Comment on Anon recommends a cast iron pan
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 3 days agoI’m with you 100%.
I’ll add that I rarely use my cast iron in the kitchen, preferring to use it on camping trips or the grill. Why? The sheer heft of the thing could accidentally cause my glass cooktop some trouble. For those occasions, I reach for my well-seasoned carbon steel pans: much lighter with most of the same non-stick situation as the iron skillet.
glass cooktop
This is one gripe I have with my own cast iron, is that it marks up my glass cooktop when I use it. I can return the top to pristine condition by scrubbing it with steel wool, so it’s not permanently damaging it, but it’s kind of annoying to me that you can see which one of the burners I use way more often than the others because its discolored in a cast iron-sized circle.
Deep scratches are one major concern/gripe I have with glass cooktops, hence why my skillet goes nowhere near it. Scratches can introduce weak points that can nucleate a fracture.
glassdoctor.com/…/why-did-my-glass-top-stove-crac…
When dragged across the glass surface, rough pots and pans create micro-scratches. When they accumulate over time, they can weaken the integrity of the glass to the point of cracking.
thawed_caveman@lemmy.world 3 days ago
I don’t know your glass cooktop, but i’d be shocked if the weight of a cast iron was enough to damage it. Does this mean you also wouldn’t put a cooking pot full of water on it? Mine had no problem, didn’t even get scratched which i was worried it might.
That said i do think cast irons can be too heavy for some people, especially when it’s full
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Here’s the thing: I’m a klutz, and do not always watch my hands (damn ADHD). So this whole thread is semi-rational at best. Still, I’m certain that I’m the guy that would drop it one or more inches onto the cooktop by accident. I honestly don’t know how resilient these things are, but I’m not about to find out.
That said, I looked up some numbers for weights and well, it’s really not too different from a full pasta pot. I may just have to work up the courage. Thanks.
thawed_caveman@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Yeah i believe you can break a cast iron, it will snap instead of bend, but i have no idea how hard you’d have to drop it. It also probably would damage the glass