What's the Best Pan Money Can Buy?

Summary

In this video, the creator compares various frying pans made from different materials—sterling silver, carbon steel, cast iron, aluminum, and copper—to determine which performs best. Through a series of tests, the creator highlights how each material handles heat diffusivity, heat capacity, and searing. While silver excels in heat distribution, aluminum offers a practical middle ground with good performance and lighter weight. Ultimately, the creator recommends a combination of high-performance metals for daily cooking and acknowledges the craftsmanship and appeal of the costly silver pan, making it a personal favorite despite its impracticality.

Takeaways

• 😀 High-end cookware like the $4,000 sterling silver frying pan is more about craftsmanship and performance than practicality.
• 😀 The choice of material in cookware affects its heat distribution, which impacts cooking performance. Silver, for example, has the highest diffusivity (147 units) among common cookware metals.
• 😀 Diffusivity, heat capacity, and the size of your burner are crucial factors in determining how well a pan performs, especially in terms of even heating.
• 😀 Cast iron and carbon steel pans, though great for searing, suffer from uneven heat distribution, which can result in hot spots and uneven cooking.
• 😀 Aluminum and copper pans have much higher diffusivity than cast iron or carbon steel, leading to more even heat distribution and better results in certain dishes like pancakes.
• 😀 Despite being the most diffusive, silver pans aren't always ideal for searing due to their relatively low heat capacity compared to cast iron.
• 😀 The thickness of aluminum pans contributes significantly to their ability to distribute heat evenly, making them a strong performer for even heating.
• 😀 The material under your pan (e.g., burner size and heat type) matters as much as the pan itself. Matching the pan size with the burner size results in more even cooking.
• 😀 Stainless steel pans are usually combined with aluminum or copper cores because pure stainless steel is poor at distributing heat.
• 😀 While the silver pan is beautiful and performs exceptionally in terms of heat distribution, the practical choice for everyday use might still be a more affordable and versatile aluminum-core pan with a carbon steel interior.
• 😀 Even with high-end pans, matching your pan with the right burner and heat source is key to avoiding hot spots and ensuring consistent cooking results.

Q & A

Why is the $4,000 sterling silver frying pan so expensive?

The $4,000 sterling silver frying pan is expensive due to the high cost of silver (over $1,600 worth), the exceptional craftsmanship, and the performance benefits silver provides, such as excellent heat conductivity and a polished finish. However, despite its price, it is not the most practical for daily cooking.

What did the author learn about different pan materials during testing?

The author tested several pan materials, including stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, aluminum, copper, and silver. They learned that while silver has the best heat conductivity, aluminum provides a near-perfect balance of diffusivity and heat capacity, making it a great choice for both even heating and searing.

Why does the author prefer aluminum pans for cooking?

The author prefers aluminum pans because they offer high diffusivity, meaning they spread heat evenly and quickly. Aluminum's ability to keep the heat evenly distributed makes it ideal for cooking tasks like pancakes and searing, without the hotspots typical of other materials like cast iron and carbon steel.

What is the difference between heat conductivity and heat capacity?

Heat conductivity refers to how easily heat moves through a material, while heat capacity is the amount of heat a material can hold. A pan's performance depends on both of these factors, with a higher diffusivity generally leading to better heat distribution, and heat capacity affecting how well a pan can maintain temperature during cooking.

How does silver compare to other metals in terms of diffusivity?

Silver has the highest diffusivity of the metals tested, with a value of 147 units. This means it is significantly better than materials like stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, aluminum, and copper at spreading heat. In fact, silver is about 25 times better than stainless steel at moving heat evenly.

What does the 'sacrificial pancake' demonstrate in the testing?

The 'sacrificial pancake' demonstrates how heat spreads across different pans. The first pancake helps map out the hot and cold spots of the pan's surface, showing that high diffusivity pans like aluminum, copper, and silver cook pancakes more evenly, while pans with lower diffusivity (cast iron and carbon steel) have uneven cooking surfaces.

Why is silver not ideal for searing food despite its excellent heat conductivity?

While silver excels at spreading heat quickly and evenly, it has a low heat capacity compared to materials like cast iron and carbon steel. This means it cannot hold as much heat, making it less effective for searing, where sustained high heat is needed to get a good sear on food.

How does the size of the pan and burner affect cooking performance?

Matching the size of the pan with the burner is crucial for even heating. A pan that is too large for a smaller burner will not heat evenly, leading to hot spots. Using a burner that is about 90% of the pan's diameter helps ensure that heat is distributed evenly across the pan's surface.

Why does the author choose a carbon steel and aluminum core pan for everyday use?

The author prefers a carbon steel and aluminum core pan because it combines the performance of carbon steel (which can develop a non-stick patina) with the even heat distribution of aluminum. This makes it versatile for cooking and lighter than traditional cast iron pans, although it lacks the self-healing patina that is ideal for certain dishes like French omelettes.

What is the main takeaway about cookware performance from the testing?

The main takeaway is that while materials like silver, copper, and aluminum have excellent heat conductivity, the pan's size, heat capacity, and diffusivity are all important factors in determining performance. Additionally, matching the pan to the burner size and using a well-seasoned surface can enhance cooking results, regardless of the pan material.