First step on new pans

[Sandtree]

Long story short... want to start buying out first new pans in a long time in response to replacing our gas hob with induction. Used to own some decent anodised aluminium pans but obviously these won't work with induction and want to avoid something that looks similar. So with a decent but not unlimited budget what should we buy?

I want to love cast iron and have a few Lodge skillets but they always smoke and rarely are as non-stick as hoped. De Buyer induction copper look amazing but not sure I have enough kidneys to sell to fund them. At the moment the Scanpan HaptIQ seems to be the winner but would love to hear suggestions... ideally with glass lids

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[garlichead]

I believe copper doesn't work for induction, I'm talking copper on the outside. For a few pop up I do during the summer months I have 2 inductions I use and regardless of that I use all clad pots and pans which are stainless cladding a core of aluminum which work very well for induction and regular cxook tops and I also use carbon steel a lot.

EDIT: I just did a search for Du Buyer Induction and they add a magnetic disc to the bottom to work with Induction. That's interesting.

 

[caseydog]

Long story short... want to start buying out first new pans in a long time in response to replacing our gas hob with induction. Used to own some decent anodised aluminium pans but obviously these won't work with induction and want to avoid something that looks similar. So with a decent but not unlimited budget what should we buy?

I want to love cast iron and have a few Lodge skillets but they always smoke and rarely are as non-stick as hoped. De Buyer induction copper look amazing but not sure I have enough kidneys to sell to fund them. At the moment the Scanpan HaptIQ seems to be the winner but would love to hear suggestions... ideally with glass lids

​

You will spend more for coated cast iron, like Le Creuset or Staub, but they are easier to use and clean. I have about eight pieces of Le Creuset, and love them.

Copper can be a chore to maintain that pretty copper shine and color.

Try-ply stainless is induction ready, such as All-Clad, which I have several pots and pans. There are some European brands that may be more cost effective for you.

There are also hybrids. I have a couple of All-Clad alumininum non-stick pans with stainless steel somehow melted into the bottoms that are induction ready. All-Clad NS1 Nonstick Induction Frying Pan, Set of 3 | Williams Sonoma

CD

 

[Sandtree]

I believe copper doesn't work for induction, I'm talking copper on the outside. For a few pop up I do during the summer months I have 2 inductions I use and regardless of that I use all clad pots and pans which are stainless cladding a core of aluminum which work very well for induction and regular cxook tops and I also use carbon steel a lot.

EDIT: I just did a search for Du Buyer Induction and they add a magnetic disc to the bottom to work with Induction. That's interesting.

Yes, all the traditional French copper pan manufacturers have now made a version with a steel base so that they work on induction... prior to moving to induction and thinking I'd never have anything but gas I had planned on getting Mauviel 150 but various online reviews have been less than glowing on their induction version. De Buyer is better received but out of my price bracket.

You will spend more for coated cast iron, like Le Creuset or Staub, but they are easier to use and clean. I have about eight pieces of Le Creuset, and love them.

Copper can be a chore to maintain that pretty copper shine and color.

I have Staub cocotte with their enamel finish but found their non-stick properties worse than the Lodge pans.

On the copper front not bothered about maintaining the look... my wife is into the Japanese wabi sabi movement so natural patina is welcomed rather than something to be scrubbed away but I worry that with a steel base you are paying copper prices but getting steel performance

 

[garlichead]

On the copper front not bothered about maintaining the look... my wife is into the Japanese wabi sabi movement so natural patina is welcomed rather than something to be scrubbed away but I worry that with a steel base you are paying copper prices but getting steel performance

I've had French copper for most of my life and also like the patina generated and actually don't like them when they're shinny and look new.

 

[caseydog]

I have Staub cocotte with their enamel finish but found their non-stick properties worse than the Lodge pans.

On the copper front not bothered about maintaining the look... my wife is into the Japanese wabi sabi movement so natural patina is welcomed rather than something to be scrubbed away but I worry that with a steel base you are paying copper prices but getting steel performance

I don't have any Lodge. The cooking surfaces are too rough. My uncoated cast iron is Griswold, made about 100 years ago. Very smooth cooking surfaces. As for smoke, if you coo something like a steak in cast iron of any kind, you will get smoke -- sometimes a lot of it. I sous vide my steaks and chops, and do a quick sear afterward with a kitchen torch. Perfect steak, no smoke.

The only sticking I get with my Le Crueset is when I do things like brown meats. In that case, a "fond" is desirable, and I just deglaze the pan. For delicate foods, like eggs, I use true non-stick pans, with copious amounts of butter.

CD

 

[Sandtree]

I don't have any Lodge. The cooking surfaces are too rough. My uncoated cast iron is Griswold, made about 100 years ago. Very smooth cooking surfaces. As for smoke, if you coo something like a steak in cast iron of any kind, you will get smoke -- sometimes a lot of it. I sous vide my steaks and chops, and do a quick sear afterward with a kitchen torch. Perfect steak, no smoke.

I am not sure if its a case that we don't have the same tradition with cast iron in the UK (or maybe more accurately, the tradition has been forgotten) but until recently you just didn't see it anywhere. I knew Lodge weren't great but seemed a reasonable introduction before investing more significantly (time or money) in something better.

I find the pan starts smoking notably when getting up to searing temp even before anything has been put in the pan. I've stripped it back to bare metal and reseasoned it with a high smoking point oil but it hasn't improved. Probably some form of user error but not sure what.

