Carbon steel pans can't be used to cook acidic foods like tomato sauce.

Carbon steel pans require some learning. You need to learn how to heat them up properly, how to season them, how to clean them and how to care for them.

But once you learn that, they're pretty darn tough. Metal utensils? No problem. Use them in the oven? Just fine. Want to use them to get a sear on your food? Heck yes.

I find them easier to use than stainless steel, and a little nicer to use than cast iron. It took me about a month to learn how to use my carbon steel, and I have to give it almost as much care as cast iron, but I find it a joy to use.

I think that when switching from non-stick, you should have two pans, but here's my fast breakdown:

For beginners- get a cast iron skillet.

For people who want a great sear and an easy to clean pan, get a stainless steel pan.

And if you want an all around pan, get a carbon steel pan.

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The second pan that I think everyone moving away from non-stick should look at is a stainless steel pan.

Stainless steel pans are versatile and "easy" pans. Unlike cast iron and carbon steel, they don't require seasoning. They can go in your dishwasher, and if you learn to use them right, you can get them to act a bit like a non-stick surface in the right conditions.

There are a few downsides, but they're small.

Food does tend to stick on them, or leave something left behind when cooking.

They also only act non-stick under higher heat. They take some time to learn, but they can also go in the oven, etc.

This takes us to carbon steel. Carbon steel pans are the workhorse of many commercial kitchens because they're a bit of a jack of all trades, or at least most trades.

A seasoned carbon steel pan can get a non-stick-like coating, it can go in the oven, on the range, etc.

I use my carbon steel pan the most, but it does have some drawbacks.

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You might be able to stretch your pan out past five or six years, but the manufacturer generally warns against it. And let's be real- by that time your Teflon pan isn't really non-stick anymore.

Is it easier to make an omelette on a teflon pan? Yes.

Is it easier to make pancakes and crepes on a non-stick pan? Sure.

But you can do it on other pans, and moreover, those pans will usually get better with age, not worse! So let's talk about them.

The first is the "old trusty" cast iron.

I was a cast iron fan for a long time, but to be honest, I've fallen out of love with cast iron. Nonethless it was my first non-teflon pan, cast iron pans are cheap, easy to find, and they're built like tanks.

Want it to go on the stove? No problem!

On an induction burner? No problem.

In an oven? You got it.

Over a fire? Sure!

A cast iron skillet is great.

But I think there are alternatives that bear serious consideration.

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I think everyone already knows this, but you must be very careful with metal utensils and Teflon pans. Scratching the surface of a Teflon pan can lead to chemicals leaching out, or the aluminum being exposed.Because of that, you can't use aluminum utensils.

That also means you need to be careful how you store your pans. If something scratches the pan, you're sunk.

Fewer people know that Teflon pans are not meant for high heat. You can only put your Teflon pan on medium heat.Going above that, you will damage the Teflon coating and or it could leach out.

You also shouldn't put your Teflon pan in the dishwasher or risk the coating coming off.

And even if you do everything right, treat your Teflon pan with kid gloves, always use rubber or wood utensils, wash it by hand, and never above medium heat, even then your Teflon pan isn't meant to last more than five or six years!

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#Cooking #NonStickCookware #Teflon