To me, someone who celebrates a bit more of the spectrum than most: Metal hot. Make food hot.
Non-stick means easier cleanup, but my wife seems to think cast-iron is necessary for certain things (searing a prime rib roast, for example.).
After I figure those out, then I gotta figure out gas vs. electric vs. induction vs infrared…
Define “better”.
It’s heat- when preheated properly- is much more even and it holds it quite a bit better. This of course, requires preheating (and that takes a long moment.)
when properly seasoned and oiled, the pan is genuinely nonstick to the same degree as most PTFE pan out there (without all the nasty plastics flaking off, and able to be get up to a proper temperature for searing in the first place…) But of course, this means keeping your pan properly seasoned.
I’m not a fan of lodge cast iron, though, IMO its too much work to develop and maintain that level of seasoning (because of it’s surface. Victoria is a better inexpensive option if you’re looking to buy new.) But I also rock a lodge when camping (Because I don’t want to subject my really nice, inherited stuff to campfire cooking.) but cast iron can take the abuse of cooking right on coals and other campfire torture (like being cleaned with sand.)
Of course, you have to clean up/care for that camp pan after the fact.
The point being made is that everyone has a different understanding of what is “best”, cast iron does require a significant investment in maintenance and care. For me, the effort is worth it. for many it’s not.
for what cast iron does well, it’s amazing. And really, the biggest problem is that it’s not so good for acidic things (which eats away the seasoning, but that’s more like ‘don’t try and make a pasta sauce’ rather than “don’t splash in some citrus.”
Cast iron is horrible at heat distribution and responsiveness.
“When properly preheated, the heat is very even” isn’t contradicted to that fact.
Cast iron does indeed suck at heat distribution, which is one of the reasons it needs proper preheating.
But once the pan is properly preheated, then that heat is quite even.
Make sense?
I recently got an induction stove (not even one of the expensive ones) and am so blown away by how fast it can heat up cast iron pans. It’s seconds, not minutes.
I mean I’m sure it’s pretty much instant with pans of lower mass, but instant isn’t what I need.
Oh yeah. actually have to be careful to not heat it too quickly, though. I’m not sure what that threshold is, though. Inductive cooktops are lovely, though. Much better than electric cooktops, and lacking in all the unpleasant pollution of gas.
This is factually wrong from the jump.
Cast iron does not heat evenly.
Cast iron quite specifically is very good at heat retention. Heat distribution suffers as a consequence. What you’re seeing as heat distribution is the consequence of having to preheat your pan for so long.
Yup…if you’re patient and wait for the heat to spread to the whole pan, the entire thing will be hot and stay hot for a long time…even the handle.
So you’re saying that, properly preheated, the pan has very even heat?
Gee why didn’t I … oh. That’s is what I’m saying.
You’re right, if you don’t preheat, it’s uneven. But you put in the extra effort and it’s rather more even than nearly any kind of pan.
I highly doubt you’re throwing your pan in the oven or letting it sit in a burner for an hour every time you need to cook something. There’s a hot spot that you, as a result of using it for so long, are aware of, and that’s where 90% of your cooking is taking place.
It doesn’t take an hour to preheat cast iron
FTA:
(emphasis mine.) Ovens typically take 10-20 minutes to come up to temperature, and if for whatever reason your oven is already hot, it won’t take longer than what your oven takes to preheat to to get up to temp.
Either way, I typically start preheating as I’m prepping everything else.
And yes, I know I have an even pan because I not-infrequently make omelettes in them.