Professional chefs use cast iron due to its many advantages. Besides being durable and inexpensive, cast iron pans and pots are easy to clean and great at heat retention. These features allow chefs to whip up several meals, especially those that need low simmering and browning to prepare.
Why Use Cast Iron? Cast iron is ideal for frying and baking because it holds heat much longer than aluminum pans. The food in contact with the pan will sear nicely, while the food above it will cook through radiant heat. This is possible because of the high melting point of the cast iron material.
“With the hustle and bustle of a busy restaurant, [stainless steel] is durable and can withstand a ding or two and doesn't need as much care as cast iron,” she said. “Cast iron is heavy, which becomes tiresome when working on the line.” "They are ancient cookware. It is a thing of the past."
In a restaurant, you will notice a variety of different pans, including stainless steel pans, cast iron pans, aluminium pans and more. However, most chefs prefer to use stainless steel pans when preparing food.
Carbon steel frying pans are one of the most popular choices in commercial kitchens, made to easily withstand the demands of hospitality environments. Pro chefs will know that using a carbon steel pan is probably one of the best materials due to its superb durability and affordability, and it heats up quickly.
Well, HexClad, the hybrid cookware brand, does. And they're the pans that professional chef Gordon Ramsay uses at home. You may have seen HexClad mentioned on Gordon Ramsay's show Next Level Chef on FOX. After using and liking them, he actually became a partner of the brand's.
Chef Gordon Ramsay
“HexClad stands up to my demands at home and in the studio. Not only are they beautiful pans, but their hybrid technology cooks to absolute, utter perfection.”
The least toxic cookware are non-stick pans and pots, like cast iron, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, and enamel-coated cast iron. These options don't have any Teflon coating on them, making them safe to use.
Professional chefs use cast iron due to its many advantages. Besides being durable and inexpensive, cast iron pans and pots are easy to clean and great at heat retention. These features allow chefs to whip up several meals, especially those that need low simmering and browning to prepare.
While stainless steel is lightweight and better for acidic foods, cast iron is more durable and better for long, slow cooks and searing.
Cast iron pans can leach a sizeable amount of iron into your food, exceeding dietary intake in some cases. Acidic foods will contribute to much more leaching while an old, heavily-seasoned pan will leach much less iron than a newer one.
Cast iron pans are poor conductors of heat: Without getting too nerdy here...a cast iron is good at retaining (keeping) heat, but it isn't as good as conducting (transmitting) heat. A cast iron pan will heat unevenly if you're using a burner that's significantly smaller than the pan itself.
While today, to some, cast iron may feel like specialty equipment, it was a predominant cooking vessel in the United States up until the early to mid-1900s, when nonstick pans became popular due to the invention of Teflon, and competition in the cookware space increased.
When acidic ingredients are cooked in “reactive” pans, such as those made of aluminum or unseasoned cast iron, trace amounts of molecules from the metal can loosen and leach into the food. Although these minute amounts are not harmful to consume, they may impart unwanted metallic flavors.
Cast Iron. Pros: Cast iron is durable, inexpensive, naturally non-stick if properly seasoned, distributes heat evenly and retains heat well, imparts iron to foods (an added benefit for some), and great for long, low simmering and browning. Cons: It is also reactive, and doesn't take well to acidic foods.
Only people with hemochromatosis are at risk of iron toxicity from cast iron cookware. Even then, the risk is low, since a new, well-seasoned cast iron pan only leaches about five milligrams of iron per cup of food. Older pans will leach less cast iron.
The glossiest, smoothest cast-iron cookware will be the most expensive, including luxury brands like Finex and Le Creuset. A good choice for beginners is a Lodge cast-iron pan or even a complete Lodge set of cast iron.
We also LOVE cast iron, in a nostalgic old way, and respect its important place in history. Cast iron is, however, becoming obsolete, because wrought iron does everything better: 1. Real pure iron: Wrought iron cooks and seasons just like cast iron.
In addition, by using cast iron with your everyday cooking, you are not only getting more iron and fewer chemicals in your diet, but you're also learning how to cook with time-tested cooking gear.
Even though a rusted cast-iron pan doesn't necessarily present a health concern, it's still not recommended that you cook on it. The rust might add an unpleasant metallic flavor to your food. Plus, it makes using the skillet much more difficult.
Cast iron pans and dutch ovens can be used for frying and baking foods to perfection. When properly seasoned they are terrific for non-stick cooking on top of the stove as well as baking in the oven. Cast iron pots are heavy but it is worth the extra muscle power it takes to use them.
In his own kitchen, Jamie Oliver uses pots and pans from the brand Tefal. Which he uses both in a professional manner and for daily use. Jamie Oliver is also quoted on the Tefal website stating “I've been working with Tefal for nearly two decades now.
Absolutely chefs use the Le Creuset a brand of cast-iron cookware. The pots and pans are enameled with a colorful finish, and many chefs swear by the durability and even cooking temperatures that Le Creuset provides.
Non-Stick Pan
It not only makes the act of sauteeing and frying that much more fun, but it also makes post-meal cleaning a lot easier. No one does non-stick better than the “Top Chef”-loved brand Anolon.