What type of pan is best for lazy cookers?
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.
I usually love to recommend non enameled cast iron pans.
Those are the pans I use most and I am pretty lazy myself.
Most times I just clean them with soapy water and a sponge, dry them well, rub a really really small splash of oil around in it and heat it back up until I see the first signs of smoke.
If even that is too much work (and you have a gas stove or similar) I would recommend a simple wok from any Asian store.
I have a glass stove top right now so I rarely use mine anymore, but if I had a gas stove I think that I would use it all the time.
You are not supposed to wash cast iron with soap and you also need to let them cool down enough before washing because they can get a temperature shock otherwise and crack inside.
I have cooked with cast iron for years and have never cracked one.
I have destroyed a bit of seasoning, but surely not with mild dishsoap.
Normal modern dishsoap does not have any strong lye in it (and hasn't for decades) and will not destroy a proper seasoning.
And obviously I don't wash my pan while it's ripping hot.
Usually I do my dishes after eating, sometimes the pan is completely cooled down, sometimes it is a bit lukewarm, I never had problems with either. If I can handle the pan with bare hands it is cool enough to wash with warm water.
Don't spread outdated information.
The only thing this does is intimidate people from using cast iron at all and that's just a shame.
This right here. If a bit of soap and scrubbing takes off your seasoning - you didn't have real seasoning in the first place!
Yeah, I think this was my biggest issue when I started using cast iron. I never had much luck getting it actually clean without soap and it definitely showed in my cooking. I eventually got some better advice and started having much better results. Now my CI is my go to eggs every weekend and afterwards, I throw it in the dishpan with everything else. As long as you don't soak it, you're fine. I think the soaking thing is a big part of why a lot of manufacturers still recommend against soap and water. It's easier to tell people to not use soap and water than it is to explain the nuance of "wet it, don't soak it" and "gently wash, don't scrub into oblivion".
Maybe dishsoap is not the same everywhere, ours can definitely strip seasoning off. The company making the pan explicitly states that the pan should not be washed with dishsoap.
I have seen quite a few people serving the dish, taking the just emptied pan and run it under the (not yet warm even) water. If the water evaporates when hitting the pan, I believe that difference is enough to damage the pan. What you’re describing sounds perfectly sensible to me.
I have a glass top with electric coils under (not induction) and I still have other friends recommending a carbon steel wok. It might be really worth it.