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Thread: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

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    What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    Everywhere I go all I see is frying pans made of stone. "Copper stone, Black Stone - the revolution is here..."

    When I dug a little deeper, it is just a coating and sadly not actually made of stone. Which I was slightly disappointed with, my caveman jitters came and went.

    Has anyone got one, how do they fare against a properly seasoned pan/skillet/wok?
    On the face of it, it looks a lot better than the traditional Tefal coating, which eventually flakes off into your food over time.




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    Super Moderator Jonj1611's Avatar
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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    I have got one, incredibly hard wearing and do stay non slip. I have had mine about a year and does have some discolouration.

    It has never ever flaked off and apart from a bit of discolouration looks exactly the same as the day I bought it. Apart from the underside which obviously looks completely used.

    Can't say how they compare against anything properly seasoned as never had anything like that.
    Jon

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    I've had my tefal frying pan for about 20 years with no flaking off or deterioration.. when should I expect that?

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    Quote Originally Posted by kalniel View Post
    I've had my tefal frying pan for about 20 years with no flaking off or deterioration.. when should I expect that?
    My 2p, based on personal experience, is that the issue is over-heating. Let it get too hot and ....

    From that basic point, pans vary. Better made pans are thicker, heavier, and better at heat spreading. So .... they might take a bit longer to get to operating temperature, but once you do, are easier to hold at that temperature.

    Notching it up a step further, better quality pans have a coating with a higher maximum, like 260-280, rather than 230-240. And that extra 'headroom' gives a greater margin of tolerance between 'at temperature' and 'damaged pan'.

    My first Tefal pan was a simple teflon coating and it lasted about 18 months. A subsequent pan lasted some years .... until Iet a chilli dry out too much and the pan overheated. It was like that for no more than a few minutes, 15 max and .... ruined pan.

    Thing is, st the risk of teaching grandpa go suck eggs, quite a few things need to be pretty damn hot to fry. If you "fry" beef mince for a curry, or sear beef chunks for stew snd they go grey, not brown, then they are more boiling than frying. Fail to get that colour, the caramelisation of the surface, and you also fail to get the flavour which is the point (along with sealing moisture in) of "browning".

    Add to that that the pan temp drops when you add food, especially in quantity, and the whole thing is a kind of russian roulette at getting the pan hot enough to do the job without being hot enough to damage the pan.

    How many of us use a digital thermometer to monitor pan temps? I sure don't.


    As for "stone"? Dunno, but I've often wondered.

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    I've got a Scoville branded one, they frequently appear in Asda with good markdowns, frying pans and big pots being avaliable for 12-16 quid if its on sale. I've had it for over a year and its brilliant. Its much easier to clean than my Tefal. I think the rough surface prevents flat pieces of food/burn from sticking to it like a limpet.

    I've not noticed any detioration of the coating, though I do take care of my non-stick wares (I will beat you with a stick if you go near them with a metal fork or god forbid, a knife), my 3+ year old Tefal looks fine as well.

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    Quote Originally Posted by AETAaAS View Post
    I've got a Scoville branded one, they frequently appear in Asda with good markdowns, frying pans and big pots being avaliable for 12-16 quid if its on sale. I've had it for over a year and its brilliant. Its much easier to clean than my Tefal. I think the rough surface prevents flat pieces of food/burn from sticking to it like a limpet.
    Thanks, I will have a butchers at this brand
    Quote Originally Posted by AETAaAS View Post
    I've not noticed any detioration of the coating, though I do take care of my non-stick wares (I will beat you with a stick if you go near them with a metal fork or god forbid, a knife), my 3+ year old Tefal looks fine as well.
    My understanding of the stone varients is that you're meant to be able to use metal on them, which is why it seems a lot better than the standard Tefal coating. I prefer a nice sharp edge to my tools that you just dont get with the silicone/wood ones.


    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen999 View Post
    My 2p, based on personal experience, is that the issue is over-heating. Let it get too hot and ....

    From that basic point, pans vary. Better made pans are thicker, heavier, and better at heat spreading. So .... they might take a bit longer to get to operating temperature, but once you do, are easier to hold at that temperature.

    Notching it up a step further, better quality pans have a coating with a higher maximum, like 260-280, rather than 230-240. And that extra 'headroom' gives a greater margin of tolerance between 'at temperature' and 'damaged pan'.

    My first Tefal pan was a simple teflon coating and it lasted about 18 months. A subsequent pan lasted some years .... until Iet a chilli dry out too much and the pan overheated. It was like that for no more than a few minutes, 15 max and .... ruined pan.

    Thing is, st the risk of teaching grandpa go suck eggs, quite a few things need to be pretty damn hot to fry. If you "fry" beef mince for a curry, or sear beef chunks for stew snd they go grey, not brown, then they are more boiling than frying. Fail to get that colour, the caramelisation of the surface, and you also fail to get the flavour which is the point (along with sealing moisture in) of "browning".

