WHAT FUCKING PAN DO I GET?

the pan is fine, YOU suck

you're really helping right now
thanks for your input

present an argument and i will respond to it.

The ceramic isn't bad for you in the same way or to the same degree as the other shit is.

I heard that shit sticks to it all of the time and it's not worth it

Read more about dementia and its causes nigger

Get a good thick aluminium pan with a quality non-stick coating, any restaurant supply store will carry them for reasonable money. Get one with a metal handle.

After 5 odd years when its worn down throw it and buy a new one, we do this often at work since the non-stick pays for itself quickly with all the effort it saves.

>aluminium pan
I don't want dementia

I have an Ikea Trovärdig teflon thing and it's actually pretty good. Had it for about five years now, and the coating has only been damaged when shitty roommates have touched it. I just went back and got a new one with the ten year warranty.

Dude, just stick to McDonald's if you're this indecisive about a fucking pan.

bump

why is there no Veeky Forums guide to things like pans and knives?

I dunno man, cast iron or titanium? You seem to have a problem with everything so maybe just stick to your microwave.

Like you even need to ask?

>copper
Enjoy your mental disorders.

It's not real copper anyway.

And real copper is lined with stainless, tin, or silver if you're getting really fancy.

>I fell for the carbon steel pan meme but I couldn't season it properly and it was a huge hassle.
So fix the seasoning. Problem solved.

>I don't want teflon bullshit because the chemicals are bad for you
Only if you overheat the pan and burn it. But you wouldn't be eating that anyway since the food would also be burned an inedible. This is a non-issue.

>>and I when I used one it doesn't cook things properly and just boils them.
That had nothing to do with the type of pan, but rather your technique. You probably put too much food in the pan at once (overcrowding).

>Should I just buy a ceramic pan?
No, they're awful.

>Should I buy 2 types of pans for different types of cooking?
Yes. Different tools for different jobs.

You lazy piece of shit. There are a million and one fucking articles on food dedicated websites where you won't get abused for not knowing how to fucking use Google.

But here lemme spell it out for you
>Non-stick 10 inch for eggs
>3 qt saucepan for sauces and reducing
>3-4 gallon stock pot
Take a guess what that one is for
>10 inch cast iron HURDUR CAST IRON MEME
It's good for sear and char shut the fuck up
>12 inch lidded sauté stainless
Work horse pan, use for whatever
>10 inch stainless
When you don't want to clean the big saute pan
>Squat oven safe pot
Braises slow cooking and baked entrees

Yeah sorry it'll cost you money. Buy one every month starting with the 12 inch sauté pan and ending with the non-stick.

Veeky Forums can't agree on anything. People can't agree on how to fucking cook white rice.
Here's how that sticky would look.
>Hipsters with cast iron and cleavers
>People who don't know anything complaining about how much things cost
>Faggots who obsess about getting knives so sharp you can cut space-time
>McChicken
>Veeky Forums fags yelling about Keto
>General /int/ or /pol/ bait

If you want to learn to cook, literally Google "Essential cookbooks" and fucking go to a library and just START COOKING

nice haircut faggot

thanks

If your food is sticking you don't have enough fat in the pan to sauté with or your food is caramelizing. If it's caramelizing just splash some white/red wine, dry vermouth, stock, or even water to remove that shit from the bottom of the pan and up the flavors of your dish.

>So fix the seasoning. Problem solved.
I think the pan sucks

>Only if you overheat the pan and burn it.
Nah, if you scratch it, that shit gets into your system. I don't want that.

>You probably put too much food in the pan at once (overcrowding).
So that's what it's called.
Still though, when I kind of got the carbon steel pan to work, it actually cooked and browned my food. Like they do on those big long metal cooking stations you see at restaurants.
The non-stick one didn't really do that and just boiled it.
Also I can't make something with fond or whatever with a nonstick.

>No, they're awful.
Why?

>Yes. Different tools for different jobs.
Which ones?

>Also I can't make something with fond or whatever with a nonstick.
You can but it's more difficult and would be a right pain in the ass with a cheaper non-stick.

I've done it with a nice $200 nonstick though, so it's certainly possible.

>Work horse pan, use for whatever
okay so I don't really need a non-stick pan for most things?

will it just not stick to the pan?

Most things don't really stick that easily, the only thing i use my non-stick for regularly is for frying eggs without butter/bacon fat.

>sauté
I don't even know what this means.
i know it's a cooking method?
What other cooking methods are there.

>Most things don't really stick that easily
okay thanks

aren't stainless pans filled with aluminum or am I thinking of something else

They can be.

