Anonymous
02/06/2013 12:41
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
get him a toaster oven
Anonymous
02/06/2013 12:25
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I have never had a hard time cleaning my All-Clad pans. I always sear, sauté, etc. in a little oil and/or butter. Brillo pads are fantastic for badly stuck-on stuff, and if there is a lot of debris I use a little plastic scraper first- it's about the size of a credit card. But I seldom have to resort to Brillo or the scraper. A scrubby sponge almost always does the job.
Oh my. I would never give a college student All-Clad. That's a good waste of money. A college student is going to be brutal on pots and pans unless they already knew how to cook and care for cookware before they went to college and even then, some kids will regress and not take the time to care for pans. I recommend getting an inexpensive Dutch oven pot, an inexpensive medium sized sauce pan and an inexpensive non-stick skillet. You can purchase such items as places like Wal-Mart, Target, etc. Replace as needed, but likely the only one that you'll need to replace will be the non-stick skillet which you'll probably replace once or twice during college depending on how much the kid cooks.
If you want disposible pans, go for cheap. Well crafted pans like All-clad are easy to care for and last forever. That is why they are widely used in professional kitchens. If you can afford a nice pan that will last a lifetime, why buy cheap ones that will not perform as well, won't hold up to abuse, and will need to be replaced, at greater overall expense, "once or twice during college?" That's the good waste of money.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 12:03
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
Anonymous wrote:I have never had a hard time cleaning my All-Clad pans. I always sear, sauté, etc. in a little oil and/or butter. Brillo pads are fantastic for badly stuck-on stuff, and if there is a lot of debris I use a little plastic scraper first- it's about the size of a credit card. But I seldom have to resort to Brillo or the scraper. A scrubby sponge almost always does the job.
Oh my. I would never give a college student All-Clad. That's a good waste of money. A college student is going to be brutal on pots and pans unless they already knew how to cook and care for cookware before they went to college and even then, some kids will regress and not take the time to care for pans. I recommend getting an inexpensive Dutch oven pot, an inexpensive medium sized sauce pan and an inexpensive non-stick skillet. You can purchase such items as places like Wal-Mart, Target, etc. Replace as needed, but likely the only one that you'll need to replace will be the non-stick skillet which you'll probably replace once or twice during college depending on how much the kid cooks.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 11:22
Subject: Re:Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
FWIW, when I was on college, one of my housemates had a little LeCreuset pot that we abused like crazy, put thru dishwasher a zillion times, and it stood up beautifully. The only thing you have to be careful with LeCreuset is if you let wet pasta dry on the bottom (like those last few strands of spaghetti that don't get into colander). If you pull off the dried-up pasta, it will pull off the enamel.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 11:21
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
Anonymous wrote:A college student will never use cast iron. It will turn into a rusty mess. Just get him a pot to cook pasta and a nonstick skillet and you're good to go.
Agreed. Unless cooking is his serious hobby (or potential career choice), most college students don't do enough serious cooking to justify cast iron or expensive pots and pans. Plus, my dorm kitchenette burners and oven were terrible anyway. Going out with friends for cheap food was almost always the preferred way to go.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:51
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would give him something else unless he is responsible enough to take care of cast iron properly. You can't leave cast iron soaking in a sink or get it wet and then not dry it off right away. After using it should be dried (I put mine on a stove burner and heat it until all the water evaporates) and then wiped down with a thin coat of oil. If the pan isn't used frequently that coating of oil can start smelling a little rancid, plus dust and debris love to stick to it. If he were my son I would get an All-Clad or similar pan, and NOT non-stick. Non-stick surfaces should not be used over high heat. A good stainless steel skillet should suit his needs. I don't think he needs a lid to cook through.
For the non stick, I fear the guaranteed stuck on food would never be removed. Do you just always coat with oil before use? And use a scrub sponge to clean?
