Short answer?
It’s not any better, but it is different.
Cast iron is probably the first nonstick pan; and, probably the safest. I remember as a child, mom had those teflon coated pans.
My family always ate together when we were growing up, and I have many fond memories of those moments. This particular memory I find funny. Mom had made us a big scrambled egg breakfast with cheese, ham and peppers. There were some chunks of black in the eggs. I thought it was pepper; so, in my little “hoover” way, I devoured the eggs. I looked over and dad was pushing all the black chunks into a pile. I asked why he was plucking out the pepper; and, he told me that it was not pepper. That started a rather in depth and funny exchange between him and mom. It was funny until he went and picked up the pan and pointed out that what I thought was pepper, was the bottom of the pan.
Fast forward another ten years and we all found out that the Teflon coating of the pan really was a carcinogen. Low and behold dad was 100% correct in his exchange with mom.
Today, we have available all manner of nonstick coatings, anodized aluminum, stainless steel and the age old cast iron. Cast iron hasn’t changed much at all in centuries. The Japanese use carbon steel, which is chemically different but functionally the same as cast iron. Stainless has been around for decades. So out of all these options what is better? What makes them different?
On the “non stick coated” pans, I’m not really able to discuss; because, I don’t know a thing about them. I know I wouldn’t trust them after the history of Teflon. I also don’t have any need for them. I do; however, have one small, 6 inch, Anodized aluminum pan only for eggs. I don’t use it because of its metallurgy, but rather because it’s light, doesn’t stick, doesn’t have a coating and at only 6 inch diameter, it’s perfect for omelets. A dab of olive oil and the eggs just slide around freely.
The stainless steel is great for 4 quart pots, I use those to make rice, steam vegetables, make risotto, or boil pasta. In the case of stainless steal I want at least a 5 ply bottom with a glass core. The glass core in the bottom helps to make sure you get even heating across the bottom of the pot. The bottom comes in varying layers (3 ply, 5ply, 7 ply) I make sure to get at least the 5ply. They heat up and cool down quickly, are easy to clean and generally considered to be a great at even consistent cooking.
For skillets there is no substituted for the cast iron, in my humble opinion. Of course that is if you can only purchase one. Over the years I’ve amassed some nice pans of both materials. Stainless has its purpose, again with that glass core bottom. I tend to prefer using the stainless for more fragile proteins, like shrimp and/or fish. They tend to cool faster, making it easier to back the heat off when cooking these delicate dishes. Cast iron gets hotter and retains heat more; which, makes it harder to lower the heat. The easier heat regulation of stainless also helps prevent your butter and cream sauces from separating or browing. You can accomplish the same in cast iron, the stainless simply makes it easier to do so. Stainless also requires a tad less maintenance.
Cast iron is and will always be the king of the kitchen. For stews, gumbos, soups and big rice or pasta dishes, an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven is a must have. For almost anything else the skillet reigns supreme. I mentioned maintenance of cast iron above. It’s truthfully not difficult. The simple mantra is —-never use soap on cast iron, and never put it in a dishwasher— Violating this law is grounds for divorce or execution in some areas of Cajun country. You simply rinse it out, if does need scrubbed, use salt. When it’s clean, you dry it, heat it up and reseason it.
What does reseason mean?
Cast iron is typically seasoned, In other words there is a thin layer of fat or oil, coating the interior. This coating gives it the magic nonstick properties. When it is still warm you just spread a thin layer of bacon fat, vegetable oil; or, In California avocado oil. The metal pores of the pan open up when it’s hot, so as it cools that oil gets trapped in the metal. Cast iron is also one of those things that have become heirloom items down in south louisiana Cajun country. We pride our cast iron and hand it down to our grandkids. Some pans have been in families since Joe Broussard left Nova Scotia and founded the Cajun settlements in 1765.
So after all that talk, what makes cast iron so special?
It lasts forever, can handle as much heat as you can throw at it, will go from grill, to stove top, to oven without complaint. It will also cook more styles than anything else. I use mine to blacken fish, bake biscuits, make bbq shrimp, fried rice, and anything else you can think of. If I were told I could only have one tool to cook on the stove with, it would be my cast iron.
What is the difference between a 35 dollar lodge and a 300 dollar Finex? And is it worth the money?
I won’t tell you that it’s worth the money to spend more, I’m not in charge of your budget. In the end these are things that you have to be comfortable using. A major difference though is the thickness of the iron. I will say, try and stick with American manufactured iron. The iron is a higher quality than Chinese made, and the alloys are more uniform. Another big difference between the expensive iron and lodge is the finish. In most expensive iron pans, they take an extra step in manufacturing to give it a finish that is smooth as glass. This helps keep the pan non-stick. In all cases the pans are “preseasoned” with grape seed oil or avocado oil. I don’t care for either one. What I have done is bought the lodge skillets for 35-40 dollars, went home and took a sanding dial to them. I sand down the inside of the pans until they are silky smooth. After sanding I season them with bacon fat. I simply bake the bacon in them in 20 minute intervals until the pan is seasoned again.
It’s a rather delicious and rewarding way, to turn a 35 dollar tool into a 300 dollar tool.
Another way to save some money on good cookware is to shop the thrift stores. I’ve not done it myself, but I’ve heard of people finding some really expensive cookware at bargain basement prices and simply refinishing them.
I hope this helps explain some of the differences in cookware and helped you save your wallet.