I have a few All-Clad stainless steel 5-ply pans.

They're fantastic quality.

okay im reading this

whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=92

stainless seems safe if it's not coated in aluminum

that will be the first pan I buy

>>I think the pan sucks
You should still be able to season it. I've had no trouble seasoning $5 woks from the Asian market. No matter how cheap the steel it can still be seasoned.

>>Nah, if you scratch it, that shit gets into your system. I don't want that.
1) why would you be using metal utensils in a nonstick pan?
2) if you did scratch it and get those bits in your food it wouldn't matter since teflon is chemically inert. You'd just poop it back out again. It's only the chemicals that get made when you overheat it that could be a health risk.

>>Still though, when I kind of got the carbon steel pan to work, it actually cooked and browned my food. Like they do on those big long metal cooking stations you see at restaurants.
That works on nonstick too. You must have done something else wrong.

>>Also I can't make something with fond or whatever with a nonstick.
True, which is why I said differnent tools for different jobs.

>>No, they're awful.
>>Why?
Their nonstick properties aren't very good. They don't last long. They are infomercial bullshit, you will never see one in a real restaurant kitchen because they don't perform well, or last.

>Yes. Different tools for different jobs.
>Which ones?
Nonstick for delicate foods that tend to stick (eggs, fish fillets, etc.)
Carbon steel or cast iron for high-heat use, like searing meat or stir-fries
Stainless steel for when you want to generate a fond for deglazing & making pan sauces.

Oh wow you literally don't know anything.
Sauté is to cook in a small amount of very hot fat.
Generally you can cook food two ways, fast or slow and there are foods that do better one way or the other. A recipe will tell you what method to use until you figure things out. Hunks of meat with lots of connective tissue, brisket, oxtails, pork shoulder, do better slow. Most vegetables and lean meats do better fast.

In all honesty watch Food Wishes on jewtube... cullinary education background and now he just makes comfy recipe vids.

A good sized 10"+ stainless steel frying pan should be your primary pan for most things you'll likely be doing.

I also like to have a 10-12" cast iron frying pan as well, I wouldn't buy one new however, look at garage sales and thrift stores.

I have gotten a half dozen Griswold cast iron pans from 5+ decades ago for under $5 a pop.

>I don't even know what this means.
It literally means "to jump". Frying small bits of food in fat using high heat & tossing the food in the pan so it cooks evenly. Anyway, anytime you run across a term you don't understand just google it.

>What other cooking methods are there.

Steaming, sweating, smoking, shallow-frying, deep-frying, roasting, grilling, braising, baking, sous-vide.....

>You should still be able to season it.
It's pretty rusty now.
I've tried many way of seasoning it. Including the put a light coating of flax seed oil on it, wipe it off and bake it at high temps in the oven method.
It didn't work.
I kind of got it to be seasoned when I kept cooking certain things with it, but the seasoning kept coming off and was thick and gross.

>You'd just poop it back out again. It's only the chemicals that get made when you overheat it that could be a health risk.
Source? I didn't think this was true.

>Nonstick for delicate foods that tend to stick (eggs, fish fillets, etc.)
>Carbon steel or cast iron for high-heat use, like searing meat or stir-fries
>Stainless steel for when you want to generate a fond for deglazing & making pan sauces.
Okay thanks but the other guy said I should use a stainless pan for my everyday use instead of having it only for fond and pan sauces.
What do I do?

>Food Wishes
okay I'll check it out

I'm going to buy a bunch of kitchen shit, get super organized and follow recipes exactly.

>I also like to have a 10-12" cast iron frying pan
What is the difference between frying something and saute?

Stainless is general use AND when you want to generate a fond.

Cast iron/carbon steel, and stainless steel should be your primary work horse pans.

Cast iron/carbon steel for high heat.

Stainless for everything else

>Anyway, anytime you run across a term you don't understand just google it.
I usually do but I get countless usually contradictory bits of information.
I also know when you cook with high heat you are supposed to use specific oils.
Is canola oil not good enough?

Also how do I avoid starting a fire?
I know it's easier to start a fire with a carbon steel or cast iron pan.

okay thanks

Fry is a little bit ambiguous...it could mean to deep fry or sauté. The recipe will tell you which one.

As far as I'm aware pan fry and sauté are pretty much interchangeable. It could also be in relation to the shape of the pan.

Veg or canola is perfectly fine for most applications.

Only buy good olive oil in small amounts, use it when you want that flavor in your food, mostly for Mediterranean style cooking.

I've never heard of stainless catching fire. If you have something on the stove in your kitchen you shouldn't walk away for more than one or two minutes.

