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It's time to buy some new non-stick pans... need recommendations
The non-stick pans I bought last year are chipping already, so it's time for some new ones. I don't mind Teflon pans, but I hate having to buy them every year. I also dislike they they are aluminum cores - that does weird things in the dish-washing machine. If you have some non-stick pans that you have been using for more than one year, please share!
I’d recommend a cast iron pan or three, have you ever used one? More even heat distribution, resilient, and non-stick. You can get a lodge cast iron pan for 35-50 bucks and try it out.
My experience has been that cast iron actually has a very uneven heat distribution; it really holds on to its heat tightly. But this allows it to get supremely hot compared to all the other pots and pans I have cooking experience with. It's really fantastic for searing, stir fry, etc., even on a wimpy stovetop that doesn't put out much heat. It's almost like cooking on a grill or a fire (and, indeed, I do use my cast iron to cook on fires).
However, I prefer more traditional pans for cooking foods that need a gentle, even heat (such as pancakes). For this, I prefer a ceramic-coated pan over Teflon.
I'm really surprised you mentioned pancakes as an example; I find pancakes work really well on cast iron. The heat distribution causes some issues on the first round but as you keep going the pan heats more evenly and its good enough.
It occurs to me that, traditionally, you would heat your empty skillet in the oven before you used it. I bet this perfectly solved these types of problems. I haven't bothered to try it (it might make more sense with a wood stove, which can't simply be turned on and off like a modern oven, so you get a lot of "free" waste heat), but maybe I should try.
Cast iron can be good but it might not necessarily be a replacement for a good nonstick. Particularly for acidic foods, which I've heard you're not supposed to cook in cast iron? Idk how true that is tho because some people give really intense advice on babying cast iron to get the best patina of seasoning or whatever. It can't be about the seasoning, though, bc I use a carbon steel wok that similarly needs seasoning and no one tells you not to use acid in those.
Acidity eats steel very quickly. Seasoning protects against that. If you have a good coat of seasoning (which may require a few rounds of cooking to achieve), cast iron does not need much babying. I've cooked acidic food, left it soaking in soapy water overnight, etc., without any rust.
What will make it rust is leaving it in a moist environment (e.g., stacked up and put away without being thoroughly dry first) for a long period of time. This has happened to me a couple of times. But you can fix it by sanding the rust off, oiling it, and baking it.
If you mostly cook foods that aren't oily enough to build up and maintain good seasoning, but you still want to use cast iron due to its heating qualities, cast iron enamelware is a good alternative. These tend to be more oriented toward casseroles, soups, etc.
Ah that makes sense about rust. Most of the recommendations for carbon steel is just "cook a bunch with oil before you try to braise anything" but I guess that's the same principle...
Also I highly recommend making popcorn as a way to build up seasoning. Not sure if it's as easy to avoid burning or make a large quantity in a cast iron pan as in a wok but it improves the seasoning SO much bc the popping kernels spread the oil so well.
oh yeah I have a Le Creuset dutch oven and it's lovely. But also by far the most expensive piece of kitchenware I own that doesn't use electricity lol
I have a cast iron wok. I bet I could make popcorn in that! It's too heavy to shake around, but I think a metal spatula would surely work.
oh god I would not recommend popcorn without a lid on at all times tbh, but let me know how it goes!
Something about the rust that many people leave out: you can often just brush it off. It’s not a big deal to get a bit of rust. The bottom of my pans are often a bit rusty because I don’t bother seasoning that part well. Inside the pan is slightly worse but not bad at all. I just rinse it out with some soap and water and then get cooking. Iron oxide isn’t bad for you.
Meanwhile here I am completely abusing my cast iron pan, cooking acids all the time, washing with soap. It's enough to make a self declared cast iron aficionado cry. The only thing I do to 'baby it' is dry it after washing.
I will readily admit the coating isn't in the best condition, but the beauty is that if I ever decide I care or it causes a problem I can sort it out. I don't have a problem with stuff sticking so I figure it's all fine for now.
