Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you don't know how to cook and are entering the world of cooking (or if you are just a college student, or you live in an apartment the size of a prison cell) this is the set you should have. Pros: Inexpensive Can stop a bullet if you need it to Can be used as an effective self defense weapon Can go into any oven, regardless of temp Brown's like nobody's business If taken good care of, will be something you can pass down to your grandkids The combo makes for different cooking configurations (which I'll list below) Cons: Heavy Might rust if you don't know how to take care of it Takes a while to get to temp Your wife can't lift it This is the set I have, this is the set I recommend in my videos on youtube, and this is the set you should have. First, let's talk about the material, cast iron, the original cookware material is right up there with clay and rock as a solid material to cook on. No need to worry about getting Alzheimer's because you are cooking on aluminum, no need to worry about getting cancer because you are cooking on non-stick, no need to worry about difficulties of cleanup because you are cooking on stainless. When correctly seasoned and cured, it's more non-stick than non-stick pans. My cleanup is all of 10 seconds, with pretty much no heavy scrubbing. Cast iron heats slowly, but heats evenly. There are micro-pores in the metal (because it's casted into shape, thus the name cast iron) the micro pores do a lot. First, when filled with a light amount of oil, the pores get filled up, and then when heated, get carbonized, and so a correctly seasoned pan actually has a layer of almost pure carbon on top, making for a very non-stick surface. Cast iron is ALL IRON, meaning the worst that can happen when you eat food off of cast iron is you get more iron in your diet. No harm, no fowl. Cast Iron can hold up to extreme heats, and so that means on the camp fire straight on the coals is just fine, or in the broiler or in the oven, none of it is a problem for cast iron. Cast iron also browns food; something non-stick pans don't really do. That means steaks and other meats get a nice sear on them, locks in the flavor and browns well to give you a nice crispy outside while holding the moisture in. This set comes with two pieces; a shallow skillet, and a deep, near dutch oven skillet. Let me start with the shallow skillet. The shallow skillet is what you want to wake up in the morning to. Eggs taste A LOT BETTER cooked on this. I usually heat a few pieces of tortilla and a little cheese in the middle, and you got yourself a breakfast quesadilla. Just remember to let the pan heat up, put just a dab of oil, and get a nice quality egg on it. Delicious. I also make toast on it, and of course, heating bacon and sausage. I also cook steaks on the shallow skillet. It's basically just like any other skillet, only food tastes much better cooked on it. What about the deep skillet? Get yourself a oil thermometer, and now it's fryer. We fry chicken, veges, anything you can name in this. Stews and stoups and soups are no problem in this. Want to make a one pot dinner? For 1~2 people? This is perfect. From the stove to the oven, without breaking a sweat. What about it in combination? With the shallow skillet on the bottom, I do some of the best chicken in the world in it. Preheat the oven to 325F. Take two whole chicken legs, get them to room temp, rub a little bit of olive oil between the skin and the meat as well as on the skin. Pour a little bit of old bay in between the skin and the meat, as well as on top of the skin. Cover it up with the deep skillet, into the oven it goes! 1 hour later. PERFECT chicken. The skin as a little bit of crisp, and the meat is juicy and flavorful! What about in reverse, with the deep skillet on the bottom? Chop up some hard veges in 1 inch sizes (carrots, onions, celery) toss them in a bit of olive oil and a bit of old bay (yes, old bay makes everything taste great!) throw it into the deep skillet at 325F for 20 minutes and you are done. If you like them soft, leave the lid on, if you like them browned on top, leave the lid off. If you like them in between, cook in the oven for 15 minutes with the lid off, then last 5 minutes, with the lid on. Cleanup is easy. Most people complain about cast iron because they don't understand that carbonized oil __IS__ the non-stick, so they don't take the time to learn how to take care of cast iron. It's not more work than other pans, in fact, out of all the pans I have, all my cast iron is easier to clean up than my regular plans. They simply are non-stick! Make sure you have a well seasoned patina on it. Do a search and you will find dozens of websites teaching you how to do this. When you cook, make sure the pan is hot, then put oil in, then put in ROOM TEMPERATURE FOOD into it. The biggest mistake I see people making is they take food from the fridge (or worse yet, from the freezer!!) and put it directly into the pan. That's a no-no, by the time it is up to temp, all your food has lost moisture. You want to get every piece of food you are about to cook to room temp before you cook it. Remember, heat your pan for about 5 minutes, pour oil, let it heat for 5~10 seconds, (but don't let it smoke) and the put your food in. If you do that, your pan should be non-stick! Cleanup? Hot running water, and a stiff brush, 10 seconds, done! Dry it with a paper towel, and then wipe a thin coat of oil on it. That's it! If you take care of this set, it will take care of you. Great product, highly recommended.