ok so it's a quick fry kind of pan, right cool and black iron is steel? so spun steel is more accurate than black iron?
and woo hoo! turns out my stainless pan is good i just need to turn the heat down a bit, i'm still getting a cast iron one though =p
cookessentials,
Jan 9, 6:15am
it is classed as cold roll steel and 2mm thick with arc welded handles. It is not as thin as a wok. A good ( one of the best) cast iron range is the American "Lodge" pre-seasoned cast iron. It has been made inthe small town of Pittsburg Tenessee in the USA since the 1890's.
raebee,
Jan 9, 6:17am
i love my stoneline too.i searched on here once before and saw mixed reviews, but at the end of the day they are brilliant pans for cooking on.i just hope they live up to their guarantee.I ensure they are well cared for though
0800xford,
Jan 9, 7:55am
this stainless steel frying pan i have here on closer inspection looks like it has two whole layers, i can see a seam just under the top of the rim, but it may just be folded over. and on the bottom it definitely has piece of aluminium on the base which is exposed all the way around with a stainless disc stuck to the bottom of that, the handle has a copper screw and nut too
maybe this is a really good one after all?
cookessentials,
Jan 9, 8:15am
No, the Lodge is American made. I'll have a look at the one you mentioned. The new range of Lodge enamel ware is from China, not the pre-seasoned stuff. http://www.lodgemfg.com/lodge-history.asp
cookessentials,
Jan 9, 8:24am
The pan looks like the basic Lodge skillet. I was not aware that they HAVE a Gabrielle Gate' range...it certainly is not in their catalogue. To be honest, the pan does not look new. The red patches oxford asked about are rust. It has been used and left damp somewhere. A new Lodge Pan has a slightly shiny,oily look to it.It can be cleaned up but it depends on what he is asking for it.
0800xford,
Jan 9, 8:27am
i actually have the original photo they uploaded, check it out top = lodge website image
It aint new! To be honest, the Lodge is not overly expensive, I would suggest getting yourself a new one. With the rusty one you are going to have to go throough the whole clean up process( using a steel wool) and re-seasoning.
0800xford,
Jan 9, 7:58pm
misrepresented goods
buzzy110,
Jan 9, 10:03pm
Yes. You have a good frying pan. The aluminium base is there to assist in heat transfer and it works as good as copper based ones. S/s on its own is very slow to heat.
Now if you are really wanting something out of this world, I have now, two full sets of Dinerite cooking pots and pans. They are triple skinned, not just one the bottom, but over the entire pot, excluding lids. They have a special thingamajig on the lid that whistles when it is hot and you either turn the pot off (if electric element) or down really low and it sort of creates a vacuum which helps retain all the goodness, blah, blah, blah. I have two of their skillets and they are better than anything else on the market because they have slightly higher sides, metal handles, can go in the oven, work as casseroles (if you remove the thingamajig on the lid) and also as pots.
Heat control is perfect, even on an electric element and you never use any more than a couple of tablespoons of water when doing 'boiled veg'. The skillets also come away camping with me because they are so multipurpose. I've never had anything stick to them.
buzzy110,
Jan 9, 10:09pm
One more thing about your frying pan, I would not recommend that you keep it on high heat throughout the cooking process and maybe that is where you might be thinking that your pans are no good.
Even with my spun steel I bring it to temp at one temp above half heat then turn it down to half heat once I begin cooking my steak or fish or whatever. It still browns nicely and seals in the juices, but it doesn't burn or start to smoke. Remember, you do have to use some sort of oil/fat no matter what the current low fat advice is. If you want beautifully cooked and tasty food you need some fatty type cooking medium and you need salt.
As I'm usually cooking more than one steak at a time, the pan may cool slightly when you first put them in but as it comes back to temp I find that sometimes I even have to turn it down lower than mid-point. I'm not good with gas because I do find it really hard to get the lower temperatures I need.
