278529 Tue Jun 28 18:50:37 -0700 2005 39 41 Cookware 0 1474442 I'm torn. Which is the best all-purpose fry pan? I don't want to get more than one because I really don't do any of the below very often, but when I do it's almost impossible because all I have is a cast iron skillet, nonstick wok, a carbon steel wok, and pots (shocking, no?). I'm deciding among: stainless steel, because I can use it to brown things, caramelize onions, and put a lid on it to finish dishes in the oven. nonstick, because it's easy to clean and makes omlettes/pancakes easy. Will batter/eggs stick to the stainless steel a lot? a crepe pan, because I really do like that it's oh-so-flat. My friend has one and says it came with instructions never to cook anything else on it. Does anyone know why? I'm leaning toward a good stainless 9" or 10" frypan with a copper core, but can I: sear fish make an omlette create a resonably thin crepe (small is okay) cook up a pancake fry eggs without making a sticky mess I've been to a few stores and talked to some not-too-helpful clerks. Any ideas? Thanks so much!! Tue Jun 28 18:50:37 -0700 2005 0 nooodles 1 1474450 Stainless steel is softer than you think and is prone to scratching which is why it is not really the best pan for eggs and other foods that are prone to sticking. You can brown and sear in your cast iron pan, I am assuming that it has an integrated iron handle and can go into the oven. You don't say what size cast iron skillet you have but it is small you might want to buy one that is 10"-12" and a non-stick skillet. The cast iron is cheap enough and probably even less expensive in a thrift store. I buy my non-stick skillets at TJ Maxx and now that I have learned not to use cooking spray in them and ruin them they last quite a long time and are very affordable. I have cast iron in 8", 10" and 14" and a 8" non-stick for omelettes, a 10" which I use occasionally and 2 12" that I use a lot. I have had my 8" for 30 years and it is well seasoned and cooks wonderfully and does not stick. I got rid of my stainless pans a long time ago when I started buying Calphalon. Yes I do have a lot of cooking equipment and a lot of experience with it, but it is all well chosen. Tue Jun 28 19:12:46 -0700 2005 1474442 0 Candy 2 1474460 What is it about cooking spray and non-stick? Tue Jun 28 20:23:36 -0700 2005 1474450 0 sbp 3 1474465 Never the twain shall meet; the spray bonds to the nonstick in an unholy congress. Tue Jun 28 20:38:29 -0700 2005 1474460 0 Karl S. 4 4333488 Although that is probably good (and undeniably pithy!) counsel, IMNSHO cooking spray is unholy all on its own. Fri Jan 16 17:52:52 -0800 2009 1474465 42513 Mawrter 3 1474473 The propellants in Pam etc. burn very quickly and become bonded to non-stick surfaces. I ruined several skillets before I bothered to read the instructions that came with them. Tue Jun 28 21:16:18 -0700 2005 1474460 0 Candy 1 1474451 Crepes really need a crepe pan. If you're not going to do that (a bit rediculous if you are not French), then anything will work ok. Fish is fine without nonstick. Eggs are too, but you have to use lots of fat. I've never tried pancakes on a sticky surface...probably is similar to the crepes--needs fat! Tue Jun 28 19:21:11 -0700 2005 1474442 0 Dave 1 1474464 I would LOVE to settle for just one pan but I really think you need at least two. You should have a heavy duty skillet of some kind that you can sear meat on high heat and to get frond (sp) for deglacing. I have a couple of All Clad's and they work fine. Your cast iron skillet can also work. I've tried to fry eggs, pancakes, fish, among other delicate things on the All Clad's and unless I use a lot of fat, the food sticks. (Fish might be ok if you don't flip them too early). Anyway, I reluctantly had to go back to using a nonstick pan for the delicate stuff. I had heard that the nonstick coating can give off residue that might be bad for you. Cooking on high heat on a nonstick is really not a good idea either. I bought some really economical nonstick pans and some really expensive nonstick pans. I've found that the cheap ones do a good enough job to make paying a lot of money for nonsticks pans unjustifiable. Eventually, the nonstick surface of all the pans scratch or deteriorate. So, I guess I feel less guilty throwing away a lower priced pan. The expensive pans had better heat conducting material but I didn't want to cook on high heat in nonstick pans anyway..so what was the point. In any case, if you can only buy one nonstick pan, I would suggest a high sided skillet. I buy the one from Costco for about $25 and it's about 14 inches across with a 2 