Can you rec your good non-stick pans?

[halfpint]

We have a set now that is "green" non-stick.  I'm scared of too many toxins, and want good, quality pans.  These were not cheap, but after less than two years, they have lost their non-stick properties.  

Any suggestions?  I really want something dishwasher safe, too - can I have a mix of quality, non-stick and dishwasher safe, or am I dreaming here?  

[Deleted]

Kirkland Costco. I took a chance on their Kirkland ones and figured I could bring them back in 1 yr 2 yrs 3 yrs if they did not hold up. But they are still holding steady. NOTHING sticks. GREAT quality and cheap at just under $200. BUT they are not dishwasher safe.

[mbcdefg]

I have a couple of T-Fal nonstick pans.

[ddi741]

Ours our Technique from QVC. Dishwasher safe and still non-stick after 4 years.

Link

[hamster]

H got these for Christmas and loves them.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019R4SXS/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00

[CloudBee]

I would suggest looking into stainless steel. We purchased an Emeril set about a year ago, and they are made by All-Clad.

We had been using hard anonized pans from Calphalon for years, but really felt like over time litte bits of the pan were coming off. They also scratched pretty easily.

I was hesitant to purchase stainless, but am thrilled that we did. You can cook on lower settings, and can easily prevent food from sticking by using the smallest amount of butter (say for eggs) or olive/veg oil (meat or veggies). With stainless you can also be more aggressive with scraping and moving food around as you cook. With non-stick surfaces I always felt like I could never quite push down hard enough to lightly push/scrape things around on the base of the pan while cooking.

We rarely have to scrape our stainless cookware, and always toss it into the dishwasher to clean.

[Deleted]

Jan 23, 2013 10:26:14 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Nonstick/teflon pans are not dishwasher safe. Also, I read recently that you shouldn't keep nonstick for more than a year and a half (though I've kept mine way longer but I also don't use it regularly). I'd go for stainless, hands down. I have all stainless, 1 nonstick for certain things (eggs, fritters, etc.), and a cast iron pan that I use a ton. If the cast iron is seasoned properly, it's nonstick (but you do have to handwash it). Stainless can go in the dishwasher and lasts forever (plus it cooks way better IMO). If you buy stainless a way to make stuff stick less is to heat the pan first, then add the oil/butter/whatever for just a minute to heat that, and then add the meat (or whatever).

Exactly this. We just got a cast iron pan so I can't speak 100% to that part, but we LOVE our stainless and it doesn't stick much if at all when properly oiled/buttered. Once we have our cast iron pan properly seasoned (it's "preseasoned" but I imagine we will still need to work on it ourselves) I expect that it will essentially replace the one nonstick pan we currently have.

[wrigley]

I have the pampered chef executive cookware.  I got it as a wedding gift almost 6 years ago and it all still looks like new.  I have been very happy with them.  I know they were kind of pricey, but I do love them.

[greencrayon]

We registered for a set of Calphalon pans when we get married. I've had them for two years, and I love them!

www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=15087943

[CallingAllAngels]

Ditty windycity and CloudBee

We use our cast iron skillet and our Kirkland (Costco brand) stainless steel most of the time. I don't put any pans in the dishwasher though. We have a large nonstick that we use only for omelets. We do scrambled eggs in stainless steel with olive oil and fried eggs in our cast iron skillet (usually after frying bacon - yum). I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy our SS pans are to clean.

[sillygoosegirl]

Ditto everyone on stainless. I also love our cast iron pans, although they can't go in the dishwasher. (I rarely put any pan in the dishwasher anyway.)

When things do stick to your stainless pans (which shouldn't happen often unless you cook like my DH--put the oil in and turn the heat on and only then start cutting veggies), you'll want to use a little Barkeeps Friend, which cleans it up pretty easily.

We've been very happy with our Calphalon, which we've had for like 8 years now. Some of the largest flat pans warped slightly (or maybe were never perfectly flat), as we learned when we lived for a while in a home with a glass-top stove, but it's not anything you'd notice when cooking with gas. However, they have much more ergonomic handles and balance than many other brands.

[LoveTrains]

Ok, this seriously just blew my mind. You aren't supposed to put the oil in the pan when its cold?!
Why have I never heard this before? This explains why everything sticks to my pans.

so in the future, turn the heat on, wait, then put the oil in?

