Poll: What material pots and pans do you use regularly? Choose all that apply.

[Mosca]

It’s multiple choice, and no time out. I’m curious what people use.

I’ve been going back and forth and around among stainless, non stick, and cast iron. My wok is carbon steel, and I have a couple bare (seasoned) cast iron Dutch oven and an enameled one. I don’t really have a preference; each material has the exact advantages and disadvantages that are widely reported.

Right now I’m on a stainless steel kick. Good stainless steel is amazing… even cheap stainless steel is amazing! It isn’t sexy like carbon steel and cast iron, but it is extremely durable, heats quickly and evenly, and it’s easy to clean, even dishwasher safe! And it can be just as non stick as PTFE; I spent the last week making omelets in a 3 ply (cheap, the expensive stuff is 5 ply) stainless steel pan on an electric range.

That being said, when I switch to cast iron, I get a big smile on my face! I love the slickness and the heat retention. When I pick up the PTFE, I love swirling those eggs around, or sautéing delicate vegetables like spinach and mushrooms without risk of sticking and burning.

Really, I use them all. They aren’t competitors, they’re teammates, complementary pieces.

[SheilaAnn]

Cast iron-roasting, searing, frying, and pan pizzas
stainless steel pots (revereware)-boiling stuff (pasta, potatoes, etc)
green pan-eggs only
enameled CI-braises
carbon steel-I’m assuming my wok is this

love the analogy that they are not competitors, but partners!!

[Richard Chrz]

I like the analogy of teammates, that’s how I look at majority of my kitchen tools.

I don’t use my D3 fry pan and sauté pan that often anymore, mostly because I’m enjoying playing with my carbon steel fry pans. Any real acidity though, the stainless comes out.

I use my new misen 6.75 stainless 5 -ply dutch 0ven what seems like 5 times a week right now.. and a 3 ply 10 qt used a lot less now that I have the 6.75

have a 4 qt enameled Dutch oven that on average gets used 4 times a week. 8 qt enamled used often

Having the new carbon steel pans, they are used almost daily, and my my lodge 15 inch carbon paella likely the most used pan in my kitchen, inside and out, I keep a few cast for high searing indoors, and a Dutch oven for the grill.

my wife has a few t fal or something similar, those are for her, I never look at them, neither does she to be honest. But I keep them in the kitchen just in case, as she wants nothing to do with my cookware.

by far my most used are in order

carbon steel paella, 11 & 9 inch carbon steel fry pan, 4 qt enameled Dutch, 6.75 5 ply stainless Dutch

[jfmorris]

Sounds like my wife. The only skillets she will use are the two Oxo non-sticks. I just ordered a replacement 12” as the old one is getting beat up looking.

[DaveD]

Great poll Mosca! Very interesting results thus far. And absolutely: horses for courses. Right tool for the job, and all that.

[Purc]

I recently got rid of my nonstick pots and skillets and now I only use my stainless steel and carbon steel. These are both much heavier but healthier--- no PFAS or PTFE.

[Spinaker]

Cast iron for everything. I do use one carbon steel pan. Ceramic coasted Dutch ovens

[Michael_in_TX]

My most used, in order are:

10" Teflon skillet
10" cast iron skillet
3 qt stainless saucepan
8" Teflon skillet
12" cast iron skillet

And that is really it.

[jfmorris]

I selected a lot of those options. I use myself:

• Lodge 12" CI skillet
• Carbon Steel 14" wok
• Porcelain coated and uncoated cast iron dutch ovens
• Stainless sauce pots and stock pots
• Cast iron pizza pans (2)
• Oxo non-stick 12" and 8" skillets (mostly for eggs)

My wife on the other hand, only touches:

• Oxo non-stick skillets
• Stainless sauce pots and stock pots
• Various steel or aluminum baking sheets

I bought the Oxo non-stick (ceramic I think, non-PTFE for sure) skillets in 2019 based on them rating well over in ATK or Cook's Country, when I had a subscription to that site. I just ordered a replacement for the 12" non-stick, as my daughter has used it numerous times when I caught her using metal utensils in it, and I think the wife may have as well. That one is looking kinda scratched up, so I guess it goes in the trash or recycle bin. I also ordered all new spatulas to replace the crap in the kitchen drawer, so that there is metal for me (CI) and silicone for the non-stick.

