There are a few tips to remember when cooking with a cast iron Dutch oven.  First, it's important to season your Dutch oven properly before use to create a nonstick surface and prevent rust.  Additionally, using gentle heat and avoiding sudden temperature changes can help extend the life of your Dutch oven and prevent cracking.

Either a skillet or pan would be a great tool for any home cook. While both can be used to sear a tenderloin steak or chicken breast to perfection, they have their differences for other home cooking methods. Skillets are great if you prefer stir fries and easy pan-to-plate fare. Sauté pans, on the other hand, are perfect for longer cooks, high volumes of food, or any dish with a decent amount of liquid.

So Which One Is It?

Best for: Delicate proteins like fish and seafood, melting sugar, making candy, and sauces.

The details: Copper frying pans are expensive, but they offer superb heat conductivity. That means they heat up quickly and cool down just as fast, giving you more control when you’re making something you have to monitor closely, like a caramel sauce. “They’re at the opposite end of the spectrum from cast iron,” Nitahara says. “Because it heats up and cools down quickly, you can bring a sauce right to the brink, then remove it from the heat before it breaks from the high heat.”

Countless Egg Dishes

    A large cast iron Dutch oven is perfect for cooking a large meal or feeding a crowd.  These heavy-duty pots are great for slow-cooking, braising meats, and making soups.  The thick walls and tight-fitting lid of a large cast-iron Dutch oven help distribute heat evenly, making it ideal for simmering and baking.  Their size also makes them perfect for baking bread or making large batches of chili.

Similarly to cast iron, carbon steel pans need to be seasoned before use (though some, like ours, do come preseasoned). As if these pans weren’t already versatile enough, carbon steel is also safe to use on the grill as well as over an open flame.