Cooking For Engineers

Ronaple · Joined: 16 Apr 2017 Posts: 25 Location: Black Hills of SD

I have some old pans with teflon coating. One I've been using most is a small frying pan. The teflon is gone. I keep scrubbing it. Use olive oil when cooking.
It also doesn't heat up real fast. My larger frying pan on larger burner heats up quicker.
So I've been looking at pans. Out of everything...
I decided to give a budget carbon steel pan a try.
I know I need to season it. Build up a coating on it. It does seem that working with that coating is easier than the cast iron stuff. Easy to replace if something with acid eats it off.... like onion.
So I'll post how it's going. Hoping this will be my last small fry pan. Might buy more?
Open to discussion of alternatives. Likes and whatnot.

Ronaple · Joined: 16 Apr 2017 Posts: 25 Location: Black Hills of SD

I guess I should name what I got. It is a budget carbon fiber pan.
The Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Round Frying Pan. 8 5/8 inch.

Dilbert · Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 1304 Location: central PA

Welcome Ron -

you're right, the 'bulletin board' has faded. I'm from the early CompuServe era and I just don't do social media (g)

carbon steel pans act much like cast iron - personally I don't think they take as "effective" a seasoning ie I think cast iron gets more 'non-stickier'
people say they are lighter; relative term! my old Griswold is light enough to one handed flip eggs for over easy, so . . . .

long time back I got tired of chasing the latest/greatest pan - they all compared themselves to almost like copper, so I got copper. I have a bunch of stainless lined Bourgeat copper - I love it. and 'stainless sticks' is a myth - proper technique makes stainless quite nice.

the Instapot thing is the latest crazy - not sure restaurants use pressure cookers so much. most of the stuff is par-cooked and then finished to order in fine dining places - fastfood / chain type places it's pretty much nuke it and serve - steaks/chops/fish is usually cooked to order; roasts are long since done and staying warm in the kitchen.

Ronaple · Joined: 16 Apr 2017 Posts: 25 Location: Black Hills of SD

Received my pan today. I love it. This is a Man's pan. Teasing

It's heavier than I thought it would be. It's beautifully plain and simple.
I have to wait to season it. Stuff coming.
I do have a lid that fits it....acceptably.

That stainless/copper you have must be really nice.

I may go ahead and buy the 11 7/8'' pan. Even now, I use a larger pan regularly for bacon.