If you’re the proud owner of a cast iron pan, you’ll know they take a lot more upkeep than a standard skillet.
But they’re the cooking utensil du jour right now, as people look for more professional and authentic ways to bring their dinners to life.
But this chef doesn’t think they’re the best pan for most people, and has said you’d all be much better off with a simple copper one.
Frank Prisinzano, who runs a number of critically-acclaimed restaurants in New York, took to Instagram to share his views on the super popular cookware.
On his stories, he spoke to those cast iron loyals, saying: ‘This is really comical to me because we’re way past cast-iron now.
‘This is really something from history here. I understand the nostalgia around it, my grandma had a cast-iron, I have her pan, I took it from her.
‘She used it for certain things, she used it mostly for batter and frying potato croquettes and that’s the only thing she used it for and she kept it seasoned and she took care of it.
‘But the problem is nowadays, who has the time to be seasoning cast-iron pans all the time?’
Seasoning is a method used to clean and prepare your cast iron pan for their next use, and involves using oil and heat.
Typically, you’d wash the pan after each use with warm, soapy water before drying extremely thoroughly so no water is left. Then, you rub the pan all over with a form of oil, and pop in the oven (empty) to get that grease soaked in.
This is to reduce rusting and help the pan stick less – something these heavy skillets are ubiquitous for if not taken care of.
Frank poo-pooed the idea that this rigorous process was all worth it in the end, and added that the ‘coating tends to come off into the food’ and that the pans are ‘way too heavy to handle, way too hard to clean and way too corrosive.’
He also criticised the dark colour of them, saying this makes it harder to see how brown your oil or butter is getting as you cook.
In short, he says: ‘There’s no real benefit.’
Instead, Frank recommended using any old cast iron pans you have as beautiful decorations to hang in your kitchen, perhaps getting them out every so often for a special meal.
If you are ditching that high-maintenance cast iron, he states you should opt for aluminium or copper, which is ‘just as good’.
Given how staunch the cast iron crew are on the internet, all we ask is that you don’t shoot the messenger. We’re only passing the message on.
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Get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/06/chef-advises-people-buying-cast-iron-pans-13091319/
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