If there’s a restaurant supply store near you go there. I got a 10" “cool grip” brand non-stick skillet at the local supply store about 10-15 years ago and it’s still going strong. I know restaurants view these as disposable items, but the amount of use is so different compared to a home cook.
I got a set of Ananlon Accolades after I remodeled my kitchen in the spring and I love them. They don’t need special care and can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Likewise. When we cleaned out my mother-in-law’s house, Mrs. SMV found three utterly filthy cast-iron skillets that are probably 80 to 100 years old - they belonged to her great-grandparents. She spent about a month soaking, cleaning, and seasoning them, and since then, they’ve become our go-to pans. Not necessarily nonstick per se, but they can be scrubbed, with hot water and what can be most accurately described as chain-mail rag.
Fourthed.
I got a Calphalon pan when I got married in 2006. I finally parted with it in 2021.
I replaced it with an enormous Calphalon pan, a 13" diameter 4" deep hard anodized skillet, and that’s basically the only frying pan I use. Everything from eggs to soup. Zero complaints.
I also love that it bakes well. I use it for a lot of recipes where you fry some stuff and then stick it in the oven.
(Do not put it in the dishwasher or use extra high heat and you’re good.)
This one? I have that one. It’s too big for everyday use, but it’s great when I need the extra room. I made cassoulet in it a couple of times. And the lid was useful for my 10-inch pans before I bought a lid for one of them.
Fifth. We had Calphalon cookware on our wedding register 10 years ago and only one 8" frying pan that we used nearly every morning finally got a bit worn down. Everything else is going strong.
First, size the pans to be exactly the size of your burners. I have a Calphalon pan sized exactly to my large burners and one sized exactly to my small burners. Like everybody else, I think they’re great.
But if you want to pamper yourself and have the budget, the best indestructable pans I have are SwissDiamond. Yes, they really have diamonds embedded in the coating, some sort of industrial diamond dust. I have a SwissDiamond wok you will only take out of my warm oven-mitted hands, and if I swung the wok at you it would classify as a lethal weapon.
If you don’t have a wok, I’d advise getting one. They are remarkably versatile, good for many more uses than just chinese-style stir fries.
This one, which says currently unavailable.
Calphalon Premier Hard-Anodized Nonstick Cookware, 13-Inch Deep Skillet with Cover https://a.co/d/9HYfMbW
It is massive. It barely fits on my burner, but I don’t mind and I use it every day.
I like my calphalon omelet pan, but it’s not great for eggs because they stick. (It’s super for making caramel, though.)
Maybe I’m overly concerned because the insurance industry (my employer) is worried about it, but I’m not buying any new pans with PFAS like Teflon on them. So my most recent purchase was a Made In carbon steel frying pan. I love it. And omelettes slide right out of it. I treat it like a cast iron pan, but it’s lighter and the surface is very smooth.
I use ceramic and will never go back to teflon.
They are not quite as non-stick as teflon but they are pretty good and almost never have a problem and they clean-up easily.
As for chipping…never had a problem. Not sure what people are doing to chip theirs (and I stack mine in a cabinet). Certainly seem more durable than teflon.
And, no toxic gas from the teflon and they can handle higher heat than teflon.
Personally I use Greenpan and have had them for years (eight or more). I am only now considering (maybe) replacing some that have had a lot of use. That said, I have not tested other brands. Only saying I have had good luck with these.
Apart from those I have a stainless steel skillet, cast iron pan and a big and small dutch oven.
Calphalon. They really do honor their warranty. Mine are 17 years old. They get scratched, boom, new pan. I dropped a glass lid, not Calphlon’s fault, but they sent me a new one.
Ah. My big pan has the twin handles.
Stainless steel? I use my Calphalon stainless steel frying pans for not-omelettes. Non-stick works better for me.
What? They have a warranty? How do they know I bought the pans new? (I got them at Bed Bath & Beyond over a decade ago.)
Lifetime warranty, if I ever had paperwork it’s been gone for years. They never ask.
Anodized aluminum. Huh, looking at calphalon’s website, their offerings are totally different from what they sold when i last bought from them. I have zero experience with every product they currently sell.
I still like my MadeIn pan, though.