"True" flat bottomed non-stick frying pan recommendation?


 
Erik Tracy

Erik Tracy

TVWBB Pro
I'm looking for a new non-stick frying pan that has a "true" flat bottom on the cooking side.

We have a Cuisinart 14" (measured at the rim, 12" at the bottom) non-stick pan and the surface at the bottom of the pan is slightly convex so that oil or butter forms a ring and doesn't evenly coat the cooking surface -esp at the center.

Over time this has caused what I call "heat wear" in the center so it is no longer non-stick after about 14 months of heavy use.

Yes, I have a large 12" Lodge cast iron skillet, but it only measures 10" at the bottom. And the rest of the family doesn't use it because of its weight.

I'd like to find a "true" flat bottom non-stick pan that is 12" at the bottom.

TIA!
 
take a look at red copper.com. Great pan easy to clean and our 12" pan is 8" on bottom but Flat! Best no stick pan we've ever had!
 
Well, im just going to chime in....that there is no nonstick coating that should be used for frying.......except seasoned cast iron. No man made coatings will hold up to the temperature. Cooking sauces or low temp eggs is what they can be used for without significant loss of properties. Use them on higher heat and they need to be replaced frequently, at least every year.

That said, we have scanpan, its regarded as best nonstick I think. But we still watch what we use them for because they are expensive. We use older for frying bacon, pork chops, etc. We have the CS+ line sold by Sur la Table. The nonstick is textured, not smooth. Even though ads may claim it can be used for searing, etc......no. Not unless your into buying $400 of skillets every year. I suppose some people are.
 
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MartinB said:
Well, im just going to chime in....that there is no nonstick coating that should be used for frying.......except seasoned cast iron. No man made coatings will hold up to the temperature. Cooking sauces or low temp eggs is what they can be used for without significant loss of properties. Use them on higher heat and they need to be replaced frequently, at least every year.

That said, we have scanpan, its regarded as best nonstick I think. But we still watch what we use them for because they are expensive. We use older for frying bacon, pork chops, etc. We have the CS+ line sold by Sur la Table. The nonstick is textured, not smooth.
Click to expand...
Thanks - does the scanpan have a true flat cooking bottom?
 
Most nonstick aluminum pans are flat when you buy them but if you use them above medium heat unless they are filled with liquid (water) they will bulge up in the middle. Ruined a few in the past. I just never use them above medium now and have no issues. The instructions that come with them usually say as much.
 
I just checked my 3 year old Circulon Premier Proffesional set. All 4 frying pans are perfectly flat with a straight edge.
The largest one is a 5 qt. 11" on the inside.
 
No issues with any of mine, though my AllClad ones are about done for anyway as the coating is breaking down badly and they're far from "non-stick" anymore. So I have taken to simply using my cast iron and my coated pans will be going away as I transition everything to CI or carbon steel
 
timothy said:
I just checked my 3 year old Circulon Premier Proffesional set. All 4 frying pans are perfectly flat with a straight edge.
The largest one is a 5 qt. 11" on the inside.
Click to expand...
I checked out the Circulon pans on Amazon - there's a 14" that would fit my family's lifestyle.

It looks almost the same as the Rachel Ray next to it on the website.
circulon-rray-pans.JPG

That triggered my memory - I 'retired' the Rachel Ray pan we had 2 years ago because it wasn't flat and was no longer non-stick.

Here's a picture I just took with some water poured in after it settled to the edges - the same thing with oil or butter.
rachelray-pan.jpg

It's domed in the center.

I drilled down into the comments for the Circulon and found a Q&A asking if the cooking surface was flat - comments claimed it was. So, I may pull the trigger on that one.
 
timothy said:
This is the set I have>https://circulon.com/products/premier-professional-hard-anodized-nonstick-cookware-set
Click to expand...
That's a nice set!

I pulled the trigger on the 14" Circulon. This time I'm smarter and I'm going to check the flatness right out of the box before the first use.

Then over time I can check to see if use actually causes 'doming'.

Training the family for 'proper use' is another thing, and probably about as useful as trying to herd cats.

I'll report back later when the pan shows up.
 
Follow up.

Got the 14" Circulon pan yesterday.

First thing I did was the water test and it IS flat bottomed.

Now comes using it over time and checking it later to see if it domes with use.
 
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