The pan you don't have (but should)

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Carbon steel pans are some of the most versatile pans in a home cook’s kitchen - here’s why.
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[@MinuteFood]

Some people are asking good questions about induction cooking. From what I understand, generally carbon steel, cast iron, and stainless steel* pans all work fine with induction (*but definitely check when it comes to stainless steel - it depends on what additional metal they're made with); nonstick pans are less likely to work. One quick trick is to use a magnet on the bottom of your pan; if it sticks, the pan is induction compatible.

[@SizeMichael]

Isn't it also possible to season a stainless-steel pan?

[@TimesRyan]

@@SizeMichael Technically, you can season all pans (including non-stick). The amount and size of the pores determine the amount of work and effect you'll see.

[@SizeMichael]

@@TimesRyan I think I accidentally seasoned the bottom of a stainless-steel pot while deep-frying chicken in it, which is how I got the idea

[@TimesRyan]

@@SizeMichael Certainly! Even just every day cooking slowly adds seasoning. A ripping hot deep-fry will definitely do a good amount.

[@MinuteFood]

@@SizeMichael You can see in the video that the bottoms of my stainless steel pans get accidentally "seasoned" too :)

[@bazoo513]

The fact that the handles and outer surfaces of all these pans are _not_ pristinely clean makes the video much more realistic, and viewers far less guilty about _their_ pans looking like that. 😀

[@MinuteFood]

Yes, you are definitely seeing a real home kitchen here :)

[@bazoo513]

@@MinuteFood So, no studio in a warehouse and a crew of fifteen... 😀

[@mikos321]

Don't forget that sour sauces can fairly easily etch away the seasoning from carbon steel/ cast iron pans. So when making tomato sauce is where i use my enameled cast iron or stainless steel pans.

[@stevewebber707]

Very good point. I love my carbon steel pan, but when it comes to the pan sauces, I'm always concerned that the sauce could strip my carefully developed seasoning. And braising only gets worse.

[@mcgrawnelson4722]

@@stevewebber707 generally with cast iron (at least for me) i try not to cook any liquids in it for more than an hour. With my dutch oven I can see some rust above the water line and it starts to develop a slight metalic taste in the food if I cook liquids much longer than that. really thick fatty liquids dont do it as bad, but tomatoe sauce and chili i try to keep to less than 45 minutes and thats with a very well seasoned pan.

[@leobriccocola8141]

@@mcgrawnelson4722 Is your dutch oven cast iron or enameled?

[@miladragon]

Does this mean I can't make shakshuka in one?

[@mcgrawnelson4722]

@@miladragon you can, and i have. Rust isnt poisonous or bad for your health in any way. you just have to reseason the pan much more often when you do

[@hiddenleaf414]

You’re one of the first KZbin channels that correctly talks about cast iron being a bad heat conductor. Everyone thinks it’s great at conducting heat, when it’s really good at retaining heat.

[@toolbaggers]

What are you watching?

[@Jake28]

I mean, it's a sister channel to minutephysics, is it not?

[@arunbupathy]

As a south Indian, I can 100 percent vouch for the carbon steel pan, which is perfect for making evenly cooked crispy dosas! Once seasoned, I'd argue it's better than non-stick pans. Because to spread the dosa properly you need your pan to be a little sticky when the batter is wet. But once cooked, it comes off the pan, almost like magic! That is a property no non-stick coating can replicate.

[@andrewjc13]

Yes! I made eggs last night and had to switch from my non-stick to my carbon steel. I really like that little bit of stick when the egg hits the pan, but then when done it comes right up.

[@_simmac_]

yes, if you buy a teflon as well as a carbon steel pan at the same time, after a few months, the CS pan will beat the teflon pan. teflon deteriorates rather quickly while the seasoning of the CS pan will just build up and get better with use

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

@@_simmac_ Yeah, it's honestly kind of insane to me. A good part of it is also learning the techniques to keep things from sticking, but I find it incredible that after I got through the very minor learning curve, I can easily make fish and eggs on my CS pan, or fry up eggs in my CS wok, and it basically doesn't stick at all. Between those two and my stainless pans, I will literally never have to buy another pan again lol

[@Trombonemusic765]

As someone who only makes bacon sandwiches, I dont know what I'm doing here 😅

[@toolbaggers]

@@_simmac_ Plus you can use any utensil you want on carbon steel.

[@turquoise7817]

genuinely shocked that this didn't end up being a sponsored video, i was just waiting for the plug. definitely looking into getting one when my current non-stick gets bad enough

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

When you do, make sure to search around! There's loads of good cheap pans even outside of the heavily marketed ones by companies like deBuyer or Matfer or Made In. I got mine from a random company off Amazon I never see mentioned anywhere and it's fantastic, and the shape suits my fancy a lot more than most others I looked at.

[@abc6568]

@@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8 could you send me a link or the name of the pan you ended up getting please?

[@stevethea5250]

THEY ALREADY SAID EARLY ON ITS NOT SPONSORED

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

@@abc6568 The name was Ballarini, I think mine is 11"

[@abc6568]

@@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8 thank you very much.