I just swapped out all of my Teflon pans for a decent set of stainless (Anolon nouvelle copper) and was missing being able to cook a few things easily because stainless is definitely not non-stick unless you use tons of fat.
I tried out a carbon steel lodge skillet the other day and it was extremely nice to cook on. I just quickly smoked some vegetable oil over it after wiping it out and it was nearly as non-stick as the Teflon pans.
I may get a cast iron pan in the future just for its immense heat capacity compared to anything else, although the nouvelle copper stainless skillet does seemingly have a massive heat capacity compared to the Teflon skillet I was using before.
I have heard (no in person experience, so grain of salt) that stainless pans can be pretty close to non stick as long as the pan is up to temp before adding your food. The rationale is that there are micro fissures in the stainless steel, and when you heat up the metal the fissures close and seal up. Apparently the way to tell if it's at temp is to flick some water on the pan. If it fizzles and boils away, it's not hot enough because the fissures are loci for boiling to take place. But if the water beads and slides around, it means that the surface is so smooth that the water won't boil as easily.
Again, never cooked with SS and I burn water, but maybe it's something that works that you might not have tried...
I only cook with stainless steel. It takes a bit of practice (and also sometimes a smaller pan so you don't use too much oil), but getting it to the right temperature is crucial. Once you get a feeling for it, pancakes, scrambled eggs, etc aren't a problem at all! And there's nothing easier than a steak in SS. Getting it hot that it doesn't stick but not too hot that everything burns takes a bit of practice before you get a feel for your stove and pan, but it's not difficult.
Also, I'd steer entirely clear from Teflon - the impact on hormones etc are pretty clear and a tiny scratch is enough to start letting the material leech out.
That's partially correct. And it works.... to a degree. I am by no means an expert chef, I just try to do my best and learn.
That behavior of water you talk about
is actually something called the Liedenfrost effect: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leidenfrost_effect
Basically the temperate of the pan is so much higher than the boiling point of water that water in contact with the pan instantly flashes to steam. This has the effect of having the food "float" on a pad of steam above the pan.
I use stainless steel nearly exclusively. I've found that if you treat them similar to how you would treat cast iron -- season it, don't put it through the dishwasher, etc -- it rivals cast iron as far as nonstick ability goes. I do have one nonstick pan that I will use sparingly or in very specific circumstances, but generally have found that stainless is what I prefer using above Teflon or cast iron.
Same, we have a set of Made-in blue carbon steel pans and they’re mostly non-stick. Every so often my wife has issues with eggs sticking, but they’re also super easy to clean (same as cast-iron: heat up, oil+salt rub in with a paper towel until clean)
Yeah eggs are the biggest challenge of a pan's non-stick-iness. My carbon steel wok is probably the pan I'd keep if I had to give up all but one, but when given the choice I'd still prefer my nonstick for making eggs without scrambling them.
I have a full cast iron set, a carbon steel wok, stainless steel pans, etc. a good non-stick still has a strong place in my kitchen. It’s easy to flip, easy to clean, easy to heat.
Apologies for replying to your comment, @Mews, but since all the cast iron talk focused under your comment, I thought it'd be best to write mine here.
Keep in mind @oidar, if you do go with the cast iron route, not every cast iron is equal. Not just in terms of quality but in terms of the way they're built and used too.
I'm cooking strictly on cast iron. I have three Staubs in different sizes and uses and a regular Lodge skillet and Lodge skillet can be a lot of maintenance for someone who's just looking to cook whatever they like without worrying about how it will interact with the food. If you've not used cast iron before, I wouldn't recommend Lodge, given what you're looking for. I'm not saying Lodge is bad, it's amazing for cooking some stuff like red and white meat, eggs, or caramelizing onions, but you will be limited in proportion to the work you put into it. You can cook acidic stuff but it will inevitably eat into your seasoning, so you'll have to season your pan again after X amount of cooking acidic food on it depending on how stronger your seasoning was to begin with. You can use soap to clean it, but it shouldn't contain lye. You can use olive oil but it often is not a good choice because its smoke point is a lot lower than that of vegetable oil, so that means you can't heat the pan too much. Oh and worst of all, you cannot put them into a dishwasher.
