<i>&quot;I dropped a cold steak on the surface, then checked the pan temperature under the steak after a few smoking minutes.&quot;</i><p>This is wrong. Of course, temperature will even out after <i>few minutes</i>, but for steaks (and other food you want to sear) the initial temperature drop is important  -- the higher it is, the higher chance that your steak will be steamed, not seared. Heavier pans retain more heat (that&#x27;s why heavy copper, cast iron and stainless steel pans took longer to heat during the first experiment), but that&#x27;s a <i>good thing</i> when making food.
Also, what this article didn&#x27;t mention, is that light, cheap pans tend to deform as soon as after few uses, what makes cooking food evenly nearly impossible on a flat surface. Cast iron and stainless steel pans, on the other hand, are nearly indestructible if used correctly, I know cases when people still use their &gt;100 years old cast iron pans from their grand-grand fathers.