[@Night_Hawk_475]

I would note that both Carbon Steel and Cast Iron require extra care to avoid rust, however carbon steel being smoother has made it easier for me to manage, there's always the option to just deep clean it and remove the seasoning to get to a "factory new" state, while cast iron doesn't really have this option because of the pores/grooves. Both aren't good for acidic foods though, like tomatoes. These don't just eat away at the seasoning, they can damage the pan, as both metals are not rust-proof like stainless steel is.

[@haph2087]

It's kinda sad how cast iron pan manufacturers just stopped machining their pans. Like what the heck, everybody agrees that a smooth finish is better, and the tools are not complicated at an industrial scale, so why'd they stop making flat surfaces?

[@clarencegreen3071]

Agreed! It's marketing hype and to save a step in the manufacturing process. "Pre-seasoned" is a joke.

[@animalogic]

Thanks for all of this super helpful knowledge on the world of kitchen pans! The carbon steel is currently in our shopping cart awaiting checkout 👀 We can’t get enough of the pan-tastic shoutout either. We hope food lovers everywhere can also learn some cool things about animals and nature over here at Animalogic! 🍳 🐼 ❤️

[@loganbailey6283]

This lady made her own hex clad pan with none of the expense lmao

[@drew48845]

This will probably be lost to the rest of the comments, but I need to correct something you mention several times. The thermal conductivity property of the 2 alloys (cast "iron" and carbon steel) are relatively similar. They are not inherently dissimilar in this way. You do state the real reasons they are different but seem to confuse that aspect. Carbon steel is less brittle so it can be made thinner than the cast iron. The heat retention is a result of their mass and their thermal conductivity. And so in this case, the mass is the only significant factor. Following from this, the stainless steel pan would be a comparable material too, in terms of thermal conductivity. However more expensive to manufacture the alloy, and strong enough to be thinner. To summarise, you could make all of these pans as thick as the cast iron, and they would all behave very similarly in terms of heat transfer. As a mechanical engineer, I felt it right to correct this detail.

[@louismechler4338]

I'm from eastern France, I've been cooking with DeBuyer carbon steel pans for almost a decade now. The brand is from the Vosges, created mid 19th century.

[@LastToTheParty777]

Love the pie chart graphic on the pan, very cute, very creative. Thanks for the info!

[@inventor226]

I love my carbon steel pan. It pretty much stays on my stovetop all of the time. Perfect for eggs.

[@lauradevries9242]

I would love if you also talk about induction in videos like these. I know in some places like the US its still quite uncommon but its becoming more and more popular in more and more places. It is very much relevant enough to talk about

[@jasonreed7522]

A good rule of thumb for induction is if its made of iron it will work. Induction is all about magnets inducing eddy currents inside the pan, which then generate heat by (I^2)R. The resistivity (material property that determines resistance the same way density determines mass) of copper and alluminum is about 1/10th that of iron, so on an equivalent induction stove copper and alluminum pans will only make 1/10th the heat. And obviously a nonconductive pan won't even generate eddy currents so it makes 0 heat. Again tldr; due to material properties if your pan is basically a hunk of iron it will work on induction because its conductive but not too conductive.

[@officer_baitlyn]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooking#Materials

[@firstname405]

@@jasonreed7522 so basically Laura, cast iron and carbon steel pans work great for induction because of their high iron content

[@mikkosaarinen3225]

A thing to consider is that induction needs a certain thickness of material to work properly. So a thin carbon steel pan may not work on an induction stove. I remember some of them being a problem. Suggest asking at the store for compatibility with induction.

[@BrotherCheng]

@@jasonreed7522 I think one thing I have heard / read is that the unevenness of induction cooktops can sometimes cause carbon steel pans to warp (since carbon steel pans are both thin and have poor heat conductivity), which is not great because induction cooktops require a good contact in order to work. I would imagine this may depend on the quality of the induction cooktop though, and how well they work if you turn the heat down.

[@mirrikybird]

I think the Minute group may be one of the few channels I would trust to really check their product sponsors, on par with Tom Scott

[@TagetesAlkesta]

Ceramic pans are the best nonstick pans. Mainly because they won’t kill my birds if I accidentally get them too hot, but they also tend to be more durable in my experience.

[@LuzuVlogsGamer]

Yay but their coating wears of pretty fast and they are a bit more expensive in some places

[@TagetesAlkesta]

@@LuzuVlogsGamer I only really use my ceramic pans for eggs, and they’ve lasted years. Most things I can do in my carbon steel pan, so I don’t feel the need to use the ceramic pans that much

[@paviaaPS3]

As a mechanical engineer, listening to all the material properties I just can’t! Carbon steel or cast iron, they do tend to heat uneven, yes, especially on induction l. But! Plain steel has 5 times better heat conductivity over nickel chromium steel(stainless steel). And this is what you want! Combine the better heat conductivity with the better heat retention and you get awesome cooking experience. The hex clad stainless steel uses different layers of materials to gain fast heat response but has lower heat retention due to aluminum being less capable of this. Overall great video 😊

[@LonkinPork]

as someone that tried to get on board the Cast Iron train and ended up donating my pan after I ruined the seasoning, the carbon steel wok I snagged at a thrift store blew me away right from day one. I'm definitely a convert to the Carbon Steel life.

