Teflon Nonstick Pans Are Bad. Consider These Alternatives

As my pro-level-home-cook pal Shannon says, “I can’t imagine doing serious stuff in ceramic.”

It was time to interrupt some eggs. On and off for a number of months, I cooked with the $50 Oxo Ceramic Professional Non-Stick 8-Inch Frypan, folding it into my every day kitchen testing and residential cooking. (I additionally had a bigger 10-inch model however barely used it so I might put as a lot as attainable put on and tear on only one pan.) Scrambled, omelets, sunny-side up, or over simple, my spouse Elisabeth and I have been as much as the problem, and that small pan dimension labored very nicely for eggs for one or two. I even put it in my checked bag on a household go to to New Hampshire.

During these months of use, I’d say there have been two massive takeaways.

First, I used to be anticipating this ceramic pan to be a dud, however it wasn’t. In reality, I can simply think about swapping out my T-fal nonstick for it with no regrets. At just a little over a pound and a half, it is stable with out being too heavy for many and is comfy to grip and maneuver. It’s significantly lighter than carbon metal and forged iron, pleasingly heftier and extra comfy than most inexpensive pans. The inside rivets are coated and flush with the sidewall of the pan. Very importantly, I did not have points with sticking. As a bonus, it’s induction appropriate, and whereas it’s a lot slower to warmth up than most different pans on my induction range, I now respect that “feature” as a strategy to defend the coating. After all these eggs and all that coast-to-coast touring, I seen solely the slightest bits of damage proper on the sides, and provided that I regarded rigorously.

Second, and it is a excessive horse I will not dismount, if you are going to use a pan like this—one thing with a floor that may finally degrade, inflicting you to throw away the entire pan—deal with it with child gloves always. This is particularly vital since, by swapping to ceramic, we’re doubtless transferring towards one thing much less sturdy.

This means no excessive warmth on the range, no steel utensils on the pan floor, no dishwasher, and no scratchy scrubbers. When it is not in use, cowl it with one thing—a plastic bag, a dish towel, a sizzling pad, no matter, particularly if you are going to stack it to retailer it. You might additionally take the additional step of turning it into an egg-only pan, utilizing it simply to your scrambles and sunny-side-up specials along with your sweetheart.

If you are anxious concerning the setting and waste and will not be able to decide to “walk on eggshells” ranges of look after pans like these, possibly do not use them.

Fortunately, I’ve one other various to counsel, as Oxo has additionally put out a new line of carbon-steel pans that may take a beating and final many years. Before you say, “Hey, what’s with all the Oxo,” I’ll remind you that it’s a giant, revered model with plenty of sway, and it’s utilizing its weight to popularize two kinds of pans that would use a nudge.