Non-Stick- Safest Cookware? (dishwasher, heating, stove, color)

[Forever Blue]

I need to get a couple of skillets. My Cusineart's skillet cooking surface is getting rough & the food is hard to wash off. I don't want teflon (unsafe) nor cast iron (too heavy).

Anyone know the BEST, safest, non-stick surface?

- PFOA-free ceramic nonstick (white-colored finish)
- regular cephalon (dark grey color finish)
- stainless steel (food will stick, right?)

Any good brands out there that are not cheap, but not pricey?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

surface is getting rough & the food is hard to wash off.

How do you clean your pans?
MOST people are too afraid of germs and insist on scouring and sanitizing
method more appropriate to surgical instruments.

Properly cared for skillets and pots will last for DECADES.

How to Season a Pan | Pan Seasoning Guide

[Brian_M]

I switched to stainless 2 years ago and honestly, my food sticks less now than it did before when I was using non-stick coated cookwear. As a backup, I simply always have a can of olive oil spray handy (sits next to my salt and pepper) and will happily give a pan a quick spritz if I'm concerned.

If it's something you're interested in trying And on a budget, I can whole-heartidly recommend the Tramontina tri-clad (walmart) stuff. Even Cooks Illustrated/Americas Test Kitchen put it as the best buy and #2 overall to All-Clad. Having used my parents All-Clad, I can't tell a difference as a home cook.

[jetgraphics]

My recommendations for "non stick" cookware:
[] well seasoned cast iron
[] stainless steel (tri clad or similar heat distribution methods)
. . .
[] For eggs, I switched to poaching them, soft or hard.
. . .
IMHO, budget aluminum pans with non-stick coatings are [excrementally challenged]. And even my Caphalon pot is peeling despite TLC, hand washing, and never higher than medium flame.

[chet everett]

The various firms like vollrath/ lincoln/ regal / wear-ever improve the process and formulation of non-stick every few years. The commercial lines they sell through resturant supply houses are very likely the ideal combination of affordable and superior durability. The base of these pans is always a thick layer of solid aluminum. It is superior conductor but it is soft and will not hold a polish. It is also notoriously damaged by harsh household automatic dishwasher detergents -- commercial kitchens typically have a human that cleans pans. The commercial kitchen has stacks of pans that they sanitize in a controlled steam dishwasher for food safety, not beauty. That said, over many years of use even the best quality non-stick will wear away. It is a coating that is just a few microns thick. A busy resturant will have a schedule to replace pans every few years.


The panic mongers have never found any real evidence that non-stick is unhealthy. Sure, if you overheat an empty pan the heat will breakdown the coating, but every non-stick pan I have ever bought specifically warns against doing that. The actual PTFE is inert. Labs around the world use the stuff specifically becuase there is nearly nothing that reacts with it. The various steps used to bond it to pans have changed over the years and the newer processes result in a far more durable surface. Even fancy Euro-brands that marketers claimed to use some secret "green" formula have been found to rely on the same industrial processes that undoubtedly create toxic waste -- you cannot bond an inert substance to any metallic substrate without some intense industrial acids / exotic solvents. Even "glassification" and other exotic high temperature processes through off toxic byproducts.

That said, probably 95% of people misuse nonstick pans. Using cheap sprays with emuslifiers like lecithin will just gum up the non-stick and then trying to scrub that residue away will break the mechanical bond to the pan.

If you are cooking something like a piece of meat that you want to brown you should not be using a non-stick pan -- the same hydro-phobic properties of the non-stick actually work against browning.

Stainless or cast iron skillets are the right tool when you want to brown something. With appropriate shortening /oil and careful attention to control temperature / doneness you should never have too much to clean out. If you are doing Paul Prudhomme style blackened redfish you are better off doing that outdoors and after the fish is plated you can set the pan back on the camp burner to incinerate any residue...

Cooking eggs, cheese or milk based sauces are the few times that you should be using a non-stick pan.

[davebarnes]

http://www.amazon.com/Yoshi-Blue-Dia...dp/B00CXST5MG#

[Flamingo13]

I seem to recall a thread on this in the food/cooking thread, I'd search there.

[Threestep2]

I switched to Calphalon Elite recently and love it. Well seasoned cast iron for bread and corn bread baking.

[fishbrains]

I use cast iron for everything including eggs, which are perhaps the iconic "sticky" food. Most items don't stick at all, requiring a simple soapy sponge to clean the pan. If something does stick, a course sponge or plastic scrubbing pad with light pressure cleans them nicely.

You do need to use a bit of care with the pans. Don't leave them submerged in water to soak, dry them thoroughly, and give them a very light wipe down with oil afte you have cleaned them. I dry them by placing them on the stove and heating them, and I use olive oil to wipe down.

If you ever need to re-season them it us a simple process that involves coating the pan with oil heating in the oven for a short period of time.

Stainless steel is a nightmare, and I keep a few stainless pans only for emergency backup.

[mmyk72]

I've carbon steel pans on my wish list. They have similar feature as the cast iron pan but not as heavy. My mom used a carbon steel wok and it never sticks when cooking meat. Rice sticks to the bottom but it is very easy to clean using plastic or metal scrubber -yes metal, it does not get scratched up. Dry and heat it on the stove and it's ready for the next use.