[@KJ4EZJ]

This is a bit of a strange comment because cast iron and carbon steel are both seasoned in the exact same way, via the polymerization of fats.

[@willowarkan2263]

Can't you just reseason the cast iron? i mean i've seen people remove the rust from old cast iron pans they find, reseason and then use it just fine.

[@LonkinPork]

@@willowarkan2263 I just ragequit the whole idea lol I'll try again in a couple years

[@Psara]

yeah carbon steel has been my favorite skillet for awhile now. it’s just so good for everything and it’s so easy to refresh the seasoning when i push it a little too far 🥰

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

It always makes me a bit sad when people cite the seasoning process as a reason they avoid CS. I feel like people care too much about it, the "hassle" of it is really overblown. I haven't done anything to mine in months and it still cooks better each time!

[@juliettemoss5048]

Sanding down cast iron has been shown to complicate the seasoning process a bit. The surface imperfections allow for the oil polymerization to adhere better in many cases

[@stevenkurinec4194]

Legacy cast iron pans were very smooth. Modern companies both use cheaper manufacturing processes and apply a coating to their cast iron which gets the seasoning to stick better

[@YouzACoopa]

old cast iron had thinner walls too, reducing the weight

[@toolbaggers]

@@YouzACoopa I have a machined cast iron wok that is as thin and light weight as carbon steel.

[@aaaaaaaaaaa5820]

What about ceramic coated pans I've been using those for a while now and they work amazing on all front in my opinion. Really good at being non-stick, highly durable, heat resistant and no seasoning required.

[@joseSanchez-ej2oh]

Yeah I was waiting for that... They're great for a steak Also I have to disagree with the nonstick diss The temperatures where they are a risk would burn food so ppl tend to avoid those anyway And like ceramic coated pans they can last much longer exactly bc they don't regular maintenance Convenience makes cooking and cleaning easier, that allows for more practice, and ppl having more experience with proper use of tools (like learning to reduce the risk of nonstick pans) which is why nonstick and ceramic coated pans are just... better

[@a.kjfhkziujsfdgbskjxfyhgfl2332]

the main concern surrounding the non stick is environmental impact of manufacturing and short life span @@joseSanchez-ej2oh

[@jackmclane1826]

I fully agree... I rarely use anything else. One of those is always on the stove. Doesn't make much sense to stow it away if it is in constant use. Only for acidic foods that have to stay in the pan for a while they don't excel. Just the material designation is misleading. "Carbon steel pans" are usually made from steel that *actually* is practically pure iron with just the trace elements that would otherwise be too expensive to remove, for no benefit to gain. Search for "DC04" for a typical material composition data sheet. That "Carbon Steel" with 1% of carbon (named C100 or 1095 in different naming standards) you mentioned here is used for knives, not good for pans. This is where the name makes sense. For pans: Better call them just "steel pans". (Engineer with a fascination for material science here...)

[@embyratwood690]

I love the longevity of cast iron and the rustic aesthetic they evoke but I’ve been curious about carbon steel for a while. This video was super helpful

[@mikkosaarinen3225]

Carbon steel are super rugged as well. They're the go to pan in restaurant kitchens. Unless you're trying to break it I don't think you can wear down a carbon steel pan in a home kitchen. Super recommend. Thing that wasn't mentioned in this video is that they share the utility with cast iron pans that you can stick them in the oven. Although come to think of it some carbon steel pans might be a bit too large for civvie ovens. I guess that's a thing to consider when buying them. Although I do agree with you on the aesthetics of cast iron 😍

[@ChroniclesOfImagination07]

I REALLY love your videos!!! You guys really help me cook... well😂

[@jrmint2]

I have 2 carbon steel woks in 2 sizes, don't love the handles, but cooking with it and cleaning them is so easy.

[@kinnikuzero]

The reason why cast iron takes longer to heat up and cool down is because of thermal mass rather than the conductivity of the metal. More mass takes more energy to heat up and vice versa. And carbon steel is called that way because of its crystalline structure where carbon is more uniformally distributed throughout the iron. As apposed to cast iron where it is mostly contifined to the grain boundaries thus making it brittle.

[@Shane-zl9ry]

I have stainless steel, cast iron, and carbon steel. For me the carbon steel is the Jack of all trades master of non. So I mainly use the other two.

[@Phlegethon]

Actually what you need is a flat bottom carbon steel wok alongside a cast iron skillet.

[@Michael_Brock]

The thing is though. You CAN, make a pan steel/carbon steel or cast iron nearly as non stick as any teflon(ptfa), ceramic or other. By just seasoning the pan. IE "burning" multiple layers of oil to form a carbon robust non stick layer. Better with cast iron or carbon steel, with a removable thermal handle covering, so you can season and cook in oven, but have a pan you can use handle on hobs.

[@ultracapitalistutopia3550]

The issue with cast iron pan is that not all households have an oven to perform the seasoning. In many countries, an oven is a luxury instead of kitchen staple.

