Finally moved to my own place, with my own kitchen and I'm looking to expand my cookware now

Previously using only a non stick pan for most of my cooking, now I'm planning to get a cast iron, and currently deciding another pan between stainless steel or carbon steel

Which of the 2 should I get if I were to choose only one?

Will be used on gas stove fyi


so far what I've studied

Stainless steel cons
- guaranteed to stick without enough oil and a pain to clean


Carbon steel cons
- need to season before using (same as cast iron)
- cannot cook acidic foods like tomato, lemon or vinegar


[UPDATE]
my non stick pan finally gave in, can feel the coating no longer there as food tend to stick more and i need to add more oil. so decided to retire it

i end up buying both stainless steel and cast iron pan

stainless for everyday cooking or anything involving acidic food, and cast iron for searing meats

This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Nov 16 2023, 07:10 PM

No one wok to rule them all?

Stainless steel guarantee stick, unless you want the food to stick to build up fond to make stock or gravy. Cast iron, imo overrated because too heavy to move and flip, too heavy to scrub and season. I dont really like it even though I switched from non stick because non stick really harmful when the coating burn off. Carbon steel for me, light and easy to use.

i do have a wok already. but under utilised because I seldom cook chinese style stir fry

dont think you are supposed to be doing flipping (saute-ing) on cast iron pans, most people use them for searing and grilling which require minimum movement of the pan itself

so carbon steel is your choice compared to stainless steel when it comes to general cooking?

I've read that carbon steel is unsuitable for acidic foods like tomato, lemon or vinegar

wok and carbon steel pan. Must be dedikated. Some acidic food avoid cooking. Take good care and don't left at sinki. Stainless steel pot cheap and easy maintainance.

so what do you use for cooking acidic foods?

this is important for me because i tend to cook pasta with tomato, and sometimes certain dish that requires lemon or vinegar

Stainless steel pan will only stick if it wasn't seasoned and not hot enough before you start cooking.

For high temperature cooking e.g steak; recommend cast iron pan.
For Chinese style cooking; recommend carbon steel pan.

Should cook pasta sauce in heavy bottom stainless pot.

This post has been edited by icemanfx: Apr 21 2023, 07:01 PM

I tried that method that heat it up until the water balls moves around and then only cook. It works but once it reaches that hot point, must reduce the heat as the pan now holds the heat much more than you have intended. I was skeptical until I tried it. But the pan is bloody heavy bought from IKEA.

Carbon steel all the way like others suggested

You can't season stainless steel, I'd love to see your seasoned stainless steel pan

Have been using Sasite 316;Stainless Steel honeycomb wok since MCO. Not sticky if you know how to use + superb for steaming food with fitting tray, especially fish ( dry with minimal water dripping). German tech but China copy but after few times fire treatment (i.e. cooking) from your gas stove, very safe to use! Above 36cm won't have long handle as too heavy. Use until death as the wok will last forever. Heavy though!

Stainless steel.

Once you build up the seasoning coating, it should be fine for short time cooking, like deglazing for quick sauce. But yeah don't simmer sauces, although I do my pasta sauces in a wok because it's easier to combine pasta and sauce.

You can try normal stainless steel saucepans for sauces. I prefer saucepan or wok for pasta sauces because no splatters.

seems like i should just get both stainless steel and carbon steel

they complement each other, but carbon steel can be a replacement for cast iron

correct me if i'm wrong

This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Apr 21 2023, 04:38 PM

To be fair cast iron can last for generations

well stainless steel and carbon steel can last as well with proper care

non stick are the ones with a lifespan

When it comes to pasta and a bit more acidic, I usually revert back to using a non-stick pan. Otherwise it is a combination of either a carbon steel wok, cast iron pan or stainless steel pan

Carbon steel only good for restaurant use as their stove is bigger, fire more intense and they have running tap for cleaning immed after use. For home use, it is not practical since home gas stove fis small, fire is not as big and after each use, carbon steel need to clean with bamboo brush and kept dry, layer with little oil if needed.
The stainless steel wok I recommended could be use for almost anything, you name it i.e. deep fry, stir fry, steam, soup etc. After use, can use detergent to wash, metal to scrap and just wipe dry with cloth. My 2 sen.

recommendation without knowing what kind of cuisine/food is pointless.
do you have storage space problem?

Cast iron or carbon steel doesn't need "big fire", in fact it's better to use lower heat but preheat for longer because cast iron/carbon steel is NOT uniform in heat and you need to preheat longer to even out hot and cold spot. You can use dish soap to clean iron pans as well the seasoning will not come off. Most of the time it's super easy to clean, finish cooking add a bit of water while pan is hot and everything will come off quite easily with a little bit of scrubbing.