Ayye thanks for not being a massive faggot like most people on this board who are trying to get into cooking and actually using Google to verify information/being reasonable.

>It's pretty rusty now.
So scrub the rust off and do it again.

>> but the seasoning kept coming off and was thick and gross
That's not seasoning. That's a dirty pan.

>>Source? I didn't think this was true.
High school chem class. The whole fucking point of Teflon is that it's chemically inert. It is used to make containers, tubing, and tools for handing the strongest of acids and the most corrosive of bases. If you're working in the lab and the stuff you're handing is super acidic or corrosive you use teflon containers, etc, because that's the only thing the chemicals wont eat through. Teflon is also used for parts which are implanted into the human body, like artificial heart valves or pacemakers. Teflon is used because it doesn't react with anything.

>>Okay thanks but the other guy said I should use a stainless pan for my everyday use instead of having it only for fond and pan sauces.
What do I do?

Exactly what both of us told you. Stainless is a great general-purpose pan. Just because it's ideal for making a fond doesn't mean you can't use it for other things tool.

>Food Wishes
why does this guy talk so weird?

another reason I was scared of the carbon steel pan is I burned things in it really easily.
The non-stick pan was set on high and it never actually got that hot. Weird.

NP man and thanks for the info. I really want to learn how to cook after putting it off for so long.

>I also know when you cook with high heat you are supposed to use specific oils.
Yes. You can easily see how different oils compare by googling "smoke point of cooking oils".

>Is canola oil not good enough?
That's fine for general purpose use.

>Also how do I avoid starting a fire?
Don't get oil on the outside of your pan or spill it near your burner.

>I know it's easier to start a fire with a carbon steel or cast iron pan.
That shouldn't be the case at all. The type of pan doesn't matter. What matters is if you get something flammable (i.e. cooking oil) in contact with a flame or a hot hob.

>So scrub the rust off and do it again.
But the methods I used failed the first time. I don't know what else to try.

>Teflon is used because it doesn't react with anything.
okay cool.

>Stainless is a great general-purpose pan.
Okay. I'll buy it for my first pan then.

That's sort of his thing. You get used to it and honestly when I watch old vids where he didn't do that it's not nearly as comfortable.

>another reason I was scared of the carbon steel pan is I burned things in it really easily.

So turn the heat down. As you cook you will learn that different sizes, shapes, and thicknesses of cookware act differently.

>The non-stick pan was set on high and it never actually got that hot. Weird.
Not weird at all. Your non-stick pan was problaby aluminium. Aluminum is a very good conductor of heat, so the pan was acting like a heat sink and spreading out the heat. Iron and steel don't conduct heat as well as aluminum does so they stay hotter in the middle (where the heat is) and don't conduct it away to the sides of the pan as well. If you ever mess with copper cookware it's even more conductive than aluminum is.

Also, you didn't ask about this, but it's useful information for noob cooks: splattering. Oil doesn't splatter on its own, it only splatters when water gets into it. So to combat splattering all you need to do is make sure you don't put wet foods into your hot oil. Pat meats dry before you put them in the pan, if they're wet from juices or marinades then that will create splattering.

Just pay attention when you're cooking. You'll probably fuck things up once in while, but if you're paying attention you'll know how far to take things.

General rule is that you want brown, not black. Brown is flavor when you're using heat to cook. Most recipes will call for browing ingredients before a long cook in liquid or even deglazing fond or making a sauce.

>But the methods I used failed the first time. I don't know what else to try.

Can you describe exactly what you did and what you mean by "failed"? It's hard to help without specifics.

>Yes. You can easily see how different oils compare by googling "smoke point of cooking oils".
do some of them taste different and shouldn't be used for some things because they change the flavor?

>Don't get oil on the outside of your pan or spill it near your burner.
Before, I had a lot of oil in a pan and it was set to high for too long and it started a fire.

I don't know how to prevent this from happening. I'm supposed to use less oil right? I wish I knew what the limit was.

>That shouldn't be the case at all. The type of pan doesn't matter. What matters is if you get something flammable (i.e. cooking oil) in contact with a flame or a hot hob.
The non-stick pan was much more resistant to heat than the carbon steel pan I used.
The CS pan got really hot and I always had to set it to really low.

see:

another random question

lets say im cooking onions or mushrooms or something

in order to for it to cook properly I'm supposed to use less, not more and don't overcrowd it right?

also am I supposed to wait until I've cooked these things a little bit before I add spices and shit

Ya so neutral oils are canola and veg, thankfully they're also the cheapest. Use other cooking fats for specific applications. Recipes will tell you.

