I have researched the best nonstick cookware because I’m planning to upgrade my kitchen setup. I read reviews on Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping, and America’s Test Kitchen, and these two sets consistently rank among the top:
CAROTE 21Pcs Pots and Pans Set, Nonstick Cookware Sets
SENSARTE Ceramic Cookware Sets, Pots and Pans Set Non stick
I cook daily — things like eggs, curries, pasta, and light frying — so I need something durable, truly nonstick, easy to clean, and preferably dishwasher safe. I mostly use silicone or wooden utensils, but I want something that can handle regular use without wearing down too quickly.
If anyone here has experience with either of these sets or can suggest something better, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Which one would you go with and why?
First and foremost, do you have a specific reason to want nonstick? I ask this because nonstick has some significant attributes that I would not want. They include:
–much nonstick involves dangerous substances in the manufacturing process, stuff you do not want to end up in the environment or harming workers
–much nonstick degrades and has toxic off gassing at high temperatures
–much nonstick degrades quickly, necessitating replacement
–many nonstick pans do not brown well because the nonstick surface inhibits the development of fond
Assuming people will argue for exceptions, please note that I never said ALL.
If I were building a new set of cookware I would recommend buying the individual items I needed rather than a set. Sets all too often include pieces that you simply will not use. I would recommend looking at either stainless steel clad or disc bottom. For frying pans I am a huge fan of carbon steel. I find that it is less “sticky” than stainless and seasons more easily than cast iron. I find it is easier to use because it is lighter than cast iron and because the Lyonnaise shape of most carbon steel pans uses long, sloping handles whereas most cast iron has short, horizontal handles, a challenge for weak wrists. The tiniest smidge of oil, fat, or butter will make a carbon steel (or clad stainless or disc bottom) quite nonstick, carbon steel more-so than stainless. I think the best deals are to be had at restaurant supply stores.
I find that sources like Consumer Reports and ATK tend to overlook many of the choices popular among this community.
I own exactly one nonstick pan. It’s a Le Creuset Toughened nonstick pro skillet that I use for eggs. For everything else, I use clad stainless or enameled cast iron.
Sets of nonstick cookware can be attractively priced, but as @Vecchiouomo mentions, they are not very durable. Some say dishwasher safe, but that will only shorten their lifespan.
What is your reason for only wanting nonstick? This community can help you choose the best pans for your needs.
A wipe of peanut oil or butter, about thirty calories, on a warm pan makes it nonstick. The low rim makes getting a spatula under an egg extremely easy. This morning I knocked out omelette aux fines herbes, and it was Sofa King good.
@Vecchiouomo, your summary does a super job at explaining why some of us do just fine without non-stick cookware. I do recognize that other people find non-stick to be super useful.
In my experience, non-stick isn’t a necessity when I can accomplish what I need to without it. Eggs are perhaps the trickiest but butter + oil in the pan does wonders. Also, when I am sautéing vegetables in oil that threaten to burn/get sticky, I add a splash of water to the pan to continue the cooking process and scrape up the lovely fond. In fact, this happened just last night when I was sautéing onions that were lower in moisture because they had been in storage for a while.
And I still have my eye on that black steel crepe pan that’s won your favor.
I cook without non-stick. As mentioned some kind of fat is required, so you might as well use a good fat…both for taste and health, like good olive oil or avocado oil (neutral) with a bit of butter. Think blue zone when using oil.
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BarneyGrubble
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I have a Lagostina crêpe pan that I should try. So far I’ve only used it for crêpes.
That was a good breakdown, Tim. Last year, I took the plunge and bought a Calphalon 10" saute, feeling it was different than other non stick. Thought maybe it would outlast all the other non stick stuff out there. A year later, it’s the same as the rest. Live and learn. Just makes me love my Ci and CS all the more.
I find the Calphalon story sad. They started with a very basic heavy aluminum pan that was anodized but had no nonstick treatment. It was rock solid, had the phenomenal heat dispersion of heavy aluminum, could handle acidic things with its anodized surfaces, had superb feel in the hand, and was pretty reasonably priced for high quality name brand cookware. The only drawback I saw (for others, not for me) was that it did not do well in dishwashers. They no longer offer it.
I had those pans when they first came out! Bought them from an independent cookware store in Annapolis. Fabulous cookware. I last saw it being offered in closeout lots more than 20 years ago.
20+ years ago I was gifted a nice 12” Calphalon “professional” non-stick pan. Brand new it was fantastic, heavy and then the non-stick wore off. So with a lifetime guarantee I send it back to Calphalon. They send a replacement…then that surface wore off. Did it once more and then stopped sending them back. Nice pan when the surface was intact….but then you started eating the coating, nope. I still have the last one in the kitchen but it’s useless and not going to ask for another.
In any case, I picked up an old Magnalite GHC cast aluminum pan from my brother that I’m going to rehab and use as a camping pan.
I’ve had a Tramontina for a couple of years now, and it works great. A set of ceramic pans (I don’t remember the name, but they had an orange surface and were advertised on TV) started sticking very quickly. But someone in another forum recommended Greenpan, and I got a set at Costco today.
