I need a new frying pan, what type of finish should I look for?

[Cooper]

Byron's web site is back today. It's a good one to bookmark.

http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~p...en-recipes.htm

[Cooper]

Found this bookmarked in my Food folder, too:

http://www.retiredscouter.com/resour...p_cooking.html

[Numbersix]

Gotta agree that a 12" pre-seasoned Lodge (if you want to go new) or a nicely seasoned used cast iron skillet is one tool that no home cook should ever be without.

I have that, a hard anodized Cuisinart 12" non stick pan (which I don't use a lot), and two clad stainless pans (which I do use quite a bit).

[SSj4G60]

Gotta agree that a 12" pre-seasoned Lodge (if you want to go new) or a nicely seasoned used cast iron skillet is one tool that no home cook should ever be without.

x2, at first I kind of regretting going w/ that large a pan but it's been my go to and gets used almost everyday.

[kenny301]

I did some meatloaf in the 10"er today. It turned out pretty well but I would have been better off with a 12". I did a smaller loaf in another pan due to the abundance of meat (2lbs of beef, 1lb of pork).



Now that I have been using the pans for a few weeks I barely have to grease them at all and they, for the most part, wipe clean with a paper towel. I don't think I'll ever go back to teflon coated stuff

[Cooper]

I'll post up pictures of the 12-inch skillet if you want. As I mentioned in the IM, it's a good user. It's a later Wagner Ware, which is what I use as my daily skillets. It's a size 10 and actually 11 3/4 inches.

I bought three Wagner Ware skillets new years ago: a 3, 5, and 8. I actually use them rather than the better, older Griswold, Wagner, Piqua, Sidney, BSR, or unknown foundry pieces I have.

Here's using a 3 and 5 recently for an Italian sausage and provolone omlet.





There was another cookware thread a while ago where someone said he was having difficulty cooking eggs on cast iron. Properly seasoned cast iron is great for eggs.







You mentioned it's for stir fry. As I mentioned, I'd just get a wok (if you can't find your roommates ). Woks are very inexpensive and great for stir fry. They transfer heat rapidly and don't retain heat like thicker cast iron.

Here are some places for woks:

http://www.wokshop.com/store/main.php (and other dedicated wok web sites)

http://www.acitydiscount.com/

http://www.akitchen.com/

I bought my wok in 1988, and it's been great.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...Sesame-Chicken

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-(Chinese-food)

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...f-with-Peppers

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-(Chinese-food)

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...f-with-Peppers

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...ef-Ramen-style

The last one includes the story of the little Chinese lady at work screaming at me because I bought a wok.

[Cooper]

My wife wanted a recipe for a giant cookie in cast iron. This was posted on the WAGS froums today.

http://sugarcrafter.net/2011/06/10/c...e-chip-cookie/

[Cooper]

Made Philly cheesesteaks again last night in the wok. My wife again said that we should have them more often. Really like them.

I like the Parker House roll dough, recipe from breadworld.com, as a roll for Philly cheesesteaks. My wife wants to try a more substantial roll. I'll maker rolls with burger bun (conventional) dough, also from breadworld.com, next time.

Very easy and very fast meal to make.

Heat oil, cook peppers and onions a bit, then add shaved steak and cook. I cooked the meat longer this time to drive out more moisture. Much better for the roll. Less soggy.



Top with shredded cheese, turn off burner, and cover to let cheese melt. I used provolone last week. Used Monterey jack cheese this week, as we had jack and Jarlsberg in the refrigerator.



Don't cut the rolls all the way to the ends. Rather, make a "canoe" to hold the filling.

Really like them. Want to make them a lot this summer. It's a fast, easy meal when you don't feel lik cooking on a hot day.

[Vision33r]

Yea a wok is unbelievable at cooking loose food items, so eat to flip the food with them. The only problem with them is very few dishwashers fit them so they are usually hand washed.

[XClayX]

Speaking of woks, when I was in the cast iron can do no wrong phase I bought the lodge cast iron wok. Don't like it, heavy, long heating time. pita to clean. Uneven heating with a small burner.

[dieselraver]

Speaking of woks, when I was in the cast iron can do no wrong phase I bought the lodge cast iron wok. Don't like it, heavy, long heating time. pita to clean. Uneven heating with a small burner.

not sure what you guys call a "wok" but a wok is the complete and absolute opposite of that. a wok is more like a traditional Paella pan. made of thin carbon steel making it easy to heat quickly and able to hold a super high temperature.

[Cooper]

My wife was looking for a giant cookie recipe, and someone posted a link to a cookie on the WAGS forums.

She made it last night. She really liked it.

http://sugarcrafter.net/2011/06/10/c...e-chip-cookie/

She will make a couple of changes next time: (1) use a 1:1 ratio of granulated sugar to brown sugar, and (2) reduce the chocolate chips.

She only baked it 35 minutes since the skillet is a later Wagner Ware, so it is a thicker casting than a vintage skillet and will hold more heat.