1

I recently bought a new cast-iron pan and I am enjoying very much the upgrade in the quality of my food.

As I understand it, the reason why food cooked in an cast-iron pan tastes better is that the pan heats the food more evenly (due to its thickness). On the other hand a main downside is that cast-iron cookware requires significant maintanance and care.

Is there a substitute that achieves the same effects as an cast-iron pan but does not rust? If the iron in an cast-iron pan was just replaced with another metal that does not rust so easily (but has a similar conductivity to iron) would the results not be the same?

Ovi
  • 591
  • 1
  • 7
  • 14
  • 4
    Once seasoned correctly, I find my cast iron to be easy to clean and fairly maintenance-free. I have no rusting. Have you seasoned your pan? If not, check here: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/641/whats-the-best-way-to-season-a-cast-iron-skillet – moscafj Dec 26 '17 at 13:19
  • What if they make cast stainless steel? Wouldn't it be in every way better? – user3528438 Dec 26 '17 at 16:48
  • @user3528438 That's exactly what I was thinking. – Ovi Dec 26 '17 at 17:30
  • Cast iron also adds a bit of iron flavour -more so with acidic or liquid items – Pat Sommer Jan 03 '18 at 16:41

2 Answers2

3

It does exist, is the best of both worlds and what I use and it's called Enameled Cast Iron and I use Le Creuset...

  • It's cast iron below the enamel finish
  • Doesn't stick as much as real old-fashioned cast iron
  • lasts forever as long as you don't drop them. (Your kitchen tiles will break too)
  • once every 2-3 months boil them out with bleach for 5 minutes to keep them looking like brand new for >20 years...
Fabby
  • 5,837
  • 1
  • 21
  • 39
  • 2
  • Well seasoned cast iron sticks less than enamel, - Enameled costs 3 times as much, - You can't heat enameled empty or it will crack. So no searing which is what I use my cast iron for the most.
  • – Sobachatina Dec 27 '17 at 23:12
  • I'm happy for you: I did buy my last non-enameled cast iron pan about 5 years ago and it's sitting on the bottom of my bottom drawer (well-seasoned, still gets its yearly maintenance) but I haven't used it for 2? 3? years now... Which reminds me: I need to go season it again! :-) – Fabby Dec 28 '17 at 11:22