[@Stevefor1776]

Look into the stove top or burner method. Works equally well. In America, cast iron was originally used (and seasoned) over camp fires, in fireplaces or wood burning stoves.

[@josh_ari]

My mom gave me a carbon steel cephalon pan with matching lid. I fell in love. Im traveling right now and i miss my pan.

[@christopherboccuzzi8761]

The information is presented very well- clear and accessible. I tried using a Darto carbon steel pan for roughly 10 months last year. I wanted to love it. I really did. I sold it recently for many reasons... for me, there simply is no carbon steel pan being made right now that has a comfortable handle. None. Many have rivet heads that gather gunk. I found the Darto to be too thin and because carbon steel is ductile, it did warp. The solution for me was Field cast iron- simply put, to move to the next smaller size down. I won't saute with it, but I find I like stainless steel better for that anyway.

[@AveryMilieu]

You missed enameled iron pans. VERY expensive, have the heat retention of cast iron but they can be cleaned in ways cast iron can't... Cook fish or bacon in cast iron (or carbon steel) and it's likely the next thing you cook will have the essence of fish or bacon in the flavor. With enameled cast iron you can get the last food cooked OUT of the pan and use it for something else... My LeCruiset pan goes from fish to pancakes to caramelized maple syrup without any ghostly essences of the last meal I cooked in it. Pricey, yes, but worth the expense, given that one relatively nonstick pan does it all. AND it doesn't rust or need surface curing.

[@MinuteFood]

I love my Le Creuset, but it's definitely not like the love I have for my carbon steel! The weight and cost are two biggies for me.

[@TonInter]

Have to commend you on the pan => panda segway. Great video as usual, thanks for sharing.

[@johne7100]

Agree completely. Every time I use it I season my carbon steel wok by bringing it up to around 200°C (~400°Frankenstein), or when old oil residues just start to smoke, then swilling a tablespoonful of oil round it. That opens the pores & crevices and then fills them. I then turn it down a bit to cook: that way I can steam noodles in it without them sticking. Needless to say, detergent never gets near it.

[@walterw2]

as i understand it, stainless steel itself is a lousy heat conductor just like carbon steel or cast iron, it takes a long time to heat up or cool down "stainless steel" pans like All-clad just have a center core of something super-conductive like aluminum or copper, that's what heats up fast and spreads the heat evenly

[@FuzzyLitchi]

can we get a definitive non-stick/teflon breakdown? I keep hearing things that contradict each other and I don't think I'd understand the material science.

[@TagetesAlkesta]

They won’t hurt you, but they are terrible for the environment and will kill pet birds when they get too hot.

[@mikiggs]

A carbon steel frying pan and a Stainless Saute pan is the best setup.

[@draxil42]

I think they're more popular outside of the US, which I think has a cast iron bias. Love mine.

[@andyhaochizhang]

Yeah. A lot of Asian families still use iron (aka carbon steel) cookware almost exclusively.

[@mikkosaarinen3225]

Europe is also about cast iron. Also the scourge of non-stick. Completely guessing here but it I think this might have to do with history. At least the Chinese, who were a major regional influence, were producing tons of steel as early as 1300's. Where as Europeans were pretty shit at it until the industrial revolution started. So we would've had to do with the lot more easily produced cast iron. Or copper if you were someone who could afford it, like royalty 😄 Again this is just a guess. Might also have to do with food culture. I mean you can't really make a usable wok out of cast iron but for making stew cast iron cookware is fucking great 😁 I haven't thought about this before but how the available materials for cookware have shaped culinary culture and vice versa is an interesting question to think about.

[@mikkosaarinen3225]

@@andyhaochizhang This is a common misconception but what we usually call iron is actually steel. Even the iron age should really be called the steel age 😂 Iron by itself is pretty useless because it's so brittle and oxidizes super easy. This is why cast iron pans are so heavy and why they need to be seasoned. Because they're actually made of iron, that is the carbon isn't alloyed in a way that would produce steel, so if they were thinner they'd break and if you leave an uncoated pan even slightly wet it'll rust really fast. The shiny stuff we usually call steel is stainless steel. Although all of these materials are mostly iron 😄 This didn't really have anything to do with your point but I think it's interesting nonetheless 😁

[@mikkosaarinen3225]

But carbon steel pans are the best. At least up to recently they have been the go to cookware for restaurant kitchens. They have almost all the benefits of cast iron while negating most of the downsides. Even searing a steak is just as easy to do with carbon steel as cast iron. You just need to heat it up properly. If you're using butter you've reached a good temperature when the liquid is done boiling in seconds. It's been a long time but I seem to recall 7 seconds being what I was taught 😄

[@Inoka01]

My go-to pan is a Darto n.25. I hate the grease-trap rivets on some carbon steel and stainless steel pans, I love that these guys are completely stamped so I don't have any excessively gross areas. They're a bit rougher looking out of the box than a De Buyer, Matfer Bourgeat, or even a lodge. It had very clearly machined edges that are a bit sharp, for example. I don't care. I sanded down the sides and gave them a chamfer and roughed up the whole cooking surface so seasoning would stick a bit better. Now it's my personal unique pan, with no rivets, and no equal anywhere on the planet, and that's super cool to me.

