Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cookware and kitchen

Is non stick cookware going to give me cancer in 25 years?

thewalrus — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:08:56 -0800

What are the dangers and benefits of non stick cookware (teflon/generic teflon type)? It's obviously healthier to cook without using lots of oil, but I've heard rumors of health problems such as cancer being linked to long term use of non stick pans. I have some non stick pots and pans which are getting older. They have gradually shed small bits of their surface into food. This isn't enough to notice in any particular dish but I can tell that a pan which has been used for 3, 4 or more years doesn't have as much non stick surface on it as it used to.

The alternative is to use stainless steel pots and pans but this will require using a larger quantity of oil.

Is there any scientific documentation on the risk/reward of using non stick cookware versus the well-documented heart-disease risks of using more oil? Assuming that oil is extra-light canola oil or olive oil, not the cheap stuff...

Kitchenware that no good kitchen would be without?

katillathehun — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:37:32 -0800

I'm in the market for some better cooking tools. What kitchenware would you swear by? What should no good kitchen be without? I love to cook, but I don't have the right tools for it. What I do have is either a hand-me-down that's severely showing its age or something cheap I bought when I was dirt poor. There are a lot of things I don't even have; I've had to get creative on occasion. So, I'd like to start investing in some good quality cooking gear. Knives, processors, pots, things that go whrrrrr... anything that's helpful in the kitchen. What do you use and recommend? It would be even more helpful to me if you could suggest specific brands, but if you don't know the brand and just really, really think I should have a hibachi or something... I'll look into that, too. I'm not looking to spend my life savings, but if it's well-recommended and will last me a while, I'm willing to spend a little more. Alternatively, if it's suspiciously cheap but you tell me it's awesome, I'm definitely interested.

What I DON'T need: grill tools. I live in an apartment, and I don't really use the community grill that often (at all).

stainless cooking

plexi — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:33:25 -0800

I am transitioning to a Calphalon stainless cooking set, but everything is sticking to the pans, despite much olive oil. What are some tricks from moving from teflon/non-stick to stainless steel on a gas range?

Didn't properly season my new cast iron cookware. Now what?

stuart_s — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:22:44 -0800

I bought a cast iron skillet. Rubbed it with oil. 300 F oven for 1 hour. I neglected to clean it in soapy water prior. What has been indelibly burned into my skillet? Should I go to the emergency room now or should I save time and just start start organizing my affairs? If it makes a difference:
1)purchased cheap from a closeout store
2)no discernible grim, dirt or residue

Stripping a cast iron skillet.

nathan_teske — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:26:30 -0800

I picked-up an old, cast-iron skillet which has seen better days and needs to be stripped and re-seasoned. Problem: I can't get it stripped down sufficiently. The surface has a mottled, raised texture of old oil which I can't get stripped down. Scrubbing with a nylon scouring pad and hot soapy water doesn't do much. Using baking soda as an abrasive worked a little better, but it's still not enough. I'm hesitant to use steel wool for fears of scratching the iron too deeply.

Any ideas? Anymore I'm beginning to wonder if a nice coat of gasoline followed by a match might work ("It's cast iron, it doesn't care")

Wok -- round or flat bottom?

10ch — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:30:25 -0800

I want to buy a wok. For the typical American (electric range) kitchen, which style is best? Flat or round bottom?

How do i get my All Clad shiny again?

frenchbenj — Tue, 30 May 2006 19:20:16 -0800

I damaged my All-Clad MC2 cookware by using Cascade powder in the dishwasher. Now the exterior surface is all dull and rough-feeling. Any idea how I can repair the damage?

Williams-Sonoma makes me feel funny.

patgas — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 05:57:48 -0800

I need to step up my capability to cook for myself. To motivate myself I want to get new pots and pans, but only the essentials. I'm guessing that I probably need two pots and two sautee pans. Oh, and probably a decent chef's knife. Anything else? Any recommended brands I should look for? Practicality and affordability are key.

Pyrex and Broiling

ChrisTN — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 14:42:17 -0800

Why are Pyrex dishes so unsafe to use under the broiler? [mi] My friend’s husband flipped a steak halfway through cooking under the broiler last night, and the bottom of the Pyrex dish completely fell out of the piece. I thought I’d remembered that the test tubes and beakers I’d used during chemistry class were made of Pyrex, and we held those puppies up to Bunsen Burners. What’s the difference here?

Cleaning stainless steel cookware

The Michael The — Fri, 16 Jan 2004 16:09:43 -0800

I just got some new stainless steel cookware, and now I have some (grease?) gunk stuck on the bottom of my frying pan, along with a yellowish hue, likely from mildly overheating the bare pan while cooking. I tried soaking it for a few hours in water and soap, and scrubbing really hard with a plastic scouring pad, all to no avail. How do I get it clean? Steel-wool? Different soaking? Special cleanser? Other?