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Update in #18: Need a wok, too. (OP:Need a really great, large, non-stick frying pan with a lid...)

OneStepAtATime

By OneStepAtATime,
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OneStepAtATime

OneStepAtATime

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My old frying pan is dead.  (It lasted 17 years so I'm not complaining). I need a new one and I tend to keep kitchen items for.e.ver.  I hate to shop for kitchen items.  My dad (loved to cook) bought me the last one and he's not around anymore.  Any suggestions on something sturdy that has a lid that is fairly large?  I guess I could live without the lid, actually.   I just want a large one that will really last and cook evenly.  Or something that would fit over two large smooth top burners that would give me more space for cooking pancakes/eggs/bacon, that sort of thing.

 

See post #18 for an updated request...

Edited by OneStepAtATime
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Sweet Home Alabama

Sweet Home Alabama

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https://www.scanpan.com/

 

I have these.  They are expensive, but they come with a lifetime warranty.  If you don't cook with high heat, they have nonstick qualities.  If the heat is too high, however, food will stick to the pans. I love the clear, glass lids.  This is great quality cookware... an investment.  I would buy them again if I had to make the decision over again.

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mom2hunangirls

mom2hunangirls

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I just had to replace ours as well. I got the GreenLife ceramic one from Walmart. I joked that I couldn’t even believe I was trying it, but it’s amazing!!! We have been making eggs everyday and no one minds cleaning it. Its says it’s dish washer safe but we hand wash.

They had several sizes.

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amy g.

amy g.

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What is the biggest frying pan you think is worth buying? Or if you have to go huge is it just better to get an electric griddle?

I have a very big frying pan, but it only heats up where the gas flame actually is, so I’m constantly having to move it around so each section is over the heat.

 

I bought an electric skillet when our kitchen was gutted. It should have been an ideal solution but mine heated very unevenly. I was constantly moving the food around to get it on or off the hot spot.

 

Mine was probably just a lemon.

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Carol in Cal.

Carol in Cal.

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Love my electric griddle for pancakes and tortillas!

 

For a big frying pan, my go to is the All Clad Essential Pan from Williams Sonoma.  It's not nonstick, but it has an extremely smooth surface so with a little fat nothing ever sticks to it.  It's about twice as deep as a regular frying pan so spatters can't escape.  It has a wonderful lid.  And it has the evenest heating of any frying pan I have ever used, bar none.  Absolutely no hot spots.  It comes in two sizes. 

 

I wish they had come out with this sooner--I would have a lot fewer 'almost but not quite right' pots and pans if they had.

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cintinative

cintinative

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Echoing the griddle idea. I much prefer it for pancakes, french toast, etc. 

 

I have a large saute pan with glass lid (it seems these are different from frying pans)--my trouble is--they warp.  I would love some input on a large saute pan that doesn't warp. The one I have is an All Clad. I really like it otherwise--it can go in the oven or the stovetop, the lid fits nicely, and it is not too heavy.

 

ETA: Circulon, not All Clad.  Sorry about that!

Edited by cintinative
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gardenmom5

gardenmom5

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for pancakes - I prefer my lodge cast iron griddle. :thumbup1: allow time to warm up- and *sometimes* brush a little bit of oil. fits over two burners. It has a 'grill' side, but I dont' use it much. never use soap on it, just hot water.  for hamburgers, my sons use the lodge frying pans.

 

for eggs/omlettes - I have an all-clad d5 9" omlette non-stick pan with a domed lid. (yes, it's expensive - but it's the first cookware I've used I can give an unequivocal - there is a difference in performance.  I buy off ebay or marshalls/tjmaxx because I refuse to pay retail.) 

non-stick isn't allowed in the dishwasher. the non-stick has a limited warranty.  the 'regular' - has a lifetime warranty. I also lecture dh repeatedly he is only allowed to use it for eggs. (he'll use it for anything)  I even bought another one that he'd leave alone. :toetap05:    when we were thinning frying pans, he kept the scan pan :glare: (we had a set of three.) - which I despise.  (I got rid of one, and am giving him a 9" d5 frying pan replacement for the scan-pan for christmas so I can get rid of the scan-pan 9" fry pan. :p .  the 12" doesn't bother me as it's a size we don't use much.)

I love my 6qt saute d5 too for spaghetti sauce/etc.  helper handles are essential as they get very heavy.