[Deleted]

I have a large skillet from Pampered Chef that's about 10yrs old and it's just starting to look tired in the past 6mos or so. They discontinued the exact line about 4yrs ago, but I would absolutely be willing to shell out for a new one when the time comes.

One thing I figured out about non-stick pans is to avoid using processed sprays like Pam. I began really looking into clean eating about a year ago. Since I've switched to only olive oil, butter and Earth Balance, this sticky nasty coating has disappeared from my pans and they're in much better condition. Not to mention the idea of cooking food in a product with silicone a bit off-putting...

[raangoli]

Jan 23, 2013 12:06:03 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Jan 23, 2013 11:54:07 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Ok, this seriously just blew my mind. You aren't supposed to put the oil in the pan when its cold?!
Why have I never heard this before? This explains why everything sticks to my pans.

so in the future, turn the heat on, wait, then put the oil in?

For stainless, yes.

For nonstick, you should not heat the pan without oil so for those you need to do oil/butter first. 

I did not know that about nonstick. Perhaps that is why the pan I use the most doesn't seem to have fared well. Lesson learned.

[Deleted]

I have a Calphalon hard-anodized set that I got at Costco. It is dishwasher safe and non-stick. I am lazy and really wanted the dishwasher safe option. I got them for Chrismas in 2010 and they are still doing great.

[CloudBee]

Jan 23, 2013 11:54:07 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Ok, this seriously just blew my mind. You aren't supposed to put the oil in the pan when its cold?!
Why have I never heard this before? This explains why everything sticks to my pans.

so in the future, turn the heat on, wait, then put the oil in?

Yes, with SS.  You will notice such a difference if you take this approach.  Same with putting down butter.

[casmgn]

I really want to replace most of our nonstick for stainless, but I can't justify the diet right now. The stainless skillet and saucepan definitely get the most use in our house.

You could also get some enameled pots and pans if you want some pieces that are naturally nonstick.

[jaybird]

I have these ceramic over aluminum pans and really like them. The white interior was odd at first but it does make it easier to cook eventually.

llink

[mrssandro]

We got this set for Christmas. So far I love them. So easy to clean.

www.amazon.com/T-Fal-Initiatives-10-Piece-Nonstick-Inside/dp/B000063YA3/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1358961750&sr=1-3&keywords=t-fal

While we do like the stainless steel ones and they do last forever..they are such a pain to clean.

**And they are dishwasher safe.

[blacksred]

My paula deen set is Awesome

Sent from Samsung galaxy s3

[aspentosh]

This is fascinating. I am going to save this for when we buy new pots and pans. Hopefully next year.

[steph96]

I love our Rachel Ray pans!

I can't stand stainless steel. I always burn things no matter what I do. We have a nice set of stainless pot and pans that I'm tempted to throw away.

[whitemerlot]

I don't use nonstick either, with the exception on having 2 Calphalon hard-anodized pans. I have the same thing that Cloudbee has, the Emeril pans. I really like them and cook a lot. I think I've had them about 4 years.

[ladygrey]

Jan 23, 2013 10:43:59 GMT -5 @carmensandiego said:

Jan 23, 2013 10:26:14 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Nonstick/teflon pans are not dishwasher safe. Also, I read recently that you shouldn't keep nonstick for more than a year and a half (though I've kept mine way longer but I also don't use it regularly). I'd go for stainless, hands down. I have all stainless, 1 nonstick for certain things (eggs, fritters, etc.), and a cast iron pan that I use a ton. If the cast iron is seasoned properly, it's nonstick (but you do have to handwash it). Stainless can go in the dishwasher and lasts forever (plus it cooks way better IMO). If you buy stainless a way to make stuff stick less is to heat the pan first, then add the oil/butter/whatever for just a minute to heat that, and then add the meat (or whatever).

Exactly this. We just got a cast iron pan so I can't speak 100% to that part, but we LOVE our stainless and it doesn't stick much if at all when properly oiled/buttered. Once we have our cast iron pan properly seasoned (it's "preseasoned" but I imagine we will still need to work on it ourselves) I expect that it will essentially replace the one nonstick pan we currently have.

Tritto this. We primarily use our stainless All-Clad or Lodge Logic cast-iron skillet for most things. The only thing we use a non-stick pan for is eggs; we have a 12" Calphalon Unison and it's great.