inch side and comes with a glass lid. Not only can you fry eggs, fish, etc in it, you can also cook food with sauces which might be prone to sticking to the pan in it. Finally, it is great to make chow mein with minimum amount of oil and everything comes out great. ok, done with minddump...no wonder my kids say that I am long winded. Margret Tue Jun 28 20:32:21 -0700 2005 1474442 0 Margret 2 1474493 Looks like you've gotten some great info already. Here's some additional info for you. Hope it helps :) Link: http://www.dmaonline.org/fppublic/connect56.html Wed Jun 29 04:14:43 -0700 2005 1474464 0 Epicurious In Fremont 1 1474477 Based on your stated goals, I personally think that a non-stick pan will serve your needs best and broaden your cooking repertoire more than a SS pan. Non-stick is indispensable for eggs, pancakes, and other wet, sticky things. I can't imagine using my SS for such tasks. Also good when you want to minimize use of oil/butter. I'm someone who hates too many pans/pots (it's hard finding space for what I have let alone keeping it all organized!), but find it essential to have 2 non-sticks (10" and 12"). Smaller one for individual omelets, when I'm cooking for one, sauteeing small amount of veggies. Larger pan so that I can make 2 grilled cheese sandwiches, a few fried eggs, or few pancakes at the same time. Great when entertaining. If I had to choose one, I'd go for the 12". Mine are both anodized non-stick from Calphalon but not the pricey line. Got mine from either Linens & Things or Bed, Bath, Beyond for about $20 each. Don't have lids, but I just cover w/ foil when I need a lid. They are both oven-safe and have lasted for about 2 yrs. now and counting...Farberware Millenium was the top non-stick recommended by Cook's Illustrated FWIW. For searing fish or meat, your cast iron should be fine w/ a thin layer of oil. If there are times when you need a lid for it, then just cover w/ a piece of foil. Some might disagree, but I sometimes use my non-stick for searing on med. to med-high heat. I try to not abuse my pans, but I'm not at all precious w/ them. If you decide to go w/ SS, then don't feel like you have to get "the best." I have one 12" All-Clad saute pan that I like, but sometimes wonder if it was worth the pricetag. Believe CI also did some recent testing on SS pans, but forget which was favored. Good luck...it can be challenging sorting through the choices, marketing, hype, etc. Tue Jun 28 21:42:35 -0700 2005 1474442 0 Carb Lover 1 1474488 Given that you already have a cast iron pan (to sear fish in) and show an interest in sticky things like omelettes & pancakes, I would go with a nonstick. I purchased a nonstick All-Clad 5 years ago (about $100 from Bed, Bath & Beyond) and it's perfomed wonderfully and is still going strong with almost daily use. Nice solid weight and substantial *feel* and distributes heat very evenly -so less scorching & gently fries eggs hard or scrambled (produces beautiful *curds*), makes omelettes without browning, easily flipped crepes & pancakes. Wed Jun 29 01:56:31 -0700 2005 1474442 0 petradish 2 1474489 Aha, you answered my question: a basic nonstick IS a good way to make a crepe. I've been buying into all this hype about THE CREPE PAN. The pan, all holy, which must NOT ever be used to cook anything else. I was skeptical, but when you hear something enough times... Okay, a solid nonstick seems like the way to go. Thanks, all! Wed Jun 29 01:59:52 -0700 2005 1474488 0 nooodles 3 1474490 Crepe pans are neat but not essential. If you ladle your batter into the pan in small amounts and swirl to coat, you'll get good results. Wed Jun 29 02:13:54 -0700 2005 1474489 0 petradish 3 1474528 Yup, agree w/ petradish that special crepe pans are unnecessary. The only benefit that I can tell is that the sides are very low, which aids flipping. So consider getting a non-stick pan that has flared as opposed to straight sides if you plan on making crepes quite a bit. I don't make crepes, but my mom makes the very thin Viet rice flour crepes known as "banh cuon." For such a loose batter, she swears by the super slippery Teflon pans (that aren't anodized) that are cheap in cost and construction. They're light, which makes them easier to lift, and she has one pan that she reserves for that sole purpose. Wed Jun 29 12:04:25 -0700 2005 1474489 0 Carb Lover 1 1474527 Interesting and informative article ... Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/06/15/FDGMFD2KM01.DTL Wed Jun 29 12:03:11 -0700 2005 1474442 0 OSM 1 2280910 It may seem crazy to have one pan devoted to crepes, but I wouldn't live without my blue steel crepe pan. I cook crepes, all versions of eggs, naan, Chinese green onion bread, tortillas, pancakes, on my crepe pan. Its low sides are ideal for a variety of food, and some people like to keep a separate pan for cooking eggs and pancakes so that last night's fish dinner doesn't impinge on today's breakfast. Blue Steel is cheap and completely nonstick. I don't mind its maintenance; it cleans up so easily that the extra step of oiling the pan afterwards is miniscule. I have a ceramic cooktop so I actually like the thinner steel pans; they are more responsive. I found that the heavier the pan, the longer it took for water to boil and food never got hot enough to sear. However, if you have gas, a heavy bottomed pan like a cast iron skillet might be more suitable. I would stay away from coated nonstick pans; they eventually stop being nonstick after a while (usually 1 year) and then you have to throw them away. Environmentally they're a terrible idea. Sat Feb 10 23:12:44 -0800 2007 1474442 73504 breadfanatic 2 4328980 Well, I am French and I have a dedicated crêpe pan with which we do only crêpes... That's it! We actually do crêpes, let's say 6 to 8 times a year but each time it's a full dinner of crêpes, something like 4-6 salted crêpes (galettes) then 1-2 sweet (suzette) per person... And anyhow I can only recommend to use the great blue-steel crêpe pan from "de Buyer" (which have to be seasoned, but it's just fun to do it...)... Thu Jan 15 10:10:17 -0800 2009 2280910 257426 talsalis 3 4333493 Can any of you tell me about a source for this blue steel SVP? I'm not familiar with it and it sounds compelling. Merci en avance! Fri Jan 16 17:55:11 -0800 2009 4328980 42513 Mawrter 4 4337133 They seem to be fairly widely available, and aren't too expensive; I've been thinking of trying one myself. Chef's Catalog carries the DeBuyer line, listed there as "carbon steel"; and as Tim Irvine notes below, Bridge Kitchenware carries the same type of thing but calls them "black steel" frying pans and doesn't specify the manufacturer. Many other online vendors of professional cookware offer them as well; and I've also seen the DeBuyer ones at Zabar's and at Broadway Panhandler, both in NYC. Sun Jan 18 14:42:16 -0800 2009 4333493 20001 Miss Priss 5 4346484 Thanks, MP! Wed Jan 21 21:09:31 -0800 2009 4337133 42513 Mawrter 1 2285119 In the NY Times, Marian Burros wrote that she'd tossed her non-stick pans because of health concerns and tested a variety of other types. Her favorite was Le Creuset. I inherited a Le Creuset pan that was perhaps 20 years old and the interior was still in fine condition. Mon Feb 12 12:16:01 -0800 2007 1474442 55316 mpalmer6c 2 2286157 I gave away my Le Creuset casserole with lid. It was too heavy and I could never get it to clean right. Mon Feb 12 16:39:53 -0800 2007 2285119 70510 xnyorkr 2 4333496 Oh - I remember that article. It was good. I share the health concerns and use cast iron and stainless, and a faux Le Creuset enameled cast iron pan from IKEA. Fri Jan 16 17:56:29 -0800 2009 2285119 42513 Mawrter 1 2286342 I would go with a set of all clad stainless steel and one ten inch all clad non-stick. That is exactly what I have and I cook all of the things you mention. My one non-stick pan is perfect. You want the SS because of the terrific sear. Also, the all clad clean up so easily. I have one le creuset dutch oven and I love it. Easy clean up. It is heavy, but it makes me feel like I am cooking in my grandma's kitchen. Mon Feb 12 17:30:52 -0800 2007 1474442 73705 raleighgurl 1 2319211 I find this an interesting thread. We've recently bought our first stainless steel frypan and we're very disappointed with it. Food sticks to it. Morning sausages. Fried eggs. Fried potato slices. It looks wonderful but I'd say it's just about a dead loss. Stainless steel for cooking in water perhaps, but not for frying. I'd like to hear more about this 'blue steel' pan. That is just a common steel frypan? If so then perhaps that's the way to go. There's one other option: the enamel pan. Does anyone have any comments on their utility? I had one years ago and if I remember right it had the same problem as this stainless thing - food stuck to it. It is not easy to get to the simple basic facts from the multitude of answers to this thread but perhaps it is fair to say that cast iron is the all round best? Downside being the need to care for it to prevent rusting. Not really so hard once you get the habit. We still use nonstick but I wish we didn't. I found that an old nonstick pan developed very sticky propensities. Old and scratched it was. I'd say it is definite that with age there was some chemical