Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract more money

Re:Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract mo... by stickfigure on Saturday May 07, 2022 @07:52PM (#31299787)

Cast iron is a poor cooking surface because iron (and steel, and stainless steel) has poor thermal conductivity. The consequence is uneven heating (especially on an electric cooktop) and hotspots. The edges are distinctly colder than the center of the pan, and you have to push your food around to ensure even cooking.

Aluminum has much better thermal conductivity, but is a terrible surface to cook on (soft, oxidizes, imparts flavors to acidic foods). The best compromise is a clad pan with aluminum sandwitched between layers of stainless. I switched from cooking on cast iron to cooking on clad and it makes a huge difference.

This guy took a bunch of IR camera shots demonstrating the effect: https://www.centurylife.org/is-all-clad-worth-it-is-it-still...

> it's a nonstick pan without the carcinogens.

Strictly speaking, this is false. The seasoning on a cast iron pan is burnt oil. It is without question mildly carcinogenic. Not so much that I've thrown away my cast iron - I still use it occasionally - but I wouldn't tout it as having health benefits (except maybe a tiny increase in iron consumption).

FWIW the newer ceramic nonstick pans are incredible and nearly indestructible. Clad is still my go-to, but I use the henckles granitium pans from costco for anything with egg in it. Two years later they still work like new.

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Re:Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract mo... by asah on Saturday May 07, 2022 @08:00PM (#31299830)

I actually like uneven cooking surfaces and use this to create effects in my stovetop cooking. If I want evenness, it's easy just stir or swirl - but getting unevenness is more work. A wok is a perfect example of using unevenness and motion to control your cooking, and for frying I mostly use a cast iron pan and for serious heat, a wok with a ring adapter and high BTU stove.

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Re:Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract mo... by stickfigure on Sunday May 08, 2022 @09:08PM (#31309478)

Cooking technique on a wok is very, very different from cooking technique in a skillet. You're expected to move the food around! That's why they call it stir-fry. Nobody (at least, of normal human build) picks up a cast iron skillet and tumbles food.

Woks are great, but you wouldn't pan-fry a steak in a wok.

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Re:Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract mo... by billfruit on Saturday May 07, 2022 @09:22PM (#31300368)

What about stainless steel on induction?

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Re:Shaving is an example of how consumer products extract mo... by stickfigure on Sunday May 08, 2022 @09:29PM (#31309580)

What do you mean by stainless steel? Stainless steel pans are usually clad (3 or more layers with aluminum in the middle for heat transfer), and IMO wonderful to cook on no matter what generates the heat.

If you're talking about pure stainless pans, I've never seen one. I've seen pure stainless steel stock pots (though even then, most have a clad base). The thing about stock pots is that they're full of liquid, which convects and makes thermal conductivity of the hardware pretty much irrelevant. Never buy expensive stock pots.

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