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Can We Use Cast Iron Pans For General Cooking? Any Alternatives For Non Stick Pans?

Discussion in 'Spotless Kitchen' started by gknew, Oct 8, 2017.

  1. MalStrom

    MalStrom IL Hall of Fame

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    Yes, you can cook acidic foods in them. I got the ceramic pans at Costco last year. I don't know if they are still there but Bed Bath and Beyond seems to have them.
    Zwilling J.A. Henckels Spirit Ceramic Coated Nonstick Fry Pans
     
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  2. Nonya

    Nonya Platinum IL'ite

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    We all know that a double-clad stainless steel skillet from Williams-Sonoma that is about 10 to 20 years old, and on the table at one of the garage sales is a good value for the money. And besides, it is also healthier to use an old, well-used skillet. The cast iron skillets are not alloyed with Ni and Cr metals, and therefore they would rust. While rust is a necessary nutrient for ladies, Ni and Cr are toxins for everyone.
    "Cooking with new stainless steel resulted in the largest increases. Metal leaching decreases with sequential cooking cycles and stabilized after the sixth cooking cycle, though significant metal contributions to foods were still observed. The tenth cooking cycle, resulted in an average of 88 μg of Ni and 86 μg of Cr leached per 126 g serving of tomato sauce. Stainless steel cookware can be an overlooked source of nickel and chromium, where the contribution is dependent on stainless steel grade, cooking time, and cookware usage."
    The above is from a peer-reviewed scientific publication: Stainless Steel Leaches Nickel and Chromium into Foods During Cooking
     
  3. sanjuruby3

    sanjuruby3 Platinum IL'ite

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    Cast Iron is supposed to be good for health and some dishes taste better in cast iron. Like tradition corn bread is baked in cast iron.
    You can cook almost anything in cast iron.
    I have grilling skillet and tawa ( from Lodge) and I am deciding to buy skillet also but i have so many utensils so I keep postponing.
    I like my both iron utensils I have but again, it is not easy to life, clean and it rusts so often.

    Many times because of weight, I dropped in my ceramic sink, luckily saved from cracking. Sometimes in rush to clean, I picked it up from just turned off stove and burnt hand.

    You have to hand wash iron utensils. Couple times I put in dishwasher and came out rusted.
    Then many times, even with hand washing and put it counter to dry but may be angle/way I put it that some water stayed on it overnight and rusted on that spot.
    Then it takes time for iron to heat up.
    like my iron utensils and may buy more for the sake of iron cooking, there are many cons to it.
     
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  4. pinky380

    pinky380 New IL'ite

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  5. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Sanju - You need to get a tissue with a little oil and rub it on the pan after washing or put it on the stove for a minute to dry off well. For rust patches too use oil and tissue.
     
  6. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    I’ve seen it in Indian stores. I bring from India.
     
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  7. Nonya

    Nonya Platinum IL'ite

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    Is it really pot made from mud ? I know there are brazilian stone pots - quite heavy things -- very good for making certain south indian dishes, like rasam and koottu, and north indian dal varieties. Google "brazilian soap stone" pots.
     
  8. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Yes. The regular mud pots that we use for any tamarind based dish.
    I’ve never heard of the Brazilian soap stone. I’ll look it up.
    Btw - I have one of those Malaysian woks. I love the shape and it’s a perfect pot for Avial making. I’ve never seen it here in the US.
     
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  9. venlax

    venlax Silver IL'ite

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    When we think of utensils under discussion thee are so many varieties
    The rice cooked in Vengala panai ,pot made of bronze ( i hope i am using the correct English equivalent) metal. The rice will never get spoiled even after one day.The heat is also maintained. But usually after serving ,the remains are transferred to another vessel.So the inherent heat goes off.As i said already difficult to handle due to its weight.But no harm to stomach. i wonder how grandmother/mother even at ripe age cooked in those vessels esp. for large families.Cooking should be done not only for family members but also for servant maids, unexpected guests & other people who help in other jobs. That kind of sharing u can never see nowadays even though we have so many modern gadgets & cooking facilities . I don't know it is the mindset/health / involvement in so many other activities that sometimes we get panic even if two more people turn as guests that too after proper intimation.Manual scavengers in those days. Should keep some rice & must give it to them next day morning.I have to do that as elders won't touch old cooked items after bath.May be that has strongly stayed in my mind & developed the habit of doing Anna Dhaanam.
    Nonya u had talked about the ill effects of ever silver cooking. is it authenticated ? In India villagers use mud pots etc. In cities we use mostly ES or alloy metals utensils only for convenience sake. After that concept that plastic is causing cancer ,many had thrown plastic containers etc. & are using only ES.
    Earlier only bronze,copper,mud & Kal chatties (kind of things made of slate material) used. Sambar/rasam made in Kal chatti used to taste like anything.The remains of rice is kept in that & curd rice prepared in that vessel itself & served to children in the morning as breakfast. No tiffin culture .Elders go for direct meals for lunch.Night also meals only. Evening tiffin used to be served with coffee with such taste & flavor . Once such coffee is taken u can't eat anything for one hour or so.The combination of home milk & tasty ,pure coffee powder,proper method of preparation of decoction (as said by Director Visu in one of the films) linger in the mouth for an hour. Unfortunately that is also the main reason for me avoiding fruits & now ended up in the blessing of cancer.
    Rasam used to be prepared in Eeeya Sombu . But low flame should be used.otherwise u can only find the Eeeua kolambu( melted vessel) on the stove. I don't know the reaction with fire. In olden stoves with coal as agni ,it stays there on the top. Very costly. When sold also will fetch a higher price.
    Whatever is said i don't think we can go back to olden days in this busy world when everyone in the home have to leave by 7 to 9 am .Just this thought came to my mind " Slow & steady win the race". True in cooking also.
    Sorry for the lengthy article. But if any one can follow some of these it will be useful.
    " The woods are lovely,dark & deep but i have promises to keep & miles to go before i sleep "
     
  10. Nonya

    Nonya Platinum IL'ite

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    Those round-bottomed bronze pots are designed to be easy to tilt, either while still on the "stove", or on the floor, so that the liquid konjee can be decanted.
    The human body, and its inner workings vary among people. Ni and Cr are toxic substances. What leaches out into foods and how it gets metabolized (adsorbed/accumulates or excreted), and with what consequence would depend on the animal that gets subjected to such things. For researchers in toxicology it is still difficult to say how many cups of tamarind/tomato juice based spicy soups from ever-silver cooking pots would be a toxic dose. Mud pots (like Kerala mudpots) are now back in vogue with folks that are into "organic" foods in the west.
    Sorry to hear this.
    Those rasam pots would leach heavy metals into the acidic (tamarind juice) liquid. On the other hand, modern life has introduced a large amount of air-pollutants into the lungs of those rasam eaters, confounding the direct link between eeeeya-pot and its effect on human health. Daily pranayamam in the outdoor air of hyderabad or madras can give a person's body mechanisms a darn good survivor challenge.

    Best wishes for a remission and long life.
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2017

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