Cheap Nonstick Pans, yes or no?
This is the kind of useful thing America’s Test Kitchen usually keeps behind a paywall or buried in Cook’s Illustrated: whether it’s ok to buy a cheap nonstick pan. The answer is yes, and definitely get rid of your old one as soon as it starts peeling.
They do point out that if you have an expensive one, it probably has a lifetime warranty, which would make the price worth it. I wish I had thought of that when I got rid of my toxically peeling All Clad two months ago.
But you can read the results for yourself right here on their all new internet hang out—the cleverly named Feed. I love the layout and how much content they’ve packed in, including lots of the esoteric that is usually just in Cook’s Illustrated.
4 Comments
Junglewife
Great information! We have a VERY cheap non-stick pan that Dan purchased when in his single college days. It is probably 13 years old now and still going strong. I think it cost about $10 at Meijer, and still no signs of peeling! Our nonstick Calphalon that we bought with wedding gift money is also still going strong..11 years later! I’m thankful that it’s not peeling because if we ever had to replace it, we’d probably have to import new pans from the States which would get pretty expensive!
mfvr
Just yesterday bought a Wagner Ware 10 1/2 inch cast iron skillet at the flea market to join my smaller one – love the patina of seasoning and the heat distribution. Bargained it down to $17…
Guessing it’s from the 1920’s.
aimee
Great link! I work at Williams-Sonoma and need to invest in cookware for myself and utilize my discount, but I don’t know that much about cookware (…ironic considering I’m the cookware asst. buyer). I’m apprehensive to take the All Clad plunge at this stage in life and it seems like Calphalon’s nonstick line does the job for a lower price point.
PS. Although we’ve never met but Leighton has showed me you blog a time or two and you’re in my google reader and I enjoy your content! haha hope that’s acceptable…
Rachael
of course Aimee!
You should use that discount for one or two good things for your kitchen, but skip it on the nonstick. Maybe a le creuset or two?
I feel like we almost met though; I think I missed you by days at Shareen’s.