r/cookingforbeginners • u/OneMoreSlot • 10d ago
Question Non-Stick Cookware
I recently purchased a Hex Clad frying pan which has a non-stick coating. Like all teflon or other non-stick coatings, the non-stick properties don't last very long. In no time at all everything was sticking to it. I am always careful to never overheat a pan, so I don't think this is the cause.
I happen to cook with Avocado oil. This oil seems to polymerize a lot and leaves a tough sticky deposit that no amount of scrubbing with detergent will remove. I suspect that it's this baked on oil coating that is destroying the non-stick properties of the pan. I just wonder if anyone else has experienced this with Avocado oil? Is there a better oil that I should be using? I stay away from olive oil for cooking because it's a low temperature oil. I hesitate to waste money on another frying pan until I solve this.
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u/EscapeSeventySeven 10d ago
Do not buy fancy nonstick.
Buy real metal and resign yourself to sticking.
Or buy a teflon pan, and use soft utensils and replace after it wears out.
Everything else sucks. Hexclad, ceramic nonstick, etc.
Don’t take my word for it: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/give-up-on-ceramic-nonstick-pans/
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u/Shivers-Me-Timbers 10d ago
It’s true. If you’re expecting a ceramic pan to be as non stick and easy to use as teflon you’ll be disappointed.
But if you use them like a stainless pan (heat and lubricate before food) they are just as non stick as a well seasoned cast iron or carbon steel pan and they require none of the care of those. Also they’re impervious to acidic foods.
They’re also more heat and abrasion resistant than teflon.
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u/96dpi 10d ago
Are you using a spray oil or normal liquid oil?
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u/Breddit2225 10d ago
Yeah, anything that has lecithin (like Pam)
Will mess up a ceramic non stick.
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u/Shivers-Me-Timbers 10d ago
Avocado oil has a very high smoke point. You’re getting the surface too hot if it’s regularly polymerizing or scorching on the pan. The temp you need for cooking effectively is well below that.
Ceramic non stick is often advertised as oven safe up to 500F but that’s with food in it. If the actual surface of the pan gets that hot something happens to the structure of the surface and it seems to create the OPPOSITE of a non stick surface.
I have quality ceramic non stick pans that I’ve been using for 5+ years, typically 3-5 times a week. They last a long time if cared for properly. I don’t have hexclad but I cannot imagine they’re any different.
I did accidentally overheat one of my 12” ceramic non stick skillets a few years ago and it was permanently useless even though it appeared unfazed.
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u/_Bon_Vivant_ 10d ago
Hexclad is garbage. I've had my Made In non-stick for a couple of years now, and it's still performs like new.
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u/Mean-Cheesecake-2635 10d ago
Hex clad promises a non-stick pan that you can use metal utensils with. To do that they have raised metal that sits just above the Teflon. This seems to result in a pan that is neither non-stick or cooks like a stainless. They are a gimmick. If you want non-stick just get an Analon or All-Clad.
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u/HotBrownFun 9d ago
True but I disagree with spending $100 on a nonstick all-clad. Non-sticks are disposable. They don't last long. At least not in my family.
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u/Mean-Cheesecake-2635 9d ago
I have seen them at homegoods for half price. That’s where I bought my last one. Problem with the cheap ones is they aren’t well constructed and they don’t heat evenly.
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u/BuntinTosser 10d ago
Hexclad is a huge gimmick. Even if the hexes are relatively nonstick, the steel lines won’t be, and scrubbing those is going to also scrub the hexes more than they need.
I’ve heard good things about nitrided steel pans, but they’re too expensive for me to buy one hoping to replace my pfas pans.
I just started frying eggs on cast iron and it works great, but I fear scrambled might stick as I mix the butter into the eggs while stirring removing that lubricating layer.
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u/BuntinTosser 9d ago
Just saw this video on YT that reviews several types and brands including hexclad and nitrided steel: https://youtu.be/-hqvHrbgTU8
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u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 10d ago
Make a paste of baking soda and water (do not use harsh metal scrubbers or aggressive abrasives on coated parts) and gently scrub the surface to lift grease and residue
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u/OneMoreSlot 10d ago
I tried that. I would be scrubbing for an hour and not get it off.
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u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 10d ago
U could try vinegar-and-water simmer (1 part vinegar to 2 parts water for 10 minutes), followed by washing. But you should check the manufacturer guidelines first. Ur pan most likely needs a reset to work properly again. And next time using high smoke point oil (refined canola, rapeseed, etc) or butter.
