Can you give me some suggestions for a medium to small size frying pan to cook stuff like bacon and eggs on.
We have a gas stove
Every pan I buy just gets destroyed and everything sticks to it
Need a Good Fry Pan for Gas Stove
Crump Steak on 04/03/2024 - 07:46
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I couldn’t get my stainless steel frypan to work with pancakes or omelets no matter how much I preheated it or added oil. I went the Techniq ScanPan which works a treat.
Yup, once learning how to use SS properly you won't look back!
I was exactly like you a year ago. I decided to try a cast iron pan.
Make sure you 'season' it and look after it like it should be (more effort than a normal pan), but i dont have to worry about it wearing out.
When i cook eggs i use a soft silicone spatula and it works real well with some oil in the pan.
Bacon does stick, so i use a hard silicone spatula for that. I think i need to re-season my pan. But i just put up with it as I enjoy it for eggs.
Think i have the 'Lodge Cast Iron Skillet 20cm'. And also got the silicon holder for the handle as you can't touch it when hot.
With cast iron you don't even need to be gentle or use silicon.
yeah definitely, but i found it scoops scrambled eggs really well :)
I agree on the cast iron. They do need a bit of looking after, like hand washing, drying and sealing. Dishwasher is a no no.
My oldest cast iron skillet pan is over 30 years old and in daily use. It will outlive me, although that's not a big ask.
About 6-7 layers of seasoning will make it do eggs etc well
Bought a cookcell wok about a year ago and so far its pretty good (do stillneed to add some oil). So id suggest checking out that brand. Also use it with gas.
For eggs a decent non-stick pan is the best bet IMO. Eggs are all I use mine for, otherwise it's cast iron or S/S.
Taking care of the pan is key to ensuring longevity of the non-stick surface. I only use silicon spatulas/spoons with it (definitely no metal, wood may be OK), do not use scourers to clean it (or other abrasive cleaning materials), and don't store it in cupboards with metal pans stacked on it etc. Finally, don't cook on high heat. For eggs this should not be a problem, I would typically have my gas stove not far above low to cook eggs.
Chefs use low-cost non-stick and replace them when they wear out. I checked out the highly-regarded Ikea but found them on the heavy side. My favourite so far is Meyer Midnight which occasionally gets reduced by 50%. I also have a 24cm from the Coles/Curtis Stone range, pretty good.
blue steel pans like pyrolux are great - good heat distribution and great non stick properties once seasoned - season them by getting oil to smoke point and letting cool naturally a couple of times and wash under hot water only - if you need to use detergent on them you'll need to re-season. Cheaper than cast iron and heat up a lot quicker
https://www.kitchenwarehouse.com.au/search?q=pyrolux%20blue%…
we have two of the 32cm ones and they're a great size, can fit two normal size bacon rashers and two or three eggs together but they come in a few different sizes - 24 or 28cm would be probably a good compromise size
the crepe pan is useful as well for cooking a few mushrooms, small omelettes or crepes
How interested are you in going down the cooking rabbithole and what do you cook mostly? ? That would help determine the best suggestion.
SS takes more finesse but easier to maintain.
Cast Iron requires little skill but harder to maintain.I use my cast iron pan daily. Zero maintenance, cleanup is a breeze and indestructible. Not sure what other commenters are doing treating their cast iron pans like a premature newborn baby.
I think you're assuming too much knowledge. Even if you treat it as a beater you still need to make sure it doesn't rust, you don't throw it on high heat from cold, etc.
I did all the research about seasoning and babying cast iron but once I started using it I realised it was all unnecessary overkill. Since I'm using it regularly, the pan naturally seasons with the cooking oil and high heat, I use hot soapy water to clean it after each use to get the gunk off, rinse it off under the cold water tap then leave it on the counter top upside down to dry.
As far as temperature difference goes, as long as you're not taking it straight from the fridge onto high heat or checking ice cold water on it then it's not going to spontaneously crack. I don't see why you want to do either of these with a pan.
If you're using it daily you're probably cleaning off the surface rust each time. Leave them stacked in the cupboard for a week and see how you go. And yeah throw it on high heat from room temp and it will crack, might not happen the first time but it happens.
@Cheaplikethebird: Nah mate, cast iron should be beaten up like the way it looks compared to a tefal. Cracking only happen if you do something stupid. Rusting is even non issue, if it happens then you're doing wrong and better go back to a tefal or the likes.
@lgacb08: I would wager I have about 5x the cast iron and do about 5x the cast iron cooking you do. My process is below, I dont think that's babying but it's still not something I would trust a newbie cook, just wanting a pan to smash out bangers and the like on, to do properly.
There's a post of a cracked CI pan in the CI subreddit every other day.
I don’t use soap when cleaning my cast iron. I just heat it up and poor the fat into an old cup, put some water in the pan and boil it, poor the water out and gently scrub with steel wool to remove any remaining gunk, wipe with a towel and then stick the pan on the heat and wipe with a tiny bit of oil.
It’s a quick process and never rusts.@mapax: I wash with soap then cook or throw in the oven first to dry off if I’m going to store it. Oil it every so often, more so for the underside.
https://www.solidteknics.com/
You will never go back after you switch to these pans. Take the time to learn about seasoning and cast iron care; worth it.Which of their pans do you recommend, the iron or the stainless?
Bacon cooks better in the oven. Game changer.
Yup, pan fried bacon is a soggy mess. Oven baked bacon is crispy goodness.
Except I find the "eye" part tends to dry out when cooked in the oven long enough for the streaky part to get crispy.
The frypan with water method works pretty well too, perhaps more energy efficient.
More mess tho = more dishes in the dishwasher = more energy to clean.
Why more dishes? I'd prefer to clean my cooktop over a bacon-splattered oven. And a pyro cycle doesn't come cheap these days.
Works well with mushrooms too.
Every pan I buy just gets destroyed and everything sticks to it
Sounds like the problem is you, not the pans.
Heat too high and flipping too often is my bet
"Every pan I buy just gets destroyed and everything sticks to it"
Have you tried a reputable brand like Tefal?
The Stoneblast pans from Kmart are great for around $20 each.
We use 24 and 28cm regularly. Minimal oil and no sticking.
I have a Circulon set which are terrific - like these - https://www.myer.com.au/p/circulon-style-aluminium-215cm-254… - but wait until they come on sale; you can usually pick them up for around a third of their full price.
Stainless steel, preheat it before cooking, use oil.
Plus a small non-stick pan for eggs