I love my cast iron wok precisely because it's so nonstick now seasoning built up and so easy to clean, literally add water and brush with coconut brush don't need soap. I hate stainless steel woks beacuse you just can't get wok hei. And everything is sticky.

mostly saute-ing, pan frying, searing

seldom stir frying eg: chinese cooking but I already have a wok for that

should have enough storage space but I wouldnt want to get too many unnecessary cookwares as well

get this, try find in shopee or in-store see if got cheaper price.

https://s.lazada.com.my/s.58KCQ

or this with lower height based on your preference. i prefer higher wok style so that the oil fly out less.

https://s.lazada.com.my/s.58Lpb

and a 24cm medium height casserole for cooking soup. (i bought this blue 1 below rm140 from aeon if not mistaken, and i bought a black 1 for spare on shopee last time due to promotion)

https://s.lazada.com.my/s.58MVR



This post has been edited by BOTAK_WAI: Apr 21 2023, 05:24 PM

already have a non stick pan. I'm looking at carbon steel or stainless steel now because I would want to do searing and basting

also after using non stick pan for so long, I just dislike using wooden or silicone utensils on it, prefer the feel of metal utensils

anwyay thanks for your recommendation

well…the 1 i recommend is cast aluminum non-stick wok/pan/pot.

enough heat retention for normal saute-ing, pan frying, searing.

if u want really want to sear your steak in nice color, then you only can go with cast iron 1.

btw…non stick pan also have different styles

like thin aluminum, stainless steel, cast aluminum, all with different heat conductivity and retention.

is it safe to use metal utensils on it?


btw if i were to get a cast iron pan, what other material pan would be a good complement to it? I would assume stainless steel since it can basically cook anything, just that the method have to be correct to prevent sticking

This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Apr 21 2023, 05:32 PM

no…no metal utensils on non-stick coating.

i have carbon steel wok and stainless steel pan, maybe my skill is poor, i just can't get the stainless steel pan right.

i am not steak lover, so basically i just use carbon steel wok + tefal thick stainless steel non-stick pan.


since you already have a non-stick pan and a chinese wok, aren't that enough if u complement it with cast iron pan?

or u are looking for 1 multipurpose to do most of the cooking conveniently?

ok story is like this

this is the non stick pan I'm using currently. It's actually 'granite coated' instead of the traditional Teflon, I assume its similar to ceramic

https://www.lazada.com.my/products/russell-...3A1682071824812

just simply bought it since my previous rented place only have a simple kitchen with a simple induction hob, just enough for me to do simple cooking

now that I have my own house and starting to take cooking more seriously, was thinking of expanding my cookware by getting a bigger pan

the other factor was this current pan, I have troubles trying to toss food or do the saute flip, maybe because the sides are too straight (can see from the pic) or my skill is just terrible

so I wanted to get a proper frying pan with curve sides this time, maybe it would or would not help

conclusion is, I wanted to get a bigger and more proper frying pan this time, and would like to try something else other than non stick since I already have one

This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Apr 21 2023, 06:16 PM

basically it's all about how you want your food to contact with heat

do you want:
- to maintain a certain heat for a long time?
- to control the heat up and down as soon you turn the gas knob?
- the heat spread evenly across the whole pan/pot?
- the heat focus on center spot of the pan/pot?

and if you want easy cleaning then pick the 1 with non-stick coating and say bye bye to high heat.

and if you want high heat the season your steel pan/wok and say bye bye to non-stick coating.

i have 1 recommendation that fits your need but i don't know if you still could get this from anywhere

1 pan/ wok never serve all.
Need multiple i.e. 32 Cast Iron ( high heat), 34 Stainless steel honeycomb (mid to high heat & come with steaming tray) & 28" Tefal Natura non- stick deep fry pan ( mid heat). Mainly cooking for 2-3 pax.

ok thanks. will look around for something similar

exactly the combo I'm considering. cast iron + stainless steel + non stick. should be enough for every cooking

originally the thread purpose was to find out if carbon steel is better than stainless steel. but seems like carbon steel is a replacement for cast iron instead

so far i still didn't see any similar to this lock & lock hard & light wok. (other light weight as this doesn't have its non-stick coating quality, and the other have its quality doesn't light weight as it)
this was sold RM99 in aeon few years ago. i regret not purchase that as backup.



well, if bangsawan maybe can look see look see this (it's a stainless steel wok)








and carbon steel never a replacement for cast iron, they are not same.

This post has been edited by BOTAK_WAI: Apr 21 2023, 06:56 PM

Carbon steel not cast iron

Cast iron Bro.

Not a pure cast iron since it come with non stick coating

Also you need to be careful since you mention you are doing high heat cooking with it. Non stick coating usually doesn't tolerate high heat

This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Apr 21 2023, 07:34 PM

My experience with stainless steel is the stubborn burnt oil stain that is really hard to remove.

