non stick pots, pans, grills (cooker, butter, teflon, stainless steel)

[d4g4m]

I've bought different brands of non stick pots, pans, grills. Tried low heat, medium heat, high heat. Tried no spray and pam spray. Is there any difference with low cost or high cost coatings or brands?
What is the secret to having food or any part of what you're cooking NOT stick to a non stick surface?

[Debsi]

I've read that using any spray in a non-stick pan ruins the finish.

Too late for mine.

[geekduo]

Go with a well seasoned cast iron pan and you'll never go back.

[arsbadmojo]

Originally Posted by geekduo

Go with a well seasoned cast iron pan and you'll never go back.

Hard to flip an over easy egg in cast iron.

I like a small cheap-o Teflon coated pan for exactly that purpose. Otherwise, I dunno, it's not a big deal for me. I cook with a lot of oil and butter I guess. What exactly are you having trouble with insofar as sticking?

[Debsi]

Originally Posted by arsbadmojo

Hard to flip an over easy egg in cast iron.

I like a small cheap-o Teflon coated pan for exactly that purpose. Otherwise, I dunno, it's not a big deal for me. I cook with a lot of oil and butter I guess. What exactly are you having trouble with insofar as sticking?

I'm the same. I only have one non-stick pan. I love cast iron, but there are times when it's not the right tool.

[geekduo]

Originally Posted by d4g4m

I've bought different brands of non stick pots, pans, grills. Tried low heat, medium heat, high heat. Tried no spray and pam spray. Is there any difference with low cost or high cost coatings or brands?
What is the secret to having food or any part of what you're cooking NOT stick to a non stick surface?

For those times that I do use a non-stick, I usually use a little canola oil in the pan and medium-high heat. Not spray. I've never had a problem with sticking. My pans are not expensive ones either. I also make sure the pan is heated before I add the food. Good luck.

[Huckleberry3911948]

a pro taught me this. get the best big fry pan you can the best. dont use metal on it every, wood or plastic. replace every year.
do not crank it up over medium ever.
works for me.

[cb at sea]

A non-stick pan only lasts about 1-2 years. Never put them in the dishwasher--always wash by hand. Never use really high heat.
They work best when new. They aren't expensive--Wal-mart has them for under $15!

[Nomadicus]

I agree with the cast iron concept. Eggs can be flipped with a tool. At least I think they can. If I can't cook it in iron I don't really needed it. Just my gut feelings about any artificial non stick coating is not very settling. With all the correctness of going green and similar I truly believe that cast iron that lasts is a place to start. They last how many life times in stead of 1 to 2 years? Just a thought of mine. We have used non stick over the years and non stick was found to be a relative term. Friday last week I looked at the current offerings and it's like gone high tech trying to read about the new terminology. That's when I decided to frequent moving sales, garage sales, and flea markets looking for the good stuff that is non stick in its on right when seasoned and no fear of damaging beyond repair. I think you may enjoy reading much more about cast iron and how to use it as an alternative in a thread dedicated to it.

[7G9C4J2]

Funny, I know that the majority of folks swear by their non-stick cookware, but we really don't like it. No matter how gently we treat it, how militant we are about using ONLY plastic utensils in it and NEVER, EVER cleaning with anything but a soft dish cloth, the coating starts to scratch and come up within a year or so. And I just can't believe that it's good for us to be eating that stuff.

We've got the stainless steel version of Calphalon, and at least a half-dozen pieces of cast iron ware in various shapes & sizes (and by the way, if you prep the pan right, an egg over easy in cast iron is a very easy thing to manage), but nary a piece of non-stick. We even went on an internet hunt and found a rice cooker that doesn't have that plastic coating on it; not an easy thing to find, but we managed.

The most crucial thing to remember is a tip from the Frugal Gourmet (granted, he wasn't very frugal, and I was appalled by the revelations of his erstwhile assistant, but we still learned a lot from him). His mantra was "hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick." Heat your pan up to the point where it's ready to cook, THEN pour in the requisite amount of oil (or spray with pan spray) and add whatever you're cooking, and you won't have a problem with sticking. Works for us like a charm, in cast iron or stainless steel.