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

I'd love to get a Darto some day. I fully agree with you on rivets, though, it's why I went for a Ballarini. Basically the only rivetless one I could find in my budget with a shape I liked.

[@toast1797]

Thank you so much for talking about my favourite piece of cookware of all time!

[@MinibossMakaque]

I love my carbon steel pan. Cast iron is great but my carbon steel is the go to pan I grab for anything. And it's great for eggs since the finish is very smooth.

[@IzzoCello]

Im unapologetically in love with my cast iron pans.

[@paulpeterson4216]

I do 80% of my skillet cooking in cast iron. I broke out my stainless pan today because I was making a pan sauce. I tend not to get a lot of use out of my carbon steel pan unless I am making something that I need to flip without a spatula. Carbon steel is good all around, but as noted, every type of pan it competes with is better than carbon steel when used for what they are best at. When I need to get a great sear, or transfer from the cooktop to the oven I use cast iron. When I want to create a fond for a sauce, I use stainless. When I want non-stick, my carbon steel doesn't compete with my antique Lodge, nor my non-stick omelet pans.

[@kevinliang9502]

Not many people know this but you can season stainless steel pans the same way as carbon steel and cast iron. Seasoning is just the polymerization of oil. You just have to be a bit more gentle with washing a seasoned stainless steel pan than cast iron because it doesn't stick as well since it's smoother

[@mattymattffs]

Carbon steel is great, but they do have a learning curve and they require some run up time. But IMO, way better than cast iron and better than stainless steel

[@HayTatsuko]

"Panoply of Pans" is a delicious turn of phrase.

[@ardenthebibliophile]

Love my carbon steel for eggs, but I won't do any acidic foods in it (e.g. red sauce). That's what my stainless steel pan is for!

[@andyhaochizhang]

My favorite is a heavy stainless steel pan (like one clad with thick copper), very responsive, decent at retaining heat, and most importantly, requires no maintenance. If you use enough oil it cooks eggs just fine too.

[@magistral5732]

Same here, mine sears perfectly, retains heat but at the same time it is very responsive. I just don't like to season the pans or be restricted to certain foods because of the material of the pan. Stainless steel is perfect for weeknight meals and for a fast cleanup

[@klmx6]

Careful with copper, it leeches at higher temps

[@RyanTosh]

@@klmx6 The copper is surrounded on both sides by stainless steel, they're not talking about actual copper cookware

[@MIKExMASSACREx]

Stainless steel is the best versatile skillet hands down

[@richardm3421]

What brand of pan is that? I tried to find copper clad pans and couldn't find a single one that didn't also have layer(s) of aluminium. In each case the layer of copper was so thin that it is basically a sales gimmick with most of the heat distribution being made by the much thicker layer of aluminium. Not keen on Al in pans as its low melting point means that can warp and delaminates when used.

[@gabequezada2066]

I have that same pan... Its really good eventhough I tend to also gravitate to my cast iron... My stainless steel gets attention here and there.. But, its made me move on from garbage nonstick pans that I keep replacing every 6 months... And yes, when used properly and you take the time they are non-stick..

[@appa609]

1:28 Stainless steels have substantially lower thermal conductivity than carbon steel or cast iron. It also has effectively the same heat capacity. For a given pan design, a solid stainless steel pans will transfer heat slower. Stainless steel pans are aluminium core. Aluminium is the material that conducts the heat. SS is just the hard inert surface.

[@andrewjc13]

Hey, I do have a carbon steel pan! And it is fantastic! I think I may even have the same brand judging by handle shape. It's the one pan I feel should just live on the cooktop, because you can use it for basically everything. From eggs to steaks to reheating leftovers, it's great.

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

Yea I barely pick up any of my other skillets right now. I have a cast iron I never use because the CS does everything better. I have a few stainless skillets that I love, but I don't make much food that would be better in a stainless steel pan because I'm a college student without much time to make anything particularly elaborate. The only pan that gets more use in my kitchen is my wok (which is also carbon steel lol)

[@luk5464]

I love my carbon steel. In Europe it’s much more common than cast iron. Exactly for the reasons you mentioned. However, due to the type of dishes I generally make, stainless is my friend. I often make dishes that have to simmer for a while, like aubergine/eggplant involtini. In tomatoes. Or a dish where I make a pan sauce with some wine for example. Which are very acidic and wet and will eat into the seasoning, given enough time. Stainless and induction is fine if there’s a layer of iron inside to make it super magnetic. That’s why a good stainless steel pan should have 5 layers. The outer layers obviously stainless steel. Then underneath those aluminium or copper for conductivity. And in the middle iron to make it all induction compatible. Conversely, if you’re cooking on gas or ceramic, the iron actually harms the heat conductivity in the same way as a cast iron or carbon steel pan suffers from, but obviously to a lesser extent. Oh and the best thing is, I throw it in the dishwasher after every use. No problem.

[@TheCultureofCookery]

Loved this video. The way that you communicate information is a complete cheff's kiss. Thanks!!

