10" cast iron, older than dirt. I don’t worry about seasoning coming off. What comes off will be replaced. I use that pan all the time. I prefer to throw some butter in after the sear, then some smashed garlic and mushrooms, little S&P, dump some beer, and let 'er reduce. I prefer beer to wine for this.
I prefer bacon fat with which to sear the steak.
I’ll take dem Dartos!
+1. Never worry about seasoning. Can always get it back. Just cook with the dang thing often and you’ll always have seasoning. Today’s steak pan is tomorrow’s bacon pan.
The carbon steel pans may not be number one at anything, but with my only options being carbon steel or tinned copper, they are my only option for very high heat. If I were ever to try something else, it would be disc bottom stainless, and I’d probably go to a restaurant supply store for one.
I think there are many ways to approach cookware. They include collecting or trying a bit of everything and embarking on what may prove a never ending quest to find that perfect pan and they include making a reasonably sound choice and committing to it. I chose the latter many years ago. I have to say that my path with carbon steel has had its twists and turns. It took some tasty tinkering to arrive at the perfect (for me) steak. It involved not being afraid of heat and not babying the pan. My lack of fastidiousness would likely be off putting to you, but it works for me.
If you have the option, there are always the outdoors hot grill or the salamander. Of course they entail their own sets of issues, and cleaning either can be challenging. Also, they limit your saucing options, but a chargrilled steak with a compound butter can be quite gratifying. I do find charcoal makes wine pairings a little more difficult.
What a great post, Tim !
I really enjoyed reading your opinion here.
I’m being a bit harsh on carbon steel pans.
They are great pans, so are raw cast iron pans.
Used for many decades, almost indestructible.
Great value for money.
Can really sear the living he_ll out of a steak, if you preheat them for long enough.
They are not the most evenly heating though, but the crust I get on a steak seared in a carbon steel pan is second to none - almost beating my Proline pans here.
what else do you use that pan for? we just got one like that.
Claus,
At this stage of your advanced journey into cookware, I feel you’d have more fun and possibly more satisfaction experimenting with a vintage tin lined heavy copper 3mm+ sauté than with yet another SS frying pan. Why wouldn’t you give it a try?
My only problem with dark enamel is that it is hard to see the fond (and the sauce). My LC stuff is all off-white interiors so I would assume that same light color is available for skillets.
You’re absolutely correct - 3.0 copper would be my dream frying pan.
Only reason why I don’t own 3.0 copper is because I’m not into used cookware.
Le Creuset does not make ECI frying pans with the white enamel interior, because the black enamel is more sturdy and can withstand higher temperatures than the white enamel can (this according to a Le Creuset store manager and also rep I spoke to a year ago in Copenhagen)
Places on Etsy are increasingly offering old copper freshly retinned. Nothing touching the food would be used. Plus you can acquire bits of history, like my nineteenth century daubiere, which is a joy to cook in and still looking pretty pristine.
A refurbished sauté with a new layer of tin would be like new. Of course, if there is a psychological block there, it’s to bad but there’s nothing to say, I guess.
P.S. : I would recommend a sauté over a frying pan in tin lined copper: much more versatile.
Plus there’s no cookware that looks better than freshly polished hammered copper.
Sauces, braised vegetables, particularly any dish calling for acid (tomato, wine, lemon) where unlined CI might be inappropriate.
Sadly, they don’t. The closest I’ve been able to find are the braisers and the oval bakers. But the higher heat needed for steak searing could cause crazing on the lighter color enamel.
That is probably an excuse, the true reason being that a white enamel interior will not stay pristine very long if used regularly at high heat to sear steaks, IMO.
You (at least I) can see the difference in color and certainly texture of a fond and the pan’s lining. The dark satin enamel is a totally different finish from their white enamel interior. Also, I have permanently discolored some white interior pots by searing and creating fond,
Regarding re-tinned copper, a word of caution. There are very reliable re-tinners out there, but they are increasingly rare and expensive. I last had to send a piece to, AIR, Ohio. I would be very leery of internet sourced re-tinned pieces since using a dab of solder is not unheard of. And not all solder is lead free. (My husband won’t let me even consider second hand re-tinned copper.)
Example, from what looks like a legitimate re-tinner:
Rocky Mountain has been my preference for ages. There was a guy in NY or NJ named Jamie I almost sued. Thankfully, retinning is an extremely rare need. My oldest copper, a 24 sauté pan, has never required retinning. I got it in the early 1970s. It is a workhorse.
You could always go the new heavy copper route with Brooklyn or Duparquet!
