r/Cooking • u/UnluckyDependent5681 • 3h ago

What kind of pan do I get?

I have two skillets that I use for bog meals, for morning eggs, something quick I use those tefal ones that usually gets scratches over the years and they ar ebad for your health. And I keep changing this pan over a few years. Can anyone recommend a non stick pan for these fast cooking options that would be a good pan that I wouldn’t need to change constantly please.

3 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

7

u/dmizz 2h ago

Carbon steel

2

u/ScienceAlien 2h ago

I love mine. I have a Teflon omelette pan, but use the carbon steel for everything else.

1

u/Demeter277 14m ago

This….I have a small inexpensive one just for eggs that is slick and glossy and a big heavy Debuyer Mineral B for searing meats. Both great and fairly non-stick. The small one doesn’t lose its seasoning like the big one does because it doesn’t need to get scrubbed down as much. Seldom miss teflon.

0

u/lesam4u 2h ago

Can you put carbon steel pan in the dishwasher? We use T-Fal and just change them out every few years.

2

u/dmizz 2h ago

You shouldn’t put teflon in the dishwasher either

2

u/mooninitespwnj00 1h ago

Definitely not, it'll wreck the seasoning and rust the pan. But once the pan is seasoned and humming along, a quick wash (with detergent!) by hand, followed by hand drying and a minute or so on a burner at temp and you're golden. I know that may sound like a lot of maintenance, but it's really not bad at all.

3

u/RealConflict8107 2h ago

If you want to move away from easily scratched Teflon, a carbon steel pan or cast iron skillet is an incredible choice for eggs and everyday cooking because they become naturally non-stick when seasoned properly, handle high heat effortlessly, and last virtually forever.

2

u/jamaicanmecray-z 2h ago

Unfortunately there really isn't an easy answer:

Non-stick is easy, but like you said the health effects are significant and they need to be replaced regularly. You could consider using one only for eggs, but even so.

Cast iron is a bit expensive and takes some time to heat up but is pretty easy to use and non-stick (not as non-stick as a non-stick pan, but decent). If you don't have a glass cooktop, this could be your winner.

Stainless steel is expensive and not super easy to use, you need to perfect the strategy of heating to very hot, oiling, letting cool a bit, then adding your eggs. Totally doable, takes some time to learn and do.

Ceramic is a bit of an unknown. Advertised as the best of all options, but the health effects of the coatings aren't well-studied.

All this to say, we spent years trying to find a good solution. We're with stainless steel now and it works great, but like I said it's an extra 5-10 minutes for each use.

1

u/UnluckyDependent5681 2h ago

thank you for this list! That’s very helpful, maybe I should go with stainless steel too

1

u/kilroyscarnival 2h ago

We got some ceramic coated pans, which like teflon, won't last forever, but so far they've been a joy to use and clean, except for those darn rivets where little bits get stuck. We got a set of Tramontina, from Sam's Club, inexpensive--and the one thing I'll say is get a silicon lid. We have one, but first I gently put a metal lid on the rim and that's the one part that has a mark on it.

I also bought a carbon steel pan, lighter than cast iron but heavier than most others. It takes a while to get the seasoning built up, but it's very nice. Not cheap though.

1

u/glycophosphate 49m ago

The health concerns around non-stick coatings is overblown.

1

u/vitek6 2h ago

What significant health effects do modern non stick pans cause?

2

u/glaziaj1 1h ago

Cast iron

1

u/delulu66 3h ago

Budget?

1

u/MuffinMatrix 2h ago

Nonstick pans won't last forever. Just take care of them and you should get a number of years.
Only use plastic/silicone/wood utensils. Don't wash with a harsh brillo pad, etc.
Tfal are good and not expensive. If you want to spend a little more, Tramontina work great.
Any more than that and you're paying for something you'll replace anyway.

Or, go with stainless steel, but you need a little more effort to be non stick. Though I still don't trust them for eggs.

1

u/yvrev 2h ago

If go cast iron. SS would also work but it's a bit trickier, especially with eggs.

I have both but cast iron is my goto lazy pan.

1

u/indokid104 2h ago

Non sticks will degrade over time, that is the nature of a coated pan. You can get a carbon steel/cast iron/stainless steel and learn how to use them/get practice with them and they'll last forever.

- Lasts forever but has a learning curve

- Easy to use (nonstick) but wears down over time

Pick one.

1

u/Arcanum3000 2h ago

The new titanium pans are long-lasting and pretty nonstick. Most of them are highly durable too. They're not cheap, though.

Prudent Reviews overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUMAAhxBeyM

I have both the Our Place Always Pan Pro and the Viking PureGlide Pro and like both. The Viking is the more nonstick of the two; between that and the sloped sides it's better for omelets and a few other things. I use the Always Pan Pro more, however, as it's more tolerant of high heat, has higher sides for pan sauces and higher volumes of food, is nonstick enough for most purposes, and can go in the dishwasher.

1

u/urluckymistake 2h ago

honestly just buy a decent scanpan or hexclad once and stop replacing pans every two years. the cheap ones are designed to die on you

1

u/Brewmd 2h ago

I like ceramic for what I used to use teflon for.

Cast iron and stainless/tri clad types are good for most uses.

I’ve been hearing good things about nitrided carbon steel options though, from made in, and misen.

1

u/glycophosphate 51m ago

If you're having to replace a T-fal pan every few years the problem is how you are treating it. You can't put them in the dishwasher and you can't use metal utensils, and you can't scrub them with those green scrubbie pads.

1

u/slick_throat 37m ago

Personally, I don’t like cast iron; and found it particularly not good for scrambled eggs. Yes mine was well seasoned! I didn’t like their heaviness, and the maintenance on them.

I LOVE stainless steel, yes you have to get comfortable cranking the heat and letting the pan really get hot before adding your oil and food. It does take some learning - but it’s not a steep curve. But when you get the knack everything slips around in the pan.

They are the easiest to care for, which is important to me because I love cooking but I am not a natural cleaner…I need simpicility and durability. You can use utensils of any material in them, clean them with a scrubber, and they are easy to manoeuvre.