[@thequantaleaper]

Just a couple notes: Stainless steel is a much worse conductor of heat than cast iron... but the copper or aluminium core helps compensate for this by evening out the heat. This is why it does better than cast iron, which still has terrible heat conductivity and causes uneven heating without sufficient pre-heating. Carbon steel is great because it heats up quicker and can take the heat when thinned out. This is why it's used mostly for woks. If you can't get a good stainless pan, a carbon steel one is probably a good choice. But I can tell you that a seasoned stainless, with proper technique, can be just as non-stick. It's just a little more fragile. Also... the surface texture of modern CI pans may be rough. But this doesn't affect its non-stick capacity.

[@godminnette2]

The instant I saw the thumbnail, I knew this would be about carbon steel pans. Several cooking content creators have covered carbon steel before. Personally, I reach for my well-cared-for non-stick pan the most. I've had it for years and years and it has had no noticeable degradation in its non-stick capacity. Cast iron's typical size, shape, and heft means it's basically never the right fit for anything I do, so my cast iron pans sit well-seasoned and wrapped in paper towel in an out-of-the-way cabinet. Maybe I'll find someone to give them to. I might give carbon steel a go one of these days, though...

[@toolbaggers]

Non-stick is great IF and only if they are treated properly. This vid was about carbon steel, which are usually the same mass as non-stick cookware.

[@Showmeromi]

I got a carbonsteel pan about a year ago and now it's the only pan we use. In fact, we font even pull it off of the stovetop. I remember recently opening the drawer with all our old ceramic enamel and nonstick pans looking for something, and considering throwing them out.

[@notfunny3397]

Certified THICCC boy

[@areimnu]

Yay!! You have a sponsor now, and OMG *you deserve it*. Your videos have been so informative, and such a delight to watch. Thank you so much for them!

[@areimnu]

(At least, I'm assuming Animalogic is a sponsor. If not, go you for shout-outs to your friends! You rock!)

[@Jszar]

I want to love the carbon steel pan I got as an experiment. But I seasoned it as directed, used it once for something salty, and found that it had managed to develop spots of rust by the time I went to clean up after the meal. In order to make sure I'd gotten all the rust off, I ended up stripping the seasoning (with food-grade lye), then the rust, then immediately seasoning the pan again. And so far I've been too hesitant to try a second time.

[@ThomasLeo]

I have a beautiful smithy carbon steel pan that I never use. In my kitchen we basically use two pans, a stainless steel one (any thing that requires deglazing or involves acidic food), and a cast iron one (for frying, cooking eggs, pancakes, ect.) One thing worth mentioning is that cast iron pans can be machined smooth, I use a Stargazer cast iron pan that has a very smooth finish similar to that of a carbon steel pan.

[@pennywise6672]

Good discussion. I have all of the above and appreciate them all for their distinctive positive qualities. I have a carbon steel crepe pan that I use for eggs but never for crepes. I've found, though, that after trying many different oils the only one that keeps my eggs from sticking is butter. Which I love.

[@sahilshinde734]

How can you miss the amazing flavour carbon steel imparts to the food ! The smokiness it produces when foods are seared properly multiplies the taste 10x

[@PredictableEnigma]

I use ceramic coated non-stick and have ever since I moved out on my own because I have pet birds. Birds breathe very efficantly, but this makes them sensitive to airbourn pollutants, when living in a home where they can't fly away from them. So birds will die from "teflon poisoning" if you cook with it in thier air space and can't ventilate it REALLY WELL. I have a hard time finding anyone in the FoodTube world covering ceramic coated metal cookware. Probably because it isn't the best at any particular job and all the other options are better at one thing or another, but I think having just 1 in your home for eggs & tomatos & delicate fish instead of a teflon-based non-stick is likely better for all of us. The coating lasts a bit longer too! Though it will still wear off eventually in my experience. I only ever got the really cheap ones though. Save the big bucks for the stainless steel pans that I cook with most often.

[@EvgenyPakhomov]

One thing worth mentioning is that not all stove tops will work equally well with the same pan. Mostly because a large portion (or the majority?) of electric stove tops uses PWM to achieve a certain "mean" temperature. A cast icon pan works reasonably well in such a setting, but good luck controlling heat in a carbon steel pan there.

[@MinuteFood]

Thanks - this is really interesting and something I'll have to read up on.

[@officer_baitlyn]

the way electric stove tops work is really stretching the meaning of PWM :^) its more akin to bang bang controls, but still a valid point nonetheless

[@altersami9660]

@@MinuteFood also the most responsive pans are the non-sticks which are often made using aluminum. Responsiveness has little to do with heat conductivity, but rather heat capacity. That's why stainless steel pans are not equal. If they are made using copper, then they are less responsive but have better heat retention. And vice versa if they are made using aluminum. However, both should be good at heat distribution, which is also another property to consider.

[@MikeTaffet]

Above is slightly incorrect. Copper improves responsiveness. It’s conductive properties means it heats up and cools down quickly. Which is why it’s very popular for pro chefs making sauces because of the heat control. Stainless is almost entirely there just to be a non-reactive surface. You can have stainless steel interiors and exteriors with cores of various materials, and the entire goal is to use stainless for its non-reactive and easy maintenance properties, while using core materials that offer the responsiveness that stainless lacks. Aluminum is less expensive so it’s more common, copper is more expensive but offers quicker reaction to changes in temperature. It’s a balance of cost and materials, while trying to maximize ease of maintenance and cooking properties.