change in the coating that made it react with cooking oil (nearly always peanut oil or butter in our house) to create a very sticky goo. A very sticky goo that frightened me with the possibility of it being harmful. Thu Feb 22 13:07:25 -0800 2007 1474442 76880 abrogard 2 2319495 Stainless is very sticky unless you heat the pan scorching hot, add oil, shimmer it, and then put the food in the pan. And even then it does not season to a 'nonstick' equilibrium. Blue steel is annealed carbon steel, like a wok but harder due to the heat tempering. Cast iron is excellent for heat capacity but not very good for conduction. There is a reason people pay a lot of money for good copper pans. Cast iron is probably the best all-around value, however. Just know what you are getting into. Perhaps you would find the following guide to pan shapes and materials helpful: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=25717 I hope this is useful in your decision making process. At the very least it will inform you. Thu Feb 22 14:07:01 -0800 2007 2319211 72925 ttriche 3 5260266 When you heat bright carbon steel (not ss steel) it changes color from sliver to yellow to blue to red. If you cool fast at blue stage, it will keep its blue color. Cool it at the red stage it will turn black. It fact blue helps keeps carbon steel from rusting. Just some infor. from an old blacksmith. Thu Dec 17 23:11:25 -0800 2009 2319495 1122673 yakitat jack 1 2320311 Thanks for that. I'll check the URL out directly. Meantime: you mean copper pans as in all copper or as in stainless steel with copper inside as mentioned in this thread? Thu Feb 22 17:49:33 -0800 2007 1474442 76880 abrogard 2 2321128 Unlined copper can react with foodstuffs and cause toxicity. That is why unlined copper pans are only used for making preserves (sugars seem to discourage the formation of cupric oxides), caramels (again with the sugars), and whipping egg whites (electrostatic interactions encourage slightly fluffier peaks, slightly quicker, than in, say, steel). Stainless, tin, silver, or nickel lined copper pans are more general-purpose items. I happen to like stainless-lined copper; tin is a soft metal with a low melting point (~465 degrees F), while nickel and silver lined pans are very expensive. I like to sear things very hot. If we were talking about sauce pans or the like, then tin-lined copper would be an eminently reasonable choice. (There was a 9" tin-lined slant-sided sauteuse evasee on eBay recently which weighed almost 6 pounds and sold for only $80... if I did not have a similar pan lined with stainless steel, I would have bought it without hesitation. Think about having a 6-pound cast iron pan that dumps heat into the food 10 times as fast... that's the allure.) The difference between something like a cast iron pan (huge, even heat reservoir, but slow to conduct and disperse temperature changes) and a similar heavy copper pan (much faster conduction) or aluminum (nearly as nice as copper, but prone to horrible warping) is of interest if you are sauteeing or making sauces, mostly. I doubt you would want to make a delicate sauce in a skillet (maybe deglaze the pan with some wine and reduce it, but no fussy emulsions) but, if you hit a hot pan with cool liquids (eg. wine), aluminum can warp. So for most people, either a cast-iron, steel-clad aluminum, or steel-lined copper skillet (spendy!) makes the most sense, along with a cheap, dedicated nonstick pan for eggs, to be thrown away when it wears out (no sane person is cooking eggs at 500-600 degrees anyways). The material options are listed in ascending order of price, and heavier is always better when you are looking at identical diameter skillets (more even heating). Hope this helps. Thu Feb 22 23:38:28 -0800 2007 2320311 72925 ttriche 1 2320769 I bought an All-Clad frypan and soon dumped it. The grease spots on the sides of the interior I wound up removing with sandpaper. I recently dumped two nonstick frypans because of health concers that have recently been raised. So I replaced them with two carbon-steel pans made by a French firm -- the kind used in many restaurants. They work fine. Marian Burros, the food writer, jettisoned her nonstick pans as well, tried various types, and settled on enameled cast-iron. Thu Feb 22 20:24:35 -0800 2007 1474442 55316 mpalmer6c 2 2646337 Check this out an pass it on if you'd like. http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/7/teflon_toxicity.htm Eat healthy! Thanks, Peachy Sun Jun 10 08:17:06 -0700 2007 2320769 104348 paladin211 1 4336245 Someone asked for a source for blue steel...don't know if that is different from