So essentially I want to buy one pan, I don’t want to care about what utensils I use in it (metal, plastic, or wood), or what I cook in it, and I want to clean it easily by just putting some soap on it, using the rough side of a sponge and drying it off and tossing it back in the cupboard.
Ideally, I’d also like this pan to last longer than 2-3 years.
So overall I am thinking I want enameled cast iron because it seems like it could take all of that but then I recently read how you don’t want to cook something like eggs or fish in it because they’ll stick.
The other bit I’ve seen is just buying a coated non-stick pan of any sort but be prepared to throw them away in 1-3 years and don’t use anything metal in them.
Should I just buy enameled cast iron and cook whatever I want in it? Should I buy multiple types and cook different things in them? Should I just stick with non-stick?
Overall, I am a very novice cooker who simply cooks for a family of 4. Typically using something like everyplate. I’m not looking for fancy but I am looking for “buy it once then use it until I die with low maintenance.” I essentially want the Toyota Camry of cookware. Reliable, low maintenance, not going to win any cooking contests.
Any suggestions?
Thank you.
If you’re a novice cook and want to keep it simple then get a nice nonstick pan and just don’t use metal on it - silicone, plastic, or wood. You can even use the rough side of a sponge fine. Just don’t run it through the dishwasher. Should easily last you 5+ years.
Cast iron and stainless steel are great but more particular in how you use and maintain them.
How is a stainless steel pan ‘particular’?
I have several and I don’t baby them, I throw them in the dishwasher etc.
Personally I moved away from teflon back to steel and I cant go back. In addition to no longer having to baby it to keep the thing from going from nonstick- to stick and being able to scrub that badboy. On top of that going from plastic and silicon spatulas back to a metal spatula is just incredible.
That said if youre a novice cook and dont want to clean dishes then a stainless steel can sometimes require some scrubbing(though you can usually mitigate this by adding water while hot and essentially deglazing the shmutz off
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I have a ceramic cast iron dutch oven that I use a lot and it’s pretty good so far 2 years in, but I am always a little concerned that one day it will start chipping and that’ll be the end for my pot.
So funny story. The workhorse of my kitchen is a cheap-ass enamel Dutch oven that my wife impulse bought at a grocery store 4 or 5 years before we moved in together. After we got married, I decided to get her a LeCruset replacement for our anniversary the year that cheap one bit the dust. We’ve lived together ten years as of this summer and I still haven’t had to shell out for the Lecruset. We use that thing at least twice a week, maybe more in the winter months and this thing shows no signs of quitting. At this point we’re so attachted to it that when the enamel does go, I’ll probably drill holes in it and keep it as a flower pot.
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You need to heat it before putting anything in and you need to use enough fat/oil to keep things from sticking. Non-stick is more forgiving on this front. It can also be harder to clean