens.
• Lodge Cast Iron Lodge is probably the best known pans being manufactured today and are very affordable. I have a smash burger pan and burger smasher from Lodge. Both perform great but I wish the surface was smooth. Lodges tend to have a textured / rough surface which tend to promote stickiness. If you have time and good sander, you can sand the cooking surface smooth which makes a difference on stickiness.
• Merten & Storck makes nice, affordable carbon steel pans. I have one myself and have gifted many others. Surface is smooth, pan is very functional and care is simple These are great pans as a gifted to someone who has never used a cast iron or carbon steel pan.

Care

Everyone I talk to about cast iron / carbon steel always says “need to be careful cleaning them”. Ya right, cleaning of a cast iron or carbon steel pan is so much easier than any non-stick, enamel or stainless steel pan. Only point to remember is never use the dishwasher. You can use soap, it will help clean away debris and gunk but will take away oils and fat which can be added back.

Here are what I do to clean my pans.

• Don’t worry about seasoning. You will read that cast iron and carbon steel need to be seasoned to avoid rust, well that is sorta correct and it happens as you use them. You want to make sure that the seasoning does not build up since it will create a surface that will cause sticking. My pans have the seasoning rubbed or sanded off so the surface is smooth to the touch.
• Soak the pan. If the pan has burnt on material, I usually fill it with hot water and let sit for a few hours. This often happens when I am blacking something in the pan.
• Use a Chain Mail scrubber with a bit of elbow grease. Scrub the pan so the surface is back to smooth. The manufacturers I listed offer the scrubbers or you can find them at Amazon. The scrubber will get greasy / dirty but easily clean with dropping a bit of soap on it and rubbing it between you hands like a bar of soap. I keep mine in a cup next to the sink. Make sure that it doesn’t get left in the sink and slides into the garbage disposal – not good for the disposal or the scrubber.
• Finish by wiping clean with a paper towel, drying on the cooktop and adding a drop or two of cooking oil. When the pan is clean, basically need to dry it and can wipe in a couple drops of oil. The oil will help with possible rusting but I often forget to do it. Also, there are times I put the pan on the cooktop to dry (low to medium heat) and I forget it which does cook off any oils but the pan is fine. Cast iron and carbon steel are durable and forgiving.