I need to replace all my cookware with one of the three materials. We like to cook on very high heat and that has ruined all my other cookware. I don’t want the metals leeching into my food and I’d like it to withstand the heat.
Can anyone recommend the best material in their opinion? Cost is not a factor.
Why can’t you just cook on medium-high heat? Burning food will just release PM2.5 and ruin the air quality temporarily.
Get a good non-stick pan instead IMO:
First, high heat is the only way to cook a great steak. I use stainless. When younger I used cast iron but now I don’t need the iron it transfers to the food.
I tried them all, but titanium does not work as well as advised. Cast Iron is always messy. So I end up using HEAVY All-Clad stainless steel stainless pans. Dutch Oven Pots are always good options for long cooking.
High heat cooking, I would use blue steel or possibly cast iron, which can be enamel coated (best if probably Staub for pans). Practically indestructible. If you opt for blue steel, De Buyer is best IMO. But for cooking (not hight heat though, but precision heat) there isn’t anything that can beat any thick copper pan or pot with silver coating (check Duparquet). Stainless steel coating is easier to come by, but far less superior cooking experience.
Best stainless steel IMO is Belgian Demeyere, their Atlantis range. As good as it gets for stainless steel.
Almost any good quality pan (stainless, iron, steel…) can be nonstick if you are using it at correct temperature and has good heat distribution.
I’ve tried seasoning a cast iron pan and being very diligent about it yet it’s never as non-stick as Teflon pans. Stainless is no bueno for non-stick in my experience.
Maybe you need to practice more. I have never used anything but an blue steel / iron pan and not really perfectly seasoned (I bash it for stakes, searing chicken, vegetables…) for my french omelettes and I can fry you a sunny side up egg in any pan without sticking. You need correct temperature (test it with few drops of water, if they levitate, that is the temperature you want) and keep it, and have a good pan that is same temperature over the surface. And it will be non stick. I really don’t like how food tastes, sears in non stick…
Air particle count is going to go through the roof at high temperature though, I’m pretty sure. And I don’t have an air purifier in the kitchen. You don’t absorb Teflon or non-stick material, while those small particles from burning food will get into your lungs & blood stream.
We only use cast iron. We don’t put a lot of thought or effort into the seasoning of the surface. Just scrub, rinse and use. No brainer.
As for temp, obviously experience is best, but for someone that wants guidance use a infrared thermometer like you can get at harbor freight for about 25 bucks. Point at the pan and it tells the temp. This way you don’t get above the smoke point for your oils:
https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=infrared%20thermometer
My cooking skills come with a pedigree and high heat is exclusively domain of rare wok cooking I do. Most foods cook best at medium to low temperatures. A good extraction hood is necessity in any kitchen. Would air purifier be necessary? I don’t think so with good extraction and ventilation.
An air purifier doesn’t have to cost that much, maybe $200-$400 for a good one recommended by NYT wirecutter - and some costs in electricity and changing the filter. It should get rid of the bad particles, in my opinion quite a cost effective way of an expected health improvement with minimal effort.
Ventilation/extraction doesn’t do anything for me. My air quality meter goes crazy if I for example burn food. PM2.5 can go to 70 ug/m3, 100, 200, etc.
