lizard@nbires.UUCP (08/08/83)
With all of the worry these days about carcinogens, what type of pots and pans should one use? Copper bottoms lead to copper poisoning. Aluminum leads to an overabundant supply of aluminum in the system, besides that acidic foods absorb lots of it (notice your aluminum pot after cooking tomato sauce). Silverstone, wonderful for non-stick cooking, has no known effects, YET. Does iron cookware lead to iron poisoning? What type of pots should I be using? Please reply by mail and I will post a consensus to the net. lizard@nbires
jce@floyd.UUCP (John Eldridge) (08/09/83)
nbires!lizard seems to be claiming that copper-bottom pans cause copper poisoning. This is unlikely, since there is a generous layer of stainless steel between the food and the copper. The same is true of aluminum clad pans like farberware. I haven't yet heard of any danger of poison from stainless steel, though some argue that its heat qualities are inferior.
heliotis@rochester.UUCP (Jim Heliotis) (08/10/83)
How about those colorful enamel-coated pots? They're not TOO hard to clean, and nice to show in your kitchen. Jim Heliotis
bmcjmp@burdvax.UUCP (Barb Puder) (08/10/83)
Copper "bottomed" pots and pans do not introduce copper into the system, as they are usually copper clad onto stainless steel. Also, copper is not a carcinogen, but just a plain, ordinary poisonous substance when ingested in sufficient quantaties. A carcinogen is a substance shown to have a causal relationship with the occurance of cancer. The best kind of pots and pans to use, as well as the most expensive, seem to be the ones made of two layers of stainless steel surrounding a layer of copper. The stainless on the inside protects you from copper poisoning, and the stainless on the outside is much easier to keep clean than copper is. The copper layer goes through the entire pot or pan, ensuring an even distribution of heat. As I mentioned, this kind of cookware is expensive. Copper bottomed pots and pans are almost as good, and more affordable to the average person's budget. Barb Puder, burdvax!bmcjmp
johnl@ima.UUCP (08/11/83)
#R:nbires:-21500:ima:14200007:000:660 ima!johnl Aug 10 09:39:00 1983 I hear that cast iron pots and pans are actually good for you. Iron is an essential trace element (for hemoglobin among other things) and useful amounts dissolve into what you cook. People whose diets are low in iron, for example those who eat no red meat, can apparently get all the iron they need by cooking in cast iron. On an entirely different note, a well-seasoned cast iron pan is the best kind to use anyway. It doesn't stick, doesn't scorch, and you can scrape it as hard as you want. The only shortcoming is that it retains a little taste of what you've cooked so you need a separate pan for food with onions and garlic. John Levine, ima!johnl
gary@rochester.UUCP (Gary Cottrell) (08/11/83)
Why haven't I seen anyone mention my favorite type of pan - cast iron?
These require little maintenance, are practically non-stick (when properly
seasoned, although I have yet to see one that won't stick to scrambled eggs -
omelettes are another story), save on dishwashing detergent (I only use hot
water and a plastic scrubbie), and are very inexpensive. Rumor has it that the
iron in the pan is actually good for you, but I have yet to hear from a real
nutritional chemist whether or not your body can absorb iron this way.
/gary cottrell rochester!gary gary@rochester
llf@houxz.UUCP (08/11/83)
How do you season cast iron pots anyways? Is it the same for steel pots (not
stainless)? The reason I don't use cast iron is that they are pretty heavy
and have iron handles. My roommate had cast iron, and I burned myself a
couple of times (my fault, of course). Do they sell good quality cast iron
pots and pans with non-iron handles? They ARE perfect for crushing ice!
Personally, I like silverstone. It makes fantastic popcorn!
Lynda houxz!llfbarto@bmcg.UUCP (08/16/83)
I use ONLY Calphilon pots and pans for my everyday cooking. This
is ALL ALUMINIUM cookware, it's about 3/16 in. thick and does not
tarnish, stain or scratch. You can clean it with anything you
want to. It cleans like Silverstone and conducts heat like
Copper.
