# Teflon doesn't make it, what do serious cooks use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638 "2004-09-16T02:26:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/21 "2004-09-17T00:52:41Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Actually, no All-Clad nonstick is dishwasher safe, including the stainless. If you re-read, you’ll see I said the \*all stainless \* is dishwasher safe. Which means stainless inside and outside. Those are dishwasher safe. I didn’t say that the nonstick was dishwasher safe. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/22 "2004-09-17T01:40:44Z")
For skillets, there’s nothing like great-grandma’s hand me down, well seasoned iron skillet, that hasn’t felt a drop of soap in it for at least 40 years. A thing of beauty! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/23 "2004-09-17T01:44:56Z")
I’ll go you one better, **Qadgop**. A heavy cast-iron chicken fryer! I’ve used mine for 30 years, and I expect it to serve somebody quite well 100 years from now. I use it for about half the things that get cooked on the stovetop around here. Teflon is good for egg dishes, but give me heavy metal for everything else! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/24 "2004-09-17T01:53:02Z")
No one has told me this, but I’ve come to the conclusion that ordinary Teflon coating _wears thin._ I never use metal utensils or cleaning tools on new pans. I clean by wiping with a paper towel, then use soap & water with a plastic mesh, non-abrasive pad/sponge, always. Yet after a while, with no noticeable flaws in the surfaceand no gouges, the pan no longer lets stuff slide out, eggs stick just a little and it doesn’t wipe well. Eventually, I chuck what appears to be a flawless-surface pan and get a new one. Is that what everyone else finds? ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/25 "2004-09-17T02:52:03Z")
> [@Suburban Plankton](#): > > We’ve had stainless steel, teflon, and Calphalon. We have now given them all away and gone completely to cast iron. We have both “plain” cast iron skillets and enamel-clad saucepans. > > Our enamel-clad stuff is Le Creuset, which is a bit pricey, but should last forever. Innova makes a fine alternative that is very reasonable. I just ordered a [4.5 quart roaster](http://housewares.smartbargains.com/images/product/301023/3010232683_XL.jpg) from [Smart Bargains](http://www.smartbargains.com) for $34.99. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/26 "2004-09-19T00:44:27Z")
I’d like to offer a couple of suggestions of my own: 1. The way I clean my cast iron pans is to scrape off as much schmutz as possible with a non-metal spatula. If this doesn’t clean the pan sufficiently, I pour in equal amounts of salt and oil, about a tablespoon of each. I work this mixture into the surface of the pan with a folded paper towel and pitch the whole thing when the pan is clean. I got this idea when eating at Little Joe’s, a little hole in the wall italian place in San Francisco. When the cooks had finished cooking an order in a saute pan, the pan cleaner guy scooped a spoonful of oily sand from a container into the pan and scoured it. This method works very well for me. 2. Try to look in out of the way places for expensive cookware and seriously consider less well known brands. For example, I love using enamelled cast iron cookware, but new Le Creuset cookware is prohibitively expensive for me. I go to the TJ Maxx store near me at regular intervals where I pick up cookware labelled **A Well Equipped Kitchen**. Sometimes the paint isn’t perfect or there’s a chip somewhere, but it’s something that doesn’t affect the performance or clean up. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/27 "2004-09-19T05:10:59Z")
I don’t know what “real cooks” think about Alton Brown, but I found his book [Alton Brown’s Gear For Your Kitchen](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1584792965/qid=1095570536/sr=ka-2/ref=pd_ka_2/104-4840925-9406303) to be fascinating and really detailed. He goes over every possible kitchen instrument, what options are available for what price ranges, and what you need most and least. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/28 "2004-09-19T05:20:06Z")
Has anyone ever used a silicone rubber muffin pan? I’ve seen reasonably priced ones in ads, but I find it hard to believe they won’t melt. ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638/29 "2004-09-19T05:38:07Z")
**Mangetout** mentioned using one upthread. It won’t melt. I believe they are made with a special silicone formula mixed with tiny bits of glass (threads?) so they can withstand very high heat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teflon-doesnt-make-it-what-do-serious-cooks-use/264638.md?page=1)