Fry pans....

AndrewH

Well-Known Member
I have used a Henkel blue one, Ballarini, Calphalon and a Tfal. They all seem to last maybe a couple years before they lose the nonstick property and you need to start cooking with lots of oil again.

My Miss's isn't a huge fan of cooking with oil so I am trying to find another frypan to try out. Anyone have any suggestions on one that lasts a long time?
 
We have a collection of old cast iron from garage sales, inheritances and Re-store. All the other fry pans are in the garage sale pile. With occasional seasoning and very little dish soap, they are very non-stick and easy to wipe out. Dry on an element or in the oven.
 
T-Fal came up with an interesting design for a stainless pan that I like. The bottom of the pan has many raised ovals. This leaves low areas like channels that allow a small amount of oil to circulate under food, especially meat. This significantly decreases food sticking to the pan. You do still need a small amount of oil. Get the large spay on cans of oil from Costco, which makes it easier to control the amount of oil you put in the pan.
 
I completely switched to cast iron about 5 years ago. I love my CI pans. Non stick, super easy cleanup. You don’t need the fancy ones, the Canadian tire 20 dollar specials come pre-seasoned and ready to go and are just fine for daily users.

My wife doesn’t like them, she says they’re too heavy but it doesn’t matter, I’m the head chef here. I keep one crappy Teflon pan here for her to use in the rare event she cooks something.
 
I got rid of all my non stick except a small egg pan. Cast Iron for me. I have flat skillets, Dutch ovens, etc. Some are better than others , sometimes you find a gem at a garage sale. Some of those no name ones I have a great.. the new lodge is crap IMHO. The more you use them the better they get.
 
I have used a Henkel blue one, Ballarini, Calphalon and a Tfal. They all seem to last maybe a couple years before they lose the nonstick property and you need to start cooking with lots of oil again.

My Miss's isn't a huge fan of cooking with oil so I am trying to find another frypan to try out. Anyone have any suggestions on one that lasts a long time?
Get her to research Teflon, PFAS, PFOA, and PFTE. I can almost guarantee she would prefer to use oil. Cast iron when treated properly requires no oil for cooking and is virtually no stick. Well as long as my wife doesn't insist on using dish soap on them or cooking spaghetti sauce in them. It's been 30 years, but she is catching on. Now if I could get her to stop using freshly sharpened knives to cut things on a plate......It seems this is going to take longer.
 
We have Paderno - Commercial Grade we bought years ago at the factory store in PEI when they still made the stuff in PEI . We bought seconds. It is preety good

We also have some commercial All Clad with the copper bottom it is excellent but stupid expensive

But the best non stick pans are the cast iron ones that I have had for over 40 years and the ones that I got from my folks that are much older.

I have never used a Finex cast iron pan but I would like to try one



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I have a couple of Allclad Nonstick pans I ordered from Costco. So far, (1.5 years use) they are the best nonstick pans we have ever used. Very thick bottoms distribute heat really well.
I have some All-clad ones as well. They are still very non-stick going on three years. My wife doesn't like how heavy the 12" is though and the handles are sort of oddly designed. Not the most ergonomic things in the world. Much thicker than the Tramontina though so better heat distribution.

I get the whole cast iron debate and I do love it for searing meat or slow cooking stews and sauces. But you really can't cook large portions of anything that needs flipping or tossing as efficiently. They're just too heavy. I have several of each and the lightest pan is what I'll go to most often. My wrists thank me.

The other thing I'll say is that after going ceramic for many years I'll never go back to that garbage. What a scam. The new Teflon technology is much safer and as long as you're not an idiot and overheat or scratch the **** out of it you're perfectly safe. I still think non-stick pans are the type of thing you replace every 3-5 years though.
 
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I basically use three:

1) Cast Iron for cooking meats and potatoes and certain vegetables.
2) Carbon Steel Wok (from China town). Honestly, this is where I'd say I cook 75% of our meals. Great for cooking any vegetables, stir frys, curries, Noodle dishes. I even use it for searing tuna and other fish if I am just doing small portions. Best $40 bucks you can spend really.
3) Non-stick pan, basically only for eggs as eggs are a bit too delicate for the cast iron and wok and can get coloured up easy by their seasoning.
 
I basically use three:

1) Cast Iron for cooking meats and potatoes and certain vegetables.
2) Carbon Steel Wok (from China town). Honestly, this is where I'd say I cook 75% of our meals. Great for cooking any vegetables, stir frys, curries, Noodle dishes. I even use it for searing tuna and other fish if I am just doing small portions. Best $40 bucks you can spend really.
3) Non-stick pan, basically only for eggs as eggs are a bit too delicate for the cast iron and wok and can get coloured up easy by their seasoning.
Yup, Chinatown carbon steel wok is a must. Even got all the larger wok utensils from the same store and I was shocked at how cheap it was.
 
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Nice score! Don't mind that "Starfrit" brand Barbeque friendly.....We have quiet a selection of pans mostly depends on what we are cooking and what we are cooking on!
 
Canadian Tire has one of the great deals on Lagostina sets $1,000.00 off retail this week

*Was $1,249.99 Sale $249.99

Lagostina 3-Ply Stainless Steel Commercial Clad Cookware Set, Oven Safe, 12-pc​



(215) 4.2 out of 5 stars. 215 reviews #142-2407-4

Lagostina



Lagostina 3-Ply Stainless Steel Commercial Clad Cookware Set, Oven Safe, 12-pc Product image


*Was $1,249.99 Sale $249.99



 
Yup, Chinatown carbon steel wok is a must. Even got all the larger wok utensils from the same store and I was shocked at how cheap it was. need to get a new wok, .Is there a specific store and wok to look for?Or are the same generic carbon steel.
I've been looking for a new wok,next time I'm on the mainland gonna have to make a stop in chinatown.Have not been able to find a decent carbon steel one in Nanaimo.
Is there a specific store and brand wok to look for or are they just generic?
 
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