It's not cast iron

[Cruiserdrew]

Looks like a well loved pan. Pretty cool they were made in SFO.

I looked Atlas up real quick. Their pans were "the first choice of hippies back in the day."

 

[spressomon]

Here's another currently available great quality carbon steel pan choice at affordable price points (Paderno): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RWJ5DY/?tag=ihco-20

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Here's another currently available great quality carbon steel pan choice at affordable price points (Paderno): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RWJ5DY/?tag=ihco-20

Hecho in China!

 

[spressomon]

^ did not know...thought they were made in Canada. Ok...scratch them.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Sunday we went into the hills and made hot dogs.



I noticed how much the shape of my old BSA mess kit pan is like the professional saute pans



I wonder if I could season the thin aluminium?

FYI They were Nathans hotdogs. Oddly packaged 7 to a pack.

 

[NorCalDoug]

an interesting write-up on the seasoning pans...

http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Update on De Buyer pans

I've been using the steel De Buyer pans for several weeks now and thought I'd post an update. Still have to say, these are the best pans that I have used bar none. We did the pan seared/oven finished steak thing and they are as good as cast iron.

The seasoning is about there too. The pans are darkening a bit, though not as dark as the Lodge pans. Speculating here, I would guess Lodge uses hot rolled steel which is already dark, and De Buyer uses cold rolled steel.

Here is the first day I got them-the two larger pans have had the intial oil seasoning done, the smaller pan is how they all looked when delivered.

I have used them regularly over the last month, but just intermittent use as you'd expect. Nothing, and I mean nothing sticks. I got some pics this am to show how they had changed color over time-it's pretty cool. After a year, they might be black.

So here is some non-stick illustration. I was going to post in the breakfast thread, but this was just a quick breakfast for me, not anything fancy or planned. Many of you know that cheesy eggs are "kling-ons" and so to show how these pans do with no special prep other than a pre heat and a dab of butter:

Aftermath:

I love these De Buyer Mineral B pans. They are absolutely great. Are they better than the excellent Lodge pans that started the thread?-yes, but not in any way that matters. They are heavier, heat distribution is a little more even, the handle has a better shape. Honestly, the Lodge pans look better, being more uniformly black, but then I've been using those for 8 months, not 1 month like the De Buyers. Cost wise, the Lodge is the better buy.

If you're going to get one of the De Buyer pans, I reach for the 12 inch most often, but the pictures above are the 10 inch. All 3 in my set look about the same. The 12 inch is seriously heavy, and not a good gift for your elderly mother. The 10 inch is more manageable.

It actually amazes me that anyone can sell a high end pan with a non-stick coating like Calphalon. They cost as much or more than these steel pans, degrade from the moment you start using them, and if anything are "stickier" than old fashioned steel pans. Steel pans improve with each use, and any problem with the seasoning "self heals". You can't go wrong.

 

[Spike Strip]

The price on the De Buyer set (amazon) is down to $119.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

The price on the De Buyer set (amazon) is down to $119.

Not a bad price if you need all 3.

The 10.2 inch for $57 by itself is a decent deal if you just want to try them out.

I have found the 8 inch one is not needed. It does fry 2 eggs nicely, but it's otherwise too small to be good for much.

A set of the 12.6 inch and the 10.2 inch pans would be perfect but no one sells just those as a set.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I've been using the steel De Buyer pans for several weeks now and thought I'd post an update. Still have to say, these are the best pans that I have used bar none. We did the pan seared/oven finished steak thing and they are as good as cast iron.

........

I think the pan sear may work better with your stove than most residential stoves, how many BTU do you get out of those burners?

I was crisping up some carnitas last night in the Lodge pan that started all this. It really needs more heat for task like that. When I added the pork straight from the slow cooker it dropped the pan temp. The temp recovered fairly fast but cast iron would have held the heat better.

I agree 100% that there is absolutely no reason to buy pans with plastic coatings. We had a complete set of commercial grade Teflon pans that we have been using for years, as they finally wear out we are replacing them with steel and cast iron.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Just spotted these
Jacob Bromwell® Frontier Frying Pan
A little on the small side but they would probably work for solo cooking.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I think the pan sear may work better with your stove than most residential stoves, how many BTU do you get out of those burners?

I was crisping up some carnitas last night in the Lodge pan that started all this. It really needs more heat for task like that. When I added the pork straight from the slow cooker it dropped the pan temp. The temp recovered fairly fast but cast iron would have held the heat better.

I agree 100% that there is absolutely no reason to buy pans with plastic coatings. We had a complete set of commercial grade Teflon pans that we have been using for years, as they finally wear out we are replacing them with steel and cast iron.

Don't know how hot they get. Hot enough. I think it's 10,000 BTU per burner.

