Ceramic frying pans - got any experience?

[Saracen]

I need a new frying pan, medium to large, say 26cm, maybe 28cm. My default is Le Creuset, toughened hard anodised. Superb pan, but not cheap.

However, I keep seeing adverts for ceramic, and the promotional videos look .... impressive. But .... too impressive?

And when you lot at customer ratings, a LOT of people seem to think they're fantastic for weeks, maybe a few months, then rapidly detetiorate into unusable junk. So many people can't all be wrong, but are they just failing to read instructions, abusing pans, over-heating, etc.

I DO want both superb cooking ability and longevity, and will pay for it if I must. But ceramic ... tempts me .... IF THEY LAST.

In fact, even writing this, my inclination is just to go get the LeC. But .... thoughts, anyone? Got ceramic yourself? If so, how's it lasting/lasted?

[MaddAussie]

LeC is the way forward (and circulon)

[snedger]

I've bought a few ceramic frying pans and am extremely disappointed.
They are not very tough.
They do lose their non-stickness in quite a short time.
Do not buy white, as they look very grubby as they lose their non-stickness.
I had to throw away a couple of thin pans that I got from one of the flash sales websites, weren't cheap, the material started coming away.
I'm continuing to use a Berndes 32cm pan, even though it is difficult to scrape off an egg without leaving half of it on the pan - great heat distribution, just rubbish non stick - I fry an egg in an egg ring and use oil, so shouldn't really be sticking.
I've also got a Hairy Bikers omelette pan - which is good for a fried sandwich and omelettes, strangely enough. I'm treating that pan a bit more gently, not using it so often and at lower induction intensity- seems to be lasting a bit longer.
It might also be that induction is too aggressive - which is what I was told in a cook shop when I asked why my Tefal non sticks didn't last long.
I just went through my sent emails and found an enquiry that I had sent to Richmondcookshop back in February. My ceramic pan research had boiled down to choosing between Scanpan CTX and Scanpan IQ - RCS didn't bother to answer my "what is the difference" question, so I decided not to bother to send them my business.
Scanpan is really expensive, but then so is repeat buying of quickly failing pans. Claims that it can "withstand metal utensils".
Might get a 28cm sauté pan, if I can ignore the price.

[Saracen]

The difference berween the two SEEMS to be largely styling. Certainly, the non-stick tech is the same. One site did describe the CTX as a 5-ply construction of the base (inner and outer of stainless steel, and a tri-ply aluminium inside for heat distribution), while the IQ was just coated S/Steel, but it could have just been poor description for the IQ.

From the pictures, though, the CTX does seem to be, well, cookware porn. Extremely good-looking.

As for price, yup, roughly the same as the LeC items I was looking at (either frying pan and separate lid, or saute pan). Either way, either brand is expensive. But my logic is pay well, but pay once. My LeC stir-fry pan (sort of wok), for example, has seen quite a bit of use over about 3 years, but about the only sign it's not brand new is very slight marks on the underneath.

Amyway, Scanpan do seem to get very good owner reviews, as do LeC, though LeC seem to get FAR more of them. It suggests a much larger scale operation??

Tempting though Scanpan are, two things pull, me towards LeC - warranty, and local availability.

I know the LeC warranty is lifetime (for manufacturing defects not, obviously, accidental damage, misuse, etc). The Scanpan warranty appears to be lifetime too, at least in the US, but despite looking at several retailers and Scanpan's own website, I can't find confirmation of UK/EU warranty.

And for local access, I have a LeC shop (and I mean their own shop) only a few miles away, and a John Lewis (with a wide range of LeC) about halfway to that LeC shop. Yeah, I could mail-order and sent back if I don't like them, but it's a lot of mucking about compared to just browsing in a shop.

Still, Scanpan gives me a high-end "ceramic" option to look at. Thanks, snedger.

[EskimoMash]

I have a ceramic frying pan in white, you can cook an egg without oil as long as you don't let it get too hot. I rinse with hot water immediately after cooking while surface is hot. Steams all the residue, if any off and keeps looking good. My son does bacon in it and leaves it too cool without cleaning. A quick wipe with kitchen roll. Reheat it and quench in soapy water looks as good as new. It has been in use about 2 years. I am impressed with it, I like it but prefer my Teflon TV chef endorsed pan if doing any sauté style cooking.
I cannot remember the make it was quite pricy when I took the plunge.
I only use wood or silicone tools to avoid scratches.

[DBarber]

Got a couple of very old LeC one 20cm one about 34(very large anyway) both been abused and over heated and now find the coating coming off, did think it might be best to avoid putting in dishwasher but would buy LeC again no worries.

