# Please, recommend a good non-stick fry pan **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616 "2011-10-04T21:26:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/21 "2011-10-05T20:13:49Z")
Unless you’re cooking an entire tuna, it shouldn’t take a long long long time to cook fish on medium heat. Ditto beef and pork. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/22 "2011-10-05T20:22:28Z")
> [@Girl\_Next\_Door](#): > > I got an [All-Clad Stainless w/d5](http://www.allcladstainlessd5.com) frying pan on sale at Williams-Sonoma and have been absolutely thrilled with it. While not officially non-stick, it cleans up like a dream (AND can go in the dishwasher). When I get some $$, I’m going to replace my whole rag-tag, pathetic Calphalon anodized odd-lots and dead non-stick collection. This is what Cook’s Illustrated recommended. They didn’t even review high-end nonstick pans, just stainless steel. I don’t know that the d5 line of All-Clad was out when they did their review but they picked the All-Clad brand overall. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/23 "2011-10-05T20:28:55Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Unless you’re cooking an entire tuna, it shouldn’t take a long long long time to cook fish on medium heat. Ditto beef and pork. Yeah, but if you want to cook beef and pork well (in the ‘correct’ sense, not in the ‘well-done’ sense), you want a sear on it, and you want high heat. Of course, if you’re wanting a sear on anything, you’re not cooking in nonstick, so maybe it’s a moot point. It’s not just about time; you use different temperatures to produce different results. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/24 "2011-10-05T20:33:03Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Yeah, but if you want to cook beef and pork well (in the ‘correct’ sense, not in the ‘well-done’ sense), you want a sear on it, and you want high heat. Of course, if you’re wanting a sear on anything, you’re not cooking in nonstick, so maybe it’s a moot point. > > It’s not just about time; you use different temperatures to produce different results. I know that, but leaving it on medium for a longer period is only going to produce worse results. I don’t care what your desired result might be, you aren’t going to achieve it by cooking fish a long long long time on medium heat. ---
**Author:** ![Dusty\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba8739/32.png) [@Dusty\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dusty_Rose)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/25 "2011-10-06T00:00:43Z")
My two favorite fry pans are TFal and Calphalon. With the TFal edging out for the win. Neither was very expensive, and I’ve been happy with both. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/26 "2011-10-06T00:08:08Z")
IMO, a “good, non-stick frying pan” is an oxymoron. They all suck. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/27 "2011-10-08T00:49:46Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I know that, but leaving it on medium for a longer period is only going to produce worse results. I don’t care what your desired result might be, you aren’t going to achieve it by cooking fish a long long long time on medium heat. I’d second that, and say the same for fish, as well. The main point of this and my previous post being that iron or steel will get you better results without the risk of poisoning yourself. Spend a bit extra to get a good product and consider it an investment on many levels. For that matter, knowing how to cook more than the high school/college basics can help a lot when you want to invite a special friend over – “Interested in dinner at my place? Perhaps breakfast, too!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/28 "2011-10-08T14:03:08Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > IMO, a “good, non-stick frying pan” is an oxymoron. They all suck. :mad: Your opinion is uninformed. Non-stick pans have their specific uses. If you are clueless, then they’re not going to work well for you. If someone like Julia Child could find a spot for them in her kitchen, I suspect that an epic fail is due to operator error. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/29 "2011-10-08T14:30:10Z")
My non stick pans last a long time, but I don’t “wash” them. When I finish using them I wipe them thoroughly with a dry paper towel, much the same way I treat my cast iron cookware. ---
**Author:** ![\_Olive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/4af34b/32.png) [@\_Olive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Olive)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/32 "2011-10-22T09:17:04Z")
i suggest a cast iron skillet … i have had mine for 30 years … ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/33 "2011-10-22T10:39:07Z")
Wow, there is actually a substance \*named \*Carcinogen? Why would anyone use that? I mean, going in, you’d think that they’d know it caused cancer… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/34 "2011-10-22T11:51:33Z")
> [@\_Olive](#): > > i suggest a cast iron skillet … > > i have had mine for 30 years … I’ll second that. At proper temperatures all pans are non-stick. A well seasoned cast iron pan forms its own non-stick coating. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/35 "2011-10-22T12:02:41Z")
Cast iron for me too. I use mine at least a few times a week and I can scrub the shit out of it if I want to, and use any utensil without having to worry about Teflon flakes in my colon. They’re pretty indestructible. I accidentally left mine on a hot stove eye just yesterday in fact. It smoked like crazy but I put it outside and added oil, now it’s fine again. $15 at Bi-mart. Any other nonstick pan would have had to go in the dumpster. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/36 "2011-10-22T14:14:50Z")
I have a pair of Calphalon non-stick pans I got at B[sup]3[/sup] for $45, and a pair of cheap ones I got there for $15. They are used infrequently. The cheap ones are for omelettes, pancakes, and crêpes. The other ones are used for omelettes, pancakes, and more varied things. But mostly I use a cast-iron skillet. Or I’ll use my Calphalon Tri-Ply stainless steel frying pans. I have two rules for the non-stick pans: Don’t use high heat, and never use metal utensils. They’ll last a while, even the cheap ones. But as I said, they’re special-purpose pans. There’s nothing like a cheap Teflon pan for omelettes and crêpes. My ‘go-to’ pans can stand higher heat, and food doesn’t stick to cast-iron (obviously) or to stainless steel if you’re doing it right. I do have a large (15"?), deep (3" or 4") covered Teflon Calphalon pan that I got as a ‘bonus’ with my stainless steel set. It’s good for bulky foods such as vegetables, and for cassoulet (since it’s my biggest pan). There’s also a 1-quart Calphalon pot that I bought solely for its size. That’s my single-serving oatmeal pan. Roomie uses it to boil eggs. And I have a fairly heavy Kitchen Aid (?) 9" frying pan that I bought at Target. It’s good for a quick burger because of its size. It’s still doing well after years of use, even though I use heat higher than I normally do for non-stick. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/37 "2011-10-22T15:19:20Z")
I think I have that same set of Calphalon pans, and use them for the same purposes. I have a set of Cuisinart stainless pans that I use for frying meat, and a couple of of larger shallow non-stick pans for things like pancakes. They also work extremely well for making paella or risotto. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616/39 "2013-10-15T05:58:23Z")
Thread bumped today by a spammer. Reported. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-non-stick-fry-pan/598616.md?page=1)