So essentially I want to buy one pan, I don’t want to care about what utensils I use in it (metal, plastic, or wood), or what I cook in it, and I want to clean it easily by just putting some soap on it, using the rough side of a sponge and drying it off and tossing it back in the cupboard.

Ideally, I’d also like this pan to last longer than 2-3 years.

So overall I am thinking I want enameled cast iron because it seems like it could take all of that but then I recently read how you don’t want to cook something like eggs or fish in it because they’ll stick.

The other bit I’ve seen is just buying a coated non-stick pan of any sort but be prepared to throw them away in 1-3 years and don’t use anything metal in them.

Should I just buy enameled cast iron and cook whatever I want in it? Should I buy multiple types and cook different things in them? Should I just stick with non-stick?

Overall, I am a very novice cooker who simply cooks for a family of 4. Typically using something like everyplate. I’m not looking for fancy but I am looking for “buy it once then use it until I die with low maintenance.” I essentially want the Toyota Camry of cookware. Reliable, low maintenance, not going to win any cooking contests.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

  • Rekhyt@beehaw.org
    6·
    10 months ago
    • Better thermal conductivity (cast iron actually sucks at this but nobody seems to acknowledge it)

    One of the main selling points of cast iron is the fact that it has low thermal conductivity - it takes a while to get hot, but then it stays hot for longer. This is an advantage for some types of cooking and is why I only use my cast iron for specific things.

    Fwiw, I agree that if you only have one pan, don’t make that pan cast iron - it’s good at what it does but it’s not as versatile as a stainless steel pan for most things.