I usually have a non-stick omelette pan for eggs that I get at TJ Maxx for about $15-20. I also use two different small cast iron skillets for eggs. Lately I've been using a saute pan with a lid that belongs to DS#1 for certain dishes - also non-stick, good quality. I do try not to overheat the non-stick pans.

Teresa

Non-stick pans wear out. For just boiling water, heating liquids, other things, I use stainless pots. I use inexpensive fry pans ($20, Costco, set of 3) and get new ones every few years when they are getting worn.

I keep two skillets that are non-stick, one real big one and a smaller omelet pan. Other than that, I can see no reason for using them. I kept hearing my cousin talk about needing a non-stick pan to cook this and a non-stick pan for cooking oatmeal and on and on and I was thinking to myself, "why in the world does she think she needs a non-stick pan for everything" then she'd gripe about having to always buy new ones. Even though I kept trying to tell her I seldom use non-stick for anything but eggs...she wouldn't listen until finally she actually used a regular stainless pan because she destroyed her good non-stick pan and discovered "hey things don't stick to this stainless...WOW...(I guess CUZ wasn't so stupid after all!)" HAHAHA! For some reason she had it stamped into her brain that unless she used non-stick, everything would stick like glue. Her Mom probably taught her that.

I see non-stick pots and pan sets on sale fairly regularly and would never buy them. I do have a non-stick skillet that I use for pancakes, french toast and eggs. I'm very careful with it, but no matter how careful we are, the coating does wear off over time.

I'd love to get my cast iron skillet seasoned to the point of cooking eggs, etc in it.

the only non stick I own are fry pans....small medium and large. And they regularly get tossed and replaced.

No nonstick pans at all. I like my SS.

Jenny - Silly question, but are you sure you washed your pot well after the last time you cooked pasta? I've heard of (and experienced) teflon flaking off in tiny bits that look like pepper, but your description of looking like "dried glue peeling off" to me sounds more like that starch film that dries onto the pot if you don't rinse it well after boiling pasta.

We have many non stick pans. We also have SS, cast iron and enamel cast iron. They all serve their purpose and work well. No one pan or material does everything perfectly. Cast iron I like for searing meats and oil frying. My original GreenPans are good for cheese sauces and eggs. I use them all, just for different reasons. I do not have any teflon coated non sticks. Nor would I use them. They just don't work that well or last long. NancyLouise

I have two non-stick fry pans (one I bought and one was a toss-in with an appliance purchase), which is at least one more than I need. I only use them for omelettes, although DH uses them for anything eggy. My fav pans are plain cast iron, but I'm also really liking a deBuyer carbon steel pan I bought on impulse. It is lighter than CI, but once seasoned, I can scramble eggs, or make an omelette without sticking. It's also a fraction of the price of quality clad SS cookware. I've never like SS fry pans - they are way more difficult to clean than iron or steel.

I'm not sure whether non-stick is "safe" or not, but I'm much more comfortable with cookware that is "heirloom" quality, than throwaway.

I agree with foodonastump. My ex was a bachelor when we met and after we were married I caught him putting the pasta pot back in the cabinet without washing. He was mortified when I showed him the dried film left in the pot. It looks exactly as you described.

The only non-stick pans I own are a few novelty cake pans. I like for my cookware to last a life time & could never understand buying a pan that's potentially dangerous & can't be used for high heat.

Oy, this is embarrassing. I think the dirty pot was the culprit here. We have hard water and it affects how well our dishwasher works. But this has been a very helpful thread. I will have to look into ss, steel, or iron. Thanks.

I don't put my nonstick in the dishwasher, or aluminum. Quick way to destroy them.

I do love the Ikea brand non-stick, they last a long time.

I don't own non-stick either, for all the reasons already mentioned. SS and CI for me.

Alexa

I recently recently bought and tried out a ceramic-coated non-stick fry pan (Eco-logic by BEKA). After playing with it for a week, I tossed my two Teflon pans and bought another. I LOVE it. The coating is water-based, you can properly pre-heat it without worrying about creating smoke or noxious fumes, and it's the first non-stick pan I've ever seared anything on. Also, it's oven safe!

