Need a decent frying pan-any pointers?

sweetilemon

I had a tefel one, think it was about £15, lasted about 5yrs. Just bought a le cruset pan, although expensive, it has a 10yr guarentee and so far has been great. Heavy but a med/low heat always work, no need for a high temp.

j.e.j.

rachbc wrote: »

I'vr tried so many non stick (inc very pricey) and they all seem to peel eventually.

Yes, same here.

dasophster wrote: »

Ikea's non stick is brilliant even the set of three saucepans that costs about £7 our previous lot lasted 8 years

I'm starting to wish we had an Ikea near us! I love their stuff and they're not all that pricey. Think the nearest one is about 40 miles away, though

I don't often cook with eggs in the frying pan (well, once a year on pancake day :rotfl:) so eggs sticking shouldn't be a problem, but we do do risottos and I cook meat, etc which can stick. My mum has one of those cast-iron frying pans and she's had it for years, but I am not used to cooking with a cast-iron pan and am not sure whether to get one or not.

Thanks for all your ideas and suggestions, keep them coming

blackandwhitebunny

The best pans you can get are black iron pans, but you can only normally get them in catering suppliers or online. They're what they use in restaurants. Much cheaper than non-stick and you season them first and they build up their own non stick coating. We use them in school and they survive yr 11's with no idea of 'that's a bit hot'. I've also got some at home that have outlived our le creuset.
I've always thought that kitchen shops etc don't sell them as they're too cheap and don't ever need replacing.

Ben84

I've tried pans that aren't non-stick and it didn't go well. Everything I attempted to cook in them seemed to instantly fuse to the surface, even with lots of oil. So, I wonder what is the secret to making them work?

Popperwell

I don't do much frying but do have some spare purchased when on offer in Aldi's non stick, a wok and an ordinary one but lately I have seen some cooks on TV do other food in a frying pan but not fry...

mrcow

I bought two Ikea pans for a couple of pounds each (thinking they'd last a year or so - but they were so cheap I didn't care).

Five years later, they are both still going stong.

I think one wasa £2.99 and the other was about £1.50.

Gloomendoom

I use cast iron frying pans. They don't suit everybody because they are heavy and, something a lot of people seem to have a problem with, the less you wash them, the better their non-stick qualities get. I've had mine for donkey's years and, generally, just wipe them clean after use. It is liberating not to have to worry about scratching a coating whatever utensils are used.

[Deleted User]

cast iron for me and to see the seasoning build up over time is amazing, mine can fry an egg now with very little oil and it doesn`t stick. I do treat it carefully in that I wash it only in water and then dry and warm on the hob with a smear of lard. I have had several non stick pans since they came out when I was a young mum, 40+ years ago and I shudder to think of all the chemicals being released on food in that time. If I were starting again then it would be a cast iron one from day one

I also use a dutch oven

j.e.j.

Are you supposed to not use washing-up liquid on the cast-iron pans then? Mostly I cook veg but I'd like also to be able to cook meat or fish in there too and would like the pan to be really clean after raw meat.

Debran

Definitely Tefal.