For non-stick, I just use whatever Costco sells 3/$30 because I know I will have to replace them when the finish wears off. For not non-stick, I have stainless and I have a good cast iron that lives on the stove. Every use I clean it and put it back on the back burner as it’s so heavy, it’s easier to use that way.
I believe the burner/pan size issue is more about damage to the stove glass surface. Burner too large means heat from it not being transferred anywhere. Too small means the heated pan is transferring heat to the glass surface where it extends beyond the burner.
I had a cheap, but nice and large pan from Costco that was non stick; I believe I paid $18. I needed a large pan for a recipe, and didn’t have what I needed. Was in Costco and saw this years ago, so purchased it; it was Costco, so could return if I didn’t like it! While I used it for a while, it always slid on my gas cooktop as it was lightweight.
Daughter and SIL were in town for a week last year and loved the pan. I said take it, as I really didn’t like it. Glad it has a new home, but at some point, I need to get another larger pan!
I have an assortment of pans but my larger ones are Tramontina. I’ve purchased them at Costco. What I like about them is that they can go from stovetop into the oven. The handle is rubberized and comes off. I have a gas cooktop. I’ve never had any of my saucepans or skillets warp. I have had cheap cookie sheet pans warp.
I am going to second not putting cold water on a hot pan. Our fry pans would warp after a couple of years. My husband cooks breakfast on Sunday and always put cold water in the pan (with a flourish). He also complained about the pans warping. He stopped doing it after I told him that it was probably because of putting cold water in them while hot. He stopped and we haven’t had a warped pan since. We have had both a smooth top electric range and a gas cooktop.
I am a fan of Scanpan. Pans last a long time and are very sturdy without being too heavy for my tastes. Additional bonus is that they are not made in China. The only downside is the price, but they can be occasionally found on sale at Blooomies.
I also have a couple of Scanpan skillets. I think they are from William Sonoma or Sur La Table. It was a holiday gift a couple of years ago and I think they were a two pack on sale. They are my go to smaller pans. I think I first heard about them here on CC.
1 Like
@mom60 I also got some Scanpan pots. Love their Dutch oven like pots and the large (chefs?) pan that looks a little like a wok. Love those pots. Hardly anything sticks to them.
I LOVE my All-clad D5 cookware, and it’s pretty heavy. The number one piece of cookware we use is something I think is called the every day pan. If I needed anything new I would probably go with scanpans. I do believe it is worth paying for quality and it makes me especially happy if something is made in the US. I was going to mention the cold water impact on pans also.