For a pan fry use a small amount of oil. Things should not be submerged. For deep fry make sure you use something big enough to contain the oil without splattering. Also watch your heat...

CS gets really hot for reasons mentioned by other anons. Non-stick should really only be used for eggs and omelette. Stainless and CS or cast-iron should be your go-to pots and pans because you can do more with them and not worry about ruining the finish.

Insufficient information. Let's try again.
1) did you clean your pan first? If so, how?
2) How much oil did you apply? How did you apply it? When you baked it in the oven what was the temp and how long?
3) When you got it out of the oven what did it look like? Color. was it shiny or not? Was it sticky?
4) You said "it didn't work" when you were done with the oven seasoning. How did you know it didn't work? Was it because food stuck to it? Because it rusted? Something else? Be specific and detailed.

>For a pan fry use a small amount of oil.
okay but I see people on youtube using a decent amount of oil and "flavoring" it before adding it other ingredients

you can still do this without adding too much oil right?

>CS gets really hot for reasons mentioned by other anons. Non-stick should really only be used for eggs and omelette. Stainless and CS or cast-iron should be your go-to pots and pans because you can do more with them and not worry about ruining the finish.
Thanks.

Depends on what you mean by spices.

Salt and black pepper are pretty ubiquitous through European styles of cooking and should be added judiciously about halfway through and then adjusted prior to serving.

For a sauté of vegetables, I would put herbs like thyme or rosemary in about halfway through cooking so they don't burn.

For something like curry, they would go in about a minute prior to adding liquid to toast them in the oil and enhance flavor. Again, recipes will tell you what to do.

>1) did you clean your pan first? If so, how?
yeah

Used soap and water, used brillo pad.

>How much oil did you apply?
Thin layer, then wiped it off.

>When you baked it in the oven what was the temp and how long?
500 deg for I think an hour.
then I let it cook down
then I applied the same amount of oil and did it again

in the end it came out all sticky and shitty

>was it shiny or not? Was it sticky?
I think it was shiny, I'm not too sure.
It was sticky.

>Was it because food stuck to it?
Yes, a lot.

It wasn't like the youtube video where the egg just slipped off.

>do some of them taste different and shouldn't be used for some things because they change the flavor?
Yes, different oils taste different. And those which have relatively low smoke points will taste very bad when you heat them up too much. People will describe this as "burning" but they don't mean literally catching on fire.

Generally speaking, there are only two commonly found cooking oils that you should not use with high heat. That's sesame oil, and extra-virgin olive oil. These are for dressings and such, not for actually frying with.

>Before, I had a lot of oil in a pan and it was set to high for too long and it started a fire.
>I don't know how to prevent this from happening. I'm supposed to use less oil right? I wish I knew what the limit was.
One of two things happened:
1) You somehow got some oil on the outside of your pan; the flame started there and then followed the oil up into the top of the pan. You avoid this by being careful where the oil gets.
2) You got the pan and the oil so hot that it spontaneously ignited. That's kind of unlikely because the oil will smoke like mad before it ignites. Use that as a clue. If you see smoke then your heat is set too high.

man this shit is really specific.

can fucking up the timing of spices fuck up the dish?

Okay I'll be more specific, most non-deepfry applications require a relatively thin layer of oil, maybe about 2-3tbs for a 10 inch pan.

What you are seeing in those videos are people doing quick oil infusions. They're pretty standard for things like: searing steaks, making a flavored oil for another application like finishing the dish, or the bases of oil sauces for pasta dishes. Keep in mind this is a different technique than sauté, for an infusion you put the ingredients you want to infuse into the pan with the oil and slowly bring to temp over medium or medium low heat.

For a sauté you have to wait for the oil to be hot enough, if you put your food in the pan and it doesn't sizzle, your oil isn't hot enough.

Thanks guys.
I need to sleep now.
If you have any more advice it would be appreciated.

Don't you pay attention? Get one that's NICE AND HOT.

>lets say im cooking onions or mushrooms or something
>in order to for it to cook properly I'm supposed to use less, not more and don't overcrowd it right?

That depends on what your goal is. If the goal is to brown the food then absoloutely yes, make sure you don't overcrowd the pan.

OTOH if you're not intending to brown the food then you can add more.

>>also am I supposed to wait until I've cooked these things a little bit before I add spices and shit
General rule is that dry herbs and spices are used at the beginning of cooking, whereas fresh herbs and spices are added near the end of cooking. Remember to taste-test the food as you cook. Don't blindly add in whatever the recipe says. Because the potency of herbs and spices varies naturally you should taste and adjust accordingly. If you have some old shitty spice you might need to add more of it. If you have something unusually potent/fresh you will probably need less.

