Among the most traditional techniques of the French iron-wrapped griddle is the European version of the cast-iron frying pan in the United States. Where the American skillet has fairly straight sides and is too heavy to sauté with any ease, the French-style pan has gently sloping sides and a slightly lighter weight, which makes it ideal for sauté work.
For many years these were hard to find, and when I could find them, they were often very cheap and poorly made versions of this classic. With the Gourmet Renaissance of the 21st Century in full swing, however, these classic kitchen cabinets have resurfaced. . One of the better models is De Emptor, which offers sizes from a modest 8″ to a truly immense 14″ with an assist handle. For this article I used a 10″ Mineral Buyer’s Pan.
Cast iron burners have been available for many years with three types: natural steel, black steel and blue steel. The old burners in my collection came as finished natural burners, in a field of white steel, and I cured them blackened to their glory. The black steel pans come pre-cured, and the blue burners have a similar finish to them with a blue ball, which makes the pans more stick- and rust-resistant. I always treat my natural hammers with steel hammers. DeBuyer has two variants of a natural iron pan. A lighter weight version is meant to be a “grandma” style pan. It has a jointed handle and is quite thin. These receivers are less expensive and work well in large home ranges. Pan ore on the other hand is the peak of the iron line. It is thick metal, and the handle is attached to the pan. These are the war horses of the kitchen.
DeBuyer makes some veiled claims that their ore pots contribute valuable iron to the diet. I have not been able to find any solid scientific evidence for this claim, and if you are on a low iron diet, I strongly suggest you consult a dietician. or simply the beginning of taking a good brand of iron supplement rather than a transfer of cast iron from the natural pan.
The best feature of iron pans is their ability to withstand the application of high heat. I had these burners on the top of the stove up to 800°F as I described on the infrared thermometer. A 500°F oven is comfortable for them. Be advised, however, that the stainless steel handles heat these in the oven like pots, and kitchen towels are not meant to withstand temperatures of 500°F. I have one pair of thick leather gloves in the kitchen for taking pans out of the oven, and they are perfect protection against hot iron grill handles too.
Because of the high heat these pots are capable of, they are the perfect tools for putting good brown meat in the sea. In addition, if you are interested in the blackening of meat or fish in the Cajun style, these receptacles can also handle those excessive heats, although those extreme temperatures will damage the remedy, and the pan will be renewed at a later time.
Because of these receptacles’ elegantly inclined shapes, they are also perfect for sauté work, allowing small foods such as chopped vegetables or mushrooms to be moved around nicely. The shape also contributes to well-formed omelets and crepes. DeBuyer makes an excellent dedicated crepe pan, but I find a 10″ sauté pan works perfectly.
As the reverse is true, even in the weight of their pots. As mentioned, DeBuyer makes a lighter weight steel house version. Iron, like iron, is cast, it is heavy, and by choosing a sauté pan, cook they want to consider it. and to choose a suitable material for their use. The weight allows it to heat up even with no heat in the pan, but also the pot is difficult to use unless you have arms like Popeye.
The care of the grill is a bit more intensive than for aluminum or stainless steel. Obviously, you can’t put charcoal pans in the dishwasher, and you can’t sink them into the washing machine. When you cast iron with , you will delete it after it is used. If you need it, you can boil it in pure water on the stove top. If it needs some real scrubbing, use a few kosher-salt and lemon salt – the gentle rubbing of the salt won’t hurt, and the acid will help cooked in mud to dissolve That said, under normal circumstances, a paper towel wipe-down is enough to clean these burners.
Our overall impression of this part was very positive. These are our kitchen tools for most applications requiring sauté pans. It’s a fairly small investment, and they’re built to last – your grandchildren will still be using these in their kitchens.