 

[Morning Glory]

I am not sure if its a case that we don't have the same tradition with cast iron in the UK (

Personally I'm not a big fan of cast iron although I do have a Staub 'skillet' that I use sometimes. I've in the past cooked with Le Creuset pans and they are certainly not non-stick, plus I find them rather cumbersome.

These days, despite all my years as a cook and using many types of cookware, including rather expensive anodised pans, I've pared back what I use to simple stainless steel saucepans, two non stick frying pans and two sizes of super non stick 'granite finish' chef style pans with glass lids. The latter were not expensive but they are so non stick that I can literally scramble eggs in them without adding any fat and the whole pan remains spotless. They probably won't last forever, but at the price I paid I really don't mind. I have a feeling they are used a lot in India (from watching an Indian cooking channel).

 

[MrsDangermouse]

Long story short... want to start buying out first new pans in a long time in response to replacing our gas hob with induction. Used to own some decent anodised aluminium pans but obviously these won't work with induction and want to avoid something that looks similar.

This was exactly me about 2 years ago - though I hadn't actually replaced the gas hob at that point, but I was planning on it. I loved my old anodised aluminium pans and I wanted something equally robust and non-stick for my induction hob but without a Teflon coating.

In the end I went for the Greenpan Venice Pro range (I got them in the sales from John Lewis) which are ceramic non-stick. When brand new literally nothing sticks to them but of course that level of non-stick-ness doesn't last forever. However after a couple of years I'm still very happy with their performance: they are definitely as good as my old anodised pans. The saucepans very very rarely burn on the bottom (when they do it usually user-error) and the non-stick on the frying pan is still working well.

I try not to use metal utensils in them, though I do occasionally and I have chipped a couple of them, but again, they're no worse than my old anodised pans and it doesn't affect the overall performance.

I am not sure if its a case that we don't have the same tradition with cast iron in the UK (or maybe more accurately, the tradition has been forgotten) but until recently you just didn't see it anywhere.

I have one cast iron pan which is ideal for certain things eg. searing steaks, but I couldn't deal with using cast iron pans every day. Apart from anything else I don't want to scratch or crack my glass hob!

Le Creuset used to be popular back in the 80s, but they are so heavy and as more and more hobs became glass-topped, I wonder if, like me, people were worried that cast iron would damage them?

 

[garlichead]

Non stick pans are like bicycles with training wheels in my opinion. They're ok for a while but as you get better riding the wheels come off, never to return to them again. Also a total waste of money in the big scheme of things simply because they wear out and will need to be replaced.

 

[Morning Glory]

Non stick pans are like bicycles with training wheels in my opinion. They're ok for a while but as you get better riding the wheels come off, never to return to them again. Also a total waste of money in the big scheme of things simply because they wear out and will need to be replaced.

It depends. This is true with the really cheap non-stick pans. But - the 'granite finish' ones I'm using I use literally every day and have done for over two years now. They are still as non-stick as when I bought them. No - that's not a lifetime. But then, I don't particularly want to buy pans to last a lifetime. Also, many people simply can't afford to outlay a lot of money on pans. Possibly its false economy long term but if they don't have the money available 'up-front' then they don't have a choice.

 

[garlichead]

It depends. This is true with the really cheap non-stick pans. But - the 'granite finish' ones I'm using I use literally every day and have done for over two years now. They are still as non-stick as when I bought them. No - that's not a lifetime. But then, I don't particularly want to buy pans to last a lifetime. Also, many people simply can't afford to outlay a lot of money on pans. Possibly its false economy long term but if they don't have the money available 'up-front' then they don't have a choice.

Of course MG if someone can't afford a better quality frying pan then yes, buy what you can afford. Why would you not want a pan that can literally out live you?

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I don't have any Lodge. The cooking surfaces are too rough. My uncoated cast iron is Griswold, made about 100 years ago. Very smooth cooking surfaces. As for smoke, if you coo something like a steak in cast iron of any kind, you will get smoke -- sometimes a lot of it. I sous vide my steaks and chops, and do a quick sear afterward with a kitchen torch. Perfect steak, no smoke.

The only sticking I get with my Le Crueset is when I do things like brown meats. In that case, a "fond" is desirable, and I just deglaze the pan. For delicate foods, like eggs, I use true non-stick pans, with copious amounts of butter.

CD

Without going too far off topic, I agree with your assessment of Lodge cast iron pans 100% (I have 2 of them).

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Long story short... want to start buying out first new pans in a long time in response to replacing our gas hob with induction. Used to own some decent anodised aluminium pans but obviously these won't work with induction and want to avoid something that looks similar. So with a decent but not unlimited budget what should we buy?

I want to love cast iron and have a few Lodge skillets but they always smoke and rarely are as non-stick as hoped. De Buyer induction copper look amazing but not sure I have enough kidneys to sell to fund them. At the moment the Scanpan HaptIQ seems to be the winner but would love to hear suggestions... ideally with glass lids

​

Scanpan cookware is pretty good, but I found that I liked the shape of the handles on the All-Clad pans more than Scanpans which feature more round handles and can twist in your grip if you're handling a heavy Scanpan frying pan with a single ungloved hand.

 

[garlichead]

Scanpan cookware is pretty good, but I found that I liked the shape of the handles on the All-Clad pans more than Scanpans which feature more round handles and can twist in your grip if you're handling a heavy Scanpan frying pan with a single ungloved hand.

Funny because it's the handles on the all clad that I don't like. Too narrow.