Choosing a pan: cast iron, stainless, nonstick or carbon steel
Beginner Kitchen science
How the metal a pan is made of changes how it heats, holds heat, browns food and releases it.
Written with AI help from the sources listed, and published by Cory. Spot a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.
How do you do it?
- Use nonstick for eggs, pancakes and delicate fish, on low to medium heat, and never preheat it empty.
- Use stainless steel when you want browned bits (fond) for a pan sauce; preheat it, then add oil.
- Use cast iron or carbon steel for hard searing and cornbread; preheat 5 minutes so the whole pan is hot.
- Simmer tomato sauces and wine braises in stainless or enameled pans, not bare cast iron.
Why does it work?
Metals move heat at very different speeds. Copper and aluminum conduct heat quickly and evenly, so good stainless pans hide an aluminum or copper layer inside. Iron and carbon steel conduct slowly and heat unevenly, but they are heavy and store a lot of heat, so the pan stays hot when cold meat lands on it. Seasoning on iron is oil baked into a hard polymer coat that resists sticking. Nonstick coatings release food easily but break down if overheated, usually above about 500°F. Bare iron reacts with acids during long cooking, which can strip seasoning and add a metallic taste.
What are the common mistakes?
- Searing steak in nonstick — needs heat the coating should not take, and browning is weaker.
- Metal utensils on nonstick — scratches the coating and food starts sticking.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
More kitchen science
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- Caramelization vs. the Maillard reactionCaramelization is sugar alone breaking down under heat; the Maillard reaction needs protein too, and the two often happen together.Intermediate
- Gluten: how flour turns into structureGluten is the stretchy protein network that forms when wheat flour meets water, giving bread chew and cakes their structure.Intermediate
- How starch thickens saucesStarch granules soak up hot liquid, swell and leak long molecules that tangle together, turning thin liquid into a smooth sauce.Intermediate
- Why emulsions hold together, and why they breakAn emulsion is tiny droplets of one liquid suspended in another that normally will not mix, like oil in vinegar or butter in water.Intermediate
- How heat changes proteins: why eggs set and meat firms upHeat makes proteins unfold and bond to each other, which turns runny egg solid and soft raw meat firm, opaque and drier.Intermediate