Stuff like this, where you have to be mindful of the pan's properties can be tiring for some and I'd presume you'd be given you're looking for a non-stick.
However, if you do get a Staub, Le Creuset or something like that, you will not have to deal with any of the aforementioned concerns. Since they're enameled, they don't require seasoning, you can cook everything on them, if you use enough oil it will work as a non-stick, you don't have to worry about the oil you use and you can wash them however you like, and you get all the benefits of cast iron.
Now, these cookware are not cheap. I believe the largest Staub I have is in the vicinity of $400. But, you can get the same type of enameled cast iron from reputable, more affordable brands. I think Lodge themselves make some. These will last you a very long time, if not a whole lifetime. If you do go with a cast iron cookware, I suggest you get an enameled one.
Glad I'm not the only one who finds Lodge cast iron rather limiting. I've seasoned and re-seasoned mine more times than I can count and the thing has never been non-stick. And like you said they are a huge pain to clean. I much prefer stainless; 99% of anything that sticks to stainless comes off with a little deglazing, and stainless is much easier to clean.
Will have to check out Staub and Le Creuset like you mentioned. I guess I've always considered referenced to cast iron to mean the black Lodge type but perhaps that's not the case and may explain why my experience differs from the cadre of people who really love cast iron.
You're not wrong, people do love their non-enameled cast iron, like a regular Lodge pan. I think it's somewhat of a cult, even. I kind of get it, though. It requires a lot of love and care to maintain one and the more you use it, the better it gets. They're also indestructible unless you crack or warp one due to thermal shock, so people can pass it on to their loved ones if they want to.
Enameled cast iron are a different beast, despite the only difference being the very thin layer of glass that sits on top of the iron surface. They both have their pros and cons, but I much prefer an enameled one if only due to the fact that with a non-enameled one, I feel like the pan itself dictates what and how I cook something, whereas with an enameled one, I feel in charge.
Yeah, I very much feel like my unenameled Lodge is in charge when I use it. Great for searing steaks, but it always sticks or leaves residue behind. I just feel like I'm missing some key step or not doing something right to get it to behave. I want to love it, but in practice I just haven't found my groove. Stainless, on the other hand, didn't take me long to learn and seems to play nicer with more varied foods.
You may find more longevity if you handwash them.
I was going to suggest this. Invest in a medium-high quality set, use the correct tools on them and hand-wash your pans with gentle dish soap.
Absolutely! I bought my last non-stick frying pan, a Calphalon from TJ Maxx for under $20 about almost a decade ago and it still cooks like brand new! A couple key things to extend the longevity of the pan...
Use the proper kitchenware; silicon, plastic, wood, etc. Do not let a metal anything touch it, that's what scratches and damaged the surface.
When washing it, let the pan cool before rinsing it. We all love the instant you put a hot pan under the sink and the water sizzles, but that can shorten the life of the non-stick surface, especially if there are already microscratches in it.
Hand wash with mild dish soap and the soft side of the sponge, never the scouring side.
When storing them, either use soft pan/pot protectors if you're going to nest them, or store them without placing other pieces in/on it. Just another means of scratching/damaging the surface
They are more expensive, but I would highly recommend Hexclad Cookware
https://hexclad.com/collections/best-sellers
I have found them to be a great non-stick option, but with the performance of high quality stainless steel cookware. I use them along side three cast iron pans.
Used it once for eggs and did not enjoy it much... Checked online and this video does a good job of explaining why
https://youtu.be/AZ6oJ8SuYBA
When it comes to pans in the kitchen, my two cast iron pans to the brunt of the work. Eggs, including omelettes, are done in the cast iron. They are both as non-stick at this point as any Teflon coated pan that I’ve had.
Where the Hexclad stuff comes into play is where I would not use my cast iron pans. These are tasks that I would traditionally use stainless steel for, and the Hexclad is a huge step up for me on that front. With that being said, I haven’t had any issues with stuff sticking to the Hexclad.
The thing with cookware is that there isn’t one thing that is perfect at everything. The things that you cook will determine what you need at least to some extent.