[Top_gun]

I've had two ceramic pans from GreenPan. The first one lost its non-stick effectiveness gradually but I also have a tendency to overheat the pan as well. Second one from GreenPan had a much better ceramic technology and was actually a joy to use in terms of non-stick. Unfortunately, I can't vouch for its long term non-stick properties since I'm mostly using cast steel pans for frying. I'm pretty certain my second GreenPan is still in good nick.

[snedger]

Going to hate myself in the morning, gone with the PILF* 28cm Scanpan CTX saute, rather than the sexy, younger looking IQ model.
But, was £64.53 on Amazon Warehouse - disgusting price for a frying pan, but a saving of £120ish and if it lasts a year I will be happy.
*BTW PILF is "pans I like to fry with"

[merdat]

I bought a 'stonewell' frying pan and got a present of a 'ceramic' pan at the same time. Stonewell pan good for frying eggs without oil and i like the ceramic one for Omelettes . I run the ceramic at high heat for Omelettes and it is tending to discolor a bit now . Think the 'Stonewell 'one will last longer but happy with both as they are wipe clean no fuss jobbies. Both were around 20 quid at the time.

[Apex]

Got one from asda, not impressed with it.

The surface marks too easy and its not really non stick..... sad really.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I have a Danish made one - not the Scan Pan,but another one with a titanium ceramic nonstick using a cast aluminium body. Its coming upto 8 years old and the non-stick has not warn off despite some abuse - there are minor scratches and some discolouring starting to show now though. One word of warning though - Teflon tends to be more slippery than the ceramic coatings though,so personally I would use a decent Teflon pan if you really want to not use any oil.

The main advantage of the ones in the Scan Pan and similar ones is that they can take higher temperatures better than normal Teflon coated pans,IIRC it is the backing on the latter which is the main issue.

[snedger]

My new Scanpan appears to have such efficient heat distribution that I can opt for either faster cooking, or better controlled cooking. Some slightly overcooked eggs means that induction intensity will be lessened.
Appears to be worth the money, but longevity needs verifying.
Fry on!
Cheers

[circuitmonkey]

I know the LeC warranty is lifetime (for manufacturing defects not, obviously, accidental damage, misuse, etc).

This is the best news I've heard for a while!

I was given a few pans for Christmas a few years ago and the frying pan finish has tarnished and is no longer non stick so will have to give a warranty claim a go.

One of the best pans I've ever owned though

[Biscuit]

I have been using the same, fairly cheap frying pans, sauce pans and woks for nearly 10 years now and with the exception of a few scratches and a bit of discolouration here and there, none of them are showing any signs of not functioning as well as they once did. Im not going to pretend im a pro-chef or anything, but my cooking is reasonably popular throughout my friends and family, so i cant be bad!
I apologise for my ignorance, but can someone explain, in their opinion/experience, what the benefits are to the high end stuff?

[Saracen]

This is the best news I've heard for a while!

I was given a few pans for Christmas a few years ago and the frying pan finish has tarnished and is no longer non stick so will have to give a warranty claim a go.

One of the best pans I've ever owned though

To clarify, it's "lifetime" NOW. Used to be 10 years until fairly recently.

LeC had a manufacturing cockup a couple of years back which caused some issues. They solved the problem and replaced the pans thay failed, but also seem to have switched to "lifetime" and my assumption is that it's at least partly for market/customer confidence reasons.

What they'd do if your pan was just out of the warranty on offer when you bought it, but inside the newer "lifetime" .... dunno.

[Saracen]

I have been using the same, fairly cheap frying pans, sauce pans and woks for nearly 10 years now and with the exception of a few scratches and a bit of discolouration here and there, none of them are showing any signs of not functioning as well as they once did. Im not going to pretend im a pro-chef or anything, but my cooking is reasonably popular throughout my friends and family, so i cant be bad!
I apologise for my ignorance, but can someone explain, in their opinion/experience, what the benefits are to the high end stuff?

I'm not a pro-chef either, by any stretch of the imagination, but I can give you some of the advantages to me.

First, no PTFE/PFOA type coatings to come off.

Secondly, they tend (but you have to check) to withstand considerably higher temperatures. PTFE/PFOA breaks down at relatively low temperatures, and many cheaper pans don't survive above about 200c. This, of course, is largely WHY many cheaper pans don't last - people don't use them right. My LeC pans cope up to about 260c.

Why does that matter? Well, for a start, if you're doing something that starts on the hob and ends in the oven, or under the grill, like a frittata.

Next, being oven-safe at all. That is, can handles cope with oven/grill?

Perhaps the biggest single benefit, though, is even heat distribution. No hotspots, for instance, and getting heat stability throughout means it's far easier to get get things at a stable temperature, and for some things (including some sauces) that can make things far easier. E.g. you want to maintain a slow simmer without either going off simmer, or boiling. Or you're doing something temp-critical, like aiming at a sugar point.