Cast Iron Pans

BUDFORCE

BUDFORCE

BUDFORCE

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I'll start off by saying I am not actually seriously considering buying one of these as that is a serious amount of cash, but something did interest me.

Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Saute Pan with Wood Handle, 28cm, Satin Black

Buy Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Saute Pan with Wood Handle, 28cm from our Chef & Saute Pans range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com

I believe the above link is ok as afaik OCUK don't sell frying pans, but basically the product description states:

Enamel interior
The pan is coated with a black enamel finish that protects it for high surface heat use and will not wear off.
It comes with a lifetime guarantee for complete peace of mind.
How would this actually work in practice though? I cannot believe that the cooking surface (if enamelled) would last forever? If you bought it, then say in 20 years time, the surface was a but scuffed or whatever, you could return it and get a new one?

So I googled Le Creuset UK's T&Cs under the warranty:

The lifetime guarantee covers faulty workmanship and/or materials when the product is used in normal, domestic conditions and in accordance with the care and use instructions provided. It does not cover normal wear and tear, commercial use or misuse of the product.
So basically if the pan becomes worn through use, which it no doubt will...at some point....that counts a wear and tear?

I was looking for a cast iron pan becuase carbon steel (IMO) is too high maintenance and cast iron is so much easier, all be it expensive.

I did tspot this one though I am somewhat tempted, as far as I can tell, unlike the Le Creuset there is no enamel layer, just cast iron, so in theory lasts forever provided you take basic care of it:

Skeppshult Cast Iron Deep Frying Pan with Wood Handle, 28cm

Buy Skeppshult Cast Iron Deep Frying Pan with Wood Handle, 28cm from our Frying Pans & Skillets range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com

£145 is a lot of money dont get me wrong, but your probably looking about the same cost over 10 years of buying other pans that will wear out.
 
You can buy cast iron pans for like £30, mine has lasted 4 years and I don't see why it wouldn't stop working ever.

Used it on the beach yesterday, much better than stainless for this use too as it'll hold the heat and not cool down as much when used outside.

Mines is a lodge, about £40.
 
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Yeah trying to find one for less, need minimum 28cm, ideally 30cm, depends how the pan is tapered because the diameter is usually measured from the top edge not the bottom cooking surface.
 
 
BUDFORCE said:
There is this one the handle looks nasty though.


I could I could fabricate me own handle as an extension on that one, would be easy enough I think.
Click to expand...

Just LOL at this Wok price:

 
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I bought a £35 30cm one for roasting coffee beans and its rock solid. It does not have a fancy coating though so food may stick to it i guess but i have not tried it.

Perhaps just get a small cheap £15 one first and try it out to see if it works well enough.
 
www.procook.co.uk

Reversible Cast Iron Griddle 46cm x 26cm | ProCook

The changeable British weather can make outdoor cooking difficult, but our reversible griddles make things a lot easier! With a modern angular design and
www.procook.co.uk www.procook.co.uk

Bought one of these years ago, half that price too. Really useful. Don't need to spend loads on cast iron.

Got one of their big casseroles as well, come to think of it.

Le Creuset is vastly overpriced. Any cast iron will last forever if you look after it.
 
BUDFORCE said:
The pan is coated with a black enamel finish that protects it for high surface heat use and will not wear off.
It comes with a lifetime guarantee for complete peace of mind.
How would this actually work in practice though? I cannot believe that the cooking surface (if enamelled) would last forever? If you bought it, then say in 20 years time, the surface was a but scuffed or whatever, you could return it and get a new one?

So I googled Le Creuset UK's T&Cs under the warranty:

The lifetime guarantee covers faulty workmanship and/or materials when the product is used in normal, domestic conditions and in accordance with the care and use instructions provided. It does not cover normal wear and tear, commercial use or misuse of the product.
So basically if the pan becomes worn through use, which it no doubt will...at some point....that counts a wear and tear?
Click to expand...
Kind of.

I can't speak for the enamel, but I have some non-stick Le Creuset purchased directly from them, and it's now damaged. I spoke to them about it, and they said that if it's damaged it must have been misused :rolleyes:

I will probably fight it at some point but just can't be bothered right now.
 
Jim99 said:
Kind of.

I can't speak for the enamel, but I have some non-stick Le Creuset purchased directly from them, and it's now damaged. I spoke to them about it, and they said that if it's damaged it must have been misused :rolleyes:

I will probably fight it at some point but just can't be bothered right now.
Click to expand...

