For the Cooks: Misen Non Stick Carbon Steel Pan?

[ivayvr]

Probably the greater thermal mass?

 

[PatentLawyer]

Since you are a metal expert I have a question. Why does my cast iron pan "sear / brown" things differently (better) than other materials seemingly at the same temperature?

Not to change subject, but I have a cookware called the Baking Steel Pro: https://bakingsteel.com/collections/steels/products/baking-steel-pro It is a large 3/8" plate of Carbon Steel. It takes forever to heat up, but once it's hot, look out. Nothing that I've ever cooked with sears like that. Shrimp, scallops, steak, peppers all come out amazing. A bear to handle and store, but impressive nonetheless.

 

[respice finem]

Greater heat capacity. It takes more energy to raise the temperature of the cast iron pan than say your aluminum or copper pan. In turn, when you put cold food in it, it doesn't lose its heat to the food. It stays hot.

It's sort of like why marble feels cold to the touch; your skin doesn't warm it.

This capacity probably buffers temperature "jumps" - not so effective as (the mass of) a bread or pizza oven (stone), but still.

 

[JayGilb]

It takes forever to heat up, but once it's hot, look out.

I love my cast iron, but the same problem when you want the pan to cool down, it takes time.

 

[Keith_W]

Since discussion of pan materials has come up, I decided to do some tests on a few pans in my kitchen. The candidates are: Le Creuset grill pan (cast iron), Silit frying pan (enamel coating on steel), and Mauviel frypan (stainless steel cladding on copper).

TEST 1: IR thermometer reading from centre of the pan after 1 minute of heating. From L-R: cast iron, enamel coated steel, and copper. Temperature reading is in degrees C.

TEST 2: Heat distribution. From L-R: cast iron, enamel coated steel, copper. The pan was placed on a smaller hob so that the flame is concentrated in the centre. The same volume of water was poured into each pan, and the fire turned on for exactly two minutes. Despite appearances, the cast iron pan was further from boiling than the steel pan - the bubbles produced were very fine and floated to the surface. As you can see, the copper pan was almost at a boil.

This test was interesting because it appears that all 3 pans heat up the sides faster than the centre. I am guessing that this is because the flame goes up to the pan and then to the side.

I did not test maximum temperature, but I am pretty sure the copper pan would win. It's like a sports car - heats up quick, cools down quick, reaches higher maximum temperature. I can tell because steaks will burn before the centre reaches medium rare if I cook them on the copper pan.

I bought my Le Creuset grill pan when I thought I wanted grill marks. These days I don't want grill marks, it's cosmetic and does not do anything to improve the flavour. So my go-to steak cooking pan is the Silit enamel/steel pan. If I am cooking a thinner cut of steak and I want aggressive heat, I use the copper pan.

 

[PatentLawyer]

Interesting test! Thanks for that!

Btw, if anyone is interested in boiling water quickly, consider an induction burner. Mind blowing how much faster it is than our 22k btu gas burner.

 

[tmtomh]

Interesting test! Thanks for that!

Btw, if anyone is interested in boiling water quickly, consider an induction burner. Mind blowing how much faster it is than our 22k btu gas burner.

Agreed. We have induction and even after 6 years living with it, it still feels like magic when boiling a large pot of water. I also like the temperature control - you can raise and lower the burner heat in very fine, standardized increments that have an effect virtually instantaneously. And it's also very convenient if you get a spatter or spill that you can wipe it up immediately because any part of the burner not covered by the pan or pot isn't hot. You can even put your hand right on an uncovered part of the burner while the pot is at a rolling boil on the highest-temp setting and you're completely safe.

 

[respice finem]

Interesting test! Thanks for that!

Btw, if anyone is interested in boiling water quickly, consider an induction burner. Mind blowing how much faster it is than our 22k btu gas burner.

And, it probably won't have the "colder center" issue.
Another advantage, you don't get to breathe in radon, uranium and other "interesting" elements.

 

[mSpot]

Apparently non stick pans might be banned in California.

A bill to ban PFAS from cookware and some other products passed the California legislature and is awaiting the governor to sign or veto it. The cookware industry had unsuccessfully campaigned to exempt cookware from the ban, and had recruited celebrity chefs for endorsements including Rachael Ray, Thomas Keller, Marcus Samuelsson and David Chang.

