Those so-called "non-stick" ceramic pans

I have to check what I have, I know they've worked well, and have lasted. I also know they are safe to use with our birds, and this is something we have to check. Some (many) non-stick pans, if the pan burns (i.e. still on the heat, with nothing in them), then the fumes can kill birds. We have a talking Malucan Cockatoo, so not looking to kill her.

reply to post by FortAnthem



I couldn't read any more after the "season the pan" part.

Cooking 101: You season a good cooking surface by using oil and heat. You then NEVER use soap on that surface again. Just hot water and elbow grease. Using soap strips the oil from the pan and basically "unseasons" it.

I use loads of cast iron cookware. None of it touches soap at the risk of death. I have gotten fairly upset (it was my grandmothers pan, and had a wonderfully aged seasoning that worked exceptionally well for cornbread).so they now know.

Regardless....i wouldn't cook on that. Ceramic just sounds like it won't cook right. I know the flavor/texture you describe. I get the same thing using any newer teflon pan. It goes away on teflon after awhile.....but that dry blandness......

reply to post by MystikMushroom


those are great pans. if you got it for $100, you got a good deal. Unless prices have come down. When i last shopped i got Calphalon because those were beyond my budget. And I paid easily $100 a pan on the Calphalon.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


Yes, but it was JUST the pan. It may have been $120...but no more than that. My girl bought me the matching lid for Christmas. They *are* spendy, but with all the use it's seen, I am very impressed at it's performance.

Another feature on Swiss Diamond pans I like is that the handle can be tightened with a regular screw driver. I've had the handles on cheap pans get loose and wobbly over time. If my handle now gets loose, it's a really quick fix.

Another cookware line for people that want nonstick but no teflon would be the DeBuyer Mineral B pans. They are shiny silver iron, but after you use it and season it it eventually turns black. I like it because it's quite a bit lighter than my standard cast iron pans, and it's also induction compatible. It's also oven safe so you can sear steaks on top of the stove and finish them off in the oven!


If you guys have never cooked on an induction hob or cook top -- it's incredibly cool. Costco had a stand alone unit for I want to say $60 a while back.

I wanted to get one of these but after reading reviews I decided against it.

What I find works best are my vintage finds from the thrift store. The old school ones! I have two awesome pans that are perfect and nothing sticks to them, nothing comes flaking off either. I don't know the brand but they are from the 50s-60s. My mom said she remember them when she was little.

I find that a lot of the new and "improved" products are nothing but, they may be new but they are not improved. It has been my experience that the old stuff always works better!! I love my old school pans, they may look dated but they work!! I prefer function over looks when it comes to my cooking devices!

I use cast iron and beef tallow or coconut oil. Eggs slide right out. I useone pan for eggs only, another one for everything else.

Most of the new iron pans at the store are garbage. Get a old one with a smooth surface from ebay.

Today, I decided to try season the pan to see how that would work out.

I put in a small coating of vegetable oil into the pan and turned on the heat. I got bored after a few minutes and went in to see what was on TV for about 5 minutes and when I came back, it was smoking profusely. I took it off the stove and ran water over it to cool it down and get rid of the excess oil. About then, the smoke alarm went off and the wife started griping and asking what the Hell was I doing in there. It took a few minutes to cool down the pan and it left a big, ugly, brown stain in the middle of the pan. It took even longer to get all the smoke out of the kitchen. Needless to say, this seasoning process is a pain in the butt.

After everything settled down, I decided to make some scrambled eggs in it. To my surprise, they slipped and slided around on the pan just like it was brand new. Apparently there really is something to that whole seasoning thing. The pan looks butt ugly now but, it seems to be fixed.

It would have been nice if the pan came with this information and I didn't have to look it up on the web. I was this close to tossing the damn thing.

I just wanna say thank you to everyone who posted in this thread. I never knew there was so much to know about frying pans. You folks are all great and I'm sure my cooking will be improved from all of your input.

A simple google search brought me to this thread. I am so glad to have found it. My ceramic pan is no stick again. Just heated the oil till smoking and now its all good!