[@altersami9660]

@@MikeTaffet the "reaction" is a function of heat capacity. Aluminum has about 30% less heat capacity than copper per volume, while having about 1/3 of density. So an aluminum-core stainless steel pan with the same volume of material is, in theory, 33% more reactive than one with copper and about 67% lighter.

[@tomstanley2438]

Thanks to you I'm finally gonna buy one - Never quite understood these until now!

[@petrichor9417]

Love carbon steel pans, they're so nice to work with

[@miljacb]

Just buy stainless steel pan with aluminum layer added in the bottom and ceramic coating. Will last you for years with benefits of all 4 pans. Also its coating is oven safe up to 400°C.

[@demrandom]

So, what's your opinion about enamel pans? Downside: pretty costly. Don't hold heat like cast iron Upside: the seasoning is sort of like glass, so unlike cast iron you can just dishwasher them, they're relatively non-stick by themselves, and they're pretty light. Also, it's a coating so most of them can be used on induction as well.

[@mikiggs]

Le creuset dutch oven is a beast. It's cast iron with an enamel coating.

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

Fantastic for dutch ovens, too heavy and undurable for skillets imo. I also find even undamaged ceramic to be a bit sticky. But in a dutch oven the ceramic really only serves the purpose of keeping the iron from rusting and giving a white surface to monitor browning on, so it's a beautiful material for those. My Lodge dutch oven gets used for pretty much everything you can make in a pot.

[@KekusMagnus]

I recently moved out and this video inspired me to leave the nonstick pans to my relatives and get myself a carbon steel pan. It has been the only pan I use for a month and I am truly shocked at how versatile it is. It is much easier to use than a cast-iron pan and it can do pretty much everything a nonstick pan can do while being far better at searing meat. The only problems I ran into are eggs having a tendency to stick if I don't control the temperature just right, but even if things do stick, I find it much easier to clean and re-season than my cast iron pan

[@flavioryu5922]

Thank you for this beautiful video. I feel like I'm finally starting to understand how pans work

[@AmokBR]

The main advantage of a stainless steel pan is that it doesn't rust. If you buy a non-stick stainless steel pan, you don't have to season it either.

[@CortezEspartaco2]

I love my carbon steel wok for most jobs and stainless steel for everything else, i.e. boiling water or simmering sauces.

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

yeah carbon steel pans are the best I use them all the time in the restaurant

[@appa609]

Aluminum pans are technically outstanding.

[@Mryodamiles]

Carbon steel and wok are true kings of the kitchen. I find that cast iron is probably the most overrated skillet out there since people rarely take advantage of its heat retention capability.

[@mrgallbladder]

Of course we have that pan, but we still don't use it much because it doesn't hold seasoning very well due to its smooth surface.

[@syber-space]

Neat! I'd like to see a bit more focus/info for electric/inductive burners. I understand if gas is what's available, but with all the benefits of electric, the impact of burning fuels in enclosed spaces, and the current corporate push for gas despite the industry direction, it would be nice to see electric get some representation here too.

[@kingplunger6033]

okay, you convinced me. I just ordered a carbon steel one and a stainless steel with copper base. wish me luck fucking up my first meals with those

[@MinuteFood]

Come back and let us know how it goes!

[@kingplunger6033]

@MinuteFood I burned my first 3 meals in the stainless steel pan, but the 4th didn't stick. I tried the carbon one twice so far and the first burned pretty bad and the second one was okay-ish with only a little bit of burn. The thing I like about the stainless steel one is, that cleaning is ridiculously easy !

[@Pablo.B.M.]

stainless is only super responsive when cladded. When it is not, it's actually three times less conductive than carbon steel. So check that out when buying woks for example...

[@ilovecokeslurpees]

Carbon Steel is used a lot in Asian Woks. I have a carbon steel wok and it is great for my stir fries.

[@raynmanshorts9275]

As soon as I saw the video title, I knew it was carbon steel. They are _really_ underappreciated.

[@doctorklockwork]

I’ve had that exact pan for years and it’s a work horse. Matfer Bourgeat black steel, if I’m assuming correctly. The only caveat is that’s it is difficult to keep the seasoning even on those things. Avoiding acidic ingredients is a given, but it’ll chip and flake off if you’re not searing meat or doing stir-fries on them regularly. I still use it far more often than any other pan in my kitchen

[@twistedsim]

I will look at them for my next skillet. Thanks!

[@RushingRussianify]

Hold up, physics here. Stainless steel is less thermally conductive than cast iron steel if you have a look at material properties. The “delay” in heating of cast iron comes from the bulk mass of the pan, ie having to warm a larger volume of molecules rather than cast irons material conductivity.

[@MaebhsUrbanity]

Though if your weirded out by that sort of thing (though it's perfectly fine), my wock ends up being about 50% brown from rust, I find it gives it character and personally.