This is the only cookware you will find the the CIA (Culinary Institute
of America) and in most gourmet kitchens.
barto
(david barto)
uucp : {decvax!ucbvax || philabs}!sdcsvax!bmcg!barto
arpa : sdcsvax!bmcg!barto@noscgrunwald@uiuccsb.UUCP (08/17/83)
#R:houxz:-38700:uiuccsb:7000003:000:1345 uiuccsb!grunwald Aug 16 14:33:00 1983 To season a cast iron pan -- When you first buy it, rub oil (I use margerine) all over the thing and put it in your oven. Raise the temp. to about 300 and let sit for a while. Cool it off after about 20 minutes and repeat. To keep it seasoned: Don't wash it unless you cook meats in it. A preferred method of cleaning is to put salt in it, rub it out with a paper towel and then rinse anything else away. An occsional washing with soap doesn't hurt, but it's only recommended it you can't get it clean with salt (i.e. after meats). In time, you will notice a very very dark coating forming on your pan. This is the real seasoning developed through use. This coating is (allegedly) a form of iron which is easily absorbed by your body for building blood. It's also an excellent non-stick surface that is harder to scratch than teflon or other man-made coatings. This is the desired state for you pan. It can take up to a month for it to develope correctlty. Washing it with steel wool will kill it right off, and you'll have to start all over again. Cast iron is nice in that it spreads the heat very evenly (unlike Al. or pressed steel, etc etc) and that it developes a non/low stick coating which allows you to use much less oil and butter than you would normally do. dirk grunwald university of illinois uiucdcs ! grunwald
zz1sm@sdccsu3.UUCP (Shane) (08/18/83)
Copper pans are the best, they do not cause poisoning because there MUST (by law) be some sort of coating inside; it is usually stainless steel. There are some kinds of stainless pans that have copper cores, but they are much too expensive to make them worthwhile; the only advantage they have over conventional copper is ease of cleaning, and copper pans look so much nicer (also, my mother would say they are "more rewarding" to clean). Next are copper and aluminum bottom stainless steel if you like stainless. The copper and/or aluminum bottom helps overcome the heat-transfer deficiencies of the steel. Some people prefer anodized aluminum (even to copper) because it doesn't stick and it is not supposed to have any of the bad effects of regular aluminum. I beleive Calphilon (sp?) makes a version of these, but I have seen many copies (most of which are called Calphilon by sales people). I don't like these because scratching them reveals the aluminum core, and I don't like having to use a plastic spoon to stir soup (or anything. I should be able to reach into my drawer and pull out any handy instrument). I like cast iron, personally; the trick is to avoid really ever cleaning it. The old food that gets cooked in makes it cook better, and reduces sticking. That sounds worse than it is. What I really mean is wipe it out as well as possible, and the old oils, etc. are what "season" it; just like a wok. A good way to get the seasonong going is to rub some oil in it and pop it into the oven for a while. I have heard that a good way to clean them if they are really to dirty use is to put them in a self-cleaning oven on clean for a while? Anybody else heard this? Sounds reasonable to me (BURN THAT ***T OFF!!), but I don't know whether it would get too hot for plain old cast iron. I also like plain old carbon steel pans. They conduct heat better than stainless, and are lighter than cast iron. They season the same way. Shane
annej@tekecs.UUCP (Anne Jacko) (08/19/83)
Here's another vote for Calphalon. Even on my crummy electric stove it works well. It's expensive, but worth it. It absolutely does not scratch, yet provides a smooth, non-stick surface. No wood, so you can put them in the oven. -- Anne Jacko, Tektronix
barto@bmcg.UUCP (08/19/83)
The idea of scratching a Calphilon pan and comming up
with an aluminum (silver) surface is CRAZY!! I have used calphilon
with every type of cooking instrument and cleaning it with steel wool
using COMET and never have EVER seen anything other than the dull
gray finish.
Maybe the ``look-alike'' products (Magnilite (tm) etc.) use
aluminum coated with the dull gray finish, and that is why they cost
less than calphilon, you aren't paying for the real macoy. My advice
to anyone purchasing GOOD QUALITY cookware, and wants to never again
purchase cookware, buy calphilon. Cast iron is good and works well,
however the single drawback to it is that you can't purchase a large
10qt soup kettle in it, nor will it conduct the heat as well.
Talk to any professional cook about what he would love to
work with all day, and I'll bet that he'll comment about calphilon.
barto
(david barto)
uucp : {decvax!ucbvax || philabs}!sdcsvax!bmcg!barto
arpa : sdcsvax!bmcg!barto@noscrh@mit-eddie.UUCP (Randy Haskins) (08/22/83)
Someone had mentioned putting a cast-iron frying pan in a self-cleaning oven to clean it. This won't hurt the pan, but I think it will have to be re-seasoned afterwards. -- Randwulf (Randy Haskins); Path= genrad!mit-eddie!rh or... rh@mit-ee (via mit-mc)
louisp@tekcad.UUCP (08/23/83)
#R:houxz:-38700:tekcad:13800012:000:1554
tekcad!louisp Aug 22 09:08:00 1983
Well, I never thought the Calphalon fans would speak up. I couldn't
imagine a discussion of fine cookware without mentioning these fine pots
and pans. I too heartily recommend them. The specially treated surface
is excellent for its low-stick and easy-clean use. I did detect some mis-
conceptions in the responses concerning the finish. One even went so far as
to say that they did not like this stuff because they did not like cooking
with plastic utensils, and thought the finish would scratch with metal
utensils. As the manufacturer says, if you notice a mark on a Calphalon
surface caused by a metal utensil, it is a deposit of metal from the utensil;
NOT a mar in the finish. The finish is very very tough, and not a coating, but
a treated finish in the metal itself.
