2 Frying pans in 4 months...Spec me a new Frying pan!

robj20 · 3 Jun 2018 at 15:40

garnett said:
I concur. We have a set of these and they've gone the same way. As @a1ex2001 says, it's from over heating. (At least that's what Circulon told me before they grudgingly replaced the largest of our pans under their warranty. To be fair, the replacement seems to be faring better).

I might be mistaken, but I think the copperstone pans mentioned by @HazardO are stocked by Tesco and are on offer in our local shop. If they're the same, I thought they looked decent.

We've had a full set for about 3 years now and they all look good as new.

jpaul · 3 Jun 2018 at 16:00

robj20 said:
We've had a full set for about 3 years now and they all look good as new.

what is your heat source - induction ?

gas gets hotter, and the ceramic I have now is not a uniform heat, I had similar problems with older pans (le creuset & co)
both waiting for the day of resurrection when i discover a magic cleaning recipe. - frequently do fruit sugary things and maybe that contributes.
... someone could make afortune with a good home cleaner - people have apparently used grinding wheels to remove non-stick on le-creuset.

Raymond Lin · 3 Jun 2018 at 16:19

Weird, it is normally the edges that gets dark !

Pho · 4 Jun 2018 at 09:50

Raymond Lin said:
About to order one of these Carbon Steel pans…but what is B-Element?

de Buyer Acier Carbone Steel frying pan, 24cm 5110.24

https://uk.knivesandtools.eu/en/pt/...-steel-frying-pan-24cm-5110-24.htm#tabbutton3

de Buyer Mineral B Element frying pan, 24cm 5610.24

https://uk.knivesandtools.eu/en/pt/-de-buyer-mineral-b-element-frying-pan-24cm-5610-24.htm

Is B-Element better?

I think it's just that it comes with beeswax on them, which you end up removing anyway

We coat Mineral B Element pans with beeswax to protect them from oxidation during their shipping and their storage. This protection also facilitates the seasoning and improves pan non-stick properties.

Beeswax coating is not permanent and will disappear when the pan is washed previously to the first use. It is important to carefully remove the outer beeswax layer to avoid staining your cooktop.

https://www.debuyer.com/en/faq

jpaul · 4 Jun 2018 at 15:26

Carbon steel may not be best for induction though : its conductivty is 1/4 of alu and 1/8 cu , induction elements create a heat ring 4-5" diameter, and rely on pan conductivity.

garnett · 4 Jun 2018 at 16:18

robj20 said:
We've had a full set for about 3 years now and they all look good as new.

I've wondered whether they've changed something since our first set (about 8 yrs old) and the replacement (about 2 years old).

FrenchTart · 4 Jun 2018 at 22:39

jpaul said:
Carbon steel may not be best for induction though : its conductivty is 1/4 of alu and 1/8 cu , induction elements create a heat ring 4-5" diameter, and rely on pan conductivity.

I predict you will have zero luck with pure alu or copper pans on induction.

jpaul · 5 Jun 2018 at 07:42

yes Mr Faraday/tesla ? agrees with you - needs to be a thicker sandwich/tri-ply or lower guage cast iron

despite attractive price I would not go carbon steel with the ceramic top I'm currently tolerating, or, if I had induction.

robj20 · 5 Jun 2018 at 19:10

So those de buyer pans are no good for induction? What pans are then.

SoliD · 6 Jun 2018 at 06:39

robj20 said:
So those details buyer pans are no good for induction? What pans are then.

IKEA sensuell are great pans for the price. Proper weight to them and good conductivity on an induction top. And 365 non stick for the every day simple frying stuff.

Squid Vicious · 6 Jun 2018 at 09:20

Have been using some Le Creuset 'Toughened non-stick' frying pans for a couple of years now - no idea what they're made out of but they do the job admirably and the non-stick surface is yet to show any real signs of wear or tear.

robj20 · 6 Jun 2018 at 12:39

Im mostly happy with my circulon pans, but i want one that can handle higher temps and go in the oven.

Raymond Lin · 7 Jun 2018 at 01:06

De Buyer pan arrived today, it's heavier than i expected, still not as heavy as my cast iron pan of a similar size.