I will cook eggs on the hexclads tomorrow morning and get back to you.
Edit: Made eggs in the Hexclad this morning. It wasn’t as good as my cast iron, but it wasn’t as bad as this guy was making it out to be in the video. That probably had something to do with me putting a little bit of butter in the pan instead of cooking on a dry pan.
They come around Costco every 3 months, and I also love mine.
Agreed on all fronts. That being said, my mother and father in law bought us our set; too expensive for my frugal self. We love them and haven’t run in to any of the issues I’ve read about.
I highly recommend anything that isn't coated with teflon, or whatever is used these days. Not only will they release toxic chemicals if they're overheated(~500C), but they'll slowly release bits and pieces of the coating into the environment and it will stay there forever (those are the bits that were falling off). These are mostly considered to be safe, but afaik not much is known about their long term impacts on human health, as they'll essentially just stay in your body.
Yeah, I was going to mention this. I think I remember Consumer Reports suggesting ceramic coated pans instead of PFAS/PFTE ones.
We use the target brand pans (they have ceramic coated ones) and they work fantastically. I never believed any "non-stick" claims, but the ones we have (which I admit I don't actually know which they are) work about as well as I can imagine any non-stick pan working.
I use carbon steel. debuyer. It's a steep learning curve but once you got it it's perfect. Always get a nice maillard with my fried eggs and asparagus.
One of these pans will last your forever.
The downside is you can't cook acidic foods in it, so I also have some stainless steel for that.
Stainless steel can also be non stick but takes even more practice.
I do also have some non stick to cook really delicate things like fish fillets with skin. I can't yet use carbon steel for that but I think I am almost there.
I wash all my pans by hand. Maybe that helps with how long they last.
I only have one of each, but my Caraway pan and Anolon pan have both lasted me years and years. Would recommend!
I purchased this set from Costco and I’ve been over the moon. https://www.costco.com/henckels-capri-granitium-3-piece-non-stick-skillet-set.product.100847603.html
Been almost a year with zero issues. It takes a long time to get up to heat (and stays hot) but otherwise they’re great. No issues in my dish washer and I just use a metal fork to grab food out of them, no issues.
We have these and did have to replace them after about 3 years. But we got another set haha.
This time we are using pan protectors when storing them. We never used metal utensils and hand washed, but did store the old ones nested.
Good to know. We do stack them with pan protectors. But overall I’m pretty fast and loose with these.
The Oxo stuff is pretty good.
Yeah, Tfal and Oxo are the best nonsticks for the price. Oxo is regularly at Costco.
Sometimes All Clad has sales too in this site for secondhand/package damaged stuff: https://homeandcooksales.com/
And getting a carbon steel pan (Matfer is the best value) is worthwhile too. And someone will probably mention cast iron.
It's on the expensive end but I've used this pan from Tefal for two years now and it's served us super well. As long as you follow the normal advice for nonstick pans it seems pretty damn long-lasting, and we're not overly gentle to our pans.
We really like our Ninja nonstick pans. The coating seems really strong on them and doesn’t flake off at all (yet). They seem to be holding up to their claims.
How long have you had them? My wife and I bought a set 2 years ago and they are in absolute shit shape. Never once have they been in the dishwasher and even though they say you can use metal spatulas we rarely do and they are still in terrible shape.
Interesting. I have a set that’s almost 3 years old now and I abuse them with metal tools and the dishwasher and they’re basically like new.
Damn. All the coating on the bottom came right off mine. First time I noticed was when I was making mashed potatoes and was beating them with our hand mixer. The beaters were even hardened rubber and it scratched the hell out of them and took most of the bottom coating off. Looked like pepper in my mashed potatoes.
Weird. Might be worth reaching out to their support.
That ship has already sailed at this point. I've made the switch to mostly cast iron and steel pans at this point. I was always a skeptic, but since switching I have mastered properly seasoning cast iron and steel and they are more or less non-stick unless you cook the living shit out of something.
We definitely have not had them as long as you. Maybe since last October. They were supposed to be for Christmas but we were like “why wait”.
