Teflon pan brand

[DarkHelmetII]

What brand teflon plan should I buy? General all purpose - eggs, stir fry etc...

[Millennial]

I bought T-fal professional based on the recommendation of Cooks Illustrated/ATC. They have performed well and are pretty cheap ($20-35 deepening on size). I cook a lot and plan on replacing nonstick every 3 years or so.

[F150HD]

saw this same question last year actually.....

For general (daily take a beating) use I bought cheap at local Walmart. I bought a deep one w/ a lid, was like $10.

[dukeblue219]

How much are you willing to spend?

[DarkHelmetII]

How much are you willing to spend?

Not much, less than $30? Looking for a reasonable price point. I mean, if a pan costs twice as much and lasts 4 times as long that's fine. But I don't need some super fancy pan. I know nothing about cookware ... maybe expected life is directly correlated with cost, in which case the notion of optimal durability / cost ratio does not exist.

[JPH]

I would just buy an inexpensive on since they seem to wear out quickly. I recently tried one of those with the smooth white ceramic surface, and it is terrible. Food sticks and it is very difficult to clean.

[bob60014]

Best one we've used is a Kitchenaid 12 in model. It has a thicker bottom which distributes the heat evenly and is a great all around pan. Along with proper cooking technique, the key to longevity is clean the pan properly. Warm water, soft cloth and Dawn detergent is all we use. We never use the nylon scrubbies or anything rough on it. We've averaged 5 to 6 years use with these.

[goflyers13]

I've been really happy with the ones recommended in this article:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/02/why ... -best.html

That being said, nonstick pans are not the workhorse of my kitchen. I don't use them for much besides eggs. Cast iron pans are very inexpensive and will last a lifetime with proper care. They also aren't as difficult to maintain as people think. You can actually wash them with soap and water. See the link below if you're feeling adventurous:

https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/how ... kware.html

[heartwood]

I bought T-fal professional based on the recommendation of Cooks Illustrated/ATC. They have performed well and are pretty cheap ($20-35 deepening on size). I cook a lot and plan on replacing nonstick every 3 years or so.

+1 for t-fal. We've used them for years. I'd stress the "Professional" label aspect. T-fal has several price points. The Professional grade are much better than the cheaper ones. I'd also note that some (cheaper?) are aluminum; others are stainless steel. This matters if you use or consider an induction cooktop; aluminum does not work on induction.

[lthenderson]

I bought T-fal professional based on the recommendation of Cooks Illustrated/ATC. They have performed well and are pretty cheap ($20-35 deepening on size). I cook a lot and plan on replacing nonstick every 3 years or so.

+1 for t-fal. We've used them for years. I'd stress the "Professional" label aspect. T-fal has several price points. The Professional grade are much better than the cheaper ones. I'd also note that some (cheaper?) are aluminum; others are stainless steel. This matters if you use or consider an induction cooktop; aluminum does not work on induction.

+2 for T-Fal. I bought mine on recommendation from America's Test Kitchen equipment tests. They hold up really well.

[dukeblue219]

How much are you willing to spend?

Not much, less than $30? Looking for a reasonable price point. I mean, if a pan costs twice as much and lasts 4 times as long that's fine. But I don't need some super fancy pan. I know nothing about cookware ... maybe expected life is directly correlated with cost, in which case the notion of optimal durability / cost ratio does not exist.

TFal, then.

[amp]

Recently, at Marshall's / TJ Maxx / Home Goods, I've been seeing a lot of All-Clad non-stick 10" skillets for $30, which is a very good price. I bought one and it's a high quality pan that heats up evenly and the coating is very slick. They pans appear to be from the HA1 line, although they may have been made directly for the discount stores. There were so many available that I doubt that it was just overstock.

[lazydavid]

Buy a commercial one at Costco or Sam's Club. Super cheap ($12 for an 8", $15 for a 10", $21 for a 12"), very comfortable silicone handle, last decently long and are so cheap that you don't mind replacing when the nonstick invariably starts sticking after several years. Only drawback is they don't look like a fancy brand pan. Which makes sense, since restaurants only care how they work.

[Starfish]

They are no good, I did not use Teflon for years. I would chose carbon steel or cast iron or ceramic (although I do not have long term experience with ceramic).

