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Cast Iron or Teflon??

Posted by wenfri • 9/03/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: cast iron, frying pans, teflon

If you have to fry something do use cast iron or teflon??

Which is your preference and why??

Myself I love using cast iron frying pans for everything. Even for doing postroast or on the BBQ.

Hahah Ok so I am weird or living in the dark ages.

At least they never wear out and stand up much better than teflon.

What do you think??

User Comments

9/03/08

DrowseyMonkey

I don't own a frying pan. Don't know the difference. I use my stove for storage

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Oh cool Let's go to dinner LOL On you of course
9/03/08

csiunatc

Good quality tempered correctly, cast iron is amazing.

I use a heavy teflon for most things though.. The lazy in me..

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Agreed I love my cast iron When treated right it will last over a lifetime.
  
  I don't use Teflon that much any more
9/03/08

kristilinauer

Teflon is extremely dangerous and should be taken off the market.

Cast iron is nothing but a petrie dish for bacteria, as it's extremely porous and impossible to get complete clean. GROSS!

My preference is stainless steel. I use a cookware that's made of the highest quality surgical stainless steel.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Yes Teflon does have a tendency to wear off and could be dangerous.
  
  What makes Cast Iron a petrie dish for bacteria??
  When I scrub them down I bake them in a high oven to finish the clean up.
  
  So you are saying stainledd is more sanitary than cast??
  
  Depends how you look at it I guess
2. 9/03/08
  
  kristilinauer
  
  Yes, I'm saying that HIGH QUALITY stainless steel, i.e., surgical stainless steel like I have, is much better than cast iron when it comes to cleanliness and your health. Cast iron is very porous, and can harbor bacteria. Some things, i.e., botulism spores, are unaffected by high heat. High quality SS is not porous, and therefore does not harbor bacteria. So no, it's not really "how you look at it". It's simply a fact that can be proven with relatively simple scientific examination.
  
  Poor quality stainless steel, however, is just as bad as cast iron, and probably even worse. Because stainless steel is an alloy, and there are varying qualities of stainless steel, you have to pay attention to the grade of stainless steel, and the metals in that particular steel. The lower qualities will have horrible things like aluminum in them.
  
  I'll also mention that food doesn't stick to high-quality stainless steel. I never have a problem with my food sticking.
9/03/08

CreativeJunkie

I don't have any teflon.

I just bought my first cast iron skillet a month ago and I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to cook with it. Everyone raves about them, but I'm not seeing good results and every single thing I cook sticks to it and WOW, are they a pain to clean! I have to scrub with one of those sponge things, I don't use soap on it, I've even tried salt with tin foil (got that one from a boy scout site, believe it or not).

I try to season it well after each use, letting it dry in the oven and never using soap to wash it, etc.

I think it's more trouble than it's worth. I like my stainless steel stuff better.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  @Creative Junkie
  
  Since your Cast iron is still new
  
  Wash the pan with dish soap and water. Rinse it thoroughly. Place it on the stove at a low temperature until it is completely dry. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to cool.
  
  Coat the pan in lard or cooking oil and let a generous amount of the fat sit on the frying surface for 24 hours
  
  Wipe off excess grease with a paper towel
  
  Line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil to catch drips. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Open the windows and get some fans ready. It is going to get pretty smoky in the house.
  
  Bake the pan upside down in the oven for 1 hour.
  
  Turn the oven off and allow the pan to cool to room temperature before you take it out.
  
  Cleaning and Maintenance
  
  Always heat the pan before using.
  
  Use the pan exclusively for frying for the first few months. This will continue the seasoning process.
  
  Wash the pan immediately after use. Use a tablespoon of salt and a splash of water, and scrub with a cloth or paper towel.
  
  Set the pan on a stove burner to dry. Use low heat and leave it for just a minute or two.
  
  Remove stuck on food by scraping with a metal spatula or spoon. If this doesn't work use soapy water and a scrubber. Dry on the burner as usual and then rub the surface with paper towel and some mineral oil.
2. 9/03/08
  
  CreativeJunkie
  
  wenfri - thank you! I'll try this and see what happens.
9/03/08

csiunatc

Well.. at the time you add something to the pan, It should be hotter than any bacteria could possibly handle.

I don't like stainless as much. It takes a lot of control and balance to avoid sticking. (or a lot of fat)

Teflon is dangerous yes. If you completely burn the pan. If you manage to leave it on the stove empty until it starts smoking. i wouldn't breathe the fumes. But Until then the teflon is chemically bound and basically harmless.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  I dislike stainless as well but do use Teflon occasionally
9/03/08

hippieprincess4

I love my cast iron! It is easy to clean and heavy duty! I use those pampered chef plastic scrapers and the food just comes right off, no problem and I wash mine with dish washing soap and then oil down with each use! Love it would not have any other sort of pans!

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  csiunatc
  
  Hippie..
  
  I actually take it right from the stove.. Pour hot water on it until it rinses clean. Then return it full of water to the stove..
  
  once it boils. up.. Clean with a brush.. No soap..
  
