What is your frying pan of choice?

[padlin00]

Just to pile on.

Lodge.
”Wash your cast iron cookware by hand. You can use a small amount of soap.”

Lancaster CI
”Clean it up: After you’ve done some preliminary cleaning, wash with warm water and a mild dish soap.”

And for the more discerning among us, Finex
”Don’t be afraid to use a few drops of dishwashing soap on occasion.”

 

[Motodad1776]

Well I stand corrected, for me it was more along the lines of the dishsoap potentially changing the flavor or washing off the seasoning since cast iron is so porous.......to each their own, I'll continue what's been working for me for years. Plus my 85 year old mother would scold me as well, she has some cast iron cookware that is 100 plus years old and still looks/works amazing.....never a drop of soap in them.

 

[AlphaPapa]

I appreciate this thread. I was mostly using the kosher salt routine on my Lodge CI. But, it sure wasted a lot of salt and paper towels. Recently, I had started using some dishwashing soap and decided that was working well. In both cases, I always dried the pan immediately. Then, I apply a light coat of oil and put it in the oven at 200 for 30 minutes. Based on an earlier comment, I may reduce that time to 15 minutes.

 

[Mike]

For those watching at home, HexClad does actually have them on sale now for a "black friday" offering. From their normal $399 price down to $319 - https://hexclad.com/products/6pc-hexclad-set-w-lids

 

[SmokeOCD]

When they get that expensive, why can't they weld on the handles? The bolt heads aren't non-stick, it is an annoying little part of the pan to wash. My cast iron and my stainless are without bolts, would be nice on non-stick as well.

 

[Mike]

When they get that expensive, why can't they weld on the handles? The bolt heads aren't non-stick, it is an annoying little part of the pan to wash. My cast iron and my stainless are without bolts, would be nice on non-stick as well.

I agree. I hate those rivets.

 

[Greg Jones]

Several of our old cheaper frying pans have seen much better days. Looking at either the Made In (non-stick) or HexClad pans.

Have you tried either or those or have a brand you'd suggest?

@Mike, did you make a decision on the HexClad yet? With the current sale, I bought a 12” hybrid griddle and it arrived today. Cooked some eggs for lunch and was very impressed. I’m not a huge fan of the handle-you have All-Clad with their skinny handle on one end of the spectrum and now HexClad and fat on the other end. I’m more middle of the road of the two. Not a deal breaker for me, but might be if one is used to A-C pans. although, most folks used to All-Clad are not looking to make a change to another brand. Based on only the one cook, I’d recommend them.

 

[Greg Jones]

I will add that after my second cook at a little higher heat, I noticed some ‘sing’ on my induction cooktop. This is not that uncommon, as it is due to the pan vibrating. Some cheap cookware is horrible about this. The HexClad ‘sing’ was noticeable, but not a serious concern.

 

[Mike]

Thanks for the feedback @Greg Jones. We don't have an induction oven so singing shouldn't be a problem for us.

I had watched a couple youtube video reviews and was leaning more towards the Made In brand. However, I can only take the youtube videos with a grain of salt. It seems like 99% of the "reviews" on youtube and google are nothing but affiliate link generators and not actual reviews.

After several members here recommending the HexClad I think I'm going to go that route.

 

[SmokeZilla]

If you are undecided, Lodge makes a reasonably priced carbon steel skillet that is almost bullet proof. It heats relatively fast, can hold temperatures better that the aluminum-ware, is easy to maintain, and handles high temperatures like a champ with no off-gassing of the coatings. It goes from range top to grill to pizza oven to regular oven with ease. The more I use it the more I like it.

I forgot to mention the 5 layer All Clad is another great choice but they are so pricey that I hate taking them outside for a beating.

 

[Greg Jones]

HexClad Link As a public service announcement, the HexClad Grill Pan is on Black Friday sale right now for $80, normally $190. Free shipping. Folks, if you like or ever wondered about this type of pan to get smoke and sear on veggies on the grill, but hate the clean-up-this could be a huge win! Ordered mine and naturally NO experience with this particular pan yet, but based on my experience with the griddle I bought, I’ll be donating two similar pans in my inventory soon.

 

[RattleR]

HexClad Link As a public service announcement, the HexClad Grill Pan is on Black Friday sale right now for $80, normally $190. Free shipping. Folks, if you like or ever wondered about this type of pan to get smoke and sear on veggies on the grill, but hate the clean-up-this could be a huge win! Ordered mine and naturally NO experience with this particular pan yet, but based on my experience with the griddle I bought, I’ll be donating two similar pans in my inventory soon.

Nice and New toy

 

[Jim6820]

HexClad Link As a public service announcement, the HexClad Grill Pan is on Black Friday sale right now for $80, normally $190. Free shipping. Folks, if you like or ever wondered about this type of pan to get smoke and sear on veggies on the grill, but hate the clean-up-this could be a huge win! Ordered mine and naturally NO experience with this particular pan yet, but based on my experience with the griddle I bought, I’ll be donating two similar pans in my inventory soon.

I do not need one of these pans! I DO NOT NEED ONE OF THESE... I DO NOT NEED ONE OF … Dang it, @Greg Jones, why did you have to post this? Now, you’ve got me thinking I may need one. NO, NO, NO, NO…

 

[RattleR]

I do not need one of these pans! I DO NOT NEED ONE OF THESE... I DO NOT NEED ONE OF … Dang it, @Greg Jones, why did you have to post this? Now, you’ve got me thinking I may need one. NO, NO, NO, NO…

Don’t look!!!!

 

[SmokeZilla]

I learned my lesson about expensive pans several years ago. I had a Hestan with some of the pans that have sensors to automate the cooking experience. They go from ambient to 700F in 2-3 minutes. Unfortunately, like any hot-rod, it’s not how fast you get to speed, its how you control it after you get there. I took one to just under 1,000F and it was never the same. The good news was that Hestan knew they had a flaw with the unit‘s communication. the bad news is you will never see panic in someone’s eyes until they have a $600 pan go red hot on a $19,000 grill with a run-away thermocouple. Don’t ask me how I know.