I have never had a hard time cleaning my All-Clad pans. I always sear, sauté, etc. in a little oil and/or butter. Brillo pads are fantastic for badly stuck-on stuff, and if there is a lot of debris I use a little plastic scraper first- it's about the size of a credit card. But I seldom have to resort to Brillo or the scraper. A scrubby sponge almost always does the job.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:49
Subject: Re:Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
What about enameled cast iron? Something sort of like Le Creuset (though I wouldn't give a college kid something as nice as Le Creuset). But I kind of agree that a college student won't really use it unless he really cooks. I use my cast iron a good bit but I'm from the South and that's what my mother and grandmother both used! One of the things I use my cast iron for most iron is searing meat and then finishing in the oven. Great technique to keep meat from drying out and keep from over-smoking your kitchen (I have bad exhaust).
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:39
Subject: Re:Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
For non stick users, you can sear meat on high and the pan still cleans? I feel as if I've feel brainwashed . . . .
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:37
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would give him something else unless he is responsible enough to take care of cast iron properly. You can't leave cast iron soaking in a sink or get it wet and then not dry it off right away. After using it should be dried (I put mine on a stove burner and heat it until all the water evaporates) and then wiped down with a thin coat of oil. If the pan isn't used frequently that coating of oil can start smelling a little rancid, plus dust and debris love to stick to it. If he were my son I would get an All-Clad or similar pan, and NOT non-stick. Non-stick surfaces should not be used over high heat. A good stainless steel skillet should suit his needs. I don't think he needs a lid to cook through.
For the non stick, I fear the guaranteed stuck on food would never be removed. Do you just always coat with oil before use? And use a scrub sponge to clean?
I'm not the poster you quoted but I cook with non-stick pans. I always coat with oil or butter and never have a problem cleaning the pan, even on the occasion something does stick.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:32
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
Anonymous wrote:I would give him something else unless he is responsible enough to take care of cast iron properly. You can't leave cast iron soaking in a sink or get it wet and then not dry it off right away. After using it should be dried (I put mine on a stove burner and heat it until all the water evaporates) and then wiped down with a thin coat of oil. If the pan isn't used frequently that coating of oil can start smelling a little rancid, plus dust and debris love to stick to it. If he were my son I would get an All-Clad or similar pan, and NOT non-stick. Non-stick surfaces should not be used over high heat. A good stainless steel skillet should suit his needs. I don't think he needs a lid to cook through.
For the non stick, I fear the guaranteed stuck on food would never be removed. Do you just always coat with oil before use? And use a scrub sponge to clean?
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:29
Subject: Re:Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
Maybe I should get cast iron and learn how to take care of it. But you all are absolutely right that he'd get the skillet as far as the sink with hot soapy water until he needs it again. Thanks!
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:08
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
We cook a lot and don't own cast iron. He likely won't use it.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:07
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
I would give him something else unless he is responsible enough to take care of cast iron properly. You can't leave cast iron soaking in a sink or get it wet and then not dry it off right away. After using it should be dried (I put mine on a stove burner and heat it until all the water evaporates) and then wiped down with a thin coat of oil. If the pan isn't used frequently that coating of oil can start smelling a little rancid, plus dust and debris love to stick to it. If he were my son I would get an All-Clad or similar pan, and NOT non-stick. Non-stick surfaces should not be used over high heat. A good stainless steel skillet should suit his needs. I don't think he needs a lid to cook through.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 10:07
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
A college student will never use cast iron. It will turn into a rusty mess. Just get him a pot to cook pasta and a nonstick skillet and you're good to go.
Anonymous
02/06/2013 09:52
Subject: Should everyone have a cast iron skillet?
I plan to send DS off to his new college apartment with a pot to boil pasta, a tephlon skillet for eggs and a heavier nonstick Calphalon skillet for cooking meat. But now wondering if cast iron would be better to sear meats and then lower temp, add lid to cook through? (apparently the oven in the apartment is unreliable). If cast iron, how do you care for it (really just wipe out and thin coat of oil?). (I don't have cast iron probably because my mother didn't). Thanks!