It should be noted that laws to ban PFAS have already been passed in Minnesota, Colorado, Connecticut and Maine, and it is being considered by a number of other states. California is notable because the size of its market has a significant impact on the cookware industry as a whole.

 

[respice finem]

If such a ban were issued: What keeps people from bringing Teflon pans etc. from another state, or ordering them online?
In the end it might only hurt own production and sales.

 

[JSmith]

It should be noted that laws to ban PFAS have already been passed in Minnesota, Colorado, Connecticut and Maine, and it is being considered by a number of other states. California is notable because the size of its market has a significant impact on the cookware industry as a whole.

Starting 1 July 2025, Australia has officially banned three major PFAS chemicals in consumer products, including non-stick cookware like frypans... PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonate), PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) & PFHxS (Perfluorohexane sulfonate), basically the old Teflon.

Thank God I've not used such frypans for a very long time... but terrible stuff to be in the environment in general.


JSmith

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

The pan looks good, but every coated pan will eventually fail. Maybe sooner, maybe way later, but they will fail depending on how they are treated. Surface irregularities will exist and develop, food bits and thermal expansion will take a toll. A lid dropped into the pan that hits edge on (for example) can sow the seeds of destruction.

Me? I have a cheap egg pan, my current one is granite stone, and it is only used for eggs (sometimes) and omelettes (every time.) In the past, when multi using these pans, they did not last long. Going eggs only and never over medium heat keeps them going for a very long time.

If things stick in a seasoned stainless/carbon steel/cast iron pan, it was not hot enough before the food went in.

t is a large 3/8" plate of Carbon Steel.

Baking steels work really well. Especially if you preheat it in the oven for an hour, the bread is stellar!

I put mine on the stove sometimes across two burners, creating a heated flat top. Gives me extra pan capacity for more smaller pans, and a heating zone that can be set up with different zones. I usually only do it if I am making a fussy sauce though, you can get very even and gentle heat into a pan with a steel flat top and burner control.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

The pan looks good, but every coated pan will eventually fail. Maybe sooner, maybe way later, but they will fail depending on how they are treated.

wait, is it coated? I was under the impression that it's not

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

wait, is it coated? I was under the impression that it's not

From the website ad copy:

"Crafted from carbon steel hardened in a nitrogen-rich oven to form a naturally nonstick, ultra-tough surface that gets more nonstick over time."

Emphasis added. There's a layer, the surface, that is not the same as what is under that layer. That layer is formed in the hardening process.

How long that will last under normal use, no idea. If I were in the market, I would wait 2 years, because I've seen claims time and time again that don't hold up to real world use cases. If it's still holding up after a couple of years, no one is out there calling it a failure that over promises and under delivers (see HexClad for an example) I might get one.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

"Crafted from carbon steel hardened in a nitrogen-rich oven to form a naturally nonstick, ultra-tough surface that gets more nonstick over time."

Emphasis added. There's a layer, the surface, that is not the same as what is under that layer. That layer is formed in the hardening process.

By this reasoning, breadcrust is a coating on the crumb. I don't get it, ngl.

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

By this reasoning, breadcrust is a coating on the crumb. I don't get it, ngl.

I get your analogy, but it is flawed. The material of bread is the same from outside to inside. The surface of this pan has extra nitrogen (maybe some other things?) compared to the interior

If you cut a carbon steel pan in half, it will be the same from edge to edge. This pan won't. It's that simple.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

The material of bread is the same from outside to inside.

Hmm, as I understand it, crust is the product of a chemical reaction that changes the composition of the surface of the dough, gelatinizing starch, creating hundreds of new flavor molecules, so it's no longer the same as the crumb. I don't think these pans are "coated." That said, I have no opinion on your skepticism of their durability, just no idea at all.

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

By this reasoning, breadcrust is a coating on the crumb. I don't get it, ngl.

I should point out that your analogy would be perfect of anodized aluminum pans. That's just adding a thicker layer of aluminum oxide, which is naturally going to be on the surface of aluminum.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

I should point out that your analogy would be perfect of anodized aluminum pans. That's just adding a thicker layer of aluminum oxide, which is naturally going to be on the surface of aluminum.

No, because crust isn't just "a thicker layer" of crumb--it's chemically transformed.

 

[wwenze]

I bought my Le Creuset grill pan when I thought I wanted grill marks. These days I don't want grill marks, it's cosmetic and does not do anything to improve the flavour.

The black cancer tastes nice tho