I will throw out there that I have often made acidic foods like chili or spaghetti sauce in uncoated cast iron skillets or my 5.5qt dutch oven. While it may strip a little seasoning, I've had no ill effects on food or the cookware. I just clean the CI afterward and oil lightly before putting away, and it is fine for the next cook. I think if you did a bunch of back to back cooks of acidic food it might be more of an issue. And I do like the Misen 7qt dutch oven for big batches of chili over the uncoated Lodge, but sometimes I have to use both.

[dpearce]

The stainless steel pots we use for mainly boiling pasta, soups, that sort of thing. We've got several brands. Revere Ware copper bottom pans being the one's we use mostly.

I've got lots of cast iron, big range of sizes, thanks to inheriting my mothers cookware. Several sets, actually. And Santa Claus brought me the
Lodge 8 Quart Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven with Lid. It's sitting on the dining room table currently until I can find a better spot for it.

I have three non-stick skillets. Two are for my kids to destroy when they cook themselves something. One is for me, and stored away from the kitchen. That's my typical eggs/omelets/breakfast pan.

I always try to use the cast iron for bacon, sausage, all meats really, anything where I'm going to be scraping/deglazing. And if I need to throw anything into the oven (reheating chicken/leftovers), and of course, on the grill outside.

[Finster]

I checked off everything but stainless steel as I do not have any of those.
I would eventually like to swap out my non stick PTFE pans as they need replacing for stainless.
Lately I've been using mostly cast iron pans and my new enameled dutch oven for just about everything except boiling water

[Panhead John]

I just recently got on the stainless steel bandwagon and I love it. After getting the SS Le Creuset rondeau pot, I decided to replace the rest of my pots with SS ones. I’m not sure why some people complain about sticking food and cleanup, but I haven’t had that problem. Just last week I ordered a matching set of 1, 2 and 3 quart SS pots from Michelangelo. They checked all my boxes for new ones. They all have a glass lid which I really like and also have the small steam hole in the lid. It’s really nice to have that steam hole too! I just used the one quart pot to boil some eggs….rather than the steam escape thru the sides of the lid and splattering on my stovetop, all the steam just shot straight up thru the hole. 👍 They’re also a full tri-ply from the bottom and up the sides. They replaced a set of Circulon non-stick pots which had circular ridges all around the bottom surface inside of em’. Never really cared for them that much. Plus, the shiny SS pots are so pretty! 🥸



The only SS pots I had before was an 8 qt. stock pot which I still have. A few weeks ago I also replaced a Circulon 6 qt. pot with a new SS one from NutriChef.



My other daily driver pots/pans are a 12” nonstick fry pan from T-fal. I use it only for frying bacon/eggs. The only other pot/pan which gets regular use is the Lodge 6 qt. ceramic cast iron Dutch oven and the new Smithey 11” CI skillet. And you’re right Tom, these don’t really compete with each other as much as being complimentary…..

[Panhead John]

It took me a long time to find these pots that are….1. stainless steel, 2. have a glass lid and 3. a steam hole in the lid. If anyone’s in the market for something like this, they seem to be a good quality and won’t break the bank. Here’s where you can find em…

https://a.co/d/dhZWcgE

https://a.co/d/4jrfjTQ

[Finster]

John
How is storage for these pots?
I have limited storage space so stack pots on top of one another in the cabinet.
Flip the lid upside down and put the smaller pot on top. The problem is, the lids don't secure in place when upside down like when right side up.
when I next need new pots, I'd like to find ones that have that feature when storing...if such a thing even exists

[Panhead John]

Finster I can definitely relate to limited storage space. I just turned the lids upside down on the smaller pots I listed and they don’t really stay in place too well. Since I removed the older non stainless pots and put em in a closet, I have enough room for the new ones. The only thing you could do would be to stack em inside one another like you mentioned….

