[Sca-cooks] pans

[Tara]

> Professional kitchens and the help they hire are very
> hard on pans which is another reason why you don't see
> non-stick, even expensive non-stick there. It doesn't
> hold up to abuse. And if you have enough help to clean
> the pans, does it matter if they are non-stick or not.
> Non-stick finishes require care and a certain amount of
> caution regarding use of heat and washing. No dishwashers.
> Do you always have the time to properly instruct the help
> that the 120 dollar pan requires this level of care?
> If you buy one for home use, invest in a quality pan, and get
> a warranty with it. Follow the instructions for use.
> Some are really great.

I disagree.  I have two non-stick pans.  One is an expensive Calphalon
wok that came as a freebie with a large boxed set of anodized aluminum
pans, the other is a cheap T-fal from Wal-mart.  While I use the wok
fairly often, it's not because of it's finish, it's because of it's
volume and convenient shape.  (Heathen alert: I use it weekly to brown
three pounds of ground lamb and turkey for my dog's food...)  While the
Calphalon is holding up quite nicely, I treat it like gold because,
well, I like it's shape and volume and don't want to have to replace
it.  But, realistically, I don't think it is any sturdier than the
cheaper pan.  I've had the T-fal pan longer and have yet to see a
scratch in it either.  While I use it less often, I'm less gentle with
it because it was so cheap.

We studied teflon in chem at college (DuPont practically owns University
of Delaware... we also studied how they make nylon stockings, with a
chemist from DuPont in to demonstrate pulling the nylon out of a vat of
liquid.)  My conclusion is that teflon is teflon, the quality of the pan
beneath it non-withstanding.  The teflon will damage at the same rate no
matter what the quality of the pan is, so you might as well get a cheap
one because it'll hurt a lot less when you have to replace it.

Other than the above mentioned use, I use non-stick rarely.  But, there
are those occasions where it's priceless.  I've bought antique cast-iron
pans from farmers markets that were as smooth as baby's bottoms and
seasoned them within an inch of their lives.  And there are things that
still stick to them.  Teflon may be kinda scary (everything DuPont does
is kinda scary,) but it is foolproof!

-Magdalena