I don't understand why the author dismisses carbon steel and cast iron pans. They're my favorite. They last forever and cook great. Go into any restaurant and you'll see mostly cheap, carbon steel pans.
By comparison, you can soak a stainless steel pan in water for weeks with basically zero negative consequences.
Also, if you live in a culture that frequently cooks acidic dishes, then you're working against yourself by dissolving the seasoning constantly. I also understand that it's fine in moderation.
Carbon steel is fine.
Didn’t do anything special with it at the beginning. Just used it. Basically zero maintenance.
I just wash it with a wire brush and some salt.
> I just wash it with a wire brush and some salt.
That sounds like a bit > zero maintenance, relative to other types that you can either just soak with water or stick in the dishwasher.
I meant no rituals around being careful not to remove “layers”, an original sealing process or other nonsense
Our stove almost always has a 10" dutch oven, 6" pan, and 10" pan sitting on it, ready to use.
Cast iron heats more evenly and with more thermal mass retains the even steady temperature more readily against swings as you add ingredients.
You can get this benefit without the cleaning weirdness by getting an enamel covered cast iron cookware. Great for dutch ovens!
Stainless is pretty mediocre about this which is why aluminum cored steel pans can be nice.
That's what all the annoying weight buys you.
When cast iron is brand new it can take a bit of work, but not a terrible amount - most of the "seasoning" happens just by using it. The two main downsides are things I actually like - the weight, and the lack of even heat distribution.
Maybe I’m just not used to it and need to adjust something, but the cast iron at this point is dead easy to use.