New Scanpan pans

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Blackhorse

Blackhorse

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I mainly use stainless steel pots & pans.  Cuisinart Multiclad.  Good stuff.  I like good stuff But for day to day constant hard use I really do like a good non-stick.  I have always had one big deep sauté pan that gets to make the mornings eggs & pancakes...fries the lunchtime sandwich ham or does grilled cheese...then sautés the “one pot” dinner of stir fry or burgers or meatballs or my classic meat/veggie/sauce creations to go over rice or noodles.  Now THERE’S an everything pan.

Recently the surface of my 5-year old Calphalon pan started losing its non-stick integrity and flaking.  So out it went.  I replaced it with two items. Both made by Scanpan...in Denmark.  One is a 9 1/2” Classic deep stir fry pan and the other is an 11” CTX fryer.  

Anybody out there have any experience with this brand (Scanpan)?  I bought it for the super high reviews. One from Amazon and the other from Macy’s.  NOT cheap.  The CTX fryer is on the way and I’ve used the Classic stir fry thing several times. New, it’s amazing.  Can’t praise it highly enough.

The 9 1 1/2” stir fry pan with non-riveted Bakelite handle.



The 11” fryer.

 
Please come back with your thoughts. Every three years or so, I need a new non-stick. I'm presently using a cheaper line of Circulon that's OK. Before that, I had an Anolon Advanced Bronze 12inch Covered Deep Skillet. I liked that much, much more than this Circulon. That thing had great design. I could use it from everything from a skillet to a quasi-wok. A true multi-use tool.

So I'm always interested in hearing about non-stick experiences. Would love to hear about yours. Sorry I couldn't be helpful to you.

It's amazing how difficult it is to find a deep/tall walled 12inch with a glass lid that isn't well over $100. I would imagine it has something to do with the stamping process required for the bigger dimensions. You can find 10inch skillets all day long for a hell of a lot cheaper. Intuitively, you wouldn't think 2"s would make 2-4Xs the difference in price. And yes, I need a glass lid. After watching Jacques Pépin cook with a glass lid, it changed how I cook. I never gave them much thought before it.
 
I like this one. The Classic line is Ceramic Titanium like all the Scanpan stuff. I like the Bakelite type handle on these bigger pans. Plus this type of handle has no rivets sticking through and into the pan. It’s totally smooth on the inside.

https://www.amazon.com/Scanpan-Classic-Saute-Pan-26101204-S/dp/B00G96UM66/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp?keywords=Scanpan+11+inch+saut%C3%A9+pan&pd_rd_i=B00G96UM66&pd_rd_r=24dadf11-b324-4dc4-b0b9-95abc30ad7de&pd_rd_w=q2Ra7&pd_rd_wg=Lrm7e&pf_rd_p=a6d018ad-f20b-46c9-8920-433972c7d9b7&pf_rd_r=Z6E099JP0AYBW32PQ4KE&qid=1562947393&s=home-garden
 
Thanks for the link. Interesting that you mention those two elements. The rivets don't bother me, but as for the handle, I like when they have a silicon section on the handle. I like the grippiness of silicon. The problem with that is the designs tend to be horrible. Sure, they put the silicon on the handle, but it's rarely big enough for a human hand. Why bother to put 5"s of silicon on the handle when the average hand needs 8"s to safely use the handle without touching a metal part on the handle? If the silicon is there to avoid burning your hand, then cover the friggin' handle! That was one problem with the previously mentioned Anolon skillet. One of my fingers was always beyond the silicon covering. No human ever tested that skillet for actual function.

I'm stubborn. I haven't wanted to buy yet another thing for the kitchen, like those universal silicon covers for skillet handles.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/6pcs-set-Skillet-Heat-Resistant-Pan-Grip-Silicone-Holder-Cookware-Handle-Cover/392337347338
 
Those handle things are cheap. I like some things to be cheap. Too bad they’re OOS. I’m sure there are others out there. My stainless set has stainless handles but they don’t get very hot. If they do I use a POTHOLDER. Brilliant.
 
Pot holders. Towel wrap (how you'll see real chefs in commercial kitchens do). Lots of things work, but as I cook with the glass lid on, and with some technique don't like to remove the glass lid during the cooking process, use the handle to jerk and stir the skillet. Jerking without losing the lid takes a little finesse. That grip of the silicon is the best from my experience.

