Pans That Aren't Nonstick That You Can Still Wash Easily?

Cast Iron is my favorite! The original non-stick. Yes they are somewhat heavy but work great. Buy a cast skillet they season (according to directions) Then use it. the more you use it the better it works. I will wash with some soapy water but then it needs dried. then I will put a thin coat of oil on the inside for storage.

I bought a pan that if 'green' but also non stick. I can't remember the brand but I bought it at Home goods (great place to go if you don't have several hundred dollars to spend on pots). It has a light gray interior, looks like the non stick pans, but as I said is made of non toxic materials.

I use iron skillets for mostly everything these days. Mine are seasoned really well and I can even make an omelet without it sticking, just did one this morning. It does take time, patience and practice to get them there tho.
Seriously I have NEVER had luck with the stainless or the ceramic, everything stuck and I hated them. I'm sure there's trick to make them work tho, just like the iron skillets.
I stick with iron only because I know that the iron also leeches into your food which I think is a plus when you compare all the skillets. Plus they last FOREVER and ever and ever. One of my skillets was my great grandmothers... and will eventually belong to my DIL when I become dust.
During practice or when for some reason food sticks, all you have to do is put water or wine in the skillet while it's still hot and it unsticks everything.
Also, the minute you are finished cooking and while the pan is still hot, you put about a half cup of water in it to make clean up really easy. I generally never use soap in my iron skillets except for when I cook fish. I just rinse them with really hot water and scrub them out with a brush, dry them with a paper towel and oil them for the next use.

I gave up my non stick pans, too. My favorite pan now is a large covered stainless steel pan made by Cuisinart. It's lighter weight than cast iron, can be heated really hot to stiry fry quickly, and it cleans up well.

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-Classic-Stainless-12-Inch...

The trick to using stainless steel is to heat the pan first, then add the oil when the pan is hot. For some reason, this keeps things from sticking. After using the pan, I soak it and usually any gunk slides right out. Sometimes there are stains left and I rub them lightly with a steel wool pad.

I didn't have good luck frying with my Revere Ware pans. The bottom was too thin and stuff burned. But I love this pan by Cuisinart and am thinking of getting another deeper one to use as a wok.

I still have my Revere ware copper bottom pots and pans my mom gave me over 20 years ago and all you need is a good soak and once in awhile an sos pad. Honestly, they clean up pretty darned easy.

I use a cast-iron skillet that used to belong to my husband's mother (she died when he was still in school). It's well seasoned and almost nothing sticks to it. For relatively non-stick dishes or steamed rice or vegetables, like soups, stainless steel is excellent. I just have to be careful not to cook quite as hot and fast as I can in seasoned cast iron, which will allow hot stir-frying.

For baking, I use an aluminum sheet with a textured surface. I allow cooked-on oils to gradually build up and season the surface, turning it non-stick (it also turns a gradual dark brown). I just wipe the surface after each use with a damp sponge.

Baking pans can also be protected by a layer of baking parchment, waxed paper, or aluminum foil, depending on what you're baking. Sometimes these can be brushed off and reused for the next baking project if you're cooking non-meat foods. (We live on a small income and have to run a very thrifty household. Plus, I can hardly endure unnecessary waste.)

By the way, if a layer of whatever gets cooked onto the bottom of a steel pan, try adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of baking soda to enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil for a minute or two. Clean the pan as soon as it cools enough to handle safely. The burnt-on food is usually softened enough to scrape out with a rubber spatula and not much elbow-grease.

Last year just after Thanksgiving, Macy's was having a great sale on all all-clad cookware. I went out & bought my entire new set of pots n pans & they will last me forever. Go to their website for more details, here are some:

All-Clad Nonstick Cookware is a great product for cooking sticky foods like eggs, potatoes, or rice, and for those individuals who want to avoid using additional fat or oil. All-Clad's nonstick surfaces do not have harmful PFOA gases. The quality of our cookware eliminates hot spots that can damage nonstick and cause the surface to burn and flake off.

• For daily cleaning, warm, soapy water is sufficient. Clean your All-Clad thoroughly after each use. Food films left on the pan may cause discoloration and sticking.

• To get rid of stuck-on food or discoloration, and stains from using too high of a heat, we recommend cleaning your All-Clad with a product called Bar Keeper's Friend.

• To use the Bar Keeper's Friend, simply use a soft cloth or sponge and water and make into a soupy paste. This can be used on the interior, as well as the exterior of your All-Clad (excluding the Cop-R-Chef and Copper Core).

• The Bar Keeper's Friend can also be used on the exterior of the All-Clad Stainless collection, LTD collection, and MC2 collection.

• For cleaning of the Cop-R-Chef exterior, simply use a brass/copper cleaner.

• If your water has high iron content, you may notice a rusty discoloration. Use Bar Keeper's Friend to remove this.

