Having the right equipment is crucial to cooking, which is why you’ll see many recipes specify what kind of dishes you should be using to cook your food. Out of all of the materials that baking dishes can be made out of, porcelain and cast iron are two of the most common, making them essential materials in a kitchen. Both dishes are oven-, microwave-, and freezer-safe.
Learning which one to use can help you change the way your food looks and tastes. Let’s take a look at a few of the differences between cast iron and porcelain and when you should choose one over the other.
What is cast iron?
Cast iron, in metallurgy, is a combination of iron and carbon. They are distinguished from other alloys by their excellent fluidity, which makes it heat slowly and stay hot after it’s taken out of the oven. Cast iron pans are versatile dishes. that can be used to make everything from the perfect cornbread to a scrumptious pizza cookie.
Cast iron is a resistant material that you will use for a while. In contrast, you must take care of it to avoid damaging its material. You should never wash cast iron with soap unless you are about to season it and you make sure it dries completely to avoid rust.
What is porcelain?
Porcelain is a type of ceramic that comes from the earth. It’s a high-quality material, which is why you’ll find it in everything from tiles to tableware. Because it is 100% non-porous, it resists thermal and mechanical shocks and is 100% food safe.
Unlike cast iron, you’ll find that porcelain is much lighter, making it the ideal material for perfect cooking. It can withstand temperatures up to 572 °F, while distributing the heat evenly and helping to maintain the natural flavor of each ingredient.
The Belle Cuisine collection: The best baking dish deal
REVOL used its own porcelain mixture to create the Belle Cuisine Collection. This is 100% pure mineral material composed of like clay, kaolin, feldspar and silica.
They use molds to create the perfect shape before firing the baking dish at very high temperature (2462°F) until it becomes hard and strong like glass. This process results in solid and healthy products. 250 years at the service of aesthetics and technology.
The Belle Cuisine “cast iron-look” pieces feature some of the best properties for baking and serving; you cannot go wrong with these made in France, professional quality bakers!
Not sold yet? Here are a few more reasons why the Belle Cuisine dish is a must-buy for your kitchen:
- Their sturdy handles make it easy, convenient and fun to use every day for all type of gratins, roasted meats, sides dishes, past. Furthermore this is perfect for cobblers, desserts, pie and more.
- The black porcelain of a Belle Cuisine dish offers a very dramatic, different way of presenting food with cast iron look. The clay is black all the way through.
- This roasting dish is naturally non-stick and food remains at the same temperature for a long time.
- You can match your baking dish with the other items of the collection. In the same cast iron style there is the cocotte, ramekin, terrine, wok and snail plate.
- The Belle Cuisine is the symbol of an open-hearted, generous style of cooking. Whether used for chicken for Sunday brunch or for a home-made lasagna, the vessels in this collection convey fragrant, tasty, elemental food to the table conveying joy to all.
Why you should choose a Belle Cuisine dish over a cast iron pan
If you are still hesitating between porcelain and cast-iron, ask yourself these questions:
- How many times will you use your baking dish? Porcelain is definitely an ideal everyday material. Hence, the Belle Cuisine dishes are dishwasher safe. It can tolerate extreme temperature changes through the freezer, the microwave, and the oven. Porcelain is easy to store and re-use many times a week.
- What kind of cooking do you do? According to which dish you would like to create; the Belle Cuisine baker will let you choose between different shapes of products. Sometimes the round baker dish will be more suitable than the regular rectangular baking dish.
- How many people do you cook for? Depending on the number of people you want to please, sizes vary from individual to up to 8 people. REVOL has certainly the best two-quart baking dish and the largest baking dish as well.
- Which design suits you best? The white porcelain and the black clay and the red enamel are the 3 colors available in the Belle Cuisine Collection.