 

for bacon - it's the pan size that matters. for stove top - heavy pan is important. someone posted an oven method - which I still need to try, but sounds very promising.

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gardenmom5

gardenmom5

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another advantage of the lodge - relatively cheap and will last f.o.r.e.v.e.r.

 

eta: what I've learned about lids - you want metal.   glass is nice so you can see, but it takes for ever for glass to heat up, so it is sucking up the heat instead of your food being heated.   another thing I learned - no matter how tight fitting a glass lid "seems" to be, a metal lid fits better and holds everything "in" better.   even when the metal seems to just be barely sitting there, I get less escape in the metal lid than the "tight fitting" glass lid.  I now refuse to buy glass.

Edited by gardenmom5
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gardenmom5

gardenmom5

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electric griddle vs gas frying pan . . . an electric griddle has an electric ring - so you have the same issue of a "ring".  (even our old and very heavy electric frying pan had that issue.)

 

what you want - is something that is good at conducting heat away from your element so the bottom of the pan will heat evenly.

what a pan is made from - really does matter.

if you want a large (re: 12") frying pan for a stove top, I would ONLY look at all-clad (stainless, d5, copper core), cusinart multiclad pro (rolled rim) or french classic (made in france), or there's a tramontina 3ply.   they're all about the same thickness - but have similar performance.  (one cooking site did a side x side comparison with butcher paper, and it was the A/C stainless for even heating. - I prefer my d5 to my stainless.)

my 6qt d5 is 12" - it does fine for even heating on a gas burner.  it's not about how high the flame is either, a better heat conductor allows a lower flame.

 

eta; the cusinart are the most affordable, then the tramontina. both quite a bit less than A/C.

Edited by gardenmom5
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Carol in Cal.

Carol in Cal.

Posted
Posted

Echoing the griddle idea. I much prefer it for pancakes, french toast, etc. 

 

I have a large saute pan with glass lid (it seems these are different from frying pans)--my trouble is--they warp.  I would love some input on a large saute pan that doesn't warp. The one I have is an All Clad. I really like it otherwise--it can go in the oven or the stovetop, the lid fits nicely, and it is not too heavy.

 

Are you sure this one is All Clad?  I didn't think that they made glass lids.

 

The essential pan that I mentioned upthread doesn't have straight sides like a typical sauté pan.  If that is not important to you, I recommend it.

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OneStepAtATime

OneStepAtATime

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Thank all of you so much for your responses and help.  I appreciate it.

 

Now my husband has finally mentioned what he wants for Christmas is a wok.  I have no clue whatsoever what to look for in a wok.  I have never used one.  My mom said she would get me the frying pan of my choice for Christmas (within a reasonable amount which was not defined so I thought I would just give her 2-3 options) which frees up my little bit of money to get DH a decent wok.  Any suggestions for a wok?

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Carol in Cal.

Carol in Cal.

Posted
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ALSO!  

Get a cleaver.  They have them at the same website.  A good cleaver will chop right through bones so you can make those classic Chinese stews with the chicken pieces making their own bone broth.  

 

And if you are thinking of doing a lot of steaming, those bamboo steamers are great.  My suggestion is to buy two and a lid. I have three and the top one really doesn't get very hot.  But I don't steam much so I probably shouldn't have bought them at all.  You can steam one plate of something in the regular metal wok--it has a rack for that, and a good lid.  The bamboo steamers are more for if you are doing several dishes at once.  Also, steaming will eventually screw up the sealed finish on your wok, requiring it to be reseasoned--not difficult but a bit tedious.  So if you are really serious about it, you want a second wok just for that.  My Chinese friends aren't that pure about it--they most use a regular pot with a steamer basket and reserve the wok for stir fry.

 

 

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cintinative

cintinative

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Are you sure this one is All Clad?  I didn't think that they made glass lids.

 

The essential pan that I mentioned upthread doesn't have straight sides like a typical sauté pan.  If that is not important to you, I recommend it.

 

 

You are right! It's a Circulon. I don't know how I got it in my head that it was All Clad.

 

I will look at that saute pan you mentioned. Mine doesn't have straight sides also.

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nixpix5

nixpix5

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My recommendation is the Cuisinart pans in Champagne. I have had a set for 2 years. They are magical. Nothing sticks, they clean easy, everything cooks even. I love my Alclad too but I really enjoy my Cuisinart with glass lid.

 

I have never put mine through the dishwasher and it is like brand new still and it is sued alot.

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