A preheated pan and lower flames are the key to stick-free stainless steel cooking.
Preheat your pan on low or medium heat for one to two minutes. Tap the upper edge of your pan to test the heat. (If it is too hot, remove from the burner for a couple of minutes.) Pour 2-3 teaspoons of cold oil in your preheated pan-or enough to cover the bottom of the cooking surface. Add your food, making sure that there is an even sizzling sound when your food touches the pan. This indicates that your food is cooking on contact and creating a natural barrier to prevent sticking. Allow your food to cook without disturbing it until the correct doneness is achieved. The natural sugars in your food caramelize on the cooked surface, developing great flavors and lifting your food off of the cooking surface naturally. If the sound your food makes on initial contact with the pan is more of a crackle than a sizzle, your heat is too high and sticking may occur. All-Clad recommends low to medium heat for frying, braising, sautéing and simmering because All-Clad is crafted to hold heat.

I use Calphalon pans. They are Amazing!

I have two stainless steel fry pans and love them. You have to heat them up and then add a bit of oil to them. Make sure the whole bottom of the pan is coated in a thin oil film to help the item you cook from sticking to the bottom. Also lower the temp of your pan while cooking because they do hold the heat especially if they have the heavier bottom.

Cast iron pans can rust if not taken care of properly. You also have to clean the copper pans as well. You can use steel wool in the pan to clean it and does give it a smooth finish so that things don't stick.

Good luck with your choice.

The other S.

I've never had a problem with my non-stick pans.

I'm not sure what you read that said they were bad. But I have two sets of pots and pans - one REALLY expensive one (originally called Miracle Maid and I can't remember what they are called now)...and they are great!!

I also have a set of Paula Dean ceramic pots and pans - LOVE THEM!!!

Do NOT be scared to cook w/ you're STAINLESS Pans! I have Wolfgang Puck Stainless steel pans and I love them! I also have Pampered Chef non-stick pans I have had for ten yrs and they are great. I was always scared to cook w/ stainless steel as well bc you could never get them clean and then I received a set for christmas one year and I was let in on a little secret w/ them. Always oil them and let the oil get hot before cooking in them that will help anything sticking in them. To clean put a squirt of dish soap in pan add some water dont need a lot enough to cover bottom of pan and put on burner turn on hi until boilig then take wooden spoon or spatula to pan while boiling and everything will scrape right off. then dump out and tada pan is clean and wash as usual! I love my stainless pan set, we cook everything in eggs, potatoes, meat macaroni.

Good luck!!

Becky

Mine say they're porcelain I belive. My MIL can't eat from Teflon, and bought me these Taramontia or some similar word brand - from Costco. They're great. I love them. They're easy to wash, they're kind of yes NON-stick, but not b/c of teflon. But you do have to watch what utensils you use or you can scratch it.

Cast iron - mine sticks all the time. I use it only for certain dishes. I guess I need to season it better, but I would not use your cast iron for scrambled eggs or anything like that. I use mine for dishes that are real liquidy - veggies with water or sauce, tacos with salsa all on top.

I prefer my Teflon pans for eggs and like, I don't believe using them is in any way bad for my health. But if you don't like them, than I would go with cast iron.

I wouldn't give up on the stainless. I just recently switched over to stainless and as long as you heat your pan up before you put anything in it (including oil) you're generally good. I do have a couple hard anodized pans for eggs and omelets, however, but everything else I use is stainless. I do keep some barkeeps friend around for any cooking mishaps, but it's rare I need to use it and it comes off really easy at that point. Good luck!

ceramic nonstick pans, or,
There are also "green" nonstick pans nowadays.
read the reviews on Amazon.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400862/Are-Nonstick-Cerami...

Cast iron cooks best but it has to be well-seasoned. I've never had a problem cleaning mine even when I cook and THEN bake eggs in it (think frittata). If it requires extra scrubbing, it may need to be re-seasoned. Otherwise, cooking has never been so easy or tasty!

We only use cast iron. Season it well and NEVER scrub it with soap. I either just wipe it out with a paper towel after cooking eggs or pancakes or if I cooked something with a lot of sauce I rinse it with a little hot water, put it on a lit burner to dry and spray it with a touch of oil. A well seasoned pan rinsed promptly after use should not need scrubbing. We cook eggs weekly, fry meats, stir fry. I have found that tomato based dishes are the most likely to ruin the seasoning (maybe something to do with the acidity). Our fried eggs slide right off. Scrambled eggs are a little messier but everything still slides right up with the spatula.

My cast iron never has anything stick to it - season it well by coating it with fat (lard, oil) and baking it in the oven on low for like 30 minutes. (Better directions can be googled). It's the only one I'll scramble eggs in b/c it NEVER sticks. Your stainless should be kind of heavy not to have things stick to it - at least that's what I've found. That and a swirl of oil on the bottom helps a lot.

With my stainless, if something is stuck on I put a little water and a drop of dish detergent in and bring to a boil. That or a quick swipe with a Brillo pad makes it good as new.

I have a stainless steel one that always needs scrubbing and a cast iron that is seasoned. Cast iron is way better for less sticking and easier cleaning. You just need to follow the directions on how to season it the first time (heating with just cooking oil in it I believe).