Tired of Tephlon..Advice Please

[Terri-Lynn2]

I have told my husband that for christmas I want a new pan. I have been through so many tephlon pans, my latest ones are lagostina and it is always the same story you end up eating tephlon. I follow all the rules but they always end up the same.

I want to one day own Le Creuset cookware and I am wondering if I should tell him I want there pan or should I go with something that is metal?

I also wonder if things will be sticking all the time or whether I will need to use alot more oil without the non stick surface?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Terri

[mb]

stainless steel cookware is pretty versatile (i.e. it doesn't react with foods). we have a nice set of stainless steel cookware (like all-clad), but i also have 2 t-fal nonstick pieces (frying pan & 4 qt. fryer pan that i don't fry with!). i've had these for a few years now & they seem to be holding up well. if you like to make sauces & reductions, i think they come out better in stainless steel, though. it just depends on your cooking styles & preferences.

[Gail]

Years ago, Le Creuset used to have a rival: Copco, which made beautiful, enameled cast iron pans with wood handles. Unable to resist their beauty, I saved up my money and bought a set, piece by piece. What a disaster! (Now, mind you Le Creuset may be better, especially considering that they're still around and Copco's pans are kaput...) They weighed a ton; the enamel chipped and developed tiny hairline cracks; they heated unevenly; they were awful to clean; they stained...and yes, things stuck. Enough that if you are used to nonstick cookware, it may feel like a step backward.

Maybe there are people out there who adore their enameled cast iron and mine were a fluke, but they were enough of an annoyance that I felt duty-bound to advise you of my experience.

Of course I also feel duty bound to point out as I have often done that it is ultimately your own cooking style and the type of foods you cook which will determine your degree of satisfaction with a product.

[lsdesign]

Here's my 2¢: I have calphalon that I love however I have one piece of the non-stick calphalon that is the best invention ever! It is called the "Everyday" pan. It is the pan I use when a non-stick skillet or saucepan is called for. It has a clear glass top and two handles. It holds quite a bit and I use it for everything. It also looks as pristine as the day I received it, not like my T-fal skillet which has not weathered well. I must admit to wondering where the finish has gone to on that one.

[Vanessa]

I use Calphalon and I love my non stick pans too (I got two small skillets and a big skillet pan the everyday non stick was a gift and I love it. I bought a cover for it recently)

[mightyh]

I love my calphalon nonstick--even though it's not what the "professionals" use. My sister has circulon pots and likes them pretty well, too.

[sneezles]

My LeCruset is 25+ years old and no chips, dings or scratched insides. My large dutch oven maybe what Gail calls stained, I however call it seasoned http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif! My only complaint is that they discontinued my color (brown) right after I bought the set! I do use small amounts of oil but never have had a sticking problem.

[This message has been edited by sneezles (edited 12-07-2000).]

[Gail]

Originally posted by sneezles:
My LeCruset is 25+ years old and no chips, dings or scratched insides. My large dutch oven maybe what Gail calls stained, I however call it seasoned http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif! My only complaint is that they discontinued my color (brown) right after I bought the set! I do use small amounts of oil but never have had a sticking problem.

[This message has been edited by sneezles (edited 12-07-2000).]

Yours were brown, too?

...BTW it was the outside enamel that chipped, around the edges especially... Oh, and did I also mention the bottoms, spouts and edges rusted? I was never so relieved to get rid of anything in my life!

Glad to hear the Le Creuset worked out for you.

[Anne]

I too gave up on 'coatings in general' several years ago after deciding I really didn't want to be injesting the stuff. I use cast iron or stainless (with copper or aluminum on the very thick bottoms). Well seasoned cast iron needs almost no oil for most of the cooking I do. I often cook on a woodstove so the thickness of the pans is very important.

[Karen from VA]

I'm so glad to hear praises of Calphalon. My husband instructed me to go buy my Christmas present yesterday (since I had thrown out a not-so-subtle hint). After spending 3 afternoons at Macy's, Hecht's (a local DC department store) and Bed, Bath & Beyond, I decided to buy 3 pieces of open stock rather than the pre-packaged sets which had pieces that I knew I wouldn't use. I finally ended up at Bed, Bath and Beyond and got the Calphalon Professional line of nonstick-- 1½ qt and a 4½ saucepans and the Everyday pan. I have two old cast iron skillets in different sizes that I wouldn't give up for anything (for heavy duty browning), so I wanted my new pieces to be nonstick. Then, since I spent over $250, I got a $50 gift card and with that I bought a WareEver stock pot/pasta cooker/steamer. I used the large saucepan for heating a cream-based soup last night and the smaller one for making oatmeal this morning and was thrilled with it. Can hardly wait to use the Everyday pan. In talking with a Calphalon representative at Macy's, she said that was by far her very favorite pan. So today I spent the afternoon with my head in my cupboards pulling out all my old stuff that I've accumulated over 40 years, threw some out, kept some, and put others in a box for the church yard sale. I hate to think how much I've spent on cheap non-stick fry pans over the past 15 years. I'm sure my new Calphalon will outlast me, and at 62, I intend to keep cooking for another 35 years!!!!
Karen

[Ohioan]

I, too, am a Le Creuset fan -- at least for certain types of cooking. My Dutch oven is perfect for beans and stews, and my small frying pan (actually, the top of the 1.5 quart all-purpose saucepan) is virtually nonstick and not only good for frittatas (it goes right under the broiler at the end) but a delight for sauteeing mushrooms or other small veggies. Heavy, yes. Requires hand washing and drying? Yes (or da, or oui, or si, or whatever you prefer). But I love my Le Creusets so much that I figure washing them is an excuse for fondling them. (Is this going to be blipped out?)

For other things, I use mostly stainless steel: Paderno, All-Clad, and some old Revereware that I always feel I should apologize for, except that it cooks so well!

Oh, and a small enameled pan, as flimsy as possible, is simply essential for boiling eggs. I get the pans cheap at discount stores and supermarkets, and I throw them out and replace them when they start chipping. Why flimsy, you ask? (Oh, you didn't ask? Too late, I have my answer ready. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif) The flimsier the pan, the faster the water boils! We won't even discuss what I use for a spaghetti pot on the basis of flimsy-boils-faster. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

Cheers,
Phoebe

[LGBurns]

Cook's Illustrated just did a test on saute pans in their most recent issue (Jan/Feb). According to their test they liked All Clad (both the stainless steel and non-stick) best of all brands they tested. They also recommended Calphalon, with these reservations: "...sauteed and simmered a hair slow. Flat lid rested on the food,...thereby limiting capacity and compromising seal." They did not recommend Le Creuset: "Sautes and browns on the slow side, but heat really builds so that burning drippings becomes a real possibility. Gorgeous but quirky and superheavy." I don't have a good non-stick pan right now, but I find that I rarely have problems using low amounts of oil in my stainless steel All Clad. I also agree with mb that non-stick doesn't work as well for reductions and sauces (you need those yummy bits that stick to the bottom of the pan). Cook's Illustrated pointed this out as well.

[This message has been edited by LGBurns (edited 12-08-2000).]