Calphalon being very thick provides the smooth, even heating necessary for
good control. Did someone out there actually say that iron heated more evenly
than aluminum??? I'll forget I saw that! As with any metal handled cookware,
liberal use of pot-holders and handle covers is necessary. The big advantage
is that the cookware can be used in the oven as well. I have often gone from
the cooktop to directly under the broiler to put finishing touches on some
creations. A nice design feature are the pots with the loop handel in the
back opposite the regular handel; this allows excellent balance and control
when working with a hot pot.
Louis Pengue
uucp: {ucbvax,decvax,chico,pur-ee,cbosg,ihnss}!teklabs!tekcad!louisp
CSnet: louisp@tek
ARPAnet:louisp.tek@rand-relayzz1sm@sdccsu3.UUCP (Shane) (08/24/83)
Okay, okay. Let me first say that I have been told numerous times that Calphilon does *not* scratch. My experience with this type of pan was limited to what must have been a cheap imitation. From all reports, Calphilon is the best thing since sliced turkey. Shane
courtney@hp-pcd.UUCP (09/15/83)
#R:houxz:-38700:hp-pcd:3500013:000:608 hp-pcd!courtney Sep 14 12:57:00 1983 A recent FDA say that more aluminum in our diet is good for the economy (less consumers, more business for the morgue) And yes... its not legal to sell a copper cookware that will poison you, unless of course you use it. (Refering to cheap copper cookware that has the minimum thickness coating to pass Fed Regulations... the vital questions? -how long will that coating last? -can you scratch through the coating?) Alternatives? Eat PLASTIC... MMMMM MMMM good (let's hear it for the inventors of Teflon and its follow-ons. Expecting flames for my gross overgeneralizations... Courtney Loomis
leimkuhl@uiucdcsb.UUCP (01/17/85)
My mother gave me a very excellent small skillet last year. It's french and is made of cast iron, but the outside is enameled and the inside is coated with some bizarre black miracle lining that has many of the properties of silverstone (though not as smooth) but is completely undamageable! My roomates didn't believe me when I told them this, so I challenged them to scratch it with brillo pads or steel wool. It really is not possible. Furthermore, the pan heats very evenly and rapidly. I use it almost every night for sauteeing small amounts of mushrooms or onions. My vote for best pan! -Ben Leimkuhler
leimkuhl@uiucdcsb.UUCP (01/20/85)
The name of the skillet is "Nomar" (as in "nno mar").
adm@cbneb.UUCP (01/22/85)
I ran to every store in central Ohio asking for a French cast iron skillet, enameled on the outside and with a bizarre black miracle lining on the inside. A funny thing happened. Everyone asked if I knew the brand name. Well ... I had to confess that I didn't. :-) (He who laughs last usually has to have it explained) T. Konfal @ cbneb!tjk
larry@cci-bdc.UUCP (Larry DeLuca) (01/22/85)
> My mother gave me a very excellent small skillet last year. It's > french and is made of cast iron, but the outside is enameled and the inside > is coated with some bizarre black miracle lining that has many of the > properties of silverstone (though not as smooth) but is completely > undamageable! > -Ben Leimkuhler So where do we get one of these wonder-pans??? larry... uucp: ..mit-eddie!cybvax0!cci-bdc!larry arpa: henrik@mit-mc.ARPA -- This mind intentionally left blank.
berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval) (01/22/85)
In article <2903@cbneb.UUCP> adm@cbneb.UUCP writes: >I ran to every store in central Ohio asking for a French cast iron >skillet, enameled on the outside and with a bizarre black miracle >lining on the inside. A funny thing happened. Everyone asked if >I knew the brand name. Well ... I had to confess that I didn't. :-) It's 'Le Creuset' and it's worth every penny. Try Whole Earth Access in Berkeley CA for discounts. They do mail order and have a neat catalog; (415) 555-1212 will get you their phone number and address. -- Berry Kercheval Zehntel Inc. (ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!berry) (415)932-6900