- cross-posted to:
- nottheonion@lemmy.ml
- cross-posted to:
- nottheonion@lemmy.ml
Carbon steel or cast iron all the way.
Stainless steel! Neither of those is something you want to use to simmer a tomato sauce.
Why’s that? I’ve never owned any of the 3, all pans have been some form of nonstick.
Carbon steel and cast iron cookware have reactive metal surfaces that will rust if left exposed to moisture and air, especially when heated. To use these materials of cookware you need to season them which involves washing the surface clean and applying a very thin layer of oil which you then heat up to a high temperature (usually past the smoke point, but not strictly necessary).
The heating of oil in contact with the metal causes the oil molecules to polymerize and bond to the metal surface. Done properly, this gives your cast iron and carbon steel cookware a smooth, glassy, slightly brown protective polymer layer which prevents rust and helps foods release (though not as well as nonstick pans). The seasoning process can be repeated as many times as you like and it builds up more and more layers which darken over time. A well seasoned piece of cast iron or carbon steel cookware will look shiny and jet black, though this is not necessary for cooking.
The downside of these materials is that acidic or basic foods can damage the polymer layer and dissolve it right off the pan with enough heat and cooking time. Tomato sauce is a classic example of an acidic food that will eat away at the seasoning of a cast iron or carbon steel pan. A well seasoned pan can still be used to cook a tomato sauce, but not one you plan to be simmering for hours and hours (like some Sunday meat sauce like you’d see in Goodfellas).
Stainless steel (as well as enameled or porcelain coated) cookware is nonreactive so you can use it to cook acidic or basic foods no problem!
Keep in mind that nonstick cookware is still very safe when handled correctly. The problem lies in the manufacturing of these needed chemicals. When these chemicals get into the environment, because of improper safety management, it will stay there for hundreds of years, taking it’s toll on flora and fauna.
Wait, it’s not the material on the Pans?
That’s the first part, used correctly it’s a non issue so just use your nonstick correctly.
Like throw it away every 6 months.
Edit: or 1 or 2 years, it was hyperbole. Instead of like never throwing it out?
I’ve had mine for 2 years now. It’s still non stick and I cook extremely regularly. Eg. 90% of my meals are cooked by me. I think some non stick pans are shit though because one of the ones I own started deteriorating after a year.
how much cancer do you have?
Using nonstick correctly: Dont use anything but silicone spatulas on it, do not use more than 50% of your stoves power or gas stove or you will get cancer and die. Buy a new one every 5 years anyway since it somehow became stick pan.
Using stainless pan: Find it from some junk metal pile, discover it was manufactured in the roman empire, give it a good scrub. Use it on any source imaginable and when hawk thuah slides around instead of sizzles, it’s good to go.
Source on the pan giving you cancer?
Yes, non-stick becomes stick because the teflon coating comes off, it’s really hard to make teflon stick to anything. Using metal utensils will hasten this but afaik simply using heat will help loosen the teflon coating.
I don’t mind buying a new non-stick pan about every 5 years (last one lasted 7), I usuall stick to the cheapest ones, they serve a specific service to me that stainless ones can’t do.
Heating non-stick pans beyond recommended temperatures can cause the coating to degrade, potentially releasing toxic fumes. Cooking on high heat or using metal utensils can compromise the integrity of the coating, increasing the risk of harmful substances leaching into food.
The part you quoted says nothing about cancer, article only mentions potential risks with no evidence and no article cited. I’m sorry but articles like these are why people believe chocolate cures cancer or sitting down is as bad as smoking.
I don’t claim there’s no connection but so far I’ve seen no evidence.
My mom has like “chemophobia” is is constantly afraid medications or “GMO”. Well looks like she got this part right tho, she was always afraid of a non stick stuff chipping off and hate any “non stick” cookware. Broken clock, twice a day, ya know.
Medications
Sometimes worse side effects than the thing it’s trying to cure. Sometimes used to cure something that better diet and more exercise could take care of. Made by companies more concerned with money than your health outcomes. What’s to be afraid of?
GMO
Nothing wrong with GMO itself, but every company using GMO doesn’t use it to make food higher quality or taste better. They use it to engineer pesticides into your food, increase crop yields, and patent our seeds, for, you guessed it, money! Insecticides specifically can be neurotoxic to humans. What’s to be afraid of?
Maybe you should listen to your mom instead of badmouthing her to strangers on the Internet.
I haven’t seen anything that actually links GMOs to something that is a concrete negative. There are so many claims that “artificial” and GMOs are somehow bad but yet people can’t seem to quantify why or how.
I think it is mostly just marketing fluff. What’s worse is that the so called “organic” produce is almost certainly worse for the environment. Also some of the “natural” pesticides are worse for humans if actually consumed.
Yeah I agree organic pesticides are just as dumb. Bioengineering pesticides into your food takes the cake though, you can’t even wash it off. Not all organic growers use organic pesticides. I know several organic farmers and none of them use any pesticide, they accept the lower crop yield for higher quality food.
You absolutely should be using pesticides. You are just wasting resources if you don’t. We need fresh food to be cheaper and easily accessible.