On reading this post, The Eldest emailed to remind me of something I had vaguely known but forgotten: “The guidance for the non-stick T-Fal says to never heat it above medium, and never heat it empty. Non-stick stove-top cookware off-gases toxic chemicals if heated empty, and should never be used to sear, etc. All stovetop non-stick cookware does this. Even the “green” kinds. The Consumer Product Safety Commission rejected putting black box warning labels on non-stick stovetop cookware because the instructions that come with the products explain how to use them safety — explain they should be used in a well-ventilated kitchen, that pet birds should not be in the vicinity (the off-gasses kill them), etc.” I’ll add that the temptation with a nonstick skillet is to crank up the heat because the nonstick coating acts as an insulator, preventing the pan from getting as hot as I want it to. That insulation is why searing food in a nonstick pan is in practice impossible.
Her reminder was enough to kick me into action. I knew that carbon-steel pans were nonstick if well-seasoned and used frequently, so I did a bit of searching and found that America’s Test Kitchen (the Cook’s Illustrated people) had reviewed carbon-steel pans (see below for a video discussing how to season and use carbon-steel skillets, and a demonstration of their nonstick qualities). In the summary of their review, they note:
- SEARS LIKE CAST IRON: A carbon-steel skillet can brown food just as deeply and evenly as cast iron. It also has two advantages: It heats up more quickly, and its lighter weight makes it easier to handle.
- PERFORMS LIKE STAINLESS TRI-PLY: Carbon steel heats virtually as evenly as stainless-steel tri-ply (aluminum sandwiched between stainless) but can brown more deeply; our winner costs one-third of the price of our favorite tri-ply skillet from All-Clad.
- AS SLICK AS NONSTICK: Carbon steel is as slippery as brand-new nonstick, but it sears better, doesn’t have a synthetic coating, has no oven-safe temperature limits, and lasts forever.
They rated as best the Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Round Frying Pans. The 8 5/8″ size is what I wanted for my morning eggs. Earlier I had purchased for my cast-iron pans this conditioner, which will undoubtedly work on the carbon-steel pans as well (though the conditioning method in the video looks pretty simple).
Their review summary for the Matfer Bourgeat pan:
This affordable pan had it all: thick, solid construction; a smooth interior with no handle rivets to bump the spatula or trap food; an ergonomically angled handle; and sides flared just right for easy access but high enough to contain splashes. Steaks formed a deeply crisp crust, tarte Tatin caramelized beautifully and released neatly, and fried eggs just slipped around in the pan.
The T-Fal is destined for the trash as soon as the new carbon-steel pan arrives on Tuesday.