[mdavis6890]

Teflon is great, but should be considered disposable. Regardless how you clean them, the main thing that hurts teflon is making it hot, which is kinda the point. Unless you only cook at relatively low temperatures, using the pan will destroy it over time.

Therefore, buy a pan that you can afford to replace in about 100 uses or so (mine last a year).

+3 for T-Fal Pro, I have all three sizes and love them. And I've replaced them all multiple times.

[DarkHelmetII]

Just bought Tfal on Amazon for $17! 10 inch.

[mdavis6890]

You might have bought the wrong one. This is the one I get:
T-fal 2100086427 E93805 Professional Total Nonstick Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Fry Pan, 10.5-Inch, Black

[1130Super]

May I suggest a an old cast iron pan. All I have is cast iron it’s all over 50 years old and still working

[FI4LIFE]

May I suggest a an old cast iron pan. All I have is cast iron it’s all over 50 years old and still working

I agree. Cast iron lasts forever, can be a non-stick surface with a little bit of work, and is healthy cooking surface.

[mdavis6890]

Cast iron is great - I've got a skillet I use pretty much every day. But it isn't the same as Teflon for non-stickiness. No matter how well you season it or care for it - it's not the same.

Cast iron pans made 50 years ago were made differently and can be more non-stick than recently made pans - but still not the same as Teflon.

And what is "healthy cooking surface?"

[daheld]

Cast iron is great - I've got a skillet I use pretty much every day. But it isn't the same as Teflon for non-stickiness. No matter how well you season it or care for it - it's not the same.

Cast iron pans made 50 years ago were made differently and can be more non-stick than recently made pans - but still not the same as Teflon.

And what is "healthy cooking surface?"

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-ca ... -pfoa.html

Google the documentary "The Devil We Know". DuPont has done some pretty horrific stuff.

[Chip]

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-ca ... -pfoa.html

From that link:

Should I take measures to protect myself, such as not using my Teflon-coated pans?

Other than the possible risk of flu-like symptoms from breathing in fumes from an overheated Teflon-coated pan, there are no proven risks to humans from using cookware coated with Teflon (or other non-stick surfaces). While PFOA was used in the past in the US in making Teflon, it is not present (or is present in extremely small amounts) in Teflon-coated products.

[mdavis6890]

From your source:

Whether Teflon and other non-stick coatings themselves cause cancer has not been the main focus of concerns. The main concerns have been with PFOA, as well as with similar polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), and “GenX” chemicals.

Non-stick cookware is not a significant source of PFOA exposure.

Other than the possible risk of flu-like symptoms from breathing in fumes from an overheated Teflon-coated pan, there are no proven risks to humans from using cookware coated with Teflon (or other non-stick surfaces). While PFOA was used in the past in the US in making Teflon, it is not present (or is present in extremely small amounts) in Teflon-coated products.

And even regarding the 'possible' flu-like symptoms, it doesn't provide any evidence for this and doesn't say what 'over-heated' means.

Happy to look at some studies that have evidence and causal findings if you can refer me to some.

What horrific stuff has Dupont done?

[daheld]

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-ca ... -pfoa.html

From that link:

Should I take measures to protect myself, such as not using my Teflon-coated pans?

Other than the possible risk of flu-like symptoms from breathing in fumes from an overheated Teflon-coated pan, there are no proven risks to humans from using cookware coated with Teflon (or other non-stick surfaces). While PFOA was used in the past in the US in making Teflon, it is not present (or is present in extremely small amounts) in Teflon-coated products.

It is not present anymore because DuPont and other chemical manufacturers have switched to nearly identical chemicals about whose safety we know nothing. They have the same non-stick properties as PFOA but haven't been studied.

I'm not going to get in a tit for tat. My family has switched from using non-stick pans and I'd recommend you at least consider researching what goes in to making non-stick surfaces and whether you'd consider it a risk. If you don't, cook away.

[Chip]

It is not present anymore because DuPont and other chemical manufacturers have switched to nearly identical chemicals about whose safety we know nothing. They have the same non-stick properties as PFOA but haven't been studied.

I'm not going to get in a tit for tat.

Umm, there's no "tat". You provided a link which says there is no proven cancer risk from using Teflon (PTFE, etc.) pans. PFOA is not the non-stick coating. As your link also stated:

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, is another man-made chemical. It has been used in the process of making Teflon and similar chemicals (known as fluorotelomers), although it is burned off during the process and is not present in significant amounts in the final products.