I need advice on saute/frying pans

In The Sticks

In The Sticks

Friend of Frank
Location
Central Virginia (Charlottesville/Richmond)
It's time to replace the 2 non-stick pans that I have, and am overwhelmed by choice.
I'm looking for an 8" one and a 10" one so I can re-purpose the existing lids (hopefully they'll be close enough.)

I have cast iron pans, and use the non-stick for making sauces, rice, poached eggs, etc.

My existing ones are from a JC Penney set. They're just old and beat.

55008b6ee6d75-jc-penney-cooks-hard-anodized-aluminum-12-inch-skillet-mdn.jpg


I cannot find these as separate items on Penney's website; otherwise, I'd just do a direct replacement.

I've been on Amazon's website and am overwhelmed by choice.

Do you have a favorite brand? A favorite material?
 

if you're gonna go non-stick get the best you can afford. also look at customer reviews before purchasing. crappy non-stick won't last you long. you want durability. and use plastic utensils in them so you don't scrape the non-stick material. in case you didn't already know. :)
 
I have a set of ceramic nonstick that are the Williams-Sonoma store brand; I have had them 4 or 5 years and they are holding up well. I can't find them on the WS website but there are plenty of others to choose. This is a great deal on Calphalon... https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/calphalon-elite-slide-nonstick-fry-pan-set/?pkey=s|nonstick saute pan|137

Cooks Illustrated (America's Test Kitchen) "best" rated non-stick is OXO. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...be-20&linkId=50971b69b0465660e8a441df351e64a1 Most nonstick cookware has a limited lifespan so they seldom recommend an "elite" brand (All-Clad) as a best buy.

Last year the CI (America's Test Kitchen) winner was T-fal. These are high-rated on Amazon... https://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Ultimate-Anodized-Resistant-Thermo-Spot/dp/B07H18G2P4/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1GVK7I38MBND8&dchild=1&keywords=t-fal+nonstick+frying+pans&qid=1588659464&s=home-garden&sprefix=t-fal,garden,195&sr=1-2
 
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I like stainless steel for carmelizing, it just works better than the non stick. Buy the best you can afford.

Also have a non stick T-fall with two small handles instead of the one long handle as it takes up less room.

I also have a set of Lagostina cookware in stainless, it's over thirty years old and good as new.
 
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As a gourmet vegan chef, I strongly recommend buying the best stainless steel pots and pans you can afford. With no offense intended, every single non-stick pan I've ever tried has been garbage. I'm also extremely suspicious of the no danger claims for all of the chemical crap in those non-stick coatings.

If money is a matter of consideration, hit your local restaurant supply house, and stock up on inexpensive carbon steel pans. They have a learning curve (as do ss pans), to be sure, but once you know what you're doing, you'll be fine. They're used in many of the finer restaurants, worldwide.
 
Mine are ancient and still work well so can't give advice but love pans with metal handles that can be popped into oven for quick browning or warming.
 
I don't know much about Sam's club products but a co-worker got some really nice knives out there. Maybe you check and see what they have for non-stick.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone. Between what the internet has done to brick & mortar stores and the virus, there's no place for me to go to touch & feel.

Like most people here, my knives are all Henkels, Wüstof and Sabatier. I didn't know that Henkels had been bought out by an Italian company. The zwilling.com website shows the international line as being Made in Spain and others being made in China (as one of mine is). I've had my knives for a very long time, so that Made in China thing is not a recent development. Who knew?

Lee, it's funny you should mention caramelizing. The pans were already getting a little dull, and when I reduced a balsamic butter syrup the other night, I pretty much destroyed the smaller one with the sugars. (The sauce was delicious.) That's what got me started on this quest. I looked up Langostino and the stuff's now made in China (with the possible exception of Opera, their top line.) An internet chef and product reviewer posted a scathing open letter to them about this in 2017. Apparently Le Creuset is also Made in China. None of these manufacturers are making this point clear on their web sites. Just putting this out there as an FYI to others. Nothing is as it used to be, huh?

