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SciShow 16 Jun 2026 16 here now

The Best Pan, According to Science

Is it non-stick? Ceramic? Aluminum? Stainless steel? Cast iron? Here's what science tells us.

Hosted by: Reid Reimers (he/him)
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Comments (20)

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0:13 That one kind of pan is called Whatever's clean
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Years ago I got a cast iron wok to use on the grill instead of wrapping veggies in aluminum foil. Love the thing and have since picked up a whole set of cast iron pans.
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1. You're showing steel pans in your segment about aluminum pans. 2. At our restaurant, aluminum does stick quite a bit more than steel. 3. More aluminum comes from recycled beverage cans in modern, mid priced pans. 4. When foods start to stick, just add a wee bit of water, wine, or stock to deglaze.
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Recently bought a titanium pan and now it is my go to pan for everything except eggs. (a non-stick pan is still easier for breakfast eggs)
I use induction cooking and cook the hell out of meats and vegetables to get that umami flavor that I love.
Metal utensils don't faze it and the titanium pan can look horrendous after I'm done, but cleans up easily.
It is also significantly lighter than my cast iron pans.
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They really cooked up some tasty puns...
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@Rob_Enhoud From YouTube ↗ 21 Jun 2026 23
I like to say declaring a best frying pan is like declaring a best hammer. There are different reasons why I might want to use a different hammer based on the attributes of the materials it was made out of. I prefer a wooden handle, but I might want a steel handle depending on the task. I also find having a wooden and rubber mallet around very useful for a lot of the tasks people would use a normal steel head hammer for.

My favorite pan is my 10" cast iron pan I personally sanded down semi smooth and seasoned it several times over with avocado oil then wrapped the handle in leather. It's a really nice pan I put my heart and soul into that I use almost daily. However I would never put eggs or fish in it. Those go, on low heat, in my teflon pan. I will also never use any metal utensil in either my cast iron or teflon pan, so if I'm cooking something I'll be using something like a metal whisk in then I'll use a stainless steel pan.

Today cookware sets are sold in kits where everything is made out of the same materials, but honestly a 8" teflon/ceramic with 10" cast iron and 12" stainless steel is SO MUCH MORE USEFUL than if they were all made out of the same material.
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I have my mother's revere ware. She received the set for a wedding present. I'm 77 and still using it. Copper bottom
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what about carbon steel?
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@Vicaria321 From YouTube ↗ 21 Jun 2026 114
Going over to old school cast iron has been a game changer. I will never go back to non stick.
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No carbon steel? WTF?
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Why no comparison with carbon steel?
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I love my carbon steel fry pan.
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@jaycie5021 From YouTube ↗ 21 Jun 2026 346
Copper pans 'Am I a joke to you'
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I've heard of canaries in a coal mine but never cockatiels in the kitchen.
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I have a pancake castiron that is 80 years old and still works fine. I had to give away the one that was 100 years old because it couldn't be used on my stove, it now living it happy life in a vacation home with a woodstove, giving kids pancakes for dinner.
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@cde1859 From YouTube ↗ 21 Jun 2026 523
How could you not mention carbon steel pans? They solve some of the issues of cast iron.
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@Trapezoidal From YouTube ↗ 21 Jun 2026 114
A very awesome compromise between cast iron and stainless steel are carbon-steel pans. You need to season them like cast iron but they weigh more like a stainless steel pan. You get a little more responsiveness to the heating compared to cast iron, but they also retain heat well as well. Very nice middle ground.
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@sashar3718 From YouTube ↗ 21 Jun 2026 306
How did they just happen to find that stock footage of the couple cooking in the kitchen with a bird at 3:13 lmao
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1:00 you forgot to come back to why none of these should go in a dishwasher
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I use a magic spell when I cook... I cast iron.