Non-Stick it to The Man!

I had to throw out a non-stick pan this last weekend. I'd left it on the burner, empty, and forgot about it while I did something. By the time I got back, it was starting to smoke. I set it outside to cool off, then gave it a good scrubbing with a plastic scrubber. It was a bit discolored, but still usable. About a month later, I left it on the god damned burner again. I managed to pull it off before it started to smoke, but it was too much for the poor thing. Over the next few weeks, I began to notice that the bottom was beginning to flake. This is not a safe thing to cook in, so it was time to replace it.

Years ago, I used to just accept that non-stick pans would be useless within a few uses. I didn't realize that metal spatulas would ruin them. (Look, I was barely 22 and living on my own for the first time. Non-stick cook pans were still a novelty to me. My mother had only ever used cast iron frying pans when I was a kid). Well, I found out that they would last longer if I got a plastic spatula, and they did, but I still had problems.

I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I eventually figured out that I was still ruining my pans because I was stacking other pans inside my non-stick pans. I got smart finally and got a rack to hang my pans from. Boy, that made a difference. This last pan (the one I ruined through my own carelessness) was about to turn 8 years old, with not a single scratch or mark on the Teflon surface. I think I paid $30 for it, and it was a great pan.

I often shop at the restaurant supply store (Cash & Carry), and I've been eying the non-stick pans I see there. They tend to run in the $60 range for a 12" pan, but they have nice riveted handles that don't come loose and they're thick like cast iron. Well, I couldn't bring myself to spend that much so I went to the housewares section of the local grocery store (Lamb's Thriftway, if you're curious) and found a Berndes 11" frying pan for $30. It's not as thick walled as the pro one, (though it is thick) and the handle is screwed on, but it's as good as my old one, and if I get 8 years out of it (and I don't see why I couldn't) I'll have gotten a bargain.

Well, I've had occasion to use the pan a several times, and let me say I'm totally happy. No, I have received no money from this company to pimp their product, but I will say that I wouldn't mind getting a free set of pans from them (hint hint). Often, the frying pans sold at the grocery store are pathetic looking, thin aluminum with a non-stick surface that appears to have come out of a spray can. The handles start off loose, and go downhill from there. This Berndes pan is nice, thick (well, thick enough. I'd prefer a couple of more millimeters, but hey, it's $30) and the Teflon is as smooth as glass. I made an omelet (well, more of a frittata) for my Girl Friend this morning, and it was like the egg floated above the pan without really touching. It's been very good for whatever I've cooked in it, and of course, very easy to clean.

So, if you get non-stick cookware, remember these things;

-Don't use metal utensils
-Don't stack other pans inside of them. Stand them in a dish rack in your cupboard or hang them up
-Don't use too much heat, and don't forget the fucking things on the hot burner like I did.


Update

The pan didn't hold up well to heavy use, and I don't think that it was a problem with the quality of manufacture, but with the fact that on several occasions I was cooking with coarse sea salt in the pan. The coarse sea salt abraded the non-stick surface and put some really ugly scratches in there. I have since replaced that pan with another from the Cash and Carry (United Grocers or Smart & final, depending on your location) and it has stood up wonderfully. I am NOT using the coarse sea salt in it this time.