treeguy: I came here to get opinions after putzing around on Amazon's website and saw a German Ozeri "Earth Stone" pan at a hefty price. The coating is "stone-derived" and "eco-friendly." One of the reviewers emailed the company regarding the nature of the coating, and there's some amount of tap-dancing around the true nature of the coating: "Free of APEO, GenX, PFBS, PFOS, PFOA, and the lesser known chemicals NMP and NEP." Gee, they have all the bases covered, huh? Nope. When asked the direct question about a specific Teflon chemical: "Unfortunately, this specific pan is not PTFE free. However, we do ensure that the pans are safe and won't run the risk of harming the customer." They then go on to discuss the typical temperature most foods are cooked at relative to the "harmful gases released" threshold, as though you'll never accidentally overheat the pan. "Earth Stone," indeed.

I appreciate all the input and product links. Time to go on the web and see what I can find.
 
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I own All-Clad stainless, LeCreuset cast iron, and a couple of good quality non-stick pans from Williams-Sonoma. Every well-equipped kitchen needs at least one nonstick skillet. The newer nonstick surfaces are not dangerous or toxic as some were in the past.
 
Since this is sort of on the same topic, I am wondering if anyone else makes use of parchment paper to get around the sticking problem.

I have a good heavy duty stainless roasting pan. I line it with parchment, cut a whole chicken in half, surround it with oiled potatoes, and during the last half hour of baking baste it with barbq or honey sauce and No Sticking....and easy cleanup too.
 
Lee said:
Since this is sort of on the same topic, I am wondering if anyone else makes use of parchment paper to get around the sticking problem.

I have a good heavy duty stainless roasting pan. I line it with parchment, cut a whole chicken in half, surround it with oiled potatoes, and during the last half hour of baking baste it with barbq or honey sauce and No Sticking....and easy cleanup too.
Click to expand...
I use parchment paper when I bake cookies or other things on a baking sheet.
 
Lee said:
Since this is sort of on the same topic, I am wondering if anyone else makes use of parchment paper to get around the sticking problem.

I have a good heavy duty stainless roasting pan. I line it with parchment, cut a whole chicken in half, surround it with oiled potatoes, and during the last half hour of baking baste it with barbq or honey sauce and No Sticking....and easy cleanup too.
Click to expand...
I've never used parchment for roasting meats (no reason, just never thought of it), but I use it for baking all the time. I assume you could pull the parchment out after roasting a chicken and still make gravy with the drippings.

When I bake Italian bread, I make the loaves and put them on parchment for the final rise (I lay them in a French bread loaf pan to hole their shape during this last rise.)

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The paper makes them easy to transfer off the pan and onto the stone in the oven...no fancy equipment needed. It also makes it easy to rotate the loaves halfway through the baking process. The initial bake temp is at 500° and the paper holds up fine.
 
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For a 12.5" non-stick fry pan, I like the T-Fal fry pan. The year I got it, the non-stick was highly rated by America's Test Kitchens (PBS program).

I think it was under $35.00 on Amazon back then.

T-fal E93808 Professional Nonstick Fry Pan

currently unavailable, but I'm sure it will re-stock.

(sorry):oops:

Edit to say, I just realize C'est Moi already mentioned this pan in her post #5!
 
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Lee said:
Since this is sort of on the same topic, I am wondering if anyone else makes use of parchment paper to get around the sticking problem.

I have a good heavy duty stainless roasting pan. I line it with parchment, cut a whole chicken in half, surround it with oiled potatoes, and during the last half hour of baking baste it with barbq or honey sauce and No Sticking....and easy cleanup too.
Click to expand...
I use parchment on sheet pans @Lee, when roasting veggies in a single layer.
 
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RadishRose said:
For a 12.5" non-stick fry pan, I like the T-Fal fry pan. The year I got it, the non-stick was highly rated by America's Test Kitchens (PBS program).

I think it was under $35.00 on Amazon back then.

currently unavailable.

(sorry):oops:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the lead. I'll add it to my list of things to check out.

I've bought some amount of stuff because I saw it on ATK. Those cheap flexible cutting boards are the BEST!! 4/$10 at Walmart.
 
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