[@mikkosaarinen3225]

Is it rust or staining? Staining is super common in carbon steel pans. Actual rust would probably make cooking kind of hard since rusted surfaces are super brittle. All the food you cooked would probably be orange or brown and taste most of iron 😄 But I do agree with you, I really like the look of stained steel pans.

[@MaebhsUrbanity]

@@mikkosaarinen3225 Yeah it's just staining I think.

[@clarencegreen3071]

@@MaebhsUrbanity If the stain is not brown, your wok is developing a seasoning, and that's a good thing! After you use it, hit it with a squirt of cooking spray (PAM or the equivalent) and then wipe it out with a paper towel. It will shine ...and you will like it!

[@nekekaminger]

So far I never really got warm with carbon steel. I've had three carbon steel pans and didn't really get along with any of them. I have to heat them up super slowly because if I don't they immediately warp (on an electric flat top, not induction), they heat up very unevenly and I just can't get the seasoning to stick. Even non-acidic things like cheese or just plain water sometimes strip off the seasoning. I've never had that issue with cast iron. Strata cookware has recently released a new pan that is essentially a stainless steel pan but with a carbon steel cooking surface. I heats up very quickly and evenly without warping. I've yet to see how well the seasoning sticks, but my first impression is good. For those who don't really like carbon steel for the same reasons as me, this might be worth trying out (Btw. before someone says I just got cheap thin carbon steel pans and that's why they warp and don't heat up evenly: Two out of the three were de Buyer Mineral Bs, which are by many considered to be among the best carbon steel pans you can currently buy).

[@OJOtheMojo]

Was gonna be too lazy to watch the video as usual, but did it anyway - was super helpful actually! Learned a lot I didn't know!

[@PlebiasFate1609]

stainless steel is also good at acidic foods like tomato sauce and also is more practical at making pan sauces and developing fonds on the bottom of the pan thank carbon steel or cast iron imo, and also recently matfer had to recall their pans because it was found out to be leeching arsenic and not all carbon steel is created equally some are more cast iron forward and some are more stainless steel forward if you get what i mean

[@hcn6708]

0:37 Huh! Interesting price tag!

[@richmondvand147]

they've been popular outside North America for a long long time, americans have been bought and sold by teflon industry

[@philipp594]

Stainless Steels have a higher heat capacity than cast iron. But the heat capacity mostly depends on the thickness of the pans bottom. Not all stainless steel pans are ply's (multi layer construction). It would have been nice to talk about things like warping / delaminating and differences between a sandwhich bottom vs a full clad pan. It would have also bin nice to see either copper or cast aluminium pans included. Same with the coatings. Not all are created eqaul. Tin has beautiful properties, but a low melting point. Silver tarnishes but has a higher melting point. There are huge differences between multiple ptfe based coatings + the difference that comes with the ammount of layers and their thickness. There are polished and smoothly cast cast iron pans as well ... And working as a chef I've never seen a professional kitchen without non stick pans. Yes I only use them on eggs and fish. But most professional chef's only use ptfe coated cast aluminium pans and do their high temp searing on a griddle, plancha or under the salamander. I think you should have done more research before making this video.

[@jaydensydes3478]

stainless is good because the seasoning doesn't develop a hobby of disappearing faster than it gets applied or rusting when you don't want to get oil all over your cupboards.

[@pault.5241]

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[@Pablo.B.M.]

out of the 4 pans I have, 2 are carbon Steel woks, and really my favourite for responsiveness. However, my workhorse for general use is the cuated and cladded stainless steel bcause of its non reactiveness and easier care (I can leave food or sauced on it). I go to the woks anytime I need responsiveness. Now savin for copper-stainless pans to have it always both ways. pro tip if somethings stick to stainless you just make it a demiglaze or scrub it away.

[@op4000exe]

Excuse the confusion and all, but Steel pans do contain carbon. Steel has a carbon content of 0-2%, carbon steel 0.05-2.1% and cast iron has around 3%. So it's not really that steel doesn't have carbon (it usually does), it just oftentimes also contain other compounds such as chrome if it's stainless steel, or molybdenum and vanadium for different alloys.

[@ebattleon]

You can also 'season' stainless pans as well, l after all the seasoning is polymerised cooking oil.

[@NewJocular]

Steel by definition has carbon. So much for "nerding out".

[@fpassow1]

Real Chinese woks have traditionally been carbon steel. It's interesting to see western pans (returning to?) this kind of metal. Stainless is new and expensive. Non-stick is very new. Cast iron would be really heavy for people traveling on foot or on horseback. Now I have to go research the history of carbon steel pans in the US.... :-)

[@mikkosaarinen3225]

I think, mostly guessing, this has to do with historical steel production. Chinese were producing tons of steel as early as 1300's where as European, and thus also American, steel production didn't kick off until after the industrial revolution. So we had to do with the much more easily produced cast iron or ceramics. This is one of those things that the fucked up way we're taught history gets us. We don't realize we were a backwater until quite recently 😂 Basically everything europeans "invented" was actually copied from either China, India or the Islamic World 😄 Basically the only major things we invented were exploitative capitalism, industrial scale slavery and global colonialism. Go team! 😖

[@Banom7a]

i uses my wok for almost everything lol. Truly best vessel ever.