black steel, but Bridge is good: http://www.bridgekitchenware.com/browse.cfm/cookware/black-steel-pans/saute---fry-pans/2,142.html As for the copper with SS vs copper w. tin debate, I came across an interesting assertion about the "burn ring" for sauces on the French Copper Studio website (basically that SS will hold heat well up the sides and, therefore, burn sauces at the top). I tend to make sauces that might be susceptible in tin lined pans or a double boiler; so I cannot verify it. I was glad to note that a poster uses their crepe pan for several different things...makes sense. Most of my pans are tinned copper, cast iron (no enamel), or black steel. I do have one little SS fry pan (All-Clad), and I can fry eggs just fine in it with a quick spray of Pam or the like... but a scrambled egg will stick and make a hard to clean mess. I am not a fan of non-stick because of the health issue...if it will kill birds it can't be good for me! Also fat tastes good, and most things I cook seem to benefit either from olive oil or a mix of peanut oil and butter. Sun Jan 18 07:54:54 -0800 2009 1474442 170997 tim irvine 2 4336360 "...if it will kill birds it can't be good for me!" sounds like a good reason to get rid of your cats as well! Sun Jan 18 08:56:25 -0800 2009 4336245 12139 paulj 2 4346491 Thanks, Tim! I was the one who asked :) ... I've always been curious about Bridge anyhow. Wed Jan 21 21:11:21 -0800 2009 4336245 42513 Mawrter 1 4346321 Sounds like you need a nonstick to me. Target now carries a line called something like Green Pan. It's not Teflon-coated. I bought one about a month ago, and I really like the way it cooks and cleans up. Plus I can use it with my bird in the vicinity. Crate & Barrel has this kind of product as well. Wed Jan 21 19:57:23 -0800 2009 1474442 226378 turqmut 1 4350948 I would recommend a Le Creuset 11 3/4" enameled cast iron skillet as the best all around fry pan. It has a large enough bottom for crepes, pancakes and bacon. Definitely roomier than the 10 1/4" one. It is heavy though, and no problem for me as a guy. The wife finds it a bit heavy, though. But it is a truly versatile fry pan. If you don't like cooking with butter or other fat, I'd recommend staying with nonstick. Fri Jan 23 09:46:14 -0800 2009 1474442 25328 citizenconn 2 4352023 I wanted to get away from the teflon coated pans. I bought a black enameled 11 3/4" Le Creuset pan, and then I bought what they call their omelette pan. Funny thing is you can not find this on their web site. Heck, I've never found it on any website. It's supposed to double as the lid to one of their pots. It has the sandy brown smooth finish like their other products. I found this pan at the Le Creuset outlet store by my house. I was having trouble getting my eggs not to stick. And being so conditioned to non stick and being told not to use Pam, I never thought about it. One user suggested to me to use Pam when cooking my eggs. It worked perfectly. I have had to adjust how I cook eggs, but I love the pans now. We cook eggs at least twice a day on these pans and have little trouble with them. I am so glad to have started removing non stick from my life. Fri Jan 23 15:00:15 -0800 2009 4350948 253698 clark21482 1 5259862 I think Stainless Steel is the way to go simply because the non stick I think sucks due to the fact it's harder to clean and the stuff that comes off the non stick is not healthy for people. Stainless Steel I think is easier to clean always looks nice no matter what I will gladly spend the little more money for stainless steel, personally always buy stainless steel I think it's more durable, always looks nice versus the non stick looks kind of rubberish, looks cheaper and starts to look awful after a few uses. Thu Dec 17 17:59:39 -0800 2009 1474442 322318 MoMo685 1 5383680 I love my blue steel crepe pan that I purchased several years ago from Williams Sonoma. Even there, it was cheap--I think about $12 for a pan of about 8 inches diam. I use it for crepes and also, for eggs. It's too small for a batch of pancakes. I find in most ways, it's comparable to cast iron pans I've had with one very important difference: it's much lighter. Now I'd love to find a larger shallow pan or griddle, to replace my heavy cast iron one. Sun Feb 07 10:00:31 -0800 2010 1474442 10357 Lgalen 2 5383708 A Mexican comal might work for you. This the griddle with slight upturned edge for tortillas and such. Traditionally these where pottery; now carbon steel is most common. But be ware that the thinner steel is less forgiving when it comes to uneven heat from the stove. Sun Feb 07 10:12:28 -0800 2010 5383680 12139 paulj