esrosedotblog

POTHEAD

When I moved out here, I invested in several pieces of non-stick utensils. Pots. A roasting pan.

Almost every problem this writer describes has happened to me.

How Not to Wreck a Nonstick Pan

From what I can gather, not only has all this happened to me out of ignorance on my part but also because of the original decision to go to a non-stick pot.

I got good ones. Anolon. Thick aluminum bodies, conduction. Coated with non-stick polymer, bad.

I have also done some things wrong (no tempering, use spray oil which makes a residue) but I have also done some things good (no metal stirring, no dishwasher and so on).

Net net, I got about what she says, five years, life out of them.

When the second pot gave out recently, I just went to the default position that I knew a long time ago. Stainless clad aluminium (thick). It is what I had in Boston. It is what I still have for "clean" sautee pans. By "clean" I mean that the iron skillets, that I use more than anything, put iron into all foods and don't interact well with others. Eggs. Some herby things.

Stainless clad aluminum is not cheap, especially the right kind. But it is indestructible (although they now recommend no dishwasher for them either to maintain the very smoothly machined interior). And if they are used correctly, sticking is not a problem. Besides, who ever cooked something in a pot that had to released out stick free. Usually it is just burger and such that get cooked first before other ingredients (onions, chili, beans, tomatoes) get thrown in.

The cost is offset by the frequent replacement of non-stick cookery items.

I am about to go for another, bigger pot this time. The surface of the non-stick is failing. Pock marks. A little rust. There must be some iron in that "aluminum" core.

That will leave the roasting pan as the only non-stick item. I don't use it much. Turkey breast. I do all other smaller roasts right in the iron skillet. Yeah. I know. I should have a rack. Not really. Try it.

I blamed the sticky roasting pan on John all these years. He washes. But it is the spray oil that interacts with the non-stick. I can live with it.

Labels: cooking