debodun
SF VIP
- Location
- way upstate in New York, USA
Are those non-stick frying pans as good as they look in the commercials?
Non-Stick Frying Pans
- Thread starter debodun
- Start date
I do know some are better than others.
We have two, and both are T-Fal. We've had them for a good handful of years, and they're virtually still like new, though they don't ensure the same absolute stick-free qualities they did when we first bought them.
As for all the commercials advertising non-stick frying pans, I often think they doctor-up pans purposely just for the commercials, just to make their product look that much better.
I would stick with familiar and well known brands, and stay away from those brown or coppery coloured pans. We tried one and it was garbage.
We have two, and both are T-Fal. We've had them for a good handful of years, and they're virtually still like new, though they don't ensure the same absolute stick-free qualities they did when we first bought them.
As for all the commercials advertising non-stick frying pans, I often think they doctor-up pans purposely just for the commercials, just to make their product look that much better.
I would stick with familiar and well known brands, and stay away from those brown or coppery coloured pans. We tried one and it was garbage.
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Aunt Bea
SF VIP
- Location
- Near Mount Pilot
I stick with well-seasoned old cast iron frying pans.
I have a 6" that I use only for eggs and a 9" that I use for everything else including cornbread and pineapple upside-down cake.
I have a 6" that I use only for eggs and a 9" that I use for everything else including cornbread and pineapple upside-down cake.
Cast iron is great cooking, but oh! , I just don't have the strength to deal with them anymore ...
Don M.
SF VIP
- Location
- central Missouri
If you are asking about these "copper" pans, for $19.95, "but wait, if you order in the next 10 minutes, we will double your offer", ads. they are mostly junk....like most of that "as seen on TV" stuff.
If you feel the need to buy some of that stuff, just shop the As Seen on TV selection at Walmart or Target...they sell that stuff for half price.
We have several "Major Brand" pots and pans and they have lasted for years. Our favorites are Tfal and Cuisinart.
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
I've tried a lot of Teflon and non-teflon non-stick pans. I cook a lot and put my pans through a real workout every day. I saute and pan-fry so much I have doubles in every size: 8", 10" and 12", plus a griddle pan and a crepe pan, as well as two sizes of chicken fryers and three sizes of stew/stock pots. (I have 2 saucepans - everything is non-stick - but rarely use them.)
1) The non-teflon (the ceramic and "granite" coatings) seem to only stay non-stick for a short while. I mean short - within a dozen uses they start sticking even with oil/cooking spray.
Once they start sticking, they're hard to clean. Scrambled eggs became a major pain, even soaked with soapy water.
2) Teflon-type (which is now often described as non-PFOA) is used by many mfgs. I always use cooking spray, as well as oil when necessary for browning. As the non-stick starts to wear, I relegate it to the "browning/frying" duties. To me non-stick's real use is in the clean-up. I have burned the crap out of a non-stick pan at occasional inattentive times. An overnight soak with hot water and soap, covered and let sit....all the burned stuff simply slides right out. It won't be as good at "like new" non-stick, but it will be fine for everything but frying eggs.
I've had the best experience with these two brands:
- Circulon. It's the top of the line brand from Meyer Corp. I don't care for the new redesigned shapes of the saucepots, but it's very durable. I like the Innovatum line best as it goes through the DW easily. I like the size/shape of the stewpot. The 12pc collection only has the 6 qt size, however. The one I use the most is the Acclaim line's Stainless Steel Nonstick Wide Stockpot in the 7.5 qt size, which has to be purchased separately. However, I'm thinking to upgrade to the similar shape/size in the Innovatum line, as I like those handles much better. I really dislike the Acclaim's foam-style handles; I don't think they're that durable.
- T-Fal: But NOTE: T-Fal has cheapened up on their lower-tier frypans. The coating is still extremely durable - one of the best, in fact - but in the 2 lower-tier lines, the wider the bottom, the more likely it is to warp. My 12" T-Fal has warped evenly - it bows upwards towards the center when heated. You can tell when putting oil in the pan - as the oil (or any liquid) starts to warm, it slides off the center to the outer edge.
You can buy the top-tier T-Fal line which is T-FAL Ultimate Hard Anodized Titanium Nonstick. It's a thicker bottom so I would guess less chance of warping on wide pans (small ones are no problem for any coating). It has a special coating so unlike most hard-anodized cookware, this can go through the DW.
But it's not cheap - there's only a $10 difference between the 12 pc T-Fal and the 12-pc Circulon Innovatum, and I like the Innovatum's pan assortment better.
I have had very poor luck with Calphalon and surprisingly, even All-Clad.
Anyway, YMMV. This has just been my personal experience.
1) The non-teflon (the ceramic and "granite" coatings) seem to only stay non-stick for a short while. I mean short - within a dozen uses they start sticking even with oil/cooking spray.
Once they start sticking, they're hard to clean. Scrambled eggs became a major pain, even soaked with soapy water.
2) Teflon-type (which is now often described as non-PFOA) is used by many mfgs. I always use cooking spray, as well as oil when necessary for browning. As the non-stick starts to wear, I relegate it to the "browning/frying" duties. To me non-stick's real use is in the clean-up. I have burned the crap out of a non-stick pan at occasional inattentive times. An overnight soak with hot water and soap, covered and let sit....all the burned stuff simply slides right out. It won't be as good at "like new" non-stick, but it will be fine for everything but frying eggs.
I've had the best experience with these two brands:
- Circulon. It's the top of the line brand from Meyer Corp. I don't care for the new redesigned shapes of the saucepots, but it's very durable. I like the Innovatum line best as it goes through the DW easily. I like the size/shape of the stewpot. The 12pc collection only has the 6 qt size, however. The one I use the most is the Acclaim line's Stainless Steel Nonstick Wide Stockpot in the 7.5 qt size, which has to be purchased separately. However, I'm thinking to upgrade to the similar shape/size in the Innovatum line, as I like those handles much better. I really dislike the Acclaim's foam-style handles; I don't think they're that durable.
- T-Fal: But NOTE: T-Fal has cheapened up on their lower-tier frypans. The coating is still extremely durable - one of the best, in fact - but in the 2 lower-tier lines, the wider the bottom, the more likely it is to warp. My 12" T-Fal has warped evenly - it bows upwards towards the center when heated. You can tell when putting oil in the pan - as the oil (or any liquid) starts to warm, it slides off the center to the outer edge.
You can buy the top-tier T-Fal line which is T-FAL Ultimate Hard Anodized Titanium Nonstick. It's a thicker bottom so I would guess less chance of warping on wide pans (small ones are no problem for any coating). It has a special coating so unlike most hard-anodized cookware, this can go through the DW.
But it's not cheap - there's only a $10 difference between the 12 pc T-Fal and the 12-pc Circulon Innovatum, and I like the Innovatum's pan assortment better.
I have had very poor luck with Calphalon and surprisingly, even All-Clad.
Anyway, YMMV. This has just been my personal experience.
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debodun
SF VIP
- Location
- way upstate in New York, USA
They did a non-stick pan rating on "Cook's Country". I've watched many of these segments and they almost always seem to recommend Oxo products.
Judycat
Well-known Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Before my daughter got too sick to work there, she worked for a firm that engineered Oxo products. Those people were perfectionists. They wanted their stuff designed to last. I have one of their paper towel holders. Let me say this, the thing is designed to tightly hold a roll of paper towels for as long as rolls of paper towels exist.