If you are dumping a lot of cold meat into the pan, then, a CI pan might be a better bet. These de Buyers work great though, but any cooking means 5-10 minutes of preheat. This stores enough heat in the pan to cook everything without much additional heat.

I used the pans and burners tonight to make dinner for 6 at the last minute. Worked great. I had the 12 in de Buyer browning and cooking a 3 rib prime rib finished in the oven, and the 10 in de Buyer and 12in Lodge cooking Cornish hens also finished in the oven. I also had the 8 in de Buyer crisping prosciutto for salad. Pretty cool-4 skillets in use at once at the last minute. It's what these are made for. Useful, flexible, not fussy. Made a nice sauce for the bird too. In the pan. Fortunately, it all worked. Sometimes you get lucky. Wish I had taken some pics but it was hectic and all at the last moment. Steel pans are really great. You can see why restaurants use them exclusively.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Just spotted these
Jacob Bromwell® Frontier Frying Pan
A little on the small side but they would probably work for solo cooking.

edit: I looked up the JacobBromwell pans. They actually make a very serious and amazing looking pan at a super premium price. They also make a bunch of other cool Americana.

http://www.jacobbromwell.com/frontier-frying-pan

That is a very cool company-started in 1813 and continuously in business since. Rusty-you should grab a set of those cowboy pans. 2 for $20 is hard to go wrong.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Don't know how hot they get. Hot enough. I think it's 10,000 BTU per burner.

If you are dumping a lot of cold meat into the pan, then, a CI pan might be a better bet. These de Buyers work great though, but any cooking means 5-10 minutes of preheat. This stores enough heat in the pan to cook everything without much additional heat.

I used the pans and burners tonight to make dinner for 6 at the last minute. Worked great. I had the 12 in de Buyer browning and cooking a 3 rib prime rib finished in the oven, and the 10 in de Buyer and 12in Lodge cooking Cornish hens also finished in the oven. I also had the 8 in de Buyer crisping prosciutto for salad. Pretty cool-4 skillets in use at once at the last minute. It's what these are made for. Useful, flexible, not fussy. Made a nice sauce for the bird too. In the pan. Fortunately, it all worked. Sometimes you get lucky. Wish I had taken some pics but it was hectic and all at the last moment. Steel pans are really great. You can see why restaurants use them exclusively.

My point was a higher BTU burner will let the pan recover faster after you add food. Of course all pans must be pre heated for most cooking jobs. The mass of the pan determines how much the pan cools when food is added, the BTUs of the heat source determine how fast the pan gets back to heat. Based on using the Lodge pan for a number of different cooking task I don't think it would work well for the sear and oven method ON MY STOVE. ( Sorry about the caps the mud mobile app doesn't have underline.)

Sent via the ether from my candy bar running ginger bread

 

[spressomon]

Interesting read on the hand forged pans Andy! I wish I could find one size larger Atlas than the one I have...probably not too tough if combing around SF Bay area garage sales...if you see two please pick one up for me


Burner BTU: Good reason why real wok burners are 50kbtu minimum and larger...

 

[rusty_tlc]

edit: I looked up the JacobBromwell pans. They actually make a very serious and amazing looking pan at a super premium price. They also make a bunch of other cool Americana.

http://www.jacobbromwell.com/frontier-frying-pan

That is a very cool company-started in 1813 and continuously in business since. Rusty-you should grab a set of those cowboy pans. 2 for $20 is hard to go wrong.

I like a small pan for cooking eggs, I can do the egg flip in a small pan. Right now I have a 6 or 7 inch Lincoln Wearever aluminium Teflon pan I use just for fried eggs.

Side note: I got all my commercial Teflon coated aluminium pans together today to take to recycling. Based on my gut feel they come to around 15#, that is some serious cash at current prices.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

New Griddle Spotted

I was just on Lodge's website and saw this:

http://www.lodgemfg.com/seasoned-carbon-steel/seasoned-steel-griddle

It's a very thick (10 ga) fabricated griddle. Made in the USA. I thought Rusty Dan might appreciate that!

 

[rusty_tlc]

Schweet

Sent via the ether from my candy bar running ginger bread

 

[rusty_tlc]

Somehow I screwed up the pan that started this thread, it was down to bare metal in a couple of places. Yesterday I put it on high heat added a tablespoon of grape seed oil and let it get to the smoke point. Cooled it down, wiped it out and then cooked a nice omelet. Frikin awesome pan.

 

[FJ60Cam]

I just wanted to stop in and send a thank you shout out to @spressomon for your salty oil seasoning method.

This is a cast iron Griswold skillet from my grandmother that was covered in buildup on the outside and the bottom. I stuck in the oven during a self clean cycle before seasoning it with your method.

I made grilled cheeses tonight and they didn't even think of sticking. And it seemed to leave more butter in the pan after than the non stick skillet.

Absofrickkin' beautiful!