Safe way to cook with non-stick is to be careful not to scratch it and toss it when it does get scratched, Don't buy expensive non-stick pans either, that's a waste.

I have a little cast iron frying pan, anodized aluminum and stainless steel. My SS pans have a thick plate of aluminum on the bottoms for heat conduction. They ALL work, but if I spray canola oil first, they work better. :0) I do own a ribbed non-stick frying pan. It's a dream to cook in compared to the rest. Don't nick it or burn it, should be fine.

I'd like to get a large cast iron for doing meats/roast...I did the pan braise and then stick on the oven for the first time with some tri tip steak strips a few days ago..but I used a non stick pan I had...they had good taste but I over cooked them a little. I had googled recipes and of course they all say to use a heavy cast iron pan...all I had was a non stick.

My issue with spray oil and maybe they taste rancid because they were old, they taste weird to me.

Have you ever cooked with cast iron? It has a funny taste! Especially if you add tomato sauce/acid food to what your cooking. Your literally eating the pan! The smell of iron is over whelming.

Enameled cast iron is trendy right now.

You really can't saute in a stainless steel pan without using a lot of oil, and who wants to do that. Cast iron skillets with a developed seasoning are nearly non-stick (except for frying eggs). It's best not to use them to cook acidic food. That's mostly tomatoes/tomato sauce items.

Another great choice people forget to use is carbon steel skillets, ubiquitous in any good restaurant kitchen and very cheap at restaurant supply stores and cooking websites. They develop the same seasoned patina as cast iron but are much lighter. I have one and love it and also have a carbon steel wok. Like cast iron, you wipe it clean using only water (and a scrubber sometimes) and dry after use. Like cast iron, the more you use it, the more non-stick it becomes.

I dislike non-stick pans and use them only for eggs. Cooks Illustrated reviews them regularly - the current top performer is the OXO non-stick line. Second place is T-Fal. CI has long said that non-stick pans wear out and, as sushipup said, they need to be tossed and replaced regularly. Sometimes annually. So buying expensive ones is really a waste.

No non-stick here.

There've been multiple threads about it that I've responded to.

Cast iron doesn't taste funny, and our fried eggs don't stick (per Elmer's assertion, above).

We still have one small non-stick fry pan that we use for eggs -- it's just easier. For everything else we've switched to stainless. If I'm doing something that must be browned, I have to be patient ... wait for the golden brown crust to develop before even trying to turn the item. But for liquid-y things, stainless was no different at all. So why did I use a coated saucepan all those years?!

The only cast iron anything I have at this point is a comal for heating tortillas. I'll keep my eye open for cast iron at least big enough to brown a roast in...

I cook in All-Clad Stainless and Cast Iron. Properly seasoned and maintained, my Cast Iron is absolutely "non-stick". I fry or scramble 2 eggs most mornings and with a small amount of butter they slide right out. A low temperature is a big part of that non-stick. If adding tomato, wine or vinegar I never use my Cast Iron pans as it is way too hard on the seasoning. That is when I use the All-Clad.

I have stainless and cast iron. I'm using my cast iron more and more, so I gave away my nonstick skillets.

There's NO flavour in the food from using cast iron. I've made pizzas, apple pie, steaks, chicken, and this shrimp and brown rice meal.

This is one of my cast irons...eggs slide out.

As for stainless steel..which ones did you buy? The inexpensive ones are not good for much other than boiling water for pasta.

I get no strange taste from the iron but I can see that would happen with acidic foods like tomatoes and fruits that shouldn't be cooked in cast iron.

I forgot to add I know non stick poses a danger if scratched but I recall something about high heat being bad also.

No non stick or plastics here.

MamaP: The SS fry pan is by Caphalon, picked it up at TJ Maxx. I googled it when I got home and overall it got good reviews. One thing I did notice is the botton (outside) was smooth and didn't have that "extra" piece when I compared it to others. But when I googled the pan it did say it had an aluminum core...

I don't get any taste from a well seasoned cast iron pan. No acids like tomatoes used.

It's important to heat the empty and clean stainless steel pan to hot (over medium heat) before adding the fat. Add the food after the fat is hot but not burned. Let the food cook. Your food should slide right out of the pan.

