Nonstick fry pans. Which company is good?

[funkymonkey]

My wife wants to buy some new nonstick pans and asked me which companies are good. Honestly, I have no idea. I've heard of TeFal and that's about it. Any suggestions?

[Tiger Mountaineer]

Tefal is ok but starts peeling after a year or so. Bialetti (from Costco) is probably worse. The Tramontina and the Kirkland pans (also from Costco) seem to have more durable coatings are are holding up a lot better--one has a scratch but it did not start to peel there unlike the cheaper pans. Cast iron is also great and pretty no-stick if you take care of it, but it's a pain to re-season without a very hot oven and is prone to rust in this climate.

[ceevee369]

Before Tefal's technology became a brand, their invention was limited secure which had negative reviews as concerns which were founded. Lightweight pans are Not a chefs choice due too temperature loss. I would only buy a Tefal if they have a heavy duty range.
We bought some momo shopping set which is very very good. Will look into the brand at home tomorrow

[funkymonkey]

We bought some momo shopping set which is very very good. Will look into the brand at home tomorrow

Actually, my wife was shopping on the "momo" website, but couldn't decide/didn't know which pans to buy. There were too many brands to choose from and I don't know anything about pans. She likes our Tefal ones, but I think she wants better quality this time.

[Dragonbones]

I have Tefal (a large, slightly heavier one, not the cheapest lightest type), Kirkland Pro (very large, deep and heavy) and cast iron.
The Tefal has lasted 2.5(?) years so far with no problems, but I'm careful not to ever overheat it, and I don't use any steel implements in it, just wood and plastic. The Kirkland Pro is like NEW after three or so years with similarly careful use, but I only use it once every few months for larger dishes. My impression is that it is higher quality than the Tefal and will last longer even with equal use, so if you're upgrading, check those out at Costco.

The cast iron will last several lifetimes. I season it now and then (which can be done on a stove top in a pinch if you don't have an oven), and always dry it well, often oiling it a bit before storing it. If searing meat at higher temperatures I always choose the cast iron. This not only works better, but it prevents overheating of the nonstick ones. I also use the cast iron one when non-stick isn't necessary, e.g. if toasting some bread brushed with oil.

Having a combination of something like a Kirkland Pro non-stick and a cast iron pan is ideal IMO.

[funkymonkey]

Thanks for the advice. The Kirkland Pro sounds good, but I don't know when we will be at Costco again. Maybe we can make a trip to Tainan and check them out.

Edit: DB, do you remember how much money the Kirkland Pro was at Costco?

[Dragonbones]

Edit: DB, do you remember how much money the Kirkland Pro was at Costco?

No, but very reasonable compared to department stores. Worth the trip.

[Dragonbones]

Not sure, but the Kirkland and large Tefal are probably around $1200 at Costco, and I think a Bialetti was in the $700 range. From what I've seen, there's a difference in quality corresponding to the price, and I wouldn't buy the cheaper (sub-1000) ones.

[StuartCa]

There's a japanese brand (nay...) that are available in Hola and they don't use teflon (so are healthier) and they are excellent. They use mutiple layers of different metals apparently.

[Gary78]

I got one of these from Ikea.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80083459/
Had it about 6 months, use it at least once a day and it still looks like new. It's pretty good quality for the price.
Some of the cheap Ikea stuff is just rubbish, but the Favorit pans are pretty nice. I also got a cast iron grill pan for about NT$1500. A similar one in Hola was NT$6K+