Your comment concerns me because at put our pans in the dishwasher every time they are used. I haven’t noticed anything changing in their condition, but I guess the change would be too slow to notice day to day like that. I will try to keep an eye on it (somehow) to detect if the toxic bits are chipping or breaking off. So far they seem fine, but maybe I haven’t been really paying that much attention.
The first time I noticed it was when I made mashed potatoes. Our hand mixer has rubber beaters. As I was mixing I started to notice what looked like pepper. Turns out all that scratch resistant stuff even with rubber beaters just came right off. Since then I have just gone out and bought a dutch oven and a couple cast iron pans. I'll probably never go back. I enjoy my cast iron. I've got them seasoned pretty well and they're essentially non-stick.
We sprung for the Ninja non-stick pan set and I really enjoy them. They are heavy, so they take a little longer to hear up than a typical non-stick, but they heat super even and the non-stick coating shows no sign of wear after 3 years of regular use. We were also we able to buy an extra lid for the large pans as there are two pans but only one lid in the set. Worth it.
For product recommendations I really like The Wirecutter, and I bought a 10-inch Tramontina pan based on one of their review articles a while back. It looks like they still recommend that pan in their 2023 recommendation article and they even have an article dedicated to just that one pan now.
+1 for Wirecutter, they have never really led me wrong.
https://www.cuisinart.com/shopping/cookware/skillets-fry-pan/722-20ns/
These do have an "Aluminum encapsulated base", whatever that means (though the site also says dishwasher safe), but I've been using these for a couple years now and they're great! I hand wash them, rather than use a dishwasher, but they clean easily and my food seems to cook pretty well in them. I have no complaints! You can find them at Target and probably some other places.
They basically put a huge disc of aluminum inside the base of your pan sandwiched inside the steel under the non-stick that does two things.
Aluminum's heat transfer coefficient is ~235 w/mK, where stainless steel's is like ~15 w/mK. It basically makes it so that your pan is more evenly heated along the bottom, minimizing hot and cold spots. The aluminum is moving heat around > 10x faster than the stainless.
It's a big chunk of metal that acts as a heat reservoir, keeping the temperate of the pan more consistent when you drop a large amount of food into it (or really cold food). This is both better for the pan (less thermal stress) and better for ease of cooking.
My favorites are the costco’s Zwilling three pan set. Every other pan has sucked for me or has teflon. (I’ve tried oxo and others)
I’ve had these for >5 years and they look and function exactly the same as the day I bought them: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004KSN8XY?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
They are advertised as dishwasher safe, however being non-stick I’ve found it never takes more than a quick brush to get them clean after use which likely extends their life.
Love this Tramontina 14" 5 qt. ceramic non-stick pan. The kit has gone up in price since we got it, but it's a dream to cook with.
The form factor lets it double as a frying pan or wok for stir fries, it's oven-safe for braising, and induction-ready. The lid isn't transparent, but it fits snugly for steaming and simmering. No problems getting a good sear or browning, unlike most non-stick cookware. It's nicely balanced, and much easier to hold than heavy cast iron. After 9 months of use 2 - 3x/week, it still requires nothing but a wipe and a rinse, yet looks brand new. We haven't been particularly careful about metal utensils - no visible scratches or chips.
[Tramontina may also be the manufacturer for the more expensive Caraway pans. They've been a name in moderately priced commercial cookware for a long time, and a great value if you can find their products.]
I bought a Starfrit "the rock" pan last year and I really like it. Seems like I can take it a bit hotter than standard nonstick. Also have a Chantal Induction 21 saucepan which impressed me with its thick base. Both are ceramic. For longer life everyone says to hand wash, and never ever use anything metal on them, but I'm pretty terrible about the handwashing part.
expensive option: Scanpan
inexpensive option: Target's store brand
I've had the Scanpan pans for years, and they've held up really well. however, I found myself wanting extra pans so that I would always have a clean one available, even if I let dishes pile up in the sink. that got me searching for some inexpensive-but-still-good pans, that I could buy a couple of without breaking the bank, and I found those ones from Target.