    Add to that that the pan temp drops when you add food, especially in quantity, and the whole thing is a kind of russian roulette at getting the pan hot enough to do the job without being hot enough to damage the pan.

    How many of us use a digital thermometer to monitor pan temps? I sure don't.


    As for "stone"? Dunno, but I've often wondered.
    I had a Wok which it's coating disappeared after a couple of months, the only place it went was in me. I never appreciated til some time after that I've just eaten non stick chemicals, but have lived to tell the tale. On the flip side, I also have a Saute pan which has lasted years, with no sign of wear yet.

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    A wok is an even trickier example because that sort of stir-frying has to be done when the pan is really hot. Though my non-stick wok is still perfect after several years.

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    PTFE is far from the worst thing to eat - it's inert enough that people tried it as a bearing material for hip replacements. It didn't work, but more for wear reasons than toxicity - relatively large chunks* from a pan passing through the digestive system shouldn't do much harm

    * compared to ~300 um powder from the bearing surface wearing

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    I've had the Tefal in OP's picture for a few months now, and I love it so far. The way I cook with other non-stick pans before, the coating does not last very long. But this one has held up so far. I was impressed on day 1 when I could use a kitchen towel to clean the pan of grease quite easily. It's got a few superficial scratches, but still got no problems to date. I'm impressed so far with it, best non-stick I've used to date. And it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    Quote Originally Posted by AGTDenton View Post
    My understanding of the stone varients is that you're meant to be able to use metal on them, which is why it seems a lot better than the standard Tefal coating. I prefer a nice sharp edge to my tools that you just dont get with the silicone/wood ones.
    I had no idea that you could use metal. I'd avoid it out of habit but I do remember having nice flat metal spatulas/flippers. The Ikea cheapo black plastic ones are nice and thin, with a tapered edge but mine are frayed after a couple months use.

    But one thing I'd noticed with the stone coated things is that things don't stick as hard (I think tiny gaps with air or something stay between the grit/uneven surface depending on what you cook) so more forgiving implements are fine.

    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen999 View Post
    How many of us use a digital thermometer to monitor pan temps? I sure don't.
    I've never done this, just always cooked by eyeballing but I do have a laser thermometer I use to measure temps on my electronics. Maybe I should give it a go, though if it does reveal bad habits, I fear I'll be one of those that goes "Its always worked fine!"

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    Quote Originally Posted by AETAaAS View Post
    I had no idea that you could use metal. I'd avoid it out of habit but I do remember having nice flat metal spatulas/flippers. The Ikea cheapo black plastic ones are nice and thin, with a tapered edge but mine are frayed after a couple months use.

    But one thing I'd noticed with the stone coated things is that things don't stick as hard (I think tiny gaps with air or something stay between the grit/uneven surface depending on what you cook) so more forgiving implements are fine.
    Yes all my nonstick utensils are peeling, stripping etc.. black strands on the edges
    I try and remove any loose bits before use

    According to the blurb on Tefal:

    Quote Originally Posted by Tefal.co.uk
    It's extremely scratch resistant – even when using metal utensils – and can withstand intensive use without any loss of non-stick performance over time. In fact, these pans are non-stick coated inside and out, so they're an absolute breeze to wipe clean.
    Although you have to be careful with all these coatings, some brands say "Stone-like", which probably means it's just a visual thing and not a proper coating.

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    I only use glass and enameled cast iron cookware as it is completely inert and non toxic. Wooden utensils are used in the enameled cast iron to prevent scratching so they last as long as possible but the glass baking trays and bread dishes are good to go with anything you chuck at them.

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    Quote Originally Posted by Scrupulous View Post
    I only use glass and enameled cast iron cookware as it is completely inert and non toxic. Wooden utensils are used in the enameled cast iron to prevent scratching so they last as long as possible but the glass baking trays and bread dishes are good to go with anything you chuck at them.
    Hmm boron...

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    Quote Originally Posted by kalniel View Post
    Hmm boron...
    What about it?

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    So I went with a Salter 30cm for £12.50 in Tesco, seemed a bargain and worth a try at that price.

    Worth noting to any potential purchasers you do need to season it, but it's not as complex as stainless steel or cast iron. Wipe a dollop of vegetable oil on the inside, gently heat it then let it cool and wipe off. This was simple, only made difficult by the fact our electric hob takes an age just to get luke warm.

    First meal was a steak, no oil just some BBQ seasoning, Instantly found this to be much better than the traditional black Tefal coating, all my steaks have stuck on there. I could literally toss the meat like a pancake and slid off the pan when serving, didn't need tongs at all. Steak seal of approval!

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    Re: What's up with these stone coated frying pans?

    I've settled on using my non-stick frying pan for eggs and low temperature cooking only. For anything high temperature, I've got a carbon steel (similar to cast iron) frying pan. Using a non-stick pan for everything would be easier for cleaning, but it's so wasteful to throw out pans frequently. A chainmail scrubber makes light work of anything stuck to the carbon steel pan, so in reality it makes very little difference.

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