[Mosca]

Looking into the data, even superficially, I see that most people here do use a range of different materials.

We prefer cast iron and non-stick for skillets, with a fair number of stainless and carbon steel users. That makes sense. Both of those have distinct advantages that would outweigh the all-around versatility of stainless. Regarding the relatively lower number of carbon steel users: my personal reason for not having carbon steel is that I already have cast iron, and carbon steel is only recently becoming popular in a consumer segment where products have a long life span, and don’t want to spend more money. But if I could find carbon steel cookware at an estate sale, I’d snap it up.

We prefer stainless and coated cast iron for pots and pans, with people using other materials to a lesser extent. That also makes sense. Stainless pots and pans last forever, and many of us have either starter sets from when we were young, or cooker ware that has been passed through generations. I have both 3 ply and 5 ply; in almost every instance, they are the same. Maybe once a year I need to go higher heat on the stove top with a sauce pot, which would be when I would use the 5 ply; otherwise, 3 ply stainless is lighter and easier to handle.

We see almost no non-stick pots and pans, nor carbon steel. I’ve used non-stick sauce pots, and I don’t like them. They cost the same as stainless, and they aren’t as durable. Regarding carbon steel sauce pots, the benefit of carbon steel is its high heat performance, which isn’t a requirement for sauces. Most people are already satisfied with their stainless, and won’t go buy new pots and pans; they don’t have to.

Enameled cast iron. I love my enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Not only is it great for stovetop soups and sauces, and great for pot roasts and braising, but also: Take that Sunday sauce that you’re used to simmering on the stovetop all day. Instead, cover it, and put it in the oven at 275-300° for a couple hours. Instead of just reducing, it also deepens and burnishes the flavors, giving you next-day richness with same day brightness and complexity. Also stews and pot roasts come out better in the Dutch oven than they do in the slow cooker. The slow cooker is great as a convenience item, all day set and forget. But you can do that same stew in the Dutch oven in 3 hours, and it will have a better texture.

[ecowper]

#1 Stainless Steel skillets, pots, pans
#2 Carbon steel skillets (including a couple woks)
#3 Enameled cast iron dutch ovens
#4 Cast iron skillets
#5 everything else when necessary for some reason

I have some non-stick stuff, but almost never use it these days.

[DavidNorcross]

Mostly cast for me. I have a couple carbon steel pans that I really like.

[jfmorris]

I just ordered a 10" M&S carbon steel skillet that someone else recommended in another thread, as I have been wanting to supplement my 12" Lodge CI and 12" Oxo non-stick with a 10" skillet that I actually LIKE, versus the two stainless 10" skillets I have from two different long gone sets. Those skillets are the kind with the thick clad disk on the bottom, with no 3 ply up the sides.

If I like the 10" carbon steel, I'll think about whether I need another one. It's mostly to have something like that on the stove when I am already using the Lodge 12" for something else, OR just want a light pan for a smaller amount of food.

From what Mosca says above about cooking eggs and other stuff like that on stainless - maybe I just need to revisit it, and go watch some Youtube videos. I do love stainless for pots - just averse to it for skillets at the moment.

[Mosca]

The skillets you describe, with the disc on the bottom; those are the 3 ply. They’re the most common. 5 ply are MUCH heavier.

I wouldn’t bother trying to cook eggs in stainless without oil or butter. It’s just an exercise. If your intent is to eat eggs, do them the most flavorful way, use the oils. If your intent is to see if it can be done, then you’re just wasting eggs. Either way not using oils lose/lose. I use oils when using non stick, even if it’s just a quick spray of aerosol olive oil.