Target also has stainless steel pans, and surprisingly they're at the top of Consumer Reports rankings (screenshot). they're rated on par with pans 3-5 times their price.
the Target nonstick pans aren't at the top of the ratings chart, but if you look at their review (screenshot) they're perfectly cromulent - 5/5 on all the nonstick qualities, dinged one point for cooking evenness, and the handle isn't as sturdy as they'd like it to be.
I have this set from Le Creuset. Yes it's pricy, but if you're patient, the sales are worth it. I think I paid $200 CDN for mine.
I like tefal teflon non-stick. Do not put them in the dishwasher - this will destroy the non-stick coating. They do not need to go into a dishwaher. Give them a wipe with a damp cloth. Then dry them. I've had Tefal pans for 10 years that maintained their non-stick.
The only thing to look out for is that some of Tefal's pans can be used on induction, and others cannot.
We’ve got a mix of cast iron and All-Clad steel pans. Highly recommend both. We have some Staub and Le Creuset cookware as well that gets its fair share of use.
Let me say this is my first comment on tildes, happy to be here.
I do use my grandmothers cast iron pans that are 65+ years old. They are wonderful. But a few years ago my wife bought me a set of All-Clad nonstick pans, and it’s my favorite gift of all time, they really are a joy to cook with, it’s one of those things where I just find myself really enjoying the experience of using them and overall they feel like a very good value. I also have a set of All-Clad stainless and to me I will always prefer using the nonstick set even when boiling water and other tasks that don’t necessarily benefit from the nonstick features this set has to offer.
Another thing I enjoy is the grey and black design of the pans and the glass lips, although I have been worried about dropping a lid and it breaking , but that hasn’t happened yet, so fingers crossed. I’m sure there are less expensive alternatives that might be as if not more enjoyable to use but this was in my budget for long lasting quality cookware.
When my one partner and I needed a set of pans last year in July, we got a cheapest set off Amazon that was ceramic coated. They're doing pretty well, I'd say.
Sounds like you should get them from Costco. That way when they go bad, you can return them and get new ones. You can return anything to Costco once your dissatisfied.
I haven't used them but looking to get a nitrided cast iron pan - non stick but still light weight
After college, one of my friends got rachel ray anodized aluminum nonstick pans and we all liked them so the whole friends group has them. There are various 10-12 piece sets out there on amazon and whatnot in various colors - something like this I've had mine for nearly 10 years and see no signs of chipping or anything. Thats with throwing them in the dishwasher weekly, but with strictly no metal utensils.
I have a couple of pieces of cast iron and a carbon steel pan as well. They have their advantages, but I really don't like doing dishes - so I end up using them less often than I should. Mostly for things like grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, and breakfast foods - and anything that needs to go in the oven. I do want to pick up a nicer polished cast iron - but I already don't have much kitchen space for my current ones.
Buy De Buyer pans, the carbon steel ones. It really is a “buy once, cry once” decision you’ll be able to appreciate down the road. They require maintenance and can’t go in the dishwasher, but they will be the best pans you probably will have ever used in your life. I have been expanding my set over the past 15 years and I now have 3 frying pans, 4 crepe pans and a blini pan. That last one sucks and it’s the only one I regret buying.
non-stick pans never last forever but it's handy to keep one or two cheap ones around that you don't have to feel too bad about replacing every few years. I personally like the t-fal forged aluminum non-stick pans because they have no coating to flake off, the non-stickness comes from the texture of the surface. It still wears out over time, and because they're aluminum they should still be hand washed, but the failure mode is that it just stops being non-stick rather than degrading directly into your food
We got some Tramontina Fusion pans for Christmas two years ago, and they're holding up like the day we got them. My husband has used some metal utensils in them and they've gotten some scratches, but it doesn't seem to affect their use at all. I like that they are oven safe, and even though I still handwash them, they are marked as dishwasher safe as well. The best part about the fusion line is the rivets for the handle don't go all the way through to the cooking surface. It makes cleaning a lot easier!
Get a cast iron skillet and a enameled cast iron skillet. All you will ever need.
That shit flaking off those shitty pans is not good for you at all.