Hacker News Reader

Comment by hirundo | Hacker News Reader

I have spent lots more for non-stick pans that were supposed to last. My last one was a Le Creuset for $120. The previous one was a Calphalon for about the same. Both wore out in about two years, and only lasted that long because I didn't want to give up on such an investment. My current $30 pan has lasted about a year with a slicker surface than any of the others, so it's already a better value.

I'm willing to fall for some credible marketing that convinces me I could spend a few hundred on a non-stick pan I could hand down to the grand kids, as with cast iron. But it doesn't seem to exist at the moment.

Given the additional soap and water, I wonder if it would be greener to scrape and scrub my eggs off of a sticky pan instead. It'd be better exercise.

View on HN

Actually a properly seasoned cast iron pan is about as non-stick as it gets, but it’s heavy and people worry about dealing with it. For getting crusty stuff off pans though, nothing beats a thick layer of bicarbonate of soda, sprayed liberally all over with white vinegar and left for 5 minutes. Very little doesn’t wipe right off after that!

Mostly though I agree with your point that it makes little sense to spend big money on an omelette pan. The coating is going to be pitted within a year or two, and that’s that. A good guide to how you should buy these things is found in the restaurant industry which does what you do now; buy them and toss them.

That also leads to the best advic I can give here... buy your pots and pans from restaurant surplus stores or closing sales! I bought half a dozen omelette pans from one of those for $35 bucks, and I just swap them out every two years.

> Actually a properly seasoned cast iron pan is about as non-stick as it gets

I've spent a lifetime hearing this and not being able to achieve anything close to it on cast iron. Either it's false or a skill that's beyond me. Either way I've quit worrying about advanced semi mythic forms of cast iron seasoning and just use non-stick.

I use a very seasoned cast iron pan regularly to sear meat ... and a little piece of chainmail to scrape off the clingons.

That’s fair, and as someone who has used cast iron for a long time, I won’t blow a load of smoke up your pants by claiming it’s “super easy!” I mean... it’s not complicated, but it’s also not hard to screw up and that’s a form of difficulty I think. Basically you can’t scrape it too much, can’t use soap, and unless the seasoning is very thick you want to be careful with very acidic foods. If you’re like me and like to sear steaks a certain way, it’s worth it, but even I’m not bothering with cast iron just for a fried egg. Cast iron shines most when you need to retain a lot of heat in the pan, otherwise it’s just a lot of effort for no good reason.

Non-stick caught on for a reason!

Even a (preheated) stainless steel pan with some fat in it will stop eggs from sticking. If eggs are sticking your pan is probably not hot enough.

Uh, I have non-stick pans last 4+ years. It sounds like you are getting them too hot, which wears out the teflon--or worse--causes it to leach carcinogens into your food.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com