I experimented already past few months

Carbon steel is the way to go

Stainless steel sucks

But you cannot wash one else will rust

This post has been edited by vapanel: Apr 21 2023, 09:49 PM

I also got natura

It only last half year and need to throw since already yellow and scratch every where

It rust probably because you didnt dry it enough

After washing use the stove to dry off any remaining water and it should be fine

Maybe you haven't watch any YouTube on carbon steel or cast iron pan

You need to spray oil

I've watched already

After seasoning, you can still wash your pan, but you have to make sure it is completely dry before storing it otherwise it will rust, best way to do it is on the stove

Dunno what you watch

The one I watch suggest oil it

The oiling part is call seasoning

Its not related to washing whatsoever. After washing you can still do the oil part aka seasoning



Even rusty ones you can clean with water, infact its an essential step



Fact is your carbon steel pan is turning rusty because there is excess moisture aka you are not drying it enough

This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Apr 21 2023, 10:44 PM

I personally prefer cast iron pan and carbon steel because i can cook them rough with a metal turner aka "wok chan" and don't worry about scratching / damaging the surface, so damn satisfying. I just fucuk hate using the wooden ones because they are so blunt and thick they can't scoop things properly. And please don't suggest silicone ones because it's gay

This post has been edited by cakoilembutgebu: Apr 21 2023, 10:46 PM

Same. Wooden and silicone utensils just doesn't feel right to me. Hence I am trying to move away from non stick

You watch wrong YouTube
Better watch how to take care of carbon steel instead of watching how to season wok

Scratch carbon steel also no good

I'm almost done here

Please do share your so called video to take care your carbon steel

And very obvious you didnt even watch the videos i linked. There's not even a wok in there

Another video for using and maintaining carbon steel PAN



This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Apr 21 2023, 11:36 PM

Please teach "how to use"

i keep a copy of easy way for newbie to season the wok for 1st time use and everytime use. (in chinese)


btw…if rust happen in carbon steel, can always use vinegar to remove it.
that's another tutorial.

I'm using this, when my wife first buy it I was sceptical it is non stick but can use metal spatula, but after 6 months it still didn't scratch after heavy cooking, quite impressed

This post has been edited by dest9116: Apr 22 2023, 09:33 AM

using carbon steel pan with metal utensil for 2.5 yrs now. so far so good but have to clean with running water, season and dry well before storing.
i prefer carbon steel to cast iron as it's lighter

the only problem was in the beginning when i forgotten and use it with acidic stuff i think tomyam paste or something like that. wash with water but forgot to season then it started to rust. the acid probably eats away the seasoning layer.
also the rim is deeper compared to stainless steel pan so sliding out omellete is a minor inconvenience for me.

i combo it with stainless steel pan. no non stick for me

This post has been edited by hal5586: Apr 22 2023, 10:59 AM

Search "sasite honeycomb wok" in Facebook and you could find probably hundreds of video on it?

tbh cast iron is almost the same with carbon steel

just cast iron usually is thicker heavier and retains heat much longer compared to carbon steel
but then there's much more expensive carbon steel that have the same thickness as cast iron

carbon steel surface is smooth so you can get non stick properties quick with just 1 or 2 seasoning
but there's expensive version of cast iron that has been polished

so if you have one of those already, just get stainless steel

Is non- stick cleaning i.e. if you clean it properly without dishwash! I use only bamboo brush then reheat wok with drops of oil. Not coating Bro!

just an update -

my non stick pan finally gave in, can feel the coating no longer there as food tend to stick more and i need to add more oil. so decided to retire it

i end up buying both stainless steel and cast iron pan

stainless for everyday cooking or anything involving acidic food, and cast iron for searing meats

This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Nov 16 2023, 02:10 AM

No longer using stainless steel, the burnt oil stain removal is a pain. Am using both carbon steel and non-stick wok.

Stainless steel with the 3D texture not sure what wok.. Tefal/la gourmet selling em rm2xx..

I have all carbon steel, cast iron skillet, and the said stainless steel. That's easiest to maintain.

Have to agree this is the easiest one to handle

idk, my house uses clay or earthen pot for any stirfrying
easy to wash and the stick isnt as strong and can easily washes off compared to steel

that's actually polymerized oil. it doesnt look pretty but its not harmful in any way. its basically the same thing as seasoning on cast iron and carbon steel

but if you want to remove it, can use baking soda + lemon or vinegar

This post has been edited by ZeneticX: Nov 16 2023, 07:16 PM

Any idea where to get a good carbon steel iron wok 24cm? Need a flat bottom for induction use.