I always liked Alton Brown's philosophy: if it doesn't serve more than one purpose, then I don't want it in the kitchen. Obviously, that is sometimes unavoidable, but as a philosophy, if something can't be a multitool, then don't have it or keep looking. As you said, that potholder is the multitool in this scenario. I just don't like flipping things in a weighty skillet with a potholder or a towel wrap. A tight silicon sheath, which I'm trying to avoid buying, or a skillet design with silicon on the handle is my bag.

At $100, I'm assuming the Scanpan has a full tang and the handle can take some oven heat. Time to research a bit.
 
The stainless handles are solid recycled steel. I don’t know what the core of the Bakelite stuff is like.

Agree with wanting the handle cover being super stable.

My old 12” sauté pan had a helper handle on the front...a very nice addition.

 
Hmmm.  Had a thought (be afraid...be very afraid) re the issue of non-stick.  Made eggs this am in the 9 1/2” stir fry Scanpan Classic non-stick pan. Worked perfectly and cleaned up by wiping with a paper towel. (Cool!)   Then for dinner I used my big 3 1/2 qt. sauté pan from my main set...the Cuisinart MCPro stainless...to make Barbecue Sauced Turkey Meatballs.  The routine:  heat the pan til hot, add olive oil, immediately start putting the meatballs in and brown til about half cooked through.  Then pour the BBQ sauce over the meatballs and sauté covered for about 30 min. turning once.  Absolutely no sticking whatsoever, great release.  Let the pan cool on the stove during dinner, then run hot water and a squirt of Dawn in there and let it soak for a while. Hit it once with my bristle glass wand brush thing & rinse with hot water.  While I’m at it I usually sprinkle a little Barkeepers Friend in there for a quick scrub...rinse again and towel dry well.  But all that is usually what I do using non-stick too! I guess my point is that if you know how to heat and lube a stainless pan so that browning and cooking barbecue meatballs with loads of goopy sauce and NOTHING STICKS then why do I have the non-stick?  OH!  Eggs...and so my wife has something to cook with.  Man, that gal is the reason I have the fire department on speed dial.  Hmpgh.  When I married her I knew she was dangerous to herself and others in the kitchen...but she had some mitigating skills.  Oh yeah.
 
For me, eggs are the only real metric for a non-stick surface. I don't care if it is teflon, enamel, seasoned carbon, seasoned cast iron, or what. And let's check in six months down the road of everyday use. Eggs tell the true tale. It's easy for many at the beginning. I tried one of those copper enamel skillets that are all the rage. First use, kind of impressive. Not mindblowing, but not too bad. Ten uses in, and it was little better than buttered, or greased, stainless.
 
The restaurants that I worked at had a large number of steel or some type of aluminum alloy (Sysco brand I think) pans and only 2 or 3 non-stick. The non-stick were pretty crappy. Anyway, heating the pan first was key and not on full blast. Adding a bit of oil or oil & butter until it shimmers and then add the product. Most food will release from the pan with little or no effort after several minutes (depends on the product of course). Deglazing with some liquid, water, stock, wine, etc. helps breakup the fond that is left in the pan. Or, remove the product and while the pan is still hot deglaze with just water, if no sauce is desired.

Eggs are a wildcard in any pan, new, used, non-stick, oil, butter, bacon fat. A plethora of options.

in my house I have a stainless steel pan, one cast iron skillet and a few of the copper pans\skillets. The steel and copper items are what I use the most and they seem to be okay. I have not tried the Scanpan items yet and cannot comment on the performance and durability of them.

The wife uses potholders all of the time while I seem to grab a towel or two hanging from the oven door handle. Dry towels are my go to item when handling hot objects from the stove or oven.
 
Corncobcon":s2fq865n said:
Blackhorse":s2fq865n said:
Valdus":s2fq865n said:
Cast iron, lodge, well seasoned. Nothing more.
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Always a solid choice...just don’t drop it on the glass cooktop.
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...or on the tile floor! :shock:
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...or on your toe! (Broke my dad’s toe, once upon a time.)
 
If I had a gas stove I would go back to iron skillets in a heartbeat. We got about a year ago those As-Seen-On-TV copper no-stick skillets and have been real happy with them. No chipping or wear yet and we are pretty abusive in the kitchen.
 
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