We go through teflon/silverstone pans often at our house (partly because my kids won’t stop using metal spatulas in them). They’re often poorly made: too thin so they burn food on the bottom and leave it raw on top, don’t sit flat on the burner, etc. I’m also aware of how toxic teflon and other no-stick coatings can be when they heat up and create fumes.
What is the best (safest, best made) no-stick pan I can buy and where do I get it?
Cast iron can be very non-stick but the seasoning needs time to build up and you still shouldn’t use metal utensils.
It is inexpensive and the seasoning is easily restored.
I’ve heard Scanpan out of Denmark makes a very cool nonstick out of some type of space age ceramic, and metal utensils may be used on it. I have no personal experience with it though. A 10" frying pan is about $100.
This is what I have:
I worked in a retail home furnishings/design center and we carried T-FAL. My co-workers gave me the floor sample as a birthday gift when we discontinued selling cookware; another co-worker had bought a set for herself and liked it and they knew I had been eyeing it. The mgr. gave them a good price. Love it, love it, love it. Nothing sticks to it and food cooks incredibly fast if you cook with the lid on. I’ve defrosted stuff in it.
Their links for coated cookware safety:
http://www.t-falusa.com/Tefal+magazine/Recipes/Non-Stick+Safety.htm
http://www.t-falusa.com/Tefal+magazine/Recipes/Bird+Safety+Information.htm
The Lodge Cookware people sell pre-seasoned cast iron cookware. And it’s not even that expensive. A 10" skillet is $23.
Among my most prized possessions is a set of Calphalon I bought a few years ago, the ones with glass lids . . . plus a few other pieces that weren’t in the set. I don’t ever want to replace them, so treat them with extra TLC. They actually make cooking a joy, which is saying a lot in my case.
The best option is to go to your local restaurant supply warehouse and go to the non-stick skillet section. They are usually fairly inexpensive, pretty good quality (as this is what the restaurants use) and you can pick up a few of them for the price of some fancy name brand that is probably no better, nor even as good.
I asked at my local buffet omelet bar where they got their skillets and one of the nice chefs behind the counter gave me this tip.
We now use exactly one pan for everything. Boiling pasta, dry-frying, stir-frying, casseroles, you name it. And remarkably it’s a celebrity chef piece, but it works so well we have two at any one time, and buy a new one each year.
I can’t find a picture of it by itself, but it’s the central one seen here http://www.jamieolivercookware.com.au/hard-anodised-cookware/
Add another vote for good ol’ classic Cast Iron.
there are myriad advantages to CI…
It’s inexpensive
it’s heavy, and durable, it may possibly be the last pan you need, it will likely outlive you, and be passed down to family members as a cherished heirloom
it holds heat exceptionally well and heats evenly, it’s slow to cool
it can be used on the stovetop, in the oven, and on the table as a serving pot
seasoned CI is a good starting point, but the more foods (high oil/fat content) you cook with it, the better the seasoning layer gets
cleanup is simple, rinse with hot water (putting cold water on a hot pan could potentially crack/fracture/shatter it, use hot water only) wipe off the surface, and put it back on the burner on low for about 5 minutes to cook off residual water
it adds iron to the food you cook on it
if the seasoning layer gets damaged, you can burn off that layer and start over from scratch, the seasoning layer can be repaired, UNLIKE teflon
there are a few minor disadvantages;
acidic foods (tomatoes, and the like) can damage the seasoning layer, so don’t cook tomato-based foods on a new preseasoned pan
soap will destroy the seasoning layer, so soap is a no-go
the pan needs a thin layer of oil (Pam, or other veggie oil spray) to protect it when not being used, especially in a humid/salty environment
that said, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages,
I think the biggest disadvantage of cast iron cookware is the weight. That’s the reason I never bought any.
This is what I did, but given your children’s habits you will be much happier if your simultaneously replace all the metal spatulas with the fancy high-temp plastic/sillicon ones on the same shopping trip.
My mom bought me one of these and I absolutely love it. The non-stick surface doesn’t last forever, and when it wears out (takes about 3 years), you can send yours in and they send you a new one. I’m on my second.
That is the only non-stick pan I like, though. I usually prefer good Calphalon stainless steel. We also have several pots and pans and an Indian wok we got in India that are stainless steel. I love them, but they’re not quite as substantial weight-wise as Calphalon.
We got a few Emeril Ware pans as wedding gifts. It’s been six+ years and the stuff still works great; no peeling of the non-stick coating at all.
Emerilware is made by All-Clad, and is actually less expensive than the All-Clad branded items. My wife got me an Emerilware pan and it’s working out well. We’ve also had good luck with our Calphalon pans.
Cast iron is little too much trouble for me, I could never season and maintain it properly.
I just assume my Teflon nonstick pans are not going to last forever (they’re so susceptible to scratching) so I typically buy cheap ones that I know will be replaceable in the future when it finally bites the dust. That way I don’t feel guilty for throwing away an expensive nonstick pan.
Cast iron, on the other hand, is my workhorse and I cook most everything in there (although I typically steer away from eggs since cleaning them out of the cast iron is still a PITA).
Are you trying to cook without any fat? I use a dab of butter and the eggs slide around like they’re on ice.
I’ve never found the maintaining of cast iron frying pans to be a hassle. Just don’t stick 'em in the dishwasher or submerge them to soak, iron rusts!
Aside from that, they’re a piece of freaking IRON, you have to really be talented as ruination to ruin a cast iron frying pan! (Despite often-rabid claims to the contrary, you can wash them, you can even wash them in soap and water, although they’ll stick a bit until you’ve cooked on them a few more cycles with fresh oil and without soap-washing).
Well, yeah, if you break out the Brillo pad and the Barkeeper’s Friend and scrub and scrub and scrub until you’re down to bare shiny iron, it would be a damn long time before you’d restore it to usability. But seriously. You cook in 'em, you rinse them (usually without soap), dry them, done. Things don’t stick; most things don’t even adhere and instead immediately rinse off just from casual water pressure.
And nothing cooks as nice as cast iron.
I second the Calaphon and disposal of the metal utensils. I picked up a relatively new 22 piece set of Calaphon at an estate sale for $250 (about 1/3 of the retail value) and fully expect these to be the last set of pots and pans I ever buy.
I use fat, but I often find the cleanup process to be kind of labor intensive on cast iron… But then again, I have a bad habit of letting the dirty pan sit there after I cook for up to a day. Nonstick pans don’t seem to mind, but cast iron does in my experiences. Especially for scrambled eggs.
Sounds like the pan was never properly seasoned. As AHunter3 said. any residue just washes off with plain water.
Basic seasoning: Coat pan with veg oil or shortening, place in 475 oven for about 1-1.5 hours(turn on fan, it will be smokey) let cool in oven. You may need to repeat several times to build up a beginning seasoning.
After use: Once the pan has cooled, clean out food residue, put on stove and heat until it just starts to smoke. Pour in a tablespoon of veg oil and wipe with a paper towel(use tongs), let it smoke again, wipe. Turn off stove, let the pan cool some(should still be hot but not smoking), wipe a final time and you’re done.
This will continue to build up the seasoning. Cast iron needs time to reach a good non-stick state.
Abrasives and acidic foods will damage the seasoning.