The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

Maybe even right here in this book. Well, here’s the sad
news: that ain’t really true. Even the very best cast-iron
skillets will never be as slick as a nonstick skillet. Any
materials-science engineer can tell you that. Not only that,
but unlike a cast-iron skillet, a nonstick pan can be light
enough to maneuver easily when, say, rolling an omelet or
flipping a couple of sunny-side-ups.
And that’s why a medium nonstick skillet is a must in
your arsenal. It’s the best vessel for all kinds of egg
cookery, from perfect golden omelets to fluffy scrambles to
crisp-edged fried eggs. Brunches would be a much messier,
more hectic, and altogether less pleasurable affair in my
apartment without one.
The only downside to nonstick? You can’t heat it past
500°F or so, as the coating will begin to vaporize, sending
toxic fumes into the room. Newer materials are far safer, but
even with them, you’re at a disadvantage: it’s tough to form
a good, meaty crust on food cooked on a nonstick surface,
and you’re limited by the types of utensils you can use.
Metal will scratch off the coating. Stick with wood, nylon, or
silicone utensils made specifically for working with nonstick
pans.
Here’s the thing with nonstick: unlike other pans, these
aren’t going to last you your whole life, which means that
spending a boatload of money on one is not a wise move.
You want a midrange pan: something with enough heft that
it retains heat fairly well, but not one that you’ll be so scared
of scratching that it ends up sitting in the corner of kitchen
cabinet. I currently have a Cuisinart stainless steel nonstick
skillet, but I’m not heavily committed to it. You should