I really like cooking on cast iron, and recently made a ton of meatballs to stash in the freezer for my upcoming party. I had to sear them before cooking them in the oven. To make things go faster, I preheated both my cast iron and my ceramic-coated pan, and then added equal amounts of oil to each (which, in retrospect, was a little too much for the ceramic-coated). After the first batch of searing, I took the cast iron skillet out of rotation because, while both did a great job of searing, the cast-iron meatballs tore, while I could "roll-flip" the others without a utensil.

I agree with many of the negative points people have brought up regarding Teflon. And it's hard to look at a peeled Teflon pan and not get grossed out realizing where that coating went. I can't say enough nice stuff about this ceramic coated stuff. :o)

Mostly cooking on SS, but a few years ago got a Todd English annodized thermolon sautee pan and love it. Nothing sticks, oven safe to 850 degrees, even comes in a grill pan which I love in the winter. Needs very little oil and has excellent heat distribution. I have no economic connection to this company, but is is a heck of a pan!

Steve

I have a stainless steel 3 quart sauce pan and a copper clad stainless steel 2 quart, love 'em both and don't have trouble cleaning them.

My favorite cooking utensil is my no-brand cast iron skillet with 37+ years of seasoning, I got it as a wedding gift in 1974 when I married my ex.

I have some hard anodized aluminum Calphalon that I'm inordinately fond of, but no "teflon" pans. I'm not careful enough to use them or patient enough to care for them properly. Elery has one small non-stick skillet that he uses for eggs and I never touch it.

Annie

I only use nonstick in fry pans, and almost exclusively for eggs. However, I think inexperienced cooks tend to like them more than seasoned cooks. When you learn how to preheat a pan, that not everything needs high heat, that some things cook better on lower temps and don't stick or burn, how much watching/stirring different things need, then you don't need nonstick as much. If you don't watch or stir, adjust temps, etc., and often have food that scorches the bottom, then clean up is easier with the nonstick. I have seen people put a pan on, turn on the heat, add food, all within 15 seconds and then turn it up to high because "its not cooking", or its not browning, or its not sizzling yet after 10-15 secs. more. A lower temp, a couple minutes for the pan to heat up and a good quality pan, usually results in an entirely different cooking experience, lol. I think the more you learn about cooking, the less you rely on it. Some poeple never do. JMHO. :)

What makes someone experienced? You would think that my mother, who has been cooking for over 40 years and is widely regarded as a great cook is experienced- yet I discussed this thread with her and she had never even heard that nonstick pots and pans shouldn't be used at high temperatures. Most people learn to cook on their own and develop habits based on what works. But this is why I come here- because what works is not always what's best.

I think you might be attributing what someone else said to me? I did not mention that nonstick should not be used at high heat, although I know you did in your initial post. So since you stated you knew this, and I did not address the issue at all, I am confused. I was referring mostly to how many people said they didn't use nonstick much at all. But I would guess that instruction would be on the pan label along with information like is it dishwasher safe, etc. Wasn't trying to offend. I don't even know your Mother and I am sure she is a great cook. :) Not sure how I offended your mother here, but I am sorry.

I am sorry, sue. It was silly of me to be offended.

I am sorry what I said offended you for any reason. :)

NO. Threw them all out when I found out that they emit nasties.

I make omelets on my all clad stainless steel frying pan. I use butter so it does not stick to the pan. I have no problem using SS pans for eggs.

We have a very well seasoned carbon steel crepe pans that we use for crepes. We make crepes weekly. Sometimes, we make eggs on it. They never stick. Again, butter is magical. You are making french food and you are supposed to use butter.

The best way to test how oils affect food is to make a fried egg (over-easy) with olive oil, vegetable oil, Pam, and butter at exactly the same temperature of the pan. You can (should be able to) see and taste the difference.

I think the reason that butter works best FOR ME is because the pan has to be at a lower temperature to not burn the butter. So butter works as a better control for keeping the pan at the right temperature. AND it tastes better.

Pam is the worst in how it makes a burned mess on the pan, IMHO, I only use it for baking. If I have the time, I coat the baking pan (or tin) with butter which is the BEST and the yummiest way. The butter cooked onto the bottom of a muffin is YUMMY!

I too use only SS and cast iron. And, as what Sue_ct tried to convey, preheating pots and pans makes a whole big difference in cooking. Not to mention, it also is the difference in food sticking or not.

In case you haven't seen this article and video below, it's a good cooking learn technique...

Here is a link that might be useful: Properly heating your pans....