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Skillet/pan recommendations

H was frying some eggs on the stove the other day and declared that we need new pans.  Any recommendations?  I'm not overly concerned about cost if the quality warrants it.

Re: Skillet/pan recommendations

  • labrolabro member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Comments 250 Love Its Name Dropper
    I was going to say I've been pretty happy with my Calphalon non-stick set. It's lasted for 7 years and a few pieces have recently started to flake and lose their Teflon coating, but I thought this article from America's Test Kitchen was interesting too.

    https://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/1716-nonstick-skillets
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  • I have a few nice stainless steel and cast iron pans that I invested in once and will use forever. Nonstick I see as more disposable because high end or low end I never seem to get more than 5 years out of them. And I keep one nonstick for frying eggs (for the mornings I'm too lazy to do it in the cast iron and have to wash it right away when I need to get out the door). 
  • labro said:
    I was going to say I've been pretty happy with my Calphalon non-stick set. It's lasted for 7 years and a few pieces have recently started to flake and lose their Teflon coating, but I thought this article from America's Test Kitchen was interesting too.

    https://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/1716-nonstick-skillets
    I second Calphalon!  I've got some of their stuff that is 6+ years old and still looks like new. :)
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  • Just saw some nice sets at Costco.

  • I absolutely love my Pampered Chef non-stick.  They also have a lifetime warranty.  I actually used it last year as the non-stick seemed to be coming off of a couple of my pans.  There were no questions asked.  I sent them my pans and they sent me brand new ones.
    I've had them for about 8 years now.

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  • Just got curious about the safety of non stick. It's a chemical. And as long as you maintain it well (no dishwasher, no metal utensils, and don't use it on super high heat) it is considered safe. But it is recommended to replace moderately used non stick items every 3-5 years and certainly if it begins to fall apart. 

    At high temps the teflon converts to gas and also begins to break down. 



  • I had stainless steel that was gifted to me and I hated cooking on it!!

    We got a non stick set a couple years ago at macys.  Not sure the brand but it has a small red circle in the middle of the skillets.
  • jtmh2012 said:
    labro said:
    I was going to say I've been pretty happy with my Calphalon non-stick set. It's lasted for 7 years and a few pieces have recently started to flake and lose their Teflon coating, but I thought this article from America's Test Kitchen was interesting too.

    https://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/1716-nonstick-skillets
    I second Calphalon!  I've got some of their stuff that is 6+ years old and still looks like new. :)
    Another vote for Calphalon.  We've found good prices at Bed, Bath and Beyond. 
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  • For nonstick, Calphalon. We buy from our local outlet mall and replace regularly as @MommyLiberty5013 mentioned. For everything else, All Clad is worth every penny. If you get on their mailing list, they have a periodic seconds sale where prices come down by almost half. I've never been able to tell why something was seconded. They are so easy to clean and cook with and will last a lifetime. 
  • labrolabro member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Comments 250 Love Its Name Dropper
    For nonstick, Calphalon. We buy from our local outlet mall and replace regularly as @MommyLiberty5013 mentioned. For everything else, All Clad is worth every penny. If you get on their mailing list, they have a periodic seconds sale where prices come down by almost half. I've never been able to tell why something was seconded. They are so easy to clean and cook with and will last a lifetime. 
    All-Clad IS amazing! My mom is replacing her cookware and I got her an All-Clad sauce pan for Christmas. Those pieces are SO expensive, even at the outlet, but wow, they are incredible.
  • Yup, I've got a nice set of non-stick Tramontina pans from Costco.  It was like $20 for 3 of them, and they work great for when I want non-stick.  Calphalon is also nice.  And of course, cast iron :) 
  • We have two Calphalon pots that we got as wedding presents (10 years ago) and they are still looking good.  They don't get used daily.

    We recently got a set of non-stick from Sam's Club (wish we had Costco closer to us) and they have been great.  With non-stick, follow the recommendations of handwashing, not using high heat, and no non-stick spray.  We use butter, olive oil or coconut oil, depending on what we are making.
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  • I love ceramic pans.  They are better for non-sticking than anything else I have ever used.  I think the ceramic material is naturally non-stick, but I'm not 100% on that.

    Confession: They are so non-stick, I don't even wash them.  There is nothing left on them at all after cooking.  I just do a quick rinse, then dry.