Only marginally, unless it's the main focus...for example if you're making a curry and you put the spices in with the onion and tempeh or whatever you're making, and you leave the spices in there too long and they burn...it could ruin your dish.

If your rosemary gets a little singed in the oven when you're roasting some Yukon golds it's not the end of the world.

It is specific but it doesn't take long to get the hang of it. Recipes will tell you pretty much everything you need to know.
Also, shilling a little here, but Serious Eats has great recipes to learn from and many of their recipes have long articles attached as to WHY the recipes work. Most of their developers are extremely knowledgeable and it's a great place to read about cooking and food in general. Once you know how recipes usually go you can start to.spot which ones are good and which ones are bad. If you're not sure, look at who wrote the recipe and then search their history...if it's sketchy maybe don't use their recipe.

Good on you for wanting to learn to do this properly.

Chef John at Food Wishes will take you step by step into making really great food from all styles.
You may also have to bone up on your knife skills...recipes will take you fucking forever if it takes you more than 2 minutes to dice an onion.

Things like breaking down a whole chicken, mincing garlic, and deboning parts of animals will are essential skills that take some practice.

Welcome to Veeky Forums where all pans are effectively considered shit

Ask yourself OP, do you really care about the insignificance of reasons about the kind of pan you choose?

>If yes
You'll just have to filter the good advice from the shit and do your own research alongside it.

>If no
Just buy a fucking nonstick pan, a non-stick pot, and a metal pot. As long as you're spending more than $15 per item they won't cause you trouble for a while (2-3 years). And don't use metal on the non stick.

Aluminum coated SS is probably better than pure SS. The aluminum distributes the heat better, while the SS retains heat better than aluminum could, and has a more wear resistant coating. I also would not trust that website 100%, just because some random .org says it, doesn't mean it's true.

SS coated aluminum*

Yes, we know. Nobody makes a solid stainless steel pan unless it's some really cheap wal-mart tier rubbish. When you see people talk about stainless cookware it's assumed to have an aluminum core.

Woops, misread, thought he said he would avoid SS pans with aluminum in them, but he said he'd avoid SS pans coated with aluminum.

That isn't teflon, it's hard-anodized aluminum. Jesus you're retarded.

>>Google that pan.
>>the description on Ikea's website quite clearly says:

"Treated with Teflon® Professional, our best non-stick coating; for those who place high demands on their pans."

Fuck you, how dare you contradict me you son of a bitch!

Solid advice. Just want to add though, if you're cooking for yourself only, you could skip the 12 inch saute pan and just get the 10 inch. You could also do without the stock pot in this same case.

>Before, I had a lot of oil in a pan and it was set to high for too long and it started a fire.
Always keep an eye on anything you have on the stove. How was it set to high for too long? Did you walk away from the stove while the heat was on? is right, pan fires don't really happen the way you described, there was definitely some oil that got on the outside of the pan.
>I'm supposed to use less oil right? I wish I knew what the limit was.
Use JUST enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. This doesn't mean you pour oil continuously until the pan is covered--what you do is you put a dash, turn the fire on (the heat helps the oil spread thinly), and use your cooking utensil to spread the oil around. Add another dash if you need it. Typically for a 10 inch pan I'll use about 1/2 a tablespoon total, but the amount really depends on the cooking vessel.

Go to stores called Marshalls, Homegoods, TJ Maxx (they're all the same store)

Look for a 12" ALL STAINLESS STEEL sauce pan or saute pan

Buy that. I bought both and they are the workhorses of my kitchen, seeing literally 5x the use of all my nonstick shit combined

Basically, nonstick shit is for people who can't cook

I've had my stainless steel for about 10 years. I spent about $50 on it just because I was hoping to get something that will last so I don't have to buy one again for a long time. It's got a copper bottom. It works great.

oh, and do have one nonstick for eggs, as the other guy said.

If I had to choose just one pan it'd be stainless steel.
I have nonstick, cast iron and stainless steel in all different shapes and sizes and I use them all for different purposes.

digits and copper, you got it all.

Just get any old pan it won't really matter at your stage

Ramsey uses only the finest Swedish pans on his shows. Nys & Hödt. I can vouch for how good they are.

>4 years
more like 5 minutes

Got this one from Laguiole, I've been using it, and a pot with the same coating, for a few months, and love it. No matter what I cook in it, it's cleaned with a single wipe.

Ive been using stainless steel and i like it.