High heat, stainless steel fry pan, brands, Demeyer copper etc.

17 years ago

I was doing some searching in my quest for a new big frying pan and found this older post. It was followed by a post I haven't cut and pasted that mentioned in the same article that one of the tests left a pan on a heated burner for awhile and while all were damaged a couple actually basically came apart "with molten metal spilling everywhere".

Ok - I'm 51 and have some bad habits. I like to cook on high, and I will walk away from the stove when cooking. The only major disasters have been with hummingbird sugar water and ruining 2 older le creuset pots. I apparently don't have much patience for watching water boil or food cook.

I realize that nothing is indestructible and am trying to monitor my ways (but they probably aren't going to do a 180).

Right now I have another post on replacing a cheap frying pan. I was thinking of hard anodized non-stick like my small analon which seems to have held up ok but perhaps I should give SS a try?

Should I stay away from any SS with copper? Does Copper have a lower melting temperature?

I don't think the Kitchen Aid lines have changed from 2005 as listed below - actually a lot of their ss fry pans are non-stick. Anyone with experience with the current line? Viking?

Demeyere - do they all have copper somwhere? What's the difference between their two lines besides looks?

I saw where one said for induction cooktops stops heating at 485? I don't have induction but it sounded intriguinging.

Any other suggestions for someone who tends to cook on high with impatience? (Besides changing my ways?)

Start quote from older post, I cut the non stick part

For what its worth, this from the Dec '05 issue of Consumer Reports. Cookware was rated on cooking evenness, non-stick durability (if applicable), safety, comfort, sturdiness, and ease of cleaning. Bottom line, there's no practical reason to spend a lot of money on cookware.

Uncoated (16 tested)

1) KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials Brushed Stainless

2) Calphalon Contemporary

3) Emerilware Stainless

4) Magnalite Classic

5) Member's Mark (Sam's Club) Tri-Ply-Clad Item 955462

Notables: 8) All-Clad Master Chef 2 700393, 10) All-Clad Copper Core 6000-7SS, 38) Viking Professional Starter Set

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Comments (2)

solarpowered
17 years ago
The melting point of aluminum is 660 C; the melting point of copper is 1083 C. I doubt that you can heat a pan to either of those.

Demeyere does indeed have frying pans, both nonstick and regular, that will stop heating at around 485 F. This feature only works on induction cooktops; it works because the magnetic material in the pans is designed so that it is only magnetic below that temperature. It would seem that they would work very well for the absent-minded cook. But, they are quite expensive, and do require induction.

My current philosophy for nonstick frying pans is to go cheap so that I don't mind replacing them when they wear out. I currently like the Johnson Rose Crown Select (from Instawares and other retailers) line for this purpose. I have a 10" (I think) frying pan from them that has seem pretty heavy use for the last two years, and it is continuing to hold up pretty well. I'll probably need to replace it in another year or two.

I like the Demeyere Atlantis line for other purposes. So far, I have had no problem with damage from overheating. There have been a couple incidents where things have burned on, and I have been amazed that the pan has cleaned up to pristine condition after a brief soak in soapy water.
Fori
17 years ago
I like cast iron for less-stick cooking. It's not for omelettes, but when properly seasoned it is close to non-stick. Not the easiest to maintain, and not easy on the wrists though. But it's darn hard to damage.

If you're in the market for a new cooktop, induction might be the way to go for you. For an impatient cook, it's pretty nice! Nothing faster than induction. And many units have timers you can set (if you remember) to turn themselves off after a while.
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