Hello everyone, I am Xiao Gaojie.
I have talked about pots of various materials. This episode is dedicated to iron pots.
Iron is an element of human hematopoiesis. It might be healthier if you cook in a iron pan
The iron pan will rust and it needs maintenance.
Good iron pan can achieve non-stick effect
The first one is about cast iron pot
Have you ever wondered:
Why are all cast iron pans so thick?
This starts with its materials and production methods.
In the episode of the knives I mentioned
The higher the carbon content of iron, the harder it is, but it will become more and more brittle.
The material of the cast iron pot is pig iron, which has a carbon content of about 2%.
This carbon content is relatively high, it is relatively brittle
So the method of forging does not work, only casting
Although it is simple to make
somehow it is one of the best pans to use
simply because of its thickness, and the nature of iron metal
The heat capacity of the cast iron pan is quite good
It maintains a relatively constant temperature when cooking
The cooking effect is very good
Second, the thermal conductivity of iron metal is not very good.
But because it is thick, it improves the overall thermal conductivity of the pot.
Third, iron is a natural catalyst
It catalyzes the polymerization of fat
This is why after the wok is seasoned, the surface can form a natural protective film.
Also become non-stick
Buy you can't sell the cow and drink the milk
Because it is thick, it is quite heavy
Because it is iron, it will rust
For its weight, I can't change
But rust can be effectively eliminated by the correct method of use.
Give everyone a brand name for reference:
Lodge 10.25 inches and 10.5 inches
Cast iron pot is not limited to this brand
The manufacturing of cast iron pots is not a high-tech process
Other brands will not be bad neither.
Some points for purchasing a cast iron pot
It is not recommended to buy a pot bigger than your stove.
because of its heat conduction problem
The part larger than the stove is not easy heated, it is not very useful.
2. You see a very small pothole on the surface of the cast iron pot.
This is the mark left by the sand mold
Old-fashioned cast iron pot surfaces are sometimes smooth, and that is polished
The polished surface is easier to blend with the non-stick layer
There will be a better non-stick effect
Usually this old-fashioned pot is much more expensive than the new pot.
3. The newly purchased cast iron pot will be coated before leaving the factory.
But the coating is generally resistant to rust
Can't prevent sticking
After buying it, you need to season it
Let’s talk about the carbon steel pot
Let me talk about this Western-style carbon steel pot.
Carbon steel is heat treated
Carbon content is around 1%
Usually forged, or machine pressed
Usually this is the shape
This pot is very similar in function to the cast iron pot mentioned above.
You can choose one
I am more inclined to choose cast iron pot
Put aside the price and weight
Cast iron pot is more powerful in shallow frying function
Because its heat capacity is much larger than this thin carbon steel pot
I have been using this pot for a while
First, look at the thermal conductivity test
The sugar in the middle has been burnt, but on the edge sugar has not been melt
Comparing to the 3-ply stainless steel pot
Thermal conductivity is much worse
When I bought this pot, I wanted to use it to shallow fry
also stir-fry
However, during use, this pot was not suitable for Chinese stir-fry at all.
When cooking Chinese food, often lift it up to shake the food
This handle is not very comfortable to hold
You see that I lift this empty pot, it already left a mark on my hand
In addition to the handle, the biggest headache for me is the wobbly bottom.
In all my pots, this is the only pot with a severely deformed bottom.
You can see that the bottom is bulging up
Put it on the glass
Imagine this glass is the surface of the stove.
Its ability to receive heat is greatly reduced
For Chinese cooking it is best to use Chinese-style wok
Let’s talk about Chinese wok
The advantage of the Chinese wok is that it is curved in its shape.
It is easy to stir-fry
There are four main types of Chinese wok materials.
Non-stick wok
Chinese people often heat up the wok first without oil when stir-frying
But the non-stick wok is most afraid of dry burning.
And the non-stick coating can't stand the torture of high heat cooking
Very soon, the coating will be finished
2. Stainless steel wok
Stainless steel wok usually are sticky
And it is heavy, not recommended
The remaining two are cast iron wok and carbon steel wok
In Chinese, it is also call raw iron and cooked iron pans
The cast iron wok is relatively brittle, so it will be thicker when making the pot.
to make it durable
But if you have a habit to pick up the pot and stir-fry.
Then it will be too much work on your arm
It will become too heavy
The last one is carbon iron wok
Relatively the best, and most durable material
Can produce a perfect non-stick layer, and high temperature safe
Because it is thin iron
The pot is relatively lighter and more suitable for stir fry lift-up cooking
It heats up quickly, cool down easily as well
It’s easier to control the temperature for Chinese cooking
If you are in North America, there are very few online choices.
I suggest you go to the nearby Chinese supermarket.
Feel the wok with your hand, to see if it is comfortable
choose the ones that have a flat area at the bottom, rather than round
The brand is actually not so important.
The performance of the wok is determined by the metal itself
The difference between different brands are not so obvious
Whether it is easy to use or not depends on the seasoning and care
If you are in China, there are lots of options for you to choose
Here are some brand names which have good reviews: Chen Zhiji
Pearl Life and Supor
They are all good
After the Taste of China 3, a name became very polular, that is Zhangqiu iron wok
Hand forged carbon-iron wok
CCTV is more of focusing on story telling of local people
It is OK to them
but more important that you have to care for your wok
And buying this pot is also a support for the working people.
Supporting traditional Chinese industries
So far I have covered all the frying pans. let's summerize
If you are a Chinese family, often do Chinese cooking
The first choice is carbon iron wok
The second choice is stainless steel pan a supplement
Stainless steel pan does not require maintenance, it is convenient to use
Next, it is the cast iron pan
This cast iron pan has many functions and is very cost effective.
Last but not the least a non-stick pan
Non-stick pan is lighter and easier to use.
It is convenient to make breakfast or cooking eggs
That's it for this episode
There will be another episode talking about the maintenance and how to care for you wok
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