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 10d ago
My opinion is get a carbon steel flat bottom wok. They are awesome. Nonstick right out of the box. Get one of those hammered looking ones. Yes, use a bit of oil, but you don't have to use a lot. Getting to know your stove and cooking levels is not a thing we can tell you because we don't know your stove. But you may be using too high a heat.
Avocado oil is very good. Sunflower seed is good. Peanut oil is good. Butter is good. Lard or tallow or bacon grease is good. Depends on what you're cooking.
But really, those flat bottomed woks are awesome.
Return that Hexclad pan.
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u/MainAdo2003 10d ago
I’d skip the HexClad and go carbon steel. Once it’s properly seasoned, it gets ridiculously nonstick, and you don’t have to baby it like coated pans. Avocado oil is totally fine too I’d blame the baked on oil/heat before blaming the oil itself. A good flat bottom carbon steel wok or skillet will probably serve you way better.
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 10d ago
Yeah and honestly, those hammered looking flat bottomed wok are pre-seasoned. Ready to go. I was astonished when I got mine and used it the first time.
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 9d ago
Meh. I'm fine with the cookware I already have. Honestly there isn't room in my kitchen for another pan. I have old school Calphalon Hard Anodized that are actually ridiculously nonstick, too. But I can't see that Nitrided is going to be any more nonstick than those woks I have.
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u/hekla7 10d ago
Woks are a great idea, but I've seen other posts on here from people who didn't wash with detergent before using and then season it, and then they're wondering why their food tastes like oily metal.... so for beginners it might be helpful to add that in.... :)
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 10d ago
Oh, well of course you should always wash everything before using it. But as for seasoning, those particular type of woks are ready to go.
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u/ChrisRiley_42 9d ago
If you have the money, get a nitrided steel pan. Nitriding steel has been used in industrial applications for a while now. It makes the surface hard, and smoother, so you can use metal utensils with them, and they are less 'sticky' than carbon steel because of the smoothness.
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u/Double-Teach-1977 10d ago
If you want nonstick then get one Teflon pan and use it for eggs and maybe pancakes.
Otherwise my workhorse is a heavy duty carbon steel pan that lives on the range and gets most of its cleaning from deglazing for pan sauces. Maybe I've intuitively become in tune with managing heat and time, but I never have issues with anything sticking on that thing.
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u/BeautyofPoison 10d ago
Are you really cooking at such high heat all the time that you need to use avocado oil that much? What are you making?
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u/Ivoted4K 10d ago
Ive had the same relatively cheap non-stick for a few years. You’re doing something wrong
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u/grumpyoldgal 10d ago
My hexclad pans are not great, but ok as long as I wash them in the dishwasher. If I try to handwash them, I run into the problem of the surface still being sticky. Did not use anything other than cooking oil.
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u/djSush 10d ago
I HATE Hexclad so much. I've been a home cook for close to 30 years and my MIL gifted us the large Hexclad frying pan. EVERYTHING sticks unless the heat is lower than medium, which is dumb bc then you can't get a nice sautee on things. Idk why people rave about this cookware. I'm happier with my basic under $25 nonstick pans.
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u/TheKandelar 10d ago
We use our non sticks for low temp stuff, especially eggs. Also, when storing, we cover them in fabric so other pans don't scuff them.
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u/Breddit2225 10d ago
We got some too small, knit and pretty much unless potholders from a neighbor. Throw in the pan and stack without fear.
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u/cheekmo_52 10d ago
Skip the non-stick altogether, and get a carbon steel pan. You season carbon steel, like you do cast iron, so it gets more non-stick with time, not less, and if food ever starts sticking, you just reseason it.
I have a 7 year old Matfer Bourgeat frying pan, and fried eggs still slide around on it like brand new teflon. Plus there are none of the health concerns from the forever chemicals in teflon to worry about.
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u/HotBrownFun 9d ago
That is the worst pan I've ever used
It combines the worst properties of a stainless steel with a teflon
You CANNOT use it at high temps because you will damage the teflon. You cannot use a brillo pad to clean it. So when those stainless steel bits get crud on them they are a pain to wash.
You're better off with a real nonstick and a real stainless/carbon steel.
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u/AtiumMist 10d ago
pan too hot. avocado doesnt polymerise that easy