Cast Iron Pan VS Stainless Steel Pan

[Geezy]

2 hours ago, Meathead said:

Myself I'm surprised my balls aren't plastic eating from plastic like I have

Oh but they are my friend, they are. 

[Carburetor]

15 hours ago, Orweller said:

I'd be too worried about the plastics seeping into my meat

Sous Vide temps are so low, a grocery bag gets warmer on a sunny day.

I´m not saying it´s impossible but... such a huge percentage of food is being sold packaged in plastic, someone must have done some measures. Especially now that micro plastics are being discussed everywhere.

[Geezy]

1 hour ago, Carburetor said:

Sous Vide temps are so low, a grocery bag gets warmer on a sunny day.

I´m not saying it´s impossible but... such a huge percentage of food is being sold packaged in plastic, someone must have done some measures. Especially now that micro plastics are being discussed everywhere.

It’s impossible to get away from it. All we can do is limit our exposure. I store most food in glass containers but the lids are plastic. 
I no longer use a plastic cutting board. 
I drink out of glass or metal containers as much as possible. 
When it comes to sou vide I think it’s become popular to use silicone bags. 

[Orweller]

21 hours ago, Meathead said:

There's managing then there's over the top in some cases. 

Myself I'm surprised my balls aren't plastic eating from plastic like I have

I never believed in the nonstick bs. Too old to care how I vacuum seal

There's nothing wrong with using plastic at room temperature or colder. It is when we apply heat where the issue lies. Boiling a plastic bag with meat in it, yeah... hard pass on that. I vacuum seal all my meat (in plastic of course) without losing sleep. But prepping and heating will occur in Pyrex. 

But having grown up in the 70s, it may already be too late for me lol. 

[Orweller]

6 hours ago, Carburetor said:

Sous Vide temps are so low, a grocery bag gets warmer on a sunny day.

I´m not saying it´s impossible but... such a huge percentage of food is being sold packaged in plastic, someone must have done some measures. Especially now that micro plastics are being discussed everywhere.

I suppose you have a point. And I think anyone with concerns would have silicone as an option. That leaves out the worry about micro plastic, but still, chemicals. What I am saying is, it needs to be considered when one is concerned about cooking with Teflon, aluminium, or even stainless steel. Why switch to cast iron, only to use plastic elsewhere? 

That said, it is obviously to each their own decision. 

[Orweller]

5 hours ago, Geezy said:

It’s impossible to get away from it. All we can do is limit our exposure. I store most food in glass containers but the lids are plastic. 
I no longer use a plastic cutting board. 
I drink out of glass or metal containers as much as possible. 
When it comes to sou vide I think it’s become popular to use silicone bags. 

I think storing food in plastic at room temp or below pose no considerable issue. It's when heat comes to play, leaving that water bottle in the car on a hot sunny day, etc. 

[Meathead]

38 minutes ago, Orweller said:

Boiling a plastic bag with meat in it, yeah... hard pass on that.

Unfortunately sous vide is no where near boil temp for med rare steak.

I'm too much a control freak I prefer grilled steak, stove top and finish in oven.  Plus I spent so much last year I can't afford sous vide

[Carburetor]

15 hours ago, Orweller said:

Boiling a plastic bag with meat in it, yeah... hard pass on that.

Sous Vide is not boiling. I just did a roast in 55 C (130 F).

[Qapla]

When cooking Sous Vide - the water bath is set to be whatever you want the finished temperature of the meat to be. Most people do not cook meat to an interior temperature of 212° F / 100° C.

[Geezy]

46 minutes ago, Qapla said:

Most people do not cook meat to an interior temperature of 212° F / 100° C.

That would be sacrilegious. 

[Orweller]

2 hours ago, Carburetor said:

Sous Vide is not boiling. I just did a roast in 55 C (130 F).

I consider myself educated, even though my statement was a bit hyperbolic. 

[Mesa_John]

Neither Iron or Stainless like high heat.  We have both and it has taken me two years to get the wife to understand NOT to turn the burner on HI with either.  Once Iron is seasoned well, it can nearly take on the appearance and behavior of non-stick.  I honestly don't think Stainless is superior in any way over Iron, except one thing....  Cooking eggs.  For some reason the Iron skillets leach a flavor into eggs that neither the wife and I are found of.  Therefore we cook our eggs in the stainless skillets.

 

......

[Geezy]

1 hour ago, Mesa_John said:

For some reason the Iron skillets leach a flavor into eggs that neither the wife and I are found of.

That’s odd because most people I’ve come across prefer the taste of their eggs in cast iron. 
Just shows you that taste is subjective. 

[Terry]

On 1/22/2025 at 5:42 PM, Bob said:

That's the next thing I am going to learn about. I heard you can make perfect steaks every time.

Sous vide is a great way to a perfect steak. I use an old cooler and a hot water recirculatory that came out of a laboratory setting. I vacuum seal the steak along with some salt, butter and bacon grease and then let them go for 8-24 hours at 120'F, after that I put them on a super hot grill for just a few minutes per side. sometimes I even hit them with the propane torch just to char up the fat a little. Cooking this way is a bit of extra work but the results are great tasting. 

[Bob]

23 hours ago, Terry said:

Sous vide is a great way to a perfect steak.

Gettign a Sous vide is on my to-do list.

That and a dehydrator to make my own jerky.

[Terry]

24 minutes ago, Bob said:

Gettign a Sous vide is on my to-do list.

That and a dehydrator to make my own jerky.

I'd get the dehydrator first. Homemade jerky is fantastic, and then you know what's in it also. if your oven goes low enough you can make jerky in that also. Sous Vide is fun but a bit of prep work and then the waiting for it to "cook". The newest Ninja cooker does sous vide and airfry Frm what I've seen. No idea what is costs though.

 

Edited March 20 by Terry
Forgot something

[PeterT]

On 1/4/2025 at 4:56 PM, Geezy said:

One of these days I may get a cast iron Dutch oven. 

I use one, it suits the cooking style I like for steaks. I give the steak a good sear then pop the lid on for a few minutes rest. I find it gives predictable results. And a bonus feature is the fat doesn't fly around quite so bad.