Yup I was reading through it and thinking the whole lifetime guarantee thing is a joke.

It basically covers the workmanship or design faults or whatever, but they caveat it does not cover wear and tear.

Well I am not being funny but it isnt like there are many components are working parts to a frying pan, there is literally nothing that can break/go wrong, other than wear and tear. If you buy the pan and its cracked or whatever you can return that as part of your statutory rights anyway, so their "lifetime guarantee" is effectively meaningless.
 
I don't like the enameled pans, they're nowhere near as long lasting, and you only really need it for quite acidic foods. Our denby one is fine, but after 8 years stuff sticks to it.

I bought this set about the same time - VonShef Cast Iron Skillet Set https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M7OVTPK
It's absolutely brilliant, I can cook fried eggs, pancakes or whatever and it just doesn't stick. If I've got a marinade or something then that sometimes can, but one of the other joys of cast iron is that you can abuse it with a stainless steel scourer and after a bit of heat and oil it's sorted.

They are dead easy to look after, if there's mess left in the pan then some cold water and the scourer sorts it, occasionally I'll use a drop of washing up liquid if needed, and after seasoning it's fine again.

It's a triumph of marketing that cast iron isn't more popular, I ditched all of our 'non-stick' pans years ago as they don't do anything that a cast iron pan can't, they're annoyingly delicate, bad for the environment and imo don't sear stuff as nicely.

Anyway yeah...that was a weirdly long post for me, I've obviously discovered my passion in life. :cry:
 
I have Staub enameled cast iron and Amazon Commercial stainless steel and non-stick coated pans.

I'm not much of a chef but I try to be. I would use seasoned cast iron and a big carbon steel wok if I had a gas hob. I prefer enameled cast iron and heavy bottomed stainless steel with my induction hob. I have a couple of heavy bottom non-stick coated too but I prefer not to use them at temperatures above ~125c and I occasionally end up scratching them and having to buy replacements.
 
BUDFORCE said:
I'll start off by saying I am not actually seriously considering buying one of these as that is a serious amount of cash, but something did interest me.

snip
Click to expand...

The enamel will last way longer than non-stick unless you bash it with tools really hard. I have an enamel pot and grill pan. The pot is over 10 years old and I brown meat in it all the time. It's scratched to hell but intact. The grill pan has chips because I'm clumsy and like to drink when I cook.

A 3/5/7/96453-ply stainless pan would be better. It'll last forever and distribute heat evenly.

Jim99 said:
Kind of.

I can't speak for the enamel, but I have some non-stick Le Creuset purchased directly from them, and it's now damaged. I spoke to them about it, and they said that if it's damaged it must have been misused :rolleyes:

I will probably fight it at some point but just can't be bothered right now.
Click to expand...

Non-stick coatings are basically disposable and don't last. Expensive non-stick pans are a scam. They will have small print on the packaging *warranty does not cover non-stick coating or something.
 
Unless you have specific recipe that uses that shape and aize of cast iron pan, I would not get it. It is too heavy to do any kind of pan flip with your hands, unless you are a massive body builder.

Instead, get a carbon steel, it has pretty much the same heating and cooking properties as well as durability as cast iron, without the weight.

I know because i have a cast iron pan that size, don't really use it, i use the carbon steel a lot more.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Unless you have specific recipe that uses that shape and aize of cast iron pan, I would not get it. It is too heavy to do any kind of pan flip with your hands, unless you are a massive body builder.

Instead, get a carbon steel, it has pretty much the same heating and cooking properties as well as durability as cast iron, without the weight.

I know because i have a cast iron pan that size, don't really use it, i use the carbon steel a lot more.
Click to expand...

Problem I have is I just cannot get a good season on the one I have.

It's a De Buyer mineral b, so should be a good pan but whatever I do it'll stick then char on crust.

I even completely stripped it, tried building up so very thin/light season layers but soon as I tried to use it, nope. Tried every YouTube method, everything.

I reckon it's how my induction hob transfers the heat through the pan, because you got like a hot ring in the middle then cooler around the edges.

I have a carbon steel wok, and that one is fine, although that one I only use on an outdoor gas burner, so maybe it is my hob. I also have a cast iron wok and the thing is just so easy to maintain, I even occasionally wash it in hot soapy water, and after re-season it's good to go, and that is on the induction. But it's put me off trying another carbon steel.

I think cast iron is a lot more forgiving, maybe better for induction.
 
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