Now I need to season it.

mid_gen · 7 Jun 2018 at 08:43

Think I need to try these De Buyers. I've given up on non-stick, so wasteful having to bin them after a few years. All the stainless stuff I have is going strong.

I 'accidentally' seasoned my big stainless steel tefal skillet by pouring olive oil on it when it was a steak-searing temperature...instantly burned a big black layer onto it. Once I scrubbed the burnt stuff off and cleaned it, it's as good as any non-stick!

robj20 · 7 Jun 2018 at 12:04

Raymond Lin said:
De Buyer pan arrived today, it's heavier than i expected, still not as heavy as my cast iron pan of a similar size.

Now I need to season it.

How are you going to season yours. Ive just ordered a 26" minderal B, probably use some vegatable oil and get it as hot as i can which should be around 400C after giving it a good clean to get the wax off.

Raymond Lin · 7 Jun 2018 at 12:54

robj20 said:
How are you going to season yours. Ive just ordered a 26" minderal B, probably use some vegatable oil and get it as hot as i can which should be around 400C after giving it a good clean to get the wax off.

I normally just use it as normal but I am thinking cleaning my BBQ out for the summer and use that.

Pho · 7 Jun 2018 at 16:48

I seasoned mine by rubbing sunflower oil over it with a paper towel then sticking it upside down in the oven at ~200c for a couple of hours. Put it upside down so you don't end up with a pool of baked in oil.

jpaul · 7 Jun 2018 at 17:28

SoliD said:
IKEA sensuell are great pans for the price

agree these look good for induction, after having read below, and a few amazon comments
https://cheftalk.com/threads/quality-pots-pans-to-abuse-use-with-high-heat.98076/#post-580959

All my saucepans and pots these days are stainless steel, I believe that material is the best choice for those items. For those items plus skillets, etc, I use designs with multiple layers not only on the bottom but up the sides. The inner cooking surface is 18/10 (grade 304) stainless steel, probably the best grade for kitchen use (grade 316 is more corrosion resistant but you'd have to be in a marine environment to notice a difference and it's way more expensive). Then there is a middle aluminum layer to provide better heat distribution. The outer layer is 18/0 (grade 430) stainless steel. Not quite as corrosion resistant as 18/10, it has the benefit of being magnetic and thus induction stove compatible. There are fancier lines that use additional layers such as copper but the price gets to a point of diminishing returns.

Of that type of stainless steel cookware, the two leading brands are All Clad and Cuisinart MultiClad Pro. There's minor differences but the two are extremely comparable. The real difference is All Clad is made in the USA and costs about twice as much. While this is one of the exceptions where a made in China product (Cuisinart MCP) is of comparable quality as the USA-made product. I went with Cuisinart and have been very satisfied with them.

the cusinart brand is on amazon but as an import

mid_gen said:
by pouring olive oil on it when it was a steak-searing temperature

but you use an iron griddle for the geunine steaks ? (for the heat capacity ... and I think the grid helps it cook ???)

Squid Vicious said:
Have been using some Le Creuset 'Toughened non-stick' frying pans for a couple of years now

The picture I posted was my second 'non-stick' cheap le creuset ... fool me again shame on us both.

mid_gen · 25 Jun 2018 at 19:18

Got a De Buyer Carbone Plus crepe pan last week as I found em cheap, as a trial. I'm on an induction hob.

Seasoned it a couple of times with sunflower oil. Sauted some onions in it for dinner, rinsed and put away.

In the morning, whipped up some batter, a little butter on the pan. Totally converted. Didn't even need an implement, just let it cook for a minute then a little shake and it slides around like it's on glass. Ordered a 28cm frying pan now, and chucked the old non-stick stuff in the bin. No more chucking out pans!

robj20 · 26 Jun 2018 at 02:45

Can't get mine to stay non stick, thought it had a good coating then went to cook some burgers in it and they stuck. Nightmare to then clean. Always get the odd patch that sticks. Tried rapeseed oil and dripping to get a coating wipe a thin layer on and put it on the hob until it smokes then take it off and leave to cool.