If you couldn't have iron/carbon steel pans

[Rangen]

Let me first lay out the story as I experienced it.

Me: Gets a new doctor after moving to a new place, after a couple of years. I'm lazy about the doctor thing.
New doctor: Let's get about a quart of your blood and test it 6 ways from Sunday to find out where you're at.
Secretary of doctor's practice, calling me on the phone: I need to make you an appointment with a specialist, hematologist-oncologist. When are you available?
Me: What? Oncologist is cancer. Hematologist is blood, right? Why is this referral being made? Do I have leukemia, or what?
Secretary: The specialist will discuss that with you. (hangs up)
Me:...so I guess I have cancer now? I wonder what kind? How long do I have to enjoy my knives?

Fortunately, this is a modern practice. I could actually log in and see my blood test results, and the doctor's summary. Turns out my iron numbers are high, and he recommended seeing a blood guy about it. That's the whole thing. Much better than cancer indicators.
Treatment: Bleeding you, like in the Middle Ages
Root cause: Maybe a genetic thing, that I assume I'll be tested for, a tendency to take up iron from the diet excessively. I checked my supplements, no iron in there, unless they come originally from China and contain lies. Does spending hours sharpening knives make a difference?

I can deal with all of that. I can deal with being bled out from time to time. But what I am currently on about is the pans. I mostly eat my own food, and most if it is made in cast iron or carbon steel pans/woks. From what I read, both materials leach iron into the food.

What are the alternatives for serious browning, if I have to give those up? (if I do, look for some killer Griswolds on the BST).

Cast iron and carbon steel put a browning on meat like nothing I've ever tried. OK, I've mostly tried stainless steel, or stainless steel linings over copper. They don't do the trick.

So if I have to give up the iron and carbon steel, what is there for serious browning? Aluminum? Silver (yes I would go after silver, if it works better for browning)?

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Dude, I wish you all the best. I don't know how much pickup you really get out of those pans but to answer your question directly, for me it is simply stainless-ply and non-stick.

I did carbon steel but for various reasons it just didn't work out and I've used/have used a lot of cast iron but I can honestly do everything sufficiently well with stainless and non-stick.

Made In is my personal choice.

 

[mengwong]

Lomo al trapo, what a friend of mine once referred to as “sport cooking”—

https://www.seriouseats.com/lomo-al-trapo-colombian-beef-tenderloin-towel-wrapped-salt-crust

Thank you for reminding me to donate blood. I think of it as menstruation envy.

 

[btbyrd]

If all you're doing is searing protein, not much iron is going into the food. And proteins are relatively high in iron as it is, no? I'd say the cookware that you're using is the least of your concerns in this equation. But to answer your question, the immediately obvious substitute seems to be porcelain enameled cast iron, no? Or something with a lot of mass like All Clad D7.

 

[Rangen]

If all you're doing is searing protein, not much iron is going into the food.

Ah, that is the best answer possible. Yes, it's pretty much all I'm doing, searing and quick stir-frying, which is roughly the same thing. Making my eggs in some other material is no hardship. Weirdly, when I did searches on all this, they said that iron uptake is most pronounced on acidic foods like eggs. So I guess I learned that eggs are acidic.

As for proteins being relatively high in iron, I plan to ignore that fact until the last possible moment. Mmmm, proteins.

Porcelain enameled cast iron is a good idea. I would not have guessed that it would sear well, but my big Le Creuset pots actually do the job well, a thing I'd forgotten. Maybe I should get a frypan like that. The wok is still an issue, a wok that retains heat like that seems wrong, but maybe I'd just need to learn to adjust.

 

[wabi]

Rangen: Aloha. Let me introduce myself. I am relatively new here in KKF, but a long time knife and cooking enthusiast. In real life I am a physician. Not a hematologist, but I think I can speak with some general knowledge and background. My advice in short...Dont worry about your cooking vessels or techniques. Your body's iron stores have to do with both your dietary intake, AND your body's ability to process and eliminate iron intake. Without any abnormal loss of iron from blood loss, any derangement of your body's iron levels are either due to inadequate intake of iron containing foods...as in the case of an extreme vegan diet, or a derangement of the body's ability to store and rid itself of excess iron, as in Hemochromatosis. It is not the result of using cast iron or carbon steel cooking vessels. Sooo...as much as I would love to add to my own personal collection of Griswold skillets and cast iron pans...you should keep yours, use them, enjoy them, and pass them on to your most favorite cooking kindred spirits. The contribution of iron from your cooking implements is not significant. If I can further elaborate in any way, please feel free to contact me personally.

 

[Nemo]

What @wabi said.

The most common cause of iron overload is Haemochromatosis, which is, IIRC, the most common genetic abnormality in humans. It's quite common.

It is a disorder of iron transport, as in, it makes you absorb more iron than your body knows what to do with.

Whilst you should definitely take advice from your haematologist (and definitely don't take my advice as formal health advice to you), I'm reasonably sure that the amount of iron in your cookware is almost irrelevant. I dont think even dietary iron restriction (this would mean no red meat) is a common treatment strategy (although iron supplements should be avoided).

Phlebotomy (basically blood donation, so in practice not much like medieval blood letting at all) is the main method used to deplete iron stores. In my experience, many people seem to need one, or a few phlebotomies at first, then rarely or sometimes never, thereafter. A few people need them more regularly.

