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How do we feel about enameled CI?
(midwest.social)
Wife was craving comfort food so I made us some goulash in the Lecruset last night.
They are a bastard cookware hiding behind a fragile veneer of porcelain.
But for real, it just seems like its another thing to chip/crack/break. I personally like cast iron because its one giant piece of metal that's practically impossible to damage under regular use. I don't see why I would give that up just to have a candy shell around it.
I use stainless steel cookware so I can scrub the shit out of it without worrying about anything
Contrary to popular belief, you can scrub your cast iron, too. The seasoning (if done correctly) is bonded at a molecular level to the cast iron, so even a hard go with a steel scrubber wont take it off.
Should you do this regularly with a strong soap? No, but its better to scrub off some burnt on bits than leave it on because we think cast iron seasoning will be ruined is we look at it funny.
But if you're cooking with it right, that shouldn't happen too often.
Is there a trick to getting stainless to release food in a reasonable way? I've tried it a couple times and whatever I cook ends up feeling like it's epoxied on. I assume it's a me problem since so many people speak positively about it.
Throw some water and dish soap in it and simmer for like 5-10 minutes. It'll loosen everything right up.
Or, what I usually do is fill it with hot water and soap as soon as I'm done with it so by the time I'm done eating it's good to go.
Is your stainless single ply? I just went back to stainless (and cast iron) after not using it since I was a kid, and have the opposite question. When I was a kid, it was horrible how everything stuck or burned, and such a pain to clean. Now I pretty much never have a problem with anything sticking.
But I have to wonder if it’s me finally getting the hang of cooking, or is it mostly old single ply stainless vs new 5 ply?
For highly acidic dishes
Wouldn't make a difference unless the enamel is on the inside, though?
Yes that is what OP is talking about. The LeCreuset pans have black enamel inside, colourful enamel outside.
The enamel acts as a protective shell for the cast iron, protecting it from the acid.