    However, they are on the pricier side as compared to other materials and they don't last forever.  At least the Wal-mart cheaper one I got lasted for a few years and then the ceramic chipped off in a few places.

  • And, another vote for Calphalon nonstick. We got a set of 3 different sizes for our wedding 5 years ago and they show a little wear, but are still great. The small and medium sizes are great for making eggs, too.

    Funny story about my All-Clad pan. DH isn't usually the greatest gift-giver, so I typically have to give heavy hints to what I want for Christmas. A couple Christmases ago I had put stainless steel pan on my list, which is pretty open-ended. DH got me an All-Clad pan, and I was so excited because I never expected to get anything All-Clad, much less from DH. He shrugged his shoulders and said he just picked one from a display at the store. He had no idea about All-Clad's reputation. Marketing worked on him, but it was in his favor :smile:
  • We have a full set of calphalon Contemporary from our wedding and I love them.  The Contemporary set is technically dishwasher safe but we always hand wash them and they all still look like new after 3 years. 
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  • csuavecsuave member
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Comments 250 Love Its Name Dropper
    It looks like Calphalon is on sale at Target right now.  I'll probably place an order and make sure to hand wash when we get them.

    Non-stick spray (like PAM) sounds like a no-no, but what about using Misto, the sprayer that is filled with oil?
  • csuave said:
    It looks like Calphalon is on sale at Target right now.  I'll probably place an order and make sure to hand wash when we get them.

    Non-stick spray (like PAM) sounds like a no-no, but what about using Misto, the sprayer that is filled with oil?
    We have a set of the newer Calphalon.  Supposedly dishwasher safe, but we hand wash them just to make sure.

    From what I can see, the Misto should work fine.  The reason that pam doesn't work is that the propellant breaks down the coating.  In the case of the Misto, there's no propellant.
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  • csuavecsuave member
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Comments 250 Love Its Name Dropper
    jtmh2012 said:
    csuave said:
    It looks like Calphalon is on sale at Target right now.  I'll probably place an order and make sure to hand wash when we get them.

    Non-stick spray (like PAM) sounds like a no-no, but what about using Misto, the sprayer that is filled with oil?
    We have a set of the newer Calphalon.  Supposedly dishwasher safe, but we hand wash them just to make sure.

    From what I can see, the Misto should work fine.  The reason that pam doesn't work is that the propellant breaks down the coating.  In the case of the Misto, there's no propellant.
    Yes, I hand wash my George even though the removable plates are supposedly dishwasher safe.
    They do seem to be losing some of their non-stick, specifically on tilapia.  H has used the Misto on it a few times but I guess that isn't the culprit...perhaps just the age of the George (4 years).  But tilapia is probably tough regardless.
  • For those handwashing your Calphalon non-stick I would say keep doing that. I dishwasher mine sometimes and it's looking like crap at just a few years old. 
  • For those handwashing your Calphalon non-stick I would say keep doing that. I dishwasher mine sometimes and it's looking like crap at just a few years old. 
    That was my suspicion.  The first 2 I have say not to dishwasher them.  The last set says dishwasher safe, but I wasn't that brave. :)
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  • jtmh2012 said:
    For those handwashing your Calphalon non-stick I would say keep doing that. I dishwasher mine sometimes and it's looking like crap at just a few years old. 
    That was my suspicion.  The first 2 I have say not to dishwasher them.  The last set says dishwasher safe, but I wasn't that brave. :)
    haha, I'll take brave! But really...I am just lazy sometimes...
  • jtmh2012 said:
    For those handwashing your Calphalon non-stick I would say keep doing that. I dishwasher mine sometimes and it's looking like crap at just a few years old. 
    That was my suspicion.  The first 2 I have say not to dishwasher them.  The last set says dishwasher safe, but I wasn't that brave. :)
    haha, I'll take brave! But really...I am just lazy sometimes...
    That is why I bought the dishwasher safe ones...  I knew someday that I would be too lazy to wash them.  So far I'm just so lazy they sit in the sink for days.  I'm still too scared of ruining them to put them in the dishwasher.  LOL
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  • csuavecsuave member
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Comments 250 Love Its Name Dropper
    I got two Calphalon from Target (8" and 10") for $30 total.  Looking forward to seeing how they hold up.
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