How to Know If You’re Using the Wrong Pan?

OK, so you FINALLY decided on what to make for dinner, but now, you’re faced with another decision: what pan to cook it in. We’re going to boil this down to three main criteria – basically, questions to ask yourself about it. OK so first, “searability:” how important is it to get a GREAT sear on whatever it is that you’re making? Searing is all about a pan’s ability to hold onto a lot of heat, even when it’s slapped with a big piece of cold food. If a nice brown crust is critical, standard or enameled cast iron are your best bets, carbon steel is close behind, and stainless steel would be my last pick. OK so onto criteria number two, “stickability”: how important is it that your food doesn’t stick? Standard cast iron and carbon steel – assuming you’ve seasoned and cared for them properly – are pretty stick-resistant, because their seasoning layers are made up of polymerized oil, which isn’t keen to bond with food molecules. Stainless steel and enameled cast iron, on the other hand, tend to be more likely to stick. If you’re dealing with delicate stuff – like eggs or fish or dumplings – and want to minimize the chances of sticking, standard cast iron and carbon steel are the better choice by far. Ok, time for our final criteria: “unreactability”: how important is it that your pan is basically inert? Acid is corrosive enough that it can break down the polymerized oil that forms the seasoning on your cast iron or carbon steel pan. Water can creep into tiny holes in the seasoning layers of even a properly-seasoned cast iron or carbon steel pan, reach the bare iron underneath, and cause rust. If you’re simmering something wet or packed with acid, like citrus, tomatoes, wine, or vinegar, carbon steel and cast iron may not be the best choice. Neither stainless steel nor the glazed coating on enameled cast iron tend to react when it comes to water or acid, so when it comes to long-simmered or acidic meals, these pans do just fine. So those are the criteria – simple, right? If you’re pan-icking about your pan choice, just run through these questions, and they can help guide you to a great cookware choice. And, if you want a visual guide to this process, head over to our Patreon page, where we have just that…because we de-pan-ed on your support.