I need something to cook eggs and delicate fish in. I would prefer to stay away from nonstick. Other than carbon steel being thinner and lighter in weight, what are the differences between them? Which would you choose?
Carbon steel vs. cast iron for eggs and fish
- Thread starter mretzloff
- Start date
I think that the big difference is the rate of heat transfer between the two. Cast iron takes a while to heat up and even longer to cool down. The thinner steel pans heat and cool much faster, giving you more control over the cooking process. For fried eggs I don't think it makes any difference. For fish, it can make a difference if you are doing a more involved recipe.
With fish you need to get it out of the pan to prevent overcooking. I think this is true regardless of the pan's metallic composition.
I am a fan of cast iron but I also like carbon steel. There is no teflon in my house as it is not needed.
I am a fan of cast iron but I also like carbon steel. There is no teflon in my house as it is not needed.
Carbon steel's thin and never really heats evenly, so you'll have to be more involved and attentive cooking fish in it. On the plus side, you can find a wider range of designs, so you can find something that's more spatula friendly, or where you can slide the food off. In favor of the cast iron is how thick it is, and therefore how much heat it holds. A large cold piece of fish will easily cool a thin steel pan and steam instead of fry. I don't see them as replacements for each other, so I wouldn't decide to buy one over the other.
Then you're buying carbon pans that are too thin. Some of mine need to be held in two hands.
Forgot about those. Just looking at the materials... These are generally going to be lighter and softer than cast iron, and easier to season. They should heat & cool about 1/3 slower, but they just make them 1/3 thinner to make up for it. Sounds like a perfect fit for pancakes that don't need a lot of quick heat, but want something steady... and sounds great for gently cooking fish.
I gotta get one of these and try for myself.
The single most versatile pan in my kitchen is a Lodge 12" round griddle. Once its seasoned, you can cook everything on it. Eggs (sunny side up, over easy, scrambled), fish, steaks, pork chops bacon, pancakes, omlettes, crepes, burgers, grilling sandwiches and toast, you name it.
What I really like is that there are no sides, so you can get in there with a spatula. I'd stick with a metal one for cast iron since the temps can get somewhat high when searing meat. Since cast iron is heavy, you wont be able to do the fancy egg or pancake flip. Once its seasoned, you won't have any problem getting a spatula under eggs to flip them for over easy though.
One thing you have to remember about this pan is that it has a lot of mass. You need to give it time to heat up and even out. My rule of thumb is if the handle is still cold, the pan isn't quite ready. The handle doesn't have to be blazing hot, but it should be warm. Start cooler than you think, then when the pan has more or less evened out, increase to the desired cooking level.
Another plus for cast iron is that you get to cook a lot of bacon until its properly seasoned!
What I really like is that there are no sides, so you can get in there with a spatula. I'd stick with a metal one for cast iron since the temps can get somewhat high when searing meat. Since cast iron is heavy, you wont be able to do the fancy egg or pancake flip. Once its seasoned, you won't have any problem getting a spatula under eggs to flip them for over easy though.
One thing you have to remember about this pan is that it has a lot of mass. You need to give it time to heat up and even out. My rule of thumb is if the handle is still cold, the pan isn't quite ready. The handle doesn't have to be blazing hot, but it should be warm. Start cooler than you think, then when the pan has more or less evened out, increase to the desired cooking level.
Another plus for cast iron is that you get to cook a lot of bacon until its properly seasoned!
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Cast Iron now and forever. I have my Great Grandmother's and some of one of my Grandma's Cast Iron seasoned for decades by Bacon fat they are non stick and I would part with them for anything else.
The carbon steel pans are a lot easier to get seasoned to non-stick status.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Cast iron gets my vote. Don't let anybody mess with your cast iron either... they will mess it up with their well intended bumbling.
The one warning about cast iron that I would give you, is to not leave tomato based or acidic foods in a cast iron pot for very long. For those types of foods, it is a good idea to go with stainless steel. Other than that, you have probably heard it all already, about not routinely washing with soap, about seasoning, etc.
A quick note on scrambled eggs... beat your eggs while your skillet is heating up. Heat it up pretty hot, but not quite smoking. Turn down the heat right before you pour in the beaten eggs and do not stir right away. Let a skin form between eggs and skillet, then turn them and stir them as necessary. Your eggs won't stick even if you don't use hardly any oil or grease in the skillet.
The one warning about cast iron that I would give you, is to not leave tomato based or acidic foods in a cast iron pot for very long. For those types of foods, it is a good idea to go with stainless steel. Other than that, you have probably heard it all already, about not routinely washing with soap, about seasoning, etc.
A quick note on scrambled eggs... beat your eggs while your skillet is heating up. Heat it up pretty hot, but not quite smoking. Turn down the heat right before you pour in the beaten eggs and do not stir right away. Let a skin form between eggs and skillet, then turn them and stir them as necessary. Your eggs won't stick even if you don't use hardly any oil or grease in the skillet.
Having tired of throwing away one teflon griddle after another, I picked up a cast iron one that covers two burners. It set me back a whopping eight bucks. Works like a charm. For sauteing, carbon steel pans allow for better wrist action than cast iron- they like to just sit there, as in the case of a pan for making fried chicken.
I do that with my 6" cast iron skillet.
I can do it with my Griswold 8" skillet too. The Griswolds are lighter than lodge, wish they still made them.
I've often seen Griswolds in antique stores.
I'm not really sure what you mean when you say carbon steel cookware, but have you considered stainless steel?
I owned a hodgepodge of pots, pans, and skillets - non-stick, cast, and stainless, and I wanted a good durable set of cookware that would last and allow me to perform all kinds of cooking chores. I finally sprung for a 10 piece set of All Clad stainless cookware after running some experiments with a seperately purchased All Clad skillet.
I'm SOLD on this stuff. I had to learn a new style of cooking, but the results have so far been surprisingly wonderful. The cookware's construction is 3-ply; a stainless interior, an aluminum core, and stainless exterior. It heats quickly, and holds the heat well throughout the interior.
Fried eggs are perfect; haven't tried fish yet.
The sticker shock might scare you away, but I urge you to give it some serious consideration. Cooking is becoming fun since I got this set.
Don
I owned a hodgepodge of pots, pans, and skillets - non-stick, cast, and stainless, and I wanted a good durable set of cookware that would last and allow me to perform all kinds of cooking chores. I finally sprung for a 10 piece set of All Clad stainless cookware after running some experiments with a seperately purchased All Clad skillet.
I'm SOLD on this stuff. I had to learn a new style of cooking, but the results have so far been surprisingly wonderful. The cookware's construction is 3-ply; a stainless interior, an aluminum core, and stainless exterior. It heats quickly, and holds the heat well throughout the interior.
Fried eggs are perfect; haven't tried fish yet.
The sticker shock might scare you away, but I urge you to give it some serious consideration. Cooking is becoming fun since I got this set.
Don