 

[Jovidah]

The main edge carbon steel and bare cast iron have is that they are cheap, indestructible and non-stick all in one package. The non-stick part is the hardest part to replace since it pushes you into the disposable teflon pan category.

For searing and general usage clad stainless should be fine. If you want a 1:1 replacement for a cast iron heat-brick for maximum searing, Demeyere Proline is probably your ticket, but somewhat thinner and lighter options work just about as well (depending on stove). For stewing I'd just go enamelled cast iron.

That really covers all my needs bar from the most delicate things, which I personally do in carbon steel. You could opt to either keep doing those few things in carbon steel (since you already reduce exposure a lot), or go for a more typical coated non-stick.

But...as others already commented; it's doubtful whether the cooking vessel really contributes all that much to the problem. I honestly don't know, nor do I have a medical background so I have nothing to add there except that I'd always be hesitant to compeltely replace everything before you know the full story.

 

[miggus]

Luckily, experts have already answered the question and @Rangen can keep using their carbon pans.

But regardless, I'd like to propose an alternative point of view to your experience:

The non-stick part is the hardest part to replace since it pushes you into the disposable teflon pan category.

If I understand this right, the carbon pan per se is as far from non-stick as you can be. What makes them non-stick is the polymerized fats that stick to the surface when seasoning the pan correctly.

And this can be done with stainless, too. I had a stainless pan that I used in exactly the same way as my carbons. It took a great black patina that was as stable as a carbon pan patina - boiling acidic food in the pan would release it, but for frying things it would be perfectly stable and non-stick. This is also the reason why interaction between iron and food should be very low for searing. So if one doesn't want to use carbons, for whatever reason, they can get a good stainless pan and use it in exactly the same fashion.

 

[sumis]

obvious answers, already given: enameled cast iron and/or stainless.

i use stainless for omelettes without any, well almost any, problems.

when shopping: don't get carried away with 3-, 5-, 7- or gazillion-ply materials and thickness. sometimes less is more. the same goes for fully clad vs disk bottom.

.

 

[WildBoar]

Rangen, a friend of mine was similarly diagnose about 2 years ago. Treatments kinda sucked, but he got through it and started feeling a lot better overall. Good luck!

 

[boomchakabowwow]

dang. hope this gets sorted out. I felt, "it isn't the pans". but I guess someone with real knowledge already chimed in.

 

[Rangen]

Thank you for all the great help on this thread. My Griswolds are Not For Sale.

 

[Delat]

OP already has his answer, but since we're just BS'ing about pans now.... One more alternative is Hexclad. I use mine for putting a sear on sous vide steaks, blackening salmon, and searing scallops. I'm sure it's not as good as cast iron, and it's not quite as non-stick as true non-stick, but it's a hybrid that kinda gets you a little of both.

Actual Hexclad can be pricey, but there's all sorts of knockoffs available now. I really should just get a cast iron but just don't feel like dealing with the weight and having yet another pan.

 

[wabi]

Thank you for all the great help on this thread. My Griswolds are Not For Sale.

Never sell your Griswolds!

 

[simona]

Let me first lay out the story as I experienced it.

Me: Gets a new doctor after moving to a new place, after a couple of years. I'm lazy about the doctor thing.
New doctor: Let's get about a quart of your blood and test it 6 ways from Sunday to find out where you're at.
Secretary of doctor's practice, calling me on the phone: I need to make you an appointment with a specialist, hematologist-oncologist. When are you available?
Me: What? Oncologist is cancer. Hematologist is blood, right? Why is this referral being made? Do I have leukemia, or what?
Secretary: The specialist will discuss that with you. (hangs up)
Me:...so I guess I have cancer now? I wonder what kind? How long do I have to enjoy my knives?

Fortunately, this is a modern practice. I could actually log in and see my blood test results, and the doctor's summary. Turns out my iron numbers are high, and he recommended seeing a blood guy about it. That's the whole thing. Much better than cancer indicators.
Treatment: Bleeding you, like in the Middle Ages
Root cause: Maybe a genetic thing, that I assume I'll be tested for, a tendency to take up iron from the diet excessively. I checked my supplements, no iron in there, unless they come originally from China and contain lies. Does spending hours sharpening knives make a difference?

I can deal with all of that. I can deal with being bled out from time to time. But what I am currently on about is the pans. I mostly eat my own food, and most if it is made in cast iron or carbon steel pans/woks. From what I read, both materials leach iron into the food.

What are the alternatives for serious browning, if I have to give those up? (if I do, look for some killer Griswolds on the BST).

Cast iron and carbon steel put a browning on meat like nothing I've ever tried. OK, I've mostly tried stainless steel, or stainless steel linings over copper. They don't do the trick.

So if I have to give up the iron and carbon steel, what is there for serious browning? Aluminum? Silver (yes I would go after silver, if it works better for browning)?

Nickel or tin lined copper. Chefs have been using them for eons. If you use induction, I have seen 2 alternatives; one was a steel plate laid between hob and pan, the other was a stainless lined copper pan with a steel base.
You can buy them here;
Villedieu-les-Poêles · 50800 Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny, France
where they also have a really nice market once a week.