Scan pan..made in Denmark.

What do you mean by "safe"?

I guess I don't want Teflon, although I'm not exactly clear why it is that people are discouraged from using it. Embarrassed to say my best pan to day is an older Chantal that is Teflon (I think) coated. Love it but I've been avoiding using it. I called Chantal mfg to express my concerns and they just gave the company drafted evasive BS.

Carbon steel and cast iron are non-stick after seasoning.

I use an Ikea skillet with Teflon, which is fine for temps up to 500. I use it for eggs, so the temp is always low.
There's Swiss Diamond and Scanpan (as mentioned).
None of these 3 use PFOA in the production of their non-stick coatings, which was a hazard at the manufacturing level. PFOA wasn't/isn't part of the coating. PTFE is and it's an inert compound.

I've never used a ceramic, but I understand that the degree of non-stick decreases over time.

Some feel enameled cast iron develops a seasoning that's non-stick, Staub in particular.

I sometimes use stainless steel and if you preheat your pan, check for the Leidenfrost effect, and use a liberal amount of fat, it's pretty close to non-stick.

Non-stick wears out. If cared for well, you can get several years out of them but a lot of people don't worry about it and buy inexpensive replacements once the coating looks iffy.

Enameled cast iron is great but oh so heavy for me to handle. The women in my family always prided themselves in owning and using an expensive set of cookware and I've tried to follow suit but it looks like I'll hv to hv the cheapie backup for daily egg cooking.

I might go to Marshall's and get a ceramic one, out of curiosity. I had read, as you said, that they wear off over time.

Thanks for input I will look at other brands mentioned

Doesn't Chantal use a ceramic/enamel coating?
If your Chantal's coating is intact and working, then don't waste your money on a different brand with a similar coating. I've read that Greenpans last around 6 months, but I have no experience with this type.

I responded to your other thread re: deposits on your Chantal. Did you try the vinegar/water soak?

I use an AllClad LTD to fry eggs in daily. It's a stainless tri-ply with a charcoal color outside. The secret to stainless not sticking is heating it on medium until drops of water dry, THEN add your spray or oil. The eggs just slide out of pan and leave no residue. I like the LTD because the outside color is charcoal so stays nice forever, but think the regular AllClad (not LTD) is less expensive and probably cooks as well; it just shows stains on outside.

Alex, my apologies, I used the vinegar for my chalkie pot and it looks brand new. I'll go to that thread an update.

Chantal fusion is supposed to be their answer to no Teflon & non stick but it fails miserably for me, though I heat pan only to med temps as instructed. I will try heating first, then adding oil to see if that works and will report here.

I'd rather not but anything else but I'm just so darned sick of ugly looking fried eggs, that was ready to throw in the proverbial towel on the Chantal fusion, 11", $80

The LTD line is anodized aluminum on the outside and a Teflon-like non-stick on the inside. It doesn't require pre-heating before adding fat (or fat, for that matter).

I have the SS and Barkeeper's Friend will take care of any cooking stains.

Edit: I see the LTD did come in stainless but I don't see that option on their website, now. Looks like they're phasing this line out or something. Not much variety.

This post was edited by alex9179 on Thu, Sep 11, 14 at 15:30

If you decide to use one with a Teflon-like interior both Calphalon and All-Clad offer lifetime warranties on their product.
Personally, I would just replace with something inexpensive.

All-Clad even pays for shipping both ways! Calphalon requires you to pay to get it to them.

I've been really impressed by my debuyer crepe pan. It is carbon steel, seasoning was a breeze, and its as good as any teflon-type coating that I've used. Its now my go-to pan for eggs as well as crepes.

Alex, I heated pan til water drops sizzled, put two tbsp olive oil, tried frying eggs on med (6 on my dial) and this is what I got. Not sure what I did wrong

The Liedenfrost effect is water rolling across the pan like little balls. It's not quite there when it's only sizzling.

I heat on medium until the balls form when I flick water into the pan. Then, turn to low or med. low, add butter and wait for it to stop foaming, then add the eggs. For frying, I leave them alone until that side is done to my taste then flip or place a lid over the top at the beginning to cook the top a bit.

Diamond Swiss, ScanPan, and Teflon non-sticks are all similar. The former two have lots of fans because they seem to last longer due to their proprietary process. I imagine that the people take better care of an expensive pan vs a "cheap" one, too!

I don't blame you for wanting a traditional non-stick for eggs, especially when scrambling. It IS much easier. I honestly don't think you'll love the ceramic if they do lose their non-stick quality, like your current pans.

For what it's worth, Chantal is a very nice brand and you can make them work well for you using the above method for most foods. LOTS of cooks keep a non-stick around for eggs and fish.

thanks all for your input. I like what I read on Scan Pan but I will try with my Chantal one more time before totally giving up. I hate ugly eggs! LOL

"I heated pan til water drops sizzled, put two tbsp olive oil, tried frying eggs on med (6 on my dial) and this is what I got."

Did you get the oil hot, too? Cold oil will cause sticking. You should heat up the pol with the pan.

Here is a link that might be useful: cold oil sticks

useful info. thanks. I've read you heat olive oil up to before it starks smoking, and that is what I did. Can't say with any accuracy how hot or cold, though.

My MIL is a real foodie and lives to cook. She gave me a diamond Swiss skillet for christmas 2013, which I had never heard of...I am not much of a cook, but can sauté some chicken breast from time to time. Well, we were loving that skillet...until about two months ago, when I noticed the non stick coating starting to flake off in spots. Really disappointed about that. It's not like it has had heavy use, so I don't know what caused that to happen. I just clean by hand with a " non stick safe" scrubby. Like I said, big disappointment.

Second attempt: heated pan till water droplets rolled off (big diff between sizzle and roll off) then added olive oil and dropped temp to medium. Had a smokey mess for a few minutes but my mushrooms did not stick. I just need to tweak my temps.

Most pans will only need to be heating on medium until Leidenfrost. The high temp gets you there faster, but you have to wait longer to put the food into it -or the smokey mess. I heat on med, check the pan, then add fat and reduce the temp for foods that need to cook on low.

Try starting at medium as most pans with cladding, including Chantal, don't recommend higher temperatures, except for boiling something .