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I had an enamel omelette pan but it got thrown out while I was out of town (WTH?!). Now, I'm using a teflon pan that is new -so no scratches,yet- but I want to get something that is more durable and less toxic. And, of course, that my omelette won't stick to.

What do you use? What do think of its quality for price? How is it holding up? Is it easy to care for? Any features you like or dislike? Comparisons with other pans you've used?

Thanks for your input!

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7 Answers

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I've been investigating this myself. I asked a chef, and he recommended carbon steel. That's what they use in the kitchen. In fact that's what chefs have always used. It's a traditional technology. It works well and it's durable. If it's seasoned properly, it's non stick.

A few names have come up in my investigations: De Buyer, Matfer, and Paderno.

My chef friend recommends just going to a local chef supply store, that is, one where professional cooks would go to.

It's interesting that all the domestic kitchen supply stores around me only sell pans with fancy-pants space-aged coatings. I guess it too hard to sell just plain steel.

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Keep in mind that carbon steel is reactive, so absolutely no acidic ingredients should hit that pan. At best, it'll turn nasty colors, and at worst you can leech some bad metals into your food. – Blitherakt May 21 2012 at 2:19
@Blitherakt, good point. It would probably be good to pair it with stainless steel or something for acidic and saucy foods. – Dangph May 21 2012 at 2:28
I totally recommend De Buyer pans. Once properly seasoned (doesn't take long) they are like butter. Don't be afraid of bare metal pans. Every omlette station I've ever seen has used them - not teflon. (I do agree to keep a cheap stainless pan around for cooking tomato sauce and the like). – Kelly May 21 2012 at 3:37
I've looked into the De Buyer pans and they look really good. The price doesn't seem so bad either. Went to Williams and Sonoma here to see them but not in stock. :-( Don't want to get until I actually get to handle one. Thanks for your input! – MiMintzer May 28 at 20:16
@MiMintzer, I got my De Buyer frying pan a week ago. I like it. It's kind of heavy, but that's fine with me because it hits muscles on the back of the forearm that don't get used much and are antagonist to gripping muscles that get used all the time. One thing that unusual is that you wash them with just hot water and a sponge -- no detergent. That means it isn't as clean as a non-stick coating, but on balance I'm more comfortable with it than the coatings. – Dangph Jun 2 at 3:44
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I usea 7" cast iron. Inexpensive. You can get it at any home store, camping supply store or tag sale. Season it with lard or cocconut oil.

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As a male, why would I want iron leeching from the pan into me? – CaveMan_Mike May 20 2012 at 22:22
how difficult is it to season? how long did it take before it became nonstick? does the seasoning wear off? – MiMintzer May 20 2012 at 22:26
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 @Caveman because It helps move oxygen to every cell in your body and it is a common element that we have a long evolutioary histroy with. Would you rather have teflon or aluminum? @ MM Very high heat, wait until the oil starts smoking. This is better to do outside on a grill w/ a side burner. After it cools, rub with your chosen oil. Beef tallow is OK, too – John Sorrentino May 20 2012 at 23:14
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 @CavemanMike: males can suffer from iron deficiency as well as females; females are just more prone to the condition. – Blitherakt May 21 2012 at 0:15
also, I've never seen any evidence that mesurable amounts of iron actually get into the bloodstream from seasoned cast iron cookware. – Moonablaze May 21 2012 at 6:12
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To my mind, there's not substitute for a Teflon coated pan for omlets, short of your great-great-grandmother's cast iron skillet.

I've never been able to get the nonstick properties in any other pan that promised them: annodized aluminum, The Green Pans that Target carried for a while (those worked with exactly one omlet). Enameled cast iron will do the trick, but I find them too heavy to use like a sautée or omlet pan.

I just purchase the cheap metal handled pans from the grocery store and throw them in the recycling bin when they get scratched.

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I've read, watched and listened to numerous top chefs and they all say the same thing: teflon is a blessing when it comes to omelets/eggs. – Matt May 21 2012 at 1:07
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 With the exception, in my mind, of a well taken care of cast iron skillet from the late 1800's or early 1900's. As long as nobody strips the seasoning, those things make Teflon look grabby. – Blitherakt May 21 2012 at 1:51
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Scanpan makes PFOA-free non-stick that works really well. It's kind of expensive so wait until you can get a good deal on Amazon, Ru La La (http://www.ruelala.com/), or Ideeli (http://www.ideeli.com).

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i've researched the pfoa's a bit and have seen complaints about chipping and losing its non-stick ability. how long have you had your pan? is the quality different than other pfoa-free pans? – MiMintzer May 20 2012 at 22:30
I've had my SCanpans for a few years... I usually use a bit of coconut oil spray when making omlettes and they always are nonstick. No flaking. Love them. – patti2003 May 20 2012 at 23:43
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We have had an Le Crueset enameled cast iron skillet for 5 years now. It is holding up great. It was expensive but gets daily use so for me is worth it.

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It was a learning curve for me, but I did eventually learn to make fried eggs and omelettes in a stainless steel pan with no sticking at all. I still get some minimal sticking with scrambled eggs, but it's not that bad & it cleans up pretty easily.

Key is to get the pan pretty hot (on my gas stove, a few minutes heating at med-high), then turn the heat back down to med for a minute or two, then add the butter (lots of it), then the eggs. If you google "scrambled eggs stainless steel" you'll find lots of advice & even videos on the subject, including instructions for curing the pan with salt & fat before cooking.

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Heh. Not strictly frying eggs in the traditional sense. That's more like making fried chicken; a big layer of fat to act as a buffer between the pan and food. Now I'm going to have to load up one of my pans with a ridiculous amount of ghee and give it a go! – Blitherakt May 21 2012 at 2:17
Blitherakt, how is that "not strictly frying eggs in the traditional sense?" I use butter, coconut oil, a combination of both, or bacon grease to fry eggs. – MathGirl72 May 21 2012 at 3:47
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 I use about 1.5 T of butter to fry 2 eggs. I don't think of that as a huge amount, but then, I really like butter. I don't know that you need that much -- I do think the temperature of the pan before adding anything is the most important factor. – Robin May 21 2012 at 12:12
The temperature is absolutely important! The Frugal Gourmet used to say, "Hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick!" =) – MathGirl72 May 21 2012 at 15:48
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We've had good luck with these www.orgreenicskillet.com and they are reasonably priced as well.

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