Product love: cast iron pans
To me, a cast iron pan is one of the best product opportunities available. The return on investment is outstanding.
The problem with cast iron is everyone talks about the secondary benefits instead of the core value proposition. You’ll hear about how they last forever (they do), how they’re sturdy (they are) and (this one drives me nuts) how “you can cook anything in them.” But the fact is, replacing cheap pans is easy and I can cook anything in any cheap pan.
None of these reasons capture what’s actually great about this product, its core value prop. Here it is: You can cook drastically better than you would ever be able to without one.
You’ve probably flipped something in a pan and wondered why the first side got nice a nice brown crust and the second stayed beige and lifeless. That first sear cooled the surface so much that you didn’t have the heat energy to get a nice sear onto the next side. Taste that flimsy mush you’re biting into? That’s the taste of missed opportunity.
Here’s the simple explanation: Hot pans cool down when you put cold food on them. Heat naturally moves from hot to cold. Open a window in an air conditioned house on a hot day and hot air rushes in.
On a cooking surface, this matters a lot. It has to do with the Maillard Reaction. The Maillard Reaction (and it’s sugary cousin, caramelization) is basically what’s responsible for making cooked food appetizing. The browning crust on a steak or burger or roasted vegetable is a telltale sign the reaction is taking place and unleashing hundreds of flavor compounds.
This isn’t just a fleeting preference or a spice. It’s the scientific backbone of flavor and appetite. The artificial flavoring industry is built on manipulating and synthesizing the Maillard Reaction.
Grasping the variables involved [in the Maillard Reaction] and learning how to manipulate them is one of the best ways to become a more confident cook — it’s the difference between being a slave to a recipe and being free to make a recipe work for you.
For most foods, the Maillard Reaction kicks in when the surface temperature is about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The key factors are heat and time. Maillard still comes around during lower-heat cooking, but it takes a lot more time (think BBQ).
Here’s where cast iron comes in. Cast iron retains heat really well. No matter what cooking surface you use, putting room temperature food onto a 300-plus degree pan is going to cool down that surface. The second the food hits that pan the surface temperature starts to nosedive, quickly leaving Maillard territory. Once our friend Maillard leaves the party, we’re left with moisture inside the food heating up and essentially steaming it from the inside. Technically it cooks through, but not in the best way. Taste a steamed vegetable compared to a roasted one and its obvious which packs more flavor and texture.
A cast iron pan is also one of few products that satisfies all three points of the Vitruvian Triangle at a really low cost of entry. Firmness: it’s extremely durable and will easily outlive its owners with basic care; aesthetics: It looks great and develops a smooth patina over time; and utility: It does its job really, really well.
As for the intimidating learning and maintenance curve? Overhyped. These things are easy. Watch this 6-minute video and you’ll know all you need on that front.
I try to evaluate products as opportunities. What are the costs (both fixed and opportunity costs), what’s the potential downside, what’s the potential upside. The kitchen is one of my favorite places to find great product opportunities and great gifts. We need to eat and always have. We’ve got millions of years of market research behind us. Basic home cooking skills and tools are a cheap and important way to unlock a lot of untapped value in your life. For less than $20, a cast iron pan is about the best place you can start.
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