Cast iron skillet pancakes. You gotta try 'em.

There are several different types of nonstick cookware. Some have a Teflon coating but some of the newer ones have a ceramic glaze that is similar to glass. I have not tried the newer ones but did have a French glazed skillet when younger that nothing would stick to the inside. Outside did have problems. With the all of them is you scratch the glaze food will stick.

What we like most about our cast iron skillets is the simple warm, soapy water clean up, dry and store. And, if you're not fussy about evening meals, you can serve the meal from stove to table. We do.

I hate non-stick cookware. Had it once, and couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

I have switched from aluminum pans to stainless steel pans (to remove the small chance of picking up aluminum in my intake). However, stainless is not entirely non-stick. The contents of a can of chili with V8 tomato juice added will stick to the bottom of the stainless pan. Occasional stirring helps but does not eliminate a sticky layer.

For those that like the ease of nonstick, the ceramic skillets are great. I do have a couple of those.

i do have 2 All-Clad nonstick pans and they are awesome.. everyone uses them correctly so issues with scratches. i have AC stainless pots and pans, LeCreuset D.O's and some cast iron. love them all. if cast iron is well seasoned, pancakes do not stick. i am too chicken to try my eggs in C.I.

If you use any fat in your ss pan, preheat the pan! Before adding the fat of your choice. It almost makes it non stick.

I have all kinds of cookware....cast iron, enamel over cast iron, and stainless steel. Well seasoned cast iron should be like black glass, but I haven't fried eggs in an eon because I don't eat them, but if I did, I'd probably use cast iron.

I have cast iron, stainless (mostly all All-Clad), one enamel over cast iron, and a couple of All Clad non stick skillets. Love the All Clad non stick skillets, but I only use them for certain items I am cooking, like eggs. The key is the thickness of the skillet, and like others have mentioned, heating the skillet before adding the oil. No sprays for non-stick skillets! Ever. One of my favorites for over easy eggs is a square, flat griddle pan that is non-stick. The smal lip allows easy flipping, both for eggs and pancakes for the two of us.

yes! by Curtis Stone on HSN. I bought 2 skillets a bit over a yr ago and if anyone breaks in to steal them - they'll be dead ducks. I love those things!

they're awesome. i worried at first cause they seemed a bit heavy for me - and had 'spots' inside (the coating). i don't like spots. but i decided to give them a try (30day return). And no way would i return them!

i had burned up my cheap Teflon type no stick skillet frying potatoes and hadn't replaced it yet (I usually only get to W and the grocery - so what were the options?). then one day i saw Curtis on HSN attempt to burn a skillet. I tell ya I saw flames come up around that thing. then he just wiped it out with a towel and it was all fine - and clean! they had 2 skillets for about 50.00 that day TS and i ordered them asap. I love them. It tells about the coating on the website. they say his pots/pans are the #1 selling product over all categories they have.

I know why. And you can use metal utensils with them. btw, those pans DO just wipe out. I know there are things and times i just don't make something 'cause I don't want the clean up problems. No problem with his pans.

just recently, he came out with bakeware with the same coating - and i ordered a set. so far, I've used the bread/loaf pan (comes with an insert to keep things out of the grease / drippings). I used it to make a half recipe of the green bean casserole, and used the round cake pans to bake chicken in. I could just wipe them out with a paper towel if i wanted. I usually wipe out any drippings (that i don't save - like chicken) with a paper towel before putting in my dishwater. but even hand washing them is a breeze - a few swipes and I'm done.

no more letting my 9x9 pan sit in dishwater to soak - and then still scrubbing away at it. I'd taken to using an sos pad on it. no more of that.

watch for when he'll be on again and they usually have a good sale when he is. And he is so fun to watch cook too. They also have short videos for some items that you can watch anytime.

I'd really limited my cooking before - more because of the clean up. Just too much work for me anymore. I think the coating is ceramic - i know he says it's 4 coats of whatever. I forget the name of it tho.

I do have 1 other 8 or 9" skillet like my old one, but i haven't used it since I got these new ones (over a yr ago). I think it'll be taking a trip to the GW.