Frying pans

A quality pan shouldn’t warp.
Is someone putting it straight from the hob into cold water?

yogagran, having ruined many non-stick, ceramic and stone types, I've now gone back to using my trusty cast iron set of three.

Yes, they're heavy and have to be carefully washed by hand and dried on the stove. Still, they never stick and things cook perfectly.

I now keep them on a stand right by the stove. I used to hate lugging them out of a saucepan drawer.

Non stick pans don’t seem to last in our house, even the expensive ones. I have a heavy Le creuset enameled cast iron frying pan which I love. But I went to a cook school a while ago and they suggested getting a cheap steel professional frypan. It is thin it heats up quickly to a high heat and if you wash it gently you get a patina over the pan which makes it non stick.

My newest frying pan is from Morrison’s and cost £8.
I’ve only had it a couple of months but pleased with it so far.

I got fed up throwing perfectly good frying pans out because the nonstick coating was peeling and bought a Le Creuset stainless steel frying pan.

The trick is to heat it on medium heat with a little oil in the pan until the oil is almost smoking before turning off the heat and allowing to cool. Discard the oil and the pan is as good as any nonstick one. I can fry eggs ‘over easy’ using this method. Every now and then I wash it in the dishwasher and then season it again before use.

Ive bought cheap, medium and expensive frying pans and I just stick now to supermarket brands. We dont fry food very often but we do like bacon and eggs

I do not fry many foods these days. Use an old, trusty, wok for preparing things for my slow cooker. Have a very good quality and expensive frying pan I got from my Sister
law when she turned over to induction and this was not suitable. This I use for omelettes, Have a small, cheap one for occasional fried eggs and scrambled eggs.

However for pancakes I have an extremely old, cheap when purchased, no-longer non-stick and very battered mis-shapen frying pan. Somewhere around thirty years plus old. Every time, I have put it out to pasture and tried newer pans for making pancakes, have never had success and have brought this back out of its deserved retirement. I have never had a failure on pancakes with this one, albeit the markings on those delicacies may look a little strange.

Before I moved, I treated myself to a new and good set of saucepans, which are really great. But will probably keep my existing frying pans for good.

I had to buy new frying pans when I changed to an induction hob, I got them from IKEA, I think they're the best I've ever had.

Best piece of advice I was ever given? Buy cheap buy twice! Le Creuset for me are too heavy, there are plenty of alternatives out there. No shame in frying food either. Just get the best quality you can afford.
My top tip? Don't wash too soon after using- let the fat remain in the pan until cold and wipe with kitchen roll instead of washing the fat down the drain. I also don't use a dishwasher- just wash in usual way in the sink.

Recently seen a copper coated FP advertised. That's the one I would go for if a purchase was imminent.. I have my trusty old Crueset but admit I do find it heavy to handle. Not in regular use but I do love a potato/red pepper fry-up. Yet another weakness!

For those finding the Le Creuset pans too heavy, their stainless steel pans are much lighter. The frying pan is not much heavier than a Tefal. Worth considering.

I’ve got two fairly cheap non stick ones which I bought in the supermarket. They’ve both been fine for ages. I do usually wash them by hand, though.
I did once buy a much more expensive ceramic one but it certainly didn’t live up to the hype and it wasn’t long before I ditched it.
My MiL had a cast iron one but TBH I just couldn’t do with all the faff of drying it so meticulously.

The sheer weight of anything Le Creuset would put me off, never mind the prices. I did have a LC casserole, inherited from MiL, but the weight stopped me using it and eventually it went to the charity shop, where I hope it made a few £ for them.

I noticed this week in Tesco there is a shelf with several sizes and brands of frying pans along with a reminder for Pancake Tuesday. I’d recommend keeping an eye on that if you can as if past years are anything to go by those pans will be reduced to half price soon after Feb 16th.