  You'll never have to oil it between uses again. and it will be much easier to use as the tempering is improved over time.
  
  another thing to try is to heat up oil in it.. pour it out. and then rub it with salt.. (quick tempering)
2. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Definitley heavy duty
  
  @csiunatc
  Our master chef here
3. 9/03/08
  
  csiunatc
  
  Spent 6 months as a line cook and 18 months as a sous right out of highschool. Cooking is my therapy.
4. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Good therapy
  
  My therapy is to go fishing
9/03/08

wehireu

Cast iron is good for you. It adds a tiny bit of iron to your food.

Plus teflon is dangerous if it melts.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Iron to our food Your joking right??
9/03/08

CreativeJunkie

Apparently, I am cast iron challenged.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  I don't think so LOL
  
  BE patient it is worth the effort
9/03/08

polybore

Depends what I am cooking. If I need a high heat like for sirloin steak then I will go for the cast iron griddle pan. For vegetables I will go for the non stick. Fish and eggs I do in my steel (copper bottomed) frying pan, not sure why but they seem to turn out better on steel.

One thing is for sure quality pots and pans make all the difference. Polybores fav pan at the moment is my thick cast iron wok. Wow what a versatile pan.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Now I have learned something Thanks
  
  Wanna tell my hubby about quality pots and pans?
9/03/08

Anniepooh

Cast iron hands down!

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  You bet Annie
  
  Hands down for cast iron
9/03/08

ekim941

Cast iron is great, it's holds up well, doesn't warp and heats up evenly. I am a bit worried about using it on my glass top stove. You only have to set it down hard once and you could break it.
Teflon pans scare me a little and if you own birds, the Teflon fumes can kill them. I don't have birds so I use some teflon pans, they are so easy to clean. I also like the stainless steel but they can actually be the hardest to clean. Once you properly season your cast iron cookware, cleanup is quite easy. There's no harder cooking surface than solid carbon.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Can't argue the facts there. I find clean up a breeze when using cast iron
9/03/08

sdk1988

Teflon - cuz it don't stick when I burn it!

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  kristilinauer
  
  When you burn it?
  
  That's scary. You might want to research Teflon and be an informed consumer.
2. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Hmmm.... I can burn things in the cast and it doesn't really stick. Not like the mess Teflon makes at any rate
9/03/08

annaswan

I grew up in the South, and I had no idea there was cookware OTHER than cast iron until I moved up North as an adult. My first teflon was like this marvel of moden science for me, and I dang near sent stuff flying when I went to flip it - because it wasn't stuck. LOL But I still prefer the good old cast iron, and I suppose yeah maybe they are a bit germy - but we call that "seasoned" round these parts. LOL

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  I like seasoned LOL
  
  If cleaned properly shouldn't be germy at all
9/03/08

DocNicole

100% cast iron!

Teflon is poison and just the new "lead paint"...just wait for the research to come out.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  kristilinauer
  
  The research is already out...and you're absolutely right.
  
  The teflon isn't the only problem with those pans. The other issue is that underneath the poisonous teflon coating, the pan is usually made of aluminum, which is SO DANGEROUS.
  
  For that very reason, the instructions say to throw the pan out when it gets even one scratch in it. Most people completely ignore those instructions, and use the pan until most of the teflon is gone.
2. 9/03/08
  
  Anniepooh
  
  When we had several birds die, the first question the pet store asked was if we used Teflon or not (we don't). It's very toxic to birds.
3. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  I'm with ya Doc and kristi
9/03/08

mickismorsels

I love my copper bottomed stainless steel. Heat distribution is great, no sticking for me, and super easy to clean. Now, what I'm wondering for all of you with the seasoned cast iron pans, where do you store them? Doesn't the grease attract dust? I haven't used cast iron pans since I was living with my mother (20 years ago), but even then, it seemed kind of...well, dirty.

[reply]
9/03/08

Anniepooh

I have to add to this that I prefer anodized aluminum. I have several Calphalon pans that are terrific.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Never heard of those pans Annie Going to have check them out
9/03/08

Arcticulates

I love cast iron. I have a stainless steel, but I prefer the cast iron. It is easy to use, very seldom having sticking problem.

I don't use Teflon, ever since I owned a umbrella cockatoo, the people I got her from told me to be very careful, because if the Teflon pan gets too hot the fumes will kill the bird in a matter of minutes.

So I figure if it is dangerous for the bird then it must be toxic to humans too. After all they tell you when you lost in the woods to watch what the birds eat, because you can eat the same thing they do and survive.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  kristilinauer
  
  "So I figure if it is dangerous for the bird then it must be toxic to humans too."
  
  Absolutely. I'm shocked that most people don't make that connection. Just because it doesn't kill us immediately (because we're much larger than birds and can take more), doesn't mean that it isn't poisonous for us also.
2. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Not sure if I really want to eat what the birds eat though so when I wander in the woods I pack a lunch LOL
9/03/08

Shiley

Cast iron but I have a teflon griddle for pancakes and eggs.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  I find the cast iron turns out better pancakes and eggs than teflon hands down but that is just my preference
9/03/08

HelloAnnie

Yep! Cast iron only from now on, whatever the cost. Throw teflon even with one scratch. Especially with stir fries, it is just not the way to go.

[reply]
1. 9/03/08
  
  wenfri
  
  Hello Annie
  
  I use a 3 inch deep cast iron for stir fries.
  
  Check garage sales for 2nd hand ones or 2nd hand stores Much cheaper there and can be brought back to usable in time at all