[somat]

Stamped steel has most of the properties cast iron has with regard to seasoning, the main difference is reduced heat retention.

I prefer stamped steel, lighter, stronger, won't break. But it does turn cooking in it more like cooking in a wok, faster to heat up faster to cool down. Where as cast iron is better for staying the course with a steady temp.

But the thing I like best about both is the maintainability of the pan, When I commit a sin against cooking and burn the living hell out of the poor thing, I can sit down for an hour of penance with the wire wheel and steel wool to strip the mistake out and then resurface the pan to it's nearly non-stick surface. I love having a surface I can repair with just the tools found in my kitchen.

[slowmovintarget]

They have different applications. Sometimes you want steel because you want the pan to lose heat rapidly, depending on what you're cooking. Other times, you want cast iron; you want slow temperature change.

A well-equipped kitchen will have both... and a Dutch oven, and...