0800xford,
Jan 10, 12:36am
it worked quite well on 'about half way' i turned it down even more to simmer
splash of olive oil > diced onion > chopped garlic > mince > 1/2 tin 4 bean mix > 1/2 tin tomato purée > 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes > 'a bit of' chilli paste > cracked pepper > pinch of majoram = NACHOS!
i'll experiment a bit more with lower heats, i tend to just blast stuff on high which i know i'll get told off for ha ha ha
cookessentials,
Jan 10, 2:30am
not the best, an encapsulated base means that the outer stainless steel encases the aluminium core, this gives you even heating which avoids hot spots. The one you have is a sandwich base and is certainly not as good a quality as a fully encapsulated pan.
0800xford,
Jan 10, 5:56am
it's definitely a sandwich base, i can easily scratch the aluminium, it does however cook very evenly.
i bought a 260mm "black iron" dissco frying pan today from southern hospitality, the next time i bake a loaf of bread i'll season it [no point wasting power! and if you're tight like me that's top of the list]
i'll be slowly browsing for a big old heavy cast iron one too though. if you are all lucky i'll put up some photos of my unhealthy frying pan collection ha ha ha ha
buzzy110,
Jan 10, 8:56am
Oh I'm all aquiver with anticipation. Nothing stirs a woman's fancy more than a photo of a collection of unhealthy frying pans.
Now what I want to know, is just what have you been feeding your pans to make them so unhealthy?
0800xford,
Jan 10, 9:38am
no, the fact that i 'collect' them is unhealthy ha ha ha!
elliehen,
Jan 10, 9:53am
And when you get your cast iron skillet you'll be able to live like the hermit - the old man who had a fry-up from Monday to Saturday, and then to give himself a day off on Sunday, just fried up all the stuck-on bits from the week's cooking ;)
buzzy110,
Jan 10, 10:13am
Then we must both be 'wrong in the head' because I probably have about 8 or 9, really excellent frying pans or skillets. I use my Dinerite one for steaming vegetables even, and by low fat standards, that is the only proper use for a frying pan. lol.
That makes my skillet the healthiest fry pan in town.
but seriously, i washed my new spun steel/black iron frying pan last night and it's drying in the airing cupboard. pity the handle is hollow... i'll have to get some anti rust stuff in there somehow.
when i coat this thing in oil and bake at a million degrees for an hour or so do i coat the outside too? and the handle?
cookessentials,
Jan 10, 8:52pm
You coat the whole pan in vegetable oiland place in oven at 150C for one hour. Remove from oven and let it cool. Remove excess oil with a paper towel. The pan should have had these instructions on the sticker inside.
0800xford,
Jan 10, 9:39pm
the "whole pan" being the -outside- and the -handle- too? will that not burn on the element when i use it? i read i'm meant to leave it -in- the oven to cool, -then- wipe off the excess oil? of course i'll put some foil or a tray etc to catch the dripping oil, and i do it 'upsidedown' too right? i'm going to try to get some oil inside the handle too, i can just see the weld at the pan/handle rusting from the inside. the bloke in the shop sai dthey usually only last a couple of years then the handle snaps off... [in a commercial environment]
you must get sick to death of telling people how to do this, maybe we need a "how to season/prepare your frying pan, wok, cast iron cookware etc" thread. maybe there is a good article online that details the process that could be linked to too.
cookessentials,
Jan 10, 9:56pm
I think only the pan itself. The other method I posted was for cast iron, the instructions for this are from the distributors..the sticker on the front. I dont mind as I get people asking me all sorts of questions either on trademe, the website or in the shop, so I am used to it and I dont mind, that's what I'm here for. I actually have a great glossary page on the website with all the pan types and what they are for as well as knives and other gadgets. You can always Google "How to season a cast iron pan" and you should be able to get something.
0800xford,
Jan 10, 10:04pm
the -inside- only? logic tells me yes, inexperience tells me no.
you want to see repetition? try "antivirus" threads in computing...
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