# Best Pans for Home (Hexclad? All-clad?)



## treillw (Nov 9, 2021)

I currently have a few Calphalon nonstick pans and a couple Finex cast iron skillets. I can't really use the Finex anymore, because my wife has Hemochromatosis - a condition where her body can't expel iron. Her iron is about 7x a typical persons iron level. If gone unchecked for years, it can cause organ problems. Thankfully she has no issues, other than she needs to modify her diet and jump through hoops to avoid iron. The nonstick coating on the Calphalon is peeling off and they need to be replaced. This will be the second time they have been replaced and I want to get something different, but I'm not really sure what to get.

I have two ideas: All-clad stainless pan or Hexclad. I have never cooked with a stainless pan before and imagine it will be a big pain to clean and that food will stick to it badly. The Hexclad looks great from a lot of the reviews and from the fact that Gordon Ramsay endorses them. Whether that endorsement is genuine, or just to add a couple more zeros to the bank account, I cannot say. He seems like a no nonsense kind of guy that wouldn't risk his reputation with anything but the best. Then if you start watching some reviews from youtube "experts", you might have some differing thoughts. I watched the video at the link below and it appears that the pans aren't as scratch resistant as they claim to be. The video is kind of lunacy and anybody who abuses a pan this badly deserves the consequences. But at the same time, over a lifetime some of that coating has to come off and be ingested, which I'm not crazy about. The All-clad will probably last longer and be safer, but I'm envisioning it being a pain. 





So what pans would you get? We have a blue star range, if that matters.

Thank you!


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## treillw (Nov 9, 2021)

I should probably add that I like to use high heat a lot of the time.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Teflon is a good choice generally, but you'll be replacing them every 2-3 years. And their high heat behaviors can be problematic, mostly if you let the pan get too hot.

But what do you mean by high heat? Most steel or aluminum pans are going to warp if you heat them to 500 degrees and put food in them, 500 being when teflon starts to off gas.

Consider this video where they cook with non-stick. Note he uses a laser thermometer to take pan temps to show what's happening as they cook in the non-stick for the purposes of this dish.






The pan just never gets that hot even though the cooking is pretty vigorous.

If you heat your non-stick pan with oil in it, you'll see the oil smoke before the pan ever gets to the dangerous temps. And when your oil surface shimmers, that's usually a good cooking temperature.

The exceptions to that use seem to be things like blackening foods, maybe searing a sous-vide steak and such.

I don't see stainless as an ideal solution--the Hex clad--as it leaches too, just markedly less than cast or carbon. Nickel being the most readily released. So teflon coating seems a reasonable solution. I've recently been using a ceramic non-stick for the first time. I've liked it quite well, though it's treatment instructions are just as sensitive as for teflon. And the particular ceramic I'm using they caution against temps over 300. For most home skillet work, that's not unrealistic, but somewhat low.

GreenPan ceramic is the current ceramic non-stick recommended by Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen, though they prefer regular non-stick over the ceramic. The Green Pan is pretty pricey but gets pretty good reviews. And it can take more heat 500-600 degrees than the ceramic I'm trying.

The failure point of ceramic is usually cracking, particularly if you drop or deform the pan or pot. But temperature shocks can do it too.

I think bang for buck, Tramontina non-stick is what I like, their professional line. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-Commercial-8-Non-Stick-Restaurant-Fry-Pan/20665941

You can pull of the red handle for use in the oven, under the broiler and so on. Not induction compatible

The winner in most testing seems to be the OXO Goodgrips. 

High durability and good release. But won't work on induction. And the handle can't take much oven heat if any.


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## treillw (Nov 9, 2021)

Thank you for all that information! I will dive into it more. 

To answer your question regarding the high heat, in watching online reviews somebody said that Hexclad recommends using the pans over medium heat and something about not using high heat. Just got me thinking that it might not be ideal for me. I'm not doing anything crazy with the pans. Just heating them up until they are smoking hot for searing. Our range is pretty powerful compared to what I'm used to and what most home cooks who I know personally have; 22k BTU burners. Didn't know if this would be an issue with the hexclad. 

I have no problem being gentle on the pan and not using metal utensils. Just sick of eating teflon.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

It is probably time